The Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron | Page 6

every time I think of how the timber is disappearing. I believe in the
work of the Forest Reserve Board. It's high time this country began to
think of keeping what it's got before everything is lost. But tell us about
these men that you saw. They were not tramps, Ralph?"
"Oh, no, they were dressed too well for that," replied the other quickly.
"I happened to sight them in time to duck behind a tree, and they never
once suspected that anybody was near. One was a tall, thin man, a

German, I thought, while the other was dark and short,---fact is, I took
him for a Chinese, a Japanese or a Korean from the color of his skin
and his black bristling hair."
"That sounds interesting, anyway!" commented Bud. Then he added
with a little amused laugh, "P'raps they've heard in some mysterious
way, Hugh, how a celebrated young inventor named Bud Morgan
means to try out his latest wonderful stunt, and they hope to steal the
concrete result of his budding genius. But go on, Ralph. What did they
do that looked suspicious?"
"Oh! their every action struck me as queer," Ralph continued. "You see
they talked in a low voice, put their heads close together, looked all
around as if they were afraid some one might be watching them, and
then moved off, always turning to the right and to the left. You know
when valuable iron ore was discovered on our farm, for a long time
afterward strange men came prowling around there. It struck me these
fellows might be looking for something like that."
"Perhaps they're really civil engineers, meaning to run a line across
here in order to straighten the railroad and save time on through trains,"
Hugh suggested, leaning back after finishing his meal.
"That might account for it," Ralph admitted, "though they acted mighty
strange to me. I never let out a peep till they'd disappeared from sight;
and even then I thought it best to change my line of advance for fear
that I might stumble on the precious pair again. Really now, I'd give a
cooky to know just who and what they are, and why they've come away
up here where only charcoal burners can be met as a rule."
Bud had opened his mouth to make some remark, sighing to think how
he was utterly unable to eat another bite, when there was a sudden vivid
flash as of lightning without that startled all the scouts; and
immediately following came a tremendous roar similar to a clap of
nearby thunder!
CHAPTER III

THE MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION
"Wow! that was a stunner all right!" exclaimed Bud. "Why, honest, I
could feel the ground shake under me when that thunder clap came!
And as I happened to be looking over there where the opening lies, the
flash nearly blinded me."
"Lightning and thunder in November is something you don't often
meet," was the comment of Ralph, turning a perplexed face toward
Hugh, as though depending on the leader of the Wolf patrol to solve the
puzzle.
Without saying a word, Hugh jumped to his feet and went outside to
take a look around. He came back almost immediately, and his face
told them that his investigation instead of clearing up the mystery had
only added to it.
"What did you find out, Hugh?" questioned Bud.
"Not a single cloud to be seen in all the sky!" said the other
impressively.
"Whew! that seems queer, doesn't it?" faltered Bud.
"And it must be almost down to freezing, into the bargain," added the
patrol leader. "I've seen lightning before, in February even, but always
during a thaw. Fact is, boys, I can't believe that it was either lightning
or thunder we saw and heard."
"But, Hugh, what could it have been then?" demanded Ralph.
"If we were nearer the granite quarries, I'd say they had set off an extra
big blast. You know we sometimes hear a faraway boom over home.
Sound travels many miles when there's a sub-strata of rock like a ledge
to act as a conductor."
"Yes, but then I understood work had stopped there for the season the
Saturday before Thanksgiving," volunteered Bud. "Still, they may be

doing some blasting, just to keep things moving as long as the snow
holds off. If that was a blast of dynamite, it must have been a stunner to
make the earth quiver so much."
Hugh made no reply. Plainly he was deeply impressed with the
mysterious nature of the unannounced explosion. And when once Hugh
started to find out what things meant, he seldom let the matter drop
until he had accomplished his purpose.
Bud also went to the door and looked out, his curiosity having been
duly aroused. Hence he did not