“Some palatial house. Where did you get this stuff?” Bob asked.
“Mostly from the bunkhouse,” Carl answered.
“What’s beyond that?” Kramer wanted to know. He nodded toward the further end where he saw a partition of wide planks.
“Just another hole. I went in to see. These root houses used to be divided off. When I was a kid I played here one day, and explored this place. My dad said that the first hole was small, but every year a new section was added to hold more, and some of them were used in hot weather to keep things cool,” Summers explained.
“Who’s this?” Kramer asked, as he jumped back quickly.
“Pigeon Jute. You boys know him,” Carl chuckled. A tall slender Indian, wrapped in a grey blanket, had risen from the cot and stood staring at them gravely.
“Why sure we know him,” Jim laughed. “Haven’t seen you for a long time, Jute. How’re the pigeons?”
“When I first knew him he was trying to get a breed of birds that would be world beaters on long distance,” Jim explained.
“How did you make out, Jute?” Bob asked goodnaturedly, but the Indian merely grunted and shrugged.
“Real loquacious, isn’t he?” Kramer remarked softly, but he did feel as if he were getting a taste of the ancient west he had read of when he was a youngster.
“He’s all right. When I was a little kid he used to do things for my mother and he made enough bows and arrows to destroy an army,” Bob declared. He was genuinely glad to see his old friend.
“I suppose you made the tracks,” Jim laughed. “You thought you would have some fun with Carl so you hopped out of a tree, or started them by jumping from where the ice is clean.”
“So that finishes the mystery,” Bob sighed with relief.
“Surely does. He showed up today and wanted something to eat. I was as glad to see him as if he were a bouquet of spring flowers,” Carl assured them.
“I should have wanted to punch his jaw,” Kramer laughed.
“You wouldn’t if you hadn’t seen a human being for two weeks, besides, I’ve got a sense of humor,” Summers answered.
“We’ve brightened your day a lot, old man, but we’ve got to breeze along. Does the sheriff know what the answer is?” Jim asked.
“Yes. I just caught him when he was ready to start up here, so he called off the Reserves and went back to work. Much obliged to you all for dropping in and I hope you do it again.”