The Strange Cabin on Catamount Island | Page 6

mutter, as he thrust a finger
through the hole in the garboard streak of the boat.
"What strikes you as so funny, Max?" asked Steve, who had by now
joined them.
"Look for yourself," replied the other, moving back.
Four heads were instantly bent over, as the boys took his advice.
"Must have been a round snag, all right," commented Steve; "because
that's as pretty a circular hole as I ever saw."
"Tell you I never struck no snag!" declared the indignant Bandy-legs;
"guess I'd 'a' felt it, wouldn't I, Max?"
"Listen, fellows," said the one appealed to, in a tone that caused the
others to stop their wrangling, and pay attention; "as Bandy-legs says,
he didn't run foul of any snag on the river since we left home. That hole
was made by an auger, or a bit held in a brace. Some mean fellow had
the nerve to lay this trap for our chum, in order to give us all the trouble
he could."
"Shack Beggs!" shouted Steve, always quick to make up his mind.
"That was why he kept grinning like he did, when he watched us go
off," observed Owen, in a disgusted way. "When do you suppose he
could have found a chance to do such a dirty trick, Max?"
"Well, we don't know for a certainty whether it was Shack or one of his
crowd," replied the other, shaking his head; "but whoever did it must
have found some way to get into the boathouse after we left last night.
You remember, boys, we've got a ratchet brace there, and several bits.
One of them would just about fit this hole. But he must have been
mighty careful to take away every little splinter, so as not to make us
suspect there'd been any funny carryings-on."
"How d'ye suppose he fixed it, so as to keep the water out till just

now?" asked the bewildered owner of the canoe.
For answer Max made a crawl underneath, and almost immediately
came out again holding something in his hand, which he showed them.
It was apparently a plug of wood, and must have come from the hole
that had caused the sudden flooding of the cedar canoe.
"There, you can see what a neat little game he played!" Max exclaimed.
After he bored that round hole he made this plug and drove it in from
above. Underneath he made sure that it was evened off so it wouldn't be
seen unless any one examined the bottom of the canoe close. Then he
had it fixed so when Bandy-legs got to moving about, as he always
does, you know, any time he was liable to loosen the plug and the
pressure of the water'd do the rest.
"Oh! what a wicked shame!" cried the owner of the wrecked canoe.
"H-h-he ought t' b-b-be hung f-f-for it!" exclaimed Toby, just as
indignant as though it had been his own boat that was injured so
wantonly.
"What can we do, Max, to fix her up?" asked Owen, quietly.
"Oh!" put the plug in again, and make sure that it will hold this time.
Later on, when we get back, we'll have to get the boat builder in Carson
to put a new streak of cedar planking in, to take the place of this one."
"Sure you can fix it so there won't be any chance of my going down?"
asked the anxious owner.
"Easy enough. Just give me ten or fifteen minutes, and I'll answer for
it," came the confident response, as Max immediately set to work.
"While this is going on the rest of us can rest," remarked Owen,
dropping down on the ground.
"Here's the sandwiches I made this morning; might as well take a bite,
now we've got to hang out here a spell," and Bandy-legs began passing

them around.
"Looks to me like we had reached the junction of the Big Sunflower
and the Elder," observed Steve, as he munched away contentedly at his
ham sandwich.
"Just what we have," Max spoke up, working away at his little job, and
stopping occasionally to snatch a bite. "It lies right around that bend
yonder. I remember it well, and how we made our first haul of the
mussels there."
"Yes, and found a bully old pearl in the first lot," declared Steve,
watching Bandy-legs poke around in the grass nearby; for the boy with
the short legs was of an investigating turn, and liked nothing better than
to search for things; "hey! what you think you'll find there, diamonds
this time?"
"Oh! I just run across a lot of wriggling little snakes, about as long as
lead pencils, and I'm seein' 'em twist and turn. It's just fun to watch the
little beggars get mad."
"Huh!" grunted Steve,