The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island Part 37

"Do you want us to go straight to the barn!" inquired Fred.

"No. I think it will be better for you first to go up the sh.o.r.e about a mile. Then you can land and I don't think you will be so likely to be seen from the house on your way to the barn. You will be pretty well behind it anyway. As I told you, I'll try to keep the woman busy and I do not think that will be a very hard task."

"Does she know you?" asked John.

"Yes, in a way. She has seen me several times and she is jealous. She thinks I am in the same business that her husband is working in."

"Do you mean smuggling?"

"Yes."

"Smuggling what?"

"If you find that box I will tell you more about it. Now, one of you boys take the skiff and land me and then take the skiff with you while you go farther down the sh.o.r.e in the motor-boat."

The directions of Mr. b.u.t.ton were speedily followed. About a mile distant the boys discovered a curving, sandy sh.o.r.e near which the motor-boat was anch.o.r.ed. Taking the skiff, the boys speedily landed and then in high excitement, all the time watchful of the house in the distance, they ran swiftly toward the barn. A few trees and great rocks were found in the intervening distance and twice the boys stopped and concealed themselves while they tried to make sure that their presence as yet had not been discovered.

In this way they rapidly advanced and soon the two hundred yards which they were to cover had been left behind them and both now were standing at the rear door of the barn.

They were keenly disappointed when they discovered that this door was locked or at least fastened from within.

"What shall we do?" whispered John quickly. Before he replied Fred turned and looked keenly all about him. He was as fearful as his friend of the return of the j.a.panese with the two huge dogs. "Maybe there's some other way of getting in," he answered at last, and a moment later he announced the discovery of a slide in the side of the barn.

Quickly the slide responded to his efforts and was pulled back. Then hastily John lifted Fred and in a moment the active lad was inside the barn.

In accordance with Fred's suggestion John remained outside. In spite of his height it was difficult for him to enter the barn as he had a.s.sisted his friend to do. "Let me know what you find," he whispered as Fred disappeared from sight.

Silence followed the suggestion, but John was easily able to understand how busy Fred at once became. The barn itself was small, covering not more than thirty feet square. On the ground floor, Fred discovered a small cart, two cramped stalls and an open piano box, which also stood on the floor. Apparently nothing alive was in the little building. In one corner stood a ladder which led to an opening in the loft above.

Quickly deciding to begin his search at the top Fred ascended the ladder.

He discovered only a little hay on the floor above and with a pitch-fork, which was conveniently near, he hastily began to scatter it. There was nothing, however, to indicate that the musty hay had recently been disturbed and when a few minutes had elapsed Fred was convinced that nothing had been concealed in the loft.

Retracing his way to the floor below he was astonished to behold his friend already busily engaged in the search.

"How did you get in, Jack?" he whispered.

"Crawled in, the same as you did. Only I didn't have any one to give me a boost."

"You didn't need any boost with those long legs of yours," responded Fred. "Sometimes I think it wouldn't be so bad if more of us were built on your plan. Makes me think of a hickory nut stuck on two knitting needles."

"Don't stop for complimentary remarks," retorted John good-naturedly.

"What we want is to find that little box. You begin on one side and I'll go on the other and we'll examine the four sides to see if there are any more sliding panels."

A hasty inspection, however, failed to reveal any concealed shelves. Next the boys inspected the floor. Several of the boards were loose, but the search was still unrewarded.

"I'm going up the ladder," suggested John.

"I've been up there," said Fred. "There isn't anything up there. I know there isn't. There isn't much hay and what there is is old and musty. I turned it all over with the pitch-fork. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," he added somewhat disconsolately.

"It doesn't make any difference," said John. "We're going ahead with our search. I think Mr. b.u.t.ton knew what he was talking about."

Diligently the boys continued their efforts, working rapidly and doing their utmost to discover the small box which Mr. b.u.t.ton had described, or find a place where it might be concealed.

All their efforts in the stalls, however, were as unavailing as had been those in the other parts of the barn.

"I tell you," said Fred, as the boys stopped for a moment, "there isn't any such thing here. It's what I tell you, like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"If you want to give up you can sit down here and wait for me," said John resolutely; "I'm going to keep this thing up until I strike oil or gold."

Both boys earnestly renewed their search, but their efforts in the rapidly pa.s.sing minutes were still unrewarded.

"There isn't anything here," muttered Fred. "We've looked high and low.

Mr. b.u.t.ton didn't know what he was talking about."

John made no response to the declaration of his discouraged companion and perhaps abashed somewhat by the zeal of John, again joined in the search.

"Have you looked in that piano-box?" inquired John at last.

"Yes, but there isn't anything but a little meal in the bottom. It isn't deep enough to cover a box of matches."

"We'll look again anyway," said John as he lifted the cover and glanced within the high box. He was about to drop the cover when once more he hesitated. Leaning over the edge he thrust his long arms down into the meal below him. In one corner of the box his fingers came in contact with an object which instantly aroused his keenest interest. A moment later he brought out a small wooden box, discolored, heavy and apparently of no value. He speedily discovered, however, that the top of the box was fastened by a small and strong pad-lock. Holding his discovery aloft John quickly turned to Fred and said, "Do you see what I've found?"

"What is it? What is it?" whispered Fred as he ran to join his friend.

"It's a box."

"So I see, but how much does that mean?"

"I don't know how much it means," retorted John, "but I do know that it is a wooden box, that it's about six inches square and that it is heavy--"

"Yes, to look at it," broke in Fred; "it's old and looks as if it had been left out in the weather. Even if it is locked I don't believe that there's anything of any value in it."

"That isn't what troubles me," said John quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Why, I mean this box is hidden here. I don't know as we have any right to take it. I wonder too if Mr. b.u.t.ton is really what he says he is.

Suppose we take this box away with us and then somebody arrests us for stealing? What's to hinder?"

"That's nothing to hinder," said Fred, "but we'll take the box with us just the same."

Each of the boys was confident whenever his companion became fearful or discouraged.

"We'll say no more about it," said John as his turned toward the open slide by which they had entered the building.

"Don't show it to Mr. b.u.t.ton when that woman in there can see you,"

suggested Fred.