before the party fell to work, the driver walked to the edge of the lake and tied his white handkerchief to the limb of a tree, which projected over the water. there was enough breeze to make it flutter, and the background of emerald brought it out with vivid distinctness. it was the signal to the bungalow that the chuck wagon, as they called it, had arrived, and the two canoes were to be sent across the lake for the supplies. since it was expected at a certain time, our friends were on the watch for it. within ten minutes after the piece of linen was fastened in place, the large canoes, each containing two persons, one of whom was scout master hall, were seen heading for the spot where the provisions were awaiting them. it does not take a man and four lusty boys long to prepare a wagon load of such freight for shipment by water, and the cargo was ready a good while before the arrival of the craft.

the driver, who announced that he was “jake,” sat on one of the boxes, lighted a corncob pipe and talked with the lads. although he was rough of speech and at times inclined to profanity, the young men treated him with respect, and by their unvarying courtesy won his good will. he asked many questions and told them a good deal about himself; in short, they became quite chummy.

the two canoes had passed most of the distance when jake abruptly asked:

“have you seen anything of asa and bige carter?”

“who are they?” asked alvin in turn, although he had heard the names before.

“i thought everybody knowed asa and bige; they’re twin brothers, and two of the darndest chaps that ever lived.”

this description, so far as it went, was not enlightening. chester said:

“those must have been the two men that called on uncle elk this morning and went off with him in their canoe. so far as we could see they look exactly alike.”

“that’s them,” replied jake with a nod of his head. “did the three come this way in their canoe?”

“they seemed to be heading for this place.”

“that settles it; they was asa and bige. i expected them to meet me here,” and jake peered around in the wood, but without seeing anything of his friends.

“what might ye maan by spaking of them as two of the darndest chaps that ever lived?” asked mike, who, as did his companions, hoped they had struck a lead that might yield them something worth while.

“why, they’re just like a couple of irishmen.”

“arrah now, but what model gintlemen they must be! it will be an honor for us to make their acquaintance.”

jake’s reply to this was to snatch off his straw hat, throw back his head and roar with laughter. determined to probe farther, alvin asked:

“what is there peculiar about the twin brothers?”

“now, you jist wait till you meet ’em 176and you’ll find out. i’ll only warn you to keep your eyes wide open, or they’ll close ’em for you. wal, the folks have about arriv.”

all rose to their feet and greeted their friends who were now within a short distance. the water was so deep that the light craft were able to lie broadside against the bank. it required skill and hard labor to get a portion of the freight aboard, but in due time it was accomplished.

“we are pretty heavily loaded,” remarked scout master hall, “but the lake is smooth and we can easily make two or three trips. we can divide you four between us.”

“it’s blamed risky,” commented jake, “but i guess it can be did if you’re all mighty keerful.”

mr. hall insisted that he and his three companions should change places with the others, but this arrangement would have defeated the scheme alvin and his chums had in mind. without revealing their object, they begged off and secured a compromise by which hoke butler was to return in one of the canoes, while the trio would walk home. in truth, hoke was so tired from his long tramp that he was pleased by the plan.

“but i won’t go, mike, if you’re going to feel bad about it,” he remarked before sitting down in the boat that was about to shove off.

“av coorse me heart is nearly broke,” said mike, “but it’s yer own comfort i’m thinking of, as larry mcwhymper said whin he put a brick in the bag for the cat he was drowning to set on and pass away comfortable. but i’m cheered by the hope of maating ye at supper time. good luck to ye!”

the two craft, sunk almost to their gunwales, moved slowly across the mirror-like lake, reaching their destination without mishap, and returning for the last loads.

jake looked at the three youths.

“you’ve got a mighty hard tramp afore you; if there was a road i’d take you home in my wagon.”

“we don’t mind it,” was the cheery reply of alvin.

“besides, if we feel like resting our legs and using our arms, we can borrow dr. spellman’s boat; his home isn’t far off. do you go back at once?”

“i’ve a great mind to; it would serve asa and bige right if i did, but i’ll hang round a half hour or so and not a blamed bit longer, for i must git home afore dark.”

“then we shall bid you good bye,” said alvin shaking hands with the countryman, as did the others, all expressing the hope of soon meeting him again. since it was he who regularly brought the supplies to this point, there seemed to be no reason why the mutual wish should not be gratified. jake refilled and relighted his pipe, sitting on a fallen tree and showing by his vigorous puffs that he was not in the most patient of moods.

the three boys did not speak until sure they were beyond sight of jake. then they halted.

“do you think he suspects anything?” asked alvin, unconsciously lowering his voice.

“why should he?” asked chester.

“he suspicts we’re thramping for home,” remarked mike, “which the same is what we wish him to belave.”179

it will be understood that our young friends were resolute to learn all that was possible about the mystery that had tantalized them for the past day or two. beyond a doubt the twin brothers were connected with it, and since jake was awaiting their coming, it looked as if the boys had a fair chance of learning something.

they separated, and each began an approach to the driver and his team that was meant to be so cautious that jake would not detect them. the very care used by each well nigh defeated its purpose. it fell to alvin to catch the first enlightening glimpse of the countryman and that which he saw astonished him.

the carter brothers must have been waiting near at hand for the departure of the boys, for in the brief interval since then they had come forward, loaded something in the wagon and covered it with a big sheet of soiled canvas. whatever it was, its size was such that it filled the whole interior, and crowded against the seat in front. it towered several feet above the sides and suggested a load of hay, protected against a drenching rain.

“what can it be?” alvin muttered, “and why are they so particular with it?” which questions were self asked by chester and mike, with none able to frame an answer.

having loaded the wagon, the brothers proceeded carefully to tuck in the precious burden as if afraid jealous eyes might see it. finally all was satisfactory and the three men climbed to the front seat. they had to sit snugly, but there was enough room. jake was on the extreme right, where he could crack his whip without hindrance.

he glanced behind him, as if to make sure everything was right, jerked the reins, circled the whip lash which gave out an explosion like that of a fire cracker, and the sturdy horses bent to their task of dragging the wagon and its contents through the woods into the more open country, where the smoother highway made the task easy.

all three men crowded on the front seat were smoking. jake stuck to his corncob pipe, but each brother sported a cigar, which by a special arrangement with porter, the druggist in boothbay harbor, they 181bought for two cents apiece,—far in excess of their worth, as any one would decide who tested them, or even caught their odor. with all puffing vigorously, one might fancy that they instead of the horses supplied the motive power.

from where alvin landon stood behind the trunk of a large tree and peeped out, he saw that the brothers were doing a good deal of laughing, as if they recalled some humorous incident. bige gave the particulars to jake, who was so pleased that he threw back his head and made the forest ring with his laughter.

since the backs of the men were turned toward the boys, the latter did not fear to come together to discuss their next step.

“i don’t see that we have learned more than we knew before,” remarked alvin disgustedly; “what do you suppose they have covered up in that wagon?”

“i have no idea,” replied chester.

“let’s folly the team till it gets back to bovil or wherever the same may be going. better still,” added mike, “we can slip up behind, lift the lid, and get a peep at the cratur himself.”182

“how do you know what it may be?”

“i don’t, which is why i want to find out, and the same is thrue of yersilves.”

they gave over the plan for more than one reason. there was no saying how many miles they would have to tramp, and they could not go far without being discovered by the men. then the situation, to say the least, would become embarrassing.

“i have the belief that we are near the solution,” said alvin, “and we can afford to wait a day or two longer. we have several miles ahead and may as well place them behind us before nightfall. come on.”

good taste suggested that having called upon dr. spellman so recently they should pass him by on their return to the bungalow. this was done and they reached home without further incident.

meanwhile, the wagon with its mysterious load was lurching and plunging over the primitive road, the three men on the front seat retaining their places with no little difficulty, but they were used to such traveling and no mishap followed.

shortly after reaching the smoother highway, bige carter with another laugh exclaimed:

“by jingo! there they be!”

“you’re right; that’s them,” added his brother.

the two tramps, who have already figured to some extent in these pages, were descried as the team turned a corner, walking in the middle of the road. he who had lost his hat had managed in some way to secure another. half of the rim was missing and his frowsy hair showed through the crown. as the rattle of wheels reached their ears, he who was known as biggs looked around. immediately the paths of the two diverged, one going to the right and the other to the left of the highway. both limped as if the act of walking was painful. naturally the team soon overtook them. jake, who had been talking the matter over with his friends, stopped his horses.

“whoa! wouldn’t you gentlemen like me to give you a lift?”

“now ye’re shouting, boss,” replied biggs as he and his companion each approached a front wagon wheel, “but where are yer going to put us?”

“you won’t mind setting on the bottom of the wagon in front of the stuff piled there?”

“not a bit, boss; ye’re a trump.”

resting one ragged shoe on a hub, the hobos clambered in and sat down behind the three men, who said nothing but tried to restrain their chuckling. they knew what was coming.

biggs and hutt drew up their legs and compressed themselves as much as possible. still, with the best they could do they were cramped. it seemed to biggs that a slight shifting of the freight behind them would help matters. he hesitated for a minute or two and then stealthily raised one corner of the canvas covering, his companion watching him.

thus it came about that the revelation burst upon the two in the same instant. a howl of terror rang out from each, as they bounded to their feet and dived over the side of the wagon. they forgot their lameness, and ran in the direction of gosling lake as if they were contestants at stockholm for the marathon prize. that single peep under the canvas had shown the same appalling thing that drove them headlong from the canoe. it was actually near enough to touch them, and the wonder was that they were not smitten with a mortal dread.

as jake and bige and asa rode on they were so convulsed with merriment that they surely would have fallen from their seats had not the highway been smooth and the pace of the horses a slow walk.