The Ranger Boys Outwit the Timber Thieves Part 10

"Defective saw me eye," broke in the old helper. "That tree has been spiked and spiked good and plenty. That's the second saw that went that way this summer. Tother time it nearly killed the sawyer when the belt flew off and almost got him tangled up in the machinery. There's one sure way to find out what caused it, and that's to roll her off the carriage and split off that place where the saw started to eat through.

If there isn't a spike there, you can have my month's wages."

"You seem to know all about it, and perhaps we shall find out why you know so much about the matter," and Barrows favored the old man with a look that boded no good to him.

In the face of the old timer's statement, and because d.i.c.k and Garry were looking at the manager as though they expected him to take speedy action, there was nothing for Barrows to do but follow the suggestion and order the log rolled off. This was done, and then several wedges were driven in, and using the backs of single bitted axes, the section of tree was soon split open. There plainly revealed to view were several bent, cut and twisted spikes!

"That's what broke your saw," exclaimed the old man. "Shame, too, a nice saw like that ruined and the only one in the camp at that!"

"That will do, Collins," cut in Barrows sharply. "Your opinion wasn't asked. Besides, I am still wondering how your knowledge of the spiking seemed to prove so accurate."

"I was raised in the woods, and I know all the little tricks. There's dirty work afoot here somewhere," returned old Collins staunchly.

"Yes, I guess you do know all the tricks, but I know a good one, too; you go and get your pay from the timekeeper and start on your way,"

ground out the manager.

"Isn't that just a trifle hasty, Mr. Barrows?" cut in Garry.

"Listen, my boy. With all due respect to the son of my employer, I must say that I am manager of this camp, and what I say goes. You know I am protecting your father's business, and there has been so much funny business going on lately that something must be done, and I am going to begin by cutting out all the suspicious characters. In my judgment Collins is such a character."

"Huh," muttered d.i.c.k in an undertone. "A fine protector you are, and you know that Collins is innocent. He knows too much, that's all."

Old Collins marched out of the mill section and started toward the office. A moment later d.i.c.k un.o.btrusively followed him. In a few seconds he had caught up with the man and said goodbye to him.

"Goodbye, my lad, and let me give you a warning. Tell your pal that his father's business is going to pot here. There's something underfoot, I don't know what it is or why, but it's there. Too many accidents. You watch that Barrows and watch the timekeeper, and keep an eye on the two drivers with the moustaches. Throw in the cookee for good measure, and you'll have a precious lot of rascals."

d.i.c.k tried to elicit further information, but found that the old fellow either did not know anything specific, or was crotchety and would not tell.

There being nothing that could be done further, the manager and d.i.c.k returned to the office, while Garry went to the bunkhouse to see if he could render any aid to the man who had been cut by the flying particles of the saw.

At the office they found waiting their acquaintance of the attempted holdup, Arthur Howells. He acted according to the agreement and waited till they had been introduced.

"This is our scaler and cruiser," announced Barrows.

Upon the boys professing ignorance of what the duties of a scaler were, they received an invitation from Howells to come with him after dinner and watch the operations. Barrows heartily advised the boys to go with him and learn something of the way in which the trees were spotted and the lumber measured.

The chums knew well that the invitation was solely for the purpose of getting them away from the camp so that they could confer on what was going on.

After dinner they sought out Howells, and after he had armed himself with a scaling stick, marked off in measurements, which was used to measure the trees, they wandered into the woods.

"Now, boys, what news?" he asked.

In a few words they told him of the events that had transpired since their arrival.

Howells was especially interested in the matter of the spiked tree, and was indignant at the fact that Collins had been discharged.

"Why, the old man was as honest as the day is long. He used to know your father a good many years ago, Garry, and he would never do anything that would harm him or his business," Howells said vehemently.

"Next thing on the docket," said Garry, "is to ask what news you have."

"I have something that will knock the feet almost out from under you. In addition to the trouble caused by the breakage and wasting, there is something even deeper yet. I always get the reports from the receiving stations of the amount of lumber that is sent out. I know after measuring, just how much has gone out. Today my reports show that all the timber that is cut here does not arrive at its destination.

"What do you mean?" said Garry.

"Just what I mean is this. Somewhere, somehow, your father's lumber is being stolen en route to its destination!"

CHAPTER IX

THE BOYS LOSE AN ALLY

The words of Howells stunned the boys for a moment. Then Garry delivered himself of a few vehement words regarding the thieves.

"We have been here only a couple of days or so, and yet we find that this logging camp is a hive of rascals and thieves. And still we have done nothing. We must get to work and nip this thing in the bud, else the whole summer's work at the camp here will have gone for naught, to say nothing of the irreparable financial loss that will be caused to Dad, not only from the penalties for failure to live up to his contracts, but the money loss from the stolen timber will mount up well into the hundreds I am afraid. Now we must put a stop to this thing. I believe that I will go out tomorrow and go to town and 'phone Father that he had better make a cleanup here at the camp. Perhaps we don't know just who the guilty parties are, but if we get rid of the whole shooting match we can stop it. How much timber would you estimate has been stolen?" he concluded, turning to Howells.

"I can't say as to that. This last report is the only one that I have received direct. Generally I have been given what was supposed to be a duplicate copy of the one sent to Barrows. This time I happened to get the mail myself at the postoffice. Generally one of Barrow's men gets the mail, and it is distributed. This letter was addressed to me personally, and I have no doubt that the others were also, but were opened and doctored up to appear all right. That's a prime bit of evidence if we can secure the proof. Tampering with Uncle Sam's mail is a serious crime, and draws a long prison term. Now as for your going out of the woods tomorrow and 'phoning your father, Garry, I would advise against it. Nothing very serious can happen in the next few days. Little work can be done until a new saw comes, and there will be little s.h.i.+pping of timber except that which has been waiting to be transported.

In the meantime, if, as your father is led to believe, this whole matter is a move on the part of the big interests to crush him in the lumber business, the firing of the present manager and crew will have little effect. Your dad evidently trusted Barrows, else he would not have sent him here. If he is guilty, you may be sure that the enemy, for such we must call them, made it mighty well worth his while to turn traitor.

What is to prevent the next manager from being affected in the same way?

And even if a trustworthy manager were secured, the big interests can always bribe enough of the laborers to do all the necessary damage that would be required to spoil the season. My advice is to lay low for a few days and get evidence that will get the 'man higher up,' the one who is the instigator of this whole thing. Once you can spike his guns, there will be no further danger of trouble here, and also it will enable your father to take court action that will restore him damages for the stolen timber, and will also give him a chance to sue those who have harmed him so that he can make the penalties that will be inflicted in case enough damage has already been done to make him forfeit his contracts. I should say now that he was a good three weeks behind his s.h.i.+pments, and that is a whole lot in one season. He has guaranteed to deliver a certain amount of timber at its destination by the last of September. It is the middle of August now, and he must make every minute count from now on to get out the required amount. Get the man responsible for this business and you will have accomplished what you have set out to. What do you think of my advice?"

"Sounds logical, and I think we will follow it. In the meantime I have a hunch now in regard to that stolen timber. I think I can hitch up a few things Barrows has tried to dissuade us from doing, and a certain lake in this vicinity. That's our next work. Now what do you propose to do, Mr. Howells?" asked Garry.

"First thing I'm going to do is to go straight to Barrows and tell him about the deficiency shown by the records. That will do one of two things, I believe; either show him up for a crook, or else show that he is straight and start him investigating the thefts. If the latter happens, which I am frank to say I do not think will, then we have accomplished a great deal of good."

Howells, however, had barely finished speaking, when the red haired cookee appeared at the shack and told him that Barrows wanted to see him at the camp office immediately.

Having delivered the message, the cookee sauntered off, and Howells looked at the boys with a puzzled stare.

"Wonder what's up now. Thought that we talked over everything there was a little while ago. Well, there's no use in wondering. I'm off to see his Royal Highness and find out what he wants. I'll see you after a little while."

Howells hustled off to the office and left the boys to talk things over among themselves.

"What did you mean, Garry, when you said that you had a hunch about lakes and things?" inquired Phil.

"Why, you remember how insistent Barrows has been that we make a sort of playground out of the little lake, setting forth its advantages about swimming, fis.h.i.+ng and all that, and has done everything that he can do to discourage us from going near the big lake. I have let him believe that we took everything he said for granted, so I thought that tonight, if possible, we would make a trip to the big lake and see what's what,"

Garry answered.

"I'm wondering if Barrows is clever enough to play the old trick used by conjurers and magicians?" mused Phil.

"What do you mean, magician?" queried Garry with a puzzled look at his friend.

"Why, you know a magician always directs the attention of his audience to the thing that he is generally going to do, figuring that the people will be on the watch for a trick, and will be so busy trying to find the hidden trick, that they look everywhere but where the magician tells 'em to, and in the meantime he has done his trick."

"I see," exclaimed Garry. "You mean that Barrows may figure that we will guess he has been discouraging us about the big lake for the very purpose of making us go there rather than to the smaller body of water, where some sort of villainy may be going on."

"That's it exactly," returned Phil.