The Sasquatch Mystery

stood in his own doorway and glared at the uninvited guests on the floor.
    “I just remembered,” said Ron. “Sheriff Sprute promised me he’d be in camp by daylight. He should be coming any minute. I’ll stick around here until he arrives to pick up our prisoners.”
    Di had gone straight to Tank’s stove, where Mart was helping her build a fire. “No one’s going anywhere till we eat,” she said. “If it’s all right with you, Tank, I’ll cook whatever you suggest.”
    “Little lady,” Tank said gently, “you’re velcome to anyt’ing ay own.”
    With many hands to do the work, everyone was soon breakfasting on huge slices of ham, hot biscuits with wild honey, and mugs of hot chocolate. Brian insisted that Tank drink soup, with only a few bites of solid food.
    Trixie finished eating and turned to Tank. “I’ve been wondering about your fur suit that Fred stole. If you don’t mind my asking—”
    Tank’s chuckle interrupted her. “Me bones always freeze up in the marrow, come vinter,” he explained. “This time ay fix that. Ay stretched me some pelts and ay cut me some varm, fur yammers—”
    “Yammers?” Di repeated.
    “Pajamas,” Hallie whispered.
    “But they disappeared ’fore ay got. ’em zip-pered up. Then ay had me a fight on my hands. Ay lost.” He glanced at the tumbled mess of all his belongings and the hole in his cabin floor. He grinned slyly. “But ay tank they didn’t find me gold, yah?”
    “Yah,” Knut and Hallie answered, being glad with him.
    Trixie squirmed.
    “Ay tank the young lady vould like to know me hiding place,” guessed Tank.
    Trixie nodded eagerly.
    Tank scowled at the Swishers. “Everyone but them, come on outside.”
    The young people trooped out the door, burning with curiosity to know where Tank would hide the savings of a lifetime.
    Tank leaned his bald head close and whispered, “It’s hidden in chunks of ice in the bottom of me ice cave!”
    Trixie giggled with delight. “That’s perfect! Gleeps, I’m so glad we closed the cave door after Fred had left it open!”
    “Me, too,” Tank said quietly. “And ay tank tomorrow ay’ll be carting that gold to the bank.”
    “Oh, Tank, that’s wonderful,” said Hallie, giving him another squeeze.
    “Yah, veil, ay tank de tistles be tick dis year, yah?”
    “Yah, sure,” echoed the Bob-Whites softly.
    Knut pointed out a helicopter whacking air as close to a mountain as it dared to fly. “Sheriff Sprute’s on the job,” Knut said briefly.
    “About time.” Hallie’s voice dripped acid.
    “Cap disappeared late Wednesday afternoon, and this is only Friday morning,” said Knut, trying to be reasonable.
    “Only!” Di’s voice cracked from weariness. “It feels like forever.”
    Her exhausted companions agreed, but stoically waved good-bye to Tank and Ron and headed down the mountain.
    It seemed to Trixie that the usual two hours downhill to camp were endless. Long before they reached Champion Creek, Trixie could smell smoke and knew that either Miss Trask had survived her night alone in camp, or else the forest was on fire. The group stumbled into
    camp to find that Miss Trask had heard them coming and had sausages cooking and eggs ready to scramble.
    “The sheriff has been here,” she told them as she doled out orange juice. “He is out now, assigning sections to his searchers, but he’ll be back.”
    “We found Tank,” Trixie said, “and tied up the Swishers. But—”
    “But we didn’t find Cap,” Hallie finished bleakly. “Where can that birdbrain be?”
    Miss Trask swallowed carefully, her face twisted with aching sympathy. Then she smiled and pointed a shaking finger toward the road. Amazed by Miss Trask’s strange reaction to Hallie’s words, the others turned their heads to stare past the tents.
    Cap Belden was entering the campground!
    “Capelton?” Knut faltered.
    “Cap!” Hallie screamed.
    The Bob-Whites watched the three Beldens tighten arms around waists, heads close together. Then they, too, ran to meet Cap. “We thought the sasquatch got you!” Di cried.
    “That fraud?” Cap scoffed.
    “Where have you been?” Hallie demanded. “We’ve worn grooves on that mountain, hunting for you.”
    “I’ve been walking from Cedar Mountain,” Cap said.
    “Cedar?” Hallie fluttered a hand that pointed west.
    “That’s a heck of a hike from here!” Knut whistled.
    “You’re telling me,” Cap said wearily. “Can’t I sit down before I fall down?”