The Strange Cabin on Catamount Island

usly, just as if he fully expected that they were about to be attacked by a legion of f

on which the four-pronged and barbed spear was mounted, then he felt

e exclaimed, as though

relief rather than chagrin in his voice, a

d nothing more!

d yon ever s-s-see such a

ned so long. The weeds and grass and bushes have grown right up to the walls; and looky there, the roof even

now, by scores, some fairly commodious, others small and limited in accom

y had been standing there in that group, watching the green-roofed cabin

nt of 'em," Steve took occasion to remar

give 'em a hail!"

ediately c

lo t

y to see if any figure that might correspond with the queer

gruff voice, that surely merited some attention

d the salute of Max. The boys exchanged glance

e's just got to go to the mountain, that's all

ollow square, with the menacing fish spear gripped by Bandy-leg

lose by, looking for a breakfast of grubs. In this fashion, then, they reached the front of the shack t

him up, if any ferocious thing attacked him. But apparently he saw nothing of the sort

d thin. Even Bandy-legs, spear and all, tried to gain entrance, but in the end he had to let his

n the way of former comforts seemed to remain. Over in one corner there had at one time been a sort of berth made, where the party who built the c

they believed it must have been a red squirrel, that possibly thought to hide its store of nuts in this lonesome

little to say, who broke the silence that

ee

or the fact of Toby saying that one expressive word without stumbl

laces I've ever struck, I think t

at score, because he expressed just what w

demanded Bandy-legs, who, now that his alarm was of

It had become a settled habit with Max to always be on the alert in cases like this, so as to pick up valuable information, even f

ng here not many days back, at least. There were a number of small bones lying scattered about, w

s actions with interest, expecting that Max would read the sign

," he remarked, after looking closely at the bone

t, as though that mi

s the story, fellows. No wild-cat ever ate that partridge, bec

mark Max had made; "how d'ye suppose they'd ever be able to build a fire? Tell m

dig when he saw the chance; "well, now, we're glad to know that,

as though under the belief that if he hunted closer he might discover other things th

t the partridge part of it

u say that?" a

out of the path we were following. That was so I could examine somethi

omething, Owen?"

re, always cords; but I believe it must have be

the mainland. He'd have to live, some way or other, and if he didn't have a gun and ammunition, why, the only way he could keep alive would be by getting fish from the river

admitted Steve, always ready to expr

e same way!"

on: "Say, Max, looky here, you don't mean that it was a human being grabbe

leave the marks of his nails on your ankle like we saw

ked Owen, also beginning to look around, as thoug

ed at the time he was awakened; and the very thought that they might even now be in the abiding

But there was no loft to the squatty cabin, and hence no place where anybody of size might lie in concealment. Still, Bandy-legs looked long

he floor; but as the earth was as hard as rock h

," Steve remarked, as he pointed to a little heap of ashes over wher

there, a little heap of them, and these could not have been left behind when the former occupant of the cabin deserted his

ccupancy, perhaps within th

en they called out after us as we were leaving town?" Max

eve he thought it was the worst kind of a sh

the night they got their bad scare, which none of them would ever tell about, on any account. It must have come from something that they saw in this same cabin; and whatever it was, it sent the whole bunch on t

, again turning to cast his eyes about him, this time in more of an awed manner

mean to bother ourselves trying that, when we've got our good tents along. So, after all, I d

wing that some notion had appealed to him, the others watched to see what he would do. The

Owen, beginning to

kly moved it so as to further penetrate the ashes; a

tridge, fellows, but he must have had it for his supper last night; and th