The Rover Boys on a Hunt Part 24

"And I don't know whether I've got any feet left or not," broke in Bill Glutts piteously.

The main door to the bungalow had not only been locked, but also barred.

Now the door was unfastened, and Gif, with the others beside him, allowed the portal to swing open a few inches.

A terrible scene met their eyes. The snow was piled up against the door to the depth of two feet or more, and the wind was swirling the white particles in all directions, so that the snow came into the living room in a perfect cloud. In this ma.s.s of white stood Bill Glutts and Gabe Werner, their heavy clothing covered with a ghost-like mantle. Behind them was a one-seated sleigh drawn by a horse that looked ready to drop from exhaustion.

"Come in," said Gif briefly.

No such invitation was needed, for as soon as the door was opened wide enough Bill Glutts staggered into the living room, followed by his crony. A swirl of snow followed them, and continued until Gif and Jack managed to close the door once more.

"Gee! I'm all in," gasped Glutts, as he sank down on a chair close to the smouldering fire.

"I thought we'd drop before we got you fellows up," added Werner. "You sure are some sleepers," he grumbled, as he too sank down on a seat.

Ordinarily the Rovers and their chums would have treated these two bullies with scant courtesy. But now Glutts and Werner appeared to be suffering so much from the cold that they had not the heart to find fault with their enemies.

"I'll stir up that fire a little," said Gif, and did so while Andy and Randy went out into the entryway, to bring in some additional sticks of wood.

"We can't leave that horse out there," remarked Jack. "He'll be frozen to death."

"Well, I'm not going out to take care of him," declared Gabe Werner quickly. "I wouldn't go out in that storm again for a thousand dollars."

"Neither would I," growled Glutts. "The nag can look after himself."

"That's a shameful way to treat any animal, Glutts," declared Gif. "But as you fellows seem to be so exhausted, we'll look after him," he continued.

"If you go out, Gif, I'll go with you," said Jack quickly. "But we had better slip some of our clothing right over our pajamas. I'll bet it's as cold as Greenland's icy mountains around that stable."

While the newcomers continued to make themselves comfortable before the fire, and Spouter and Fred prepared a pot of hot tea for them to drink, Gif and Jack hurried into their clothing and then went outside.

The blast that struck them as they hurried toward the exhausted horse was terrific, and for the moment they thought they would have to turn back and abandon the animal. But then they took another grip on themselves, and finally managed to turn the horse in the direction of the stable.

They saw that the sleigh was filled with provisions and other things, and so managed to haul it under the shed where it would be partly protected. Then they placed the horse in the stable, gave him a drink, and likewise left some hay for him to chew on.

"We may not be able to get here in the morning," said Gif; "so we'll leave him some supper and some breakfast at the same time."

"I don't much like the idea of Glutts and Werner loading down on us in this fas.h.i.+on," remarked Jack, as the pair prepared to go back to the Lodge.

"Like it!" exclaimed his chum. "I should say not! But what are we going to do about it, Jack?"

"Oh, we'll have to make the best of it."

"If this storm keeps up we may have those fellows on our hands for some days."

"Well, if they stay here that long they can pay their own way," declared Jack. "They have some provisions in that sleigh, and there is no reason why we should feed them for nothing. If we divide up our stuff they can divide up theirs."

"It wouldn't be any more than fair."

"Where is this Tony Duval's place they mentioned?" continued the oldest Rover boy.

"It's about two miles from here, off to the eastward--in fact, the road on which this Lodge is located ends at Duval's place. He is a French-Canadian, and he hasn't a very good reputation in these parts.

Some of the old hunters used to think Tony was a good deal of a thief--that he would go around in the night or early morning and empty their traps. He came from down east."

"What do you suppose Werner and Glutts are going to do there?"

"Of late years Duval has made a specialty of hiring out his place to hunters. There are two or three shacks on his land, and he lets the various crowds have those buildings, and then, if the hunters want it, he cooks for them, for he is said to be quite a handy man with a coffeepot and a frying pan. More than likely, from what you heard at the moving picture theater, Gabe Werner has a chance to use one of those shacks and has got Glutts to go with him."

"I wonder why Codfish isn't with them--he was at that restaurant in Timminsport."

"I'm sure I don't know, except that Codfish may have got cold feet when it came to traveling up this way in such a snowstorm. You know there is nothing brave about that little sneak." And in this surmise Gif was correct. Stowell had found a boarding place in the town and had said he would remain there until the storm cleared away and the others returned to get him.

In the meantime Glutts and Werner were seated at the living-room table drinking the hot tea which had been prepared and eating some doughnuts which Fred and Andy had offered. The bullies had become thawed out, and their usual aggressiveness was beginning to a.s.sert itself.

"Of course we could have kept on until we got up to Tony's place; but what was the use on such a wild night as this when we knew this place was handy?" remarked Werner.

"I'm afraid you're going to be snowed in with us," said Spouter.

"Huh! I don't know as that will be very pleasant," grumbled Glutts.

"Have you fellows got enough for all hands to eat?" he demanded eagerly.

"We've got some provisions," answered Fred cautiously. "We shot nine rabbits to-day," he added proudly.

"Nine rabbits!" exclaimed Werner. "How did you do it?"

"They must have driven the poor rabbits together in a bunch and then slaughtered them," was Glutts' comment.

"We did not!" cried Fred.

"I'm sure we'll get all the rabbits we want when we reach Tony Duval's place," continued Werner boastfully. "I believe hunting up there is much better than it is around here."

"And they tell me Tony is one of the best guides in these parts," added Glutts. "We expect to get a deer or two and a whole lot of other game."

"Say, have you fellows got a place where we can sleep?" questioned the other bully, looking around the living room.

"There is a bedroom here that is not being used," answered Spouter. "But you'll have to ask Gif about that. This bungalow, you know, belongs to Mr. Garrison and his brother."

When Gif and Jack returned the situation was explained to them, and Gif said that for the balance of the night the two newcomers could occupy the bedroom which was not in use.

"And then we'll see what can be done to-morrow morning," he added.

"Of course we'll pay for our accommodations," said Werner, in his most lordly manner.

"We don't want any pay, Werner," declared Gif. "But if you have to stay here very long you'll have to divide your stores with us. It is quite a task to get new stuff all the way from Timminsport; so if you've got anything in the sleigh outside it won't be any more than fair for you to divide with us."

"What did you do with the sleigh and the stuff?"

"We placed it under the shed next to the stable and covered your stuff with a horse blanket. The snow is sifting in there some, but I don't think anything will get hurt; unless, of course, you've got some stuff that might freeze."