“It’s a smokepipe—a chimney,” he whispered.
“Crickey! where’s the fire?” demanded Billy, in amazement.
“Under the ground—somewhere. There’s a cave—a den in the rocks. Somehow a smoke flue has been dug to the hollow tree——”
“If it was hot enough to reflect upon the snow above the top,” objected Billy, “the old tree would be afire.”
“Not if they had lined it with clay, and baked the clay first,” responded Dan.
“But could the dummy have done all that——?”
“How do we know who is in the cavern?” snapped Dan. “And take it from me—it was somebody beside that dumb fellow who contrived this hide-out. These people must be outlaws of some kind, Billy—surest thing you know!”
“Of course they are—if they stole our boat,” agreed Billy.
“We don’t know who they are,” said Dan, thoughtfully. “And we don’t know how to get into their camp, anyway. Goodness, Billy! maybe we’ll wish we _did_ know, even if they are pretty tough citizens. Where are we going to find shelter in this blizzard?”
The storm was increasing mightily. The snow drove down through the branches with a startled “sh-sh-sh.” This drowned even the whining of the wind through the taller tree-tops.
The boys made little sound as they moved about, for the snow deadened every other noise. They stood together for some moments without speaking.
To be out in such a time as this was neither pleasant nor safe. The cold was stinging, and one might easily freeze to death on such a night. Even the idea of being covered up in the snow was no comfortable thought, although they might remain thus sheltered till morning without any serious injury. Many times Dan and Billy had uncovered their sheep after a serious snowstorm, and the lads knew that a snowdrift was porous and the heat of the body thus mantled would keep them from freezing.
“Besides,” whispered Dan, at last, “we can find our way down to the boat again, and cover ourselves with a part of the sail.”
“But how about this dummy?” muttered Billy. “Suppose he’s alone? I believe he’d give us shelter.”
“We’ll look,” agreed Dan. “But for goodness sake be careful.”
“Round and round. Take that hollow stump for the center. We’ll circle around until we find the entrance to his den.”
“But Lettie and I were all over this island,” objected Billy.