The Adventures of Rover Boys: 26 Illustrated Adventure Novels. Stratemeyer Edward

The Adventures of Rover Boys: 26 Illustrated Adventure Novels

was found that but little in the camp had been disturbed, excepting that Sam's gun had been taken off. What to do was now the question. Sam could not walk further.

"Better stay here," said Dick. "If the Baxter crowd comes back, you can hide."

Then he, Tom, and John Barrow set out to return to where the treasure had been left. They were still some distance away when they discovered Dan Baxter, Bill Harney, and Lemuel Husty making their way along the snow-covered trail. In a few minutes they came up to the party.

"Baxter, where are you bound?" demanded Dick, striding up.

"You know well enough."

"We are after thet treasure," came from Harney, and it was plain to see that he and Husty had been drinking heavily.

"The treasure is ours, Baxter, and you can't touch it."

"It will belong to whoever finds it," growled the bully.

"That's right," came from Husty. "Who ever gits it, owns it. Eh, Harney?"

"Plain truth, that is," hiccoughed the big guide.

"In that case, it is ours for sure," grinned Dick. "We have it already."

At this announcement Dan Baxter staggered back.

"It — it aint true; you're joking," he faltered.

"It is true, Baxter. Come, I will show you where the treasure was hidden — if that will do you any good. Here is the description." And Dick brought it forth and let the bully read it.

"Where's the tree?" demanded Baxter.

"There is the tree, and over yonder is the rock. We turned it over and found the treasure, just as we anticipated. It's ours, and I am simply telling you this to save you the trouble of looking further for it. Dan Baxter, you have played this game to a finish with your companions, and you have lost."

If ever there was a disappointed and angry individual, it was Dan Baxter. He raved and said all sorts of uncomplimentary things, and Husty and Harney joined in, until John Barrow told all of them to shut up or he would have the law on them.

"You had no right to make prisoners of Tom and Sam," he said. "But if you'll behave yourselves, and not bother us in the future, we'll let that pass."

To this Husty, who was a thorough sneak, consented at once, and then Bill Harney did the same. Baxter remained silent.

"You've defeated me this time," he said, at last. "But, remember, I am not done with you."

A little later Baxter moved off, and Bill Harney and Lemuel Husty went with him. It was the last that the Rovers saw of their enemies for a long while to come.

A few words more and we will bring to a close this story of the Rover boys' adventures in the mountains.

Our friends found it no easy matter to get the heavy treasure box safely to camp. In order to move it, they had to construct a drag of a tree-limb and hook a rope to this, and then it was all they could do to move it along through the deep snow.

When they got the box into camp they lost no time in examining the treasure. The gold and silver amounted to twenty-five hundred dollars, and there were diamonds and other precious Stones worth nearly as much more.

"About five thousand dollars, all told," announced Dick. "That is not such a bad haul, after all."

As there was now nothing more to look for, our friends spent ten days in the camp, taking it easy most of the time, and spending a day in getting back the missing sled. They went hunting twice, and the second time out Dick got a fine shot at a deer, and brought down the creature without trouble. Tom and Sam brought down considerable small game, and all voted the outing a complete success, despite the interference occasioned by their enemies.

At the end of the ten days Jasper Grinder was able to walk around, although still weak. In the meantime John Barrow had constructed a sled for the former school-teacher to sit upon, and on this he rode when they started on the return to Timber Run.

When the settlement was gained the Laning girls, Mrs. Barrow, and Addie were glad to see them back, and delighted to learn of the treasure and its value. They said they had heard of Baxter and his followers, but that all of the party had left Timber Run for parts unknown.

"Well, we don't want to see them again," said Dick. "We've had quite enough of all of them."

At Timber Run Jasper Grinder left them, and the Rovers saw no more of him for many days. The home-coming of the Rover boys was a day long to be remembered. There was a regular party given at the country home, at which many of their friends were present. The Laning girls were there, and also Dora Stanhope, and Larry, Fred, George, and a host of others, not forgetting Captain Putnam himself, who came upon a special invitation sent by Mr. Anderson Rover. Alexander Pop waited upon the table as usual, his face beaming with pleasure.

"Jes tell yo', yo' can't down dem Rober boys nohow," said the colored man to Captain Putnam. "Da is jes like apples in a tub — yo' shoves 'em under, an' up da pops, bright as eber." And the owner of Putnam Hall laughingly agreed with Alexander.

"I trust that you will never be troubled by Dan Baxter again," said Dora Stanhope to Dick, after he had told her the story of the treasure hunt.

"I trust so myself," replied Dick. "But he's like a bad cent, sure to turn up when not wanted." Dick told the truth. How Dan Baxter turned up, and what he did to bring the Rovers more trouble, will be told in another volume, to be entitled, "The Rover Boys on Land and Sea; or, The Crusoes of Seven Islands," a tale full of happenings far out of the ordinary.

But for the time being troubles were of the past, and here let us leave our friends, shouting as did the pupils from the Hall when the party broke up:

"Three cheers for the Rover Boys! Hip, hip, hurrah!"