patience bore fruit.
âHammering?â Joe asked as his brotherâs face lighted up.
âNo.â
âThe wailing siren?â
Frank shook his head. âAn animal.â
Joe listened. âMaybe itâs the wolf that attacked me,â he said.
âIf he belongs to that fake salesman, nowâs our chance to find that crook!â Frank declared.
Hunting knives in hand to assist in any unexpected attack, the boys started off in the direction of the howling, which now could be heard without the aid of the detector.
âThatâs more than one animal,â Frank said.
The Hardys proceeded more slowly. Suddenly a clearing opened up ahead. In the middle of it the boys saw a six-foot-high wire enclosure. Behind the netting five animals growled fiercely.
âWolves!â Joe exclaimed.
âSure looks that way,â Frank answered.
âWhat are they doing here?â
âWeâll find out.â
Careful to keep themselves concealed, the boys circled the enclosure. The wolves smelled their presence, however, and started to howl.
âI hope they havenât given us away,â Joe whispered. âTheir keeper must be nearby.â
The boys looked about them. Partly hidden among the trees some distance to their left was a cabin, its front door open.
Frank and Joe approached it cautiously. Nobody was in sight.
âSomeone may be spying on us from a window,â Joe whispered.
He and Frank waited a few minutes before approaching closer to the cabin. Nothing seemed to be stirring.
âIâm going to take a look,â Joe said.
âIâm with you.â
They stepped quietly through the brush and into a small open space in front of the cabin. There was an ominous silence about the place.
Anxiety showed on Frankâs face. âJoe, I donât like ...â
His words were punctured by a snarl which froze the boys in their tracks. The head of a wolf flashed in the doorway. With a vicious growl, it sprang toward the Hardys.
âThe same one that attacked me!â thought Joe, poising his knife.
The beast let out a piercing whine and jerked back. Then the boys saw that he was chained to the door. The frustrated animal continued to bellow and glower, straining at his leash.
A sharp voice cut the air. âStand where you are!â
Frank and Joe wheeled. A tall man, his hat pulled low, stood before them, a gun in his hand.
CHAPTER XII
A Strange Pet
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THE man was a giant of a woodsman. His face was heavily bearded and his eyes fiercely sharp. Besides the gun, he carried a long whip.
âWhat are you doing here?â he demanded.
âOhâuhâjust looking around,â Frank replied, trying to look innocent. âIâm afraid weâre lost.â
The man eyed the boys sharply, as if he doubted this statement.
âYouâre trespassing on private property,â he said sternly.
âPrivate?â Joe asked.
âYes. I breed wolves here. This is a dangerous area.â
All the while the animal chained to the door growled and pulled at his leash.
âQuiet, Saber!â the man shouted.
He flicked his whip and the end of it snapped like a rifle shot a scant two inches from the wolfs jaws. The animal retreated and threw itself down across the doorway.
âWhy do you keep wolves here?â Joe asked.
âI breed them for zoos. And now I want to give you kids some good advice,â he snapped. âLeave this forest pronto and donât come back! Do you hear me? Donât come back!â
Frank was not ready to go quite yet. This man might know some things the Hardys wanted to find out.
âDo you take care of these animals all alone?â he asked.
âYes.â
âOh, by the way, we found a valuable rod and reel near our camp down near the river. Do you know who may have left it there?â
âNo.â
âDid a plane crash around here recently?â Joe