儿童英语读物 The Canoe Trip Mystery CHAPTER 5 A Stranger

The Aldens passed the jagged gray rocks and kept paddling. After two hours, they reached the narrow strip of land that separated Timberwolf from Catfish 1 Lake.



“We’re going to have to carry the canoes for a little way,” Henry said.



“Is this what they call a portage?” Violet asked, pointing to the trail between the two lakes.



“Yes, it’s like a walking path,” Henry explained.



Carefully, Henry and Aunt Jane pulled their canoes up the shore of Timberwolf Lake. Henry took the tents, sleeping bags, and waterproof 2 bags out of the canoes. Jessie strapped 3 the paddles inside them.



Together, Henry and Jessie lifted the front of one canoe. With Jessie’s help, Henry swung the canoe up over his head and then walked the short distance to Catfish Lake.



Jessie helped Aunt Jane carry the other canoe. Benny and Violet followed, carrying one of the tents between them. Once Henry and Aunt Jane had secured the canoes at the edge of Catfish Lake, they went back to get the rest of the equipment.



“Our campsite should be at the end of this path,” Henry said, looking at the map. The others were busy repacking the canoes with all the gear.



“I think that might be the trail,” Aunt Jane said. She pointed 4 to a dirt road that veered 5 away from the walking path.



“Let’s follow it,” Henry said, shouldering his backpack. The others took their packs and Jessie brought another small bag of food.



“Let’s leave the tents in the canoes for now,” Henry said. “I think there may be cabins at this campsite.”



Thick oak trees grew on each side of the path. Their leafy branches met in mid-air, shading the trail. Aunt Jane and the Aldens had not gone far when they spied a canoe hidden in the underbrush.



“Look, another canoe!” Benny sounded very excited. “Do you think it belongs to Lorenzo?”



“I don’t know.” Henry seemed doubtful. “We’re a bit far from Lorenzo’s cabin.”



“That’s good,” Benny said. “He scared me a little. What if he’s one of the coin burglars?”



“Oh, Benny,” Violet said, “we have no proof of that.”



“Well, he did act pretty nervous,” Benny reminded her.



At a bend in the trail, the Aldens saw a wooden lean-to.



“We get to sleep in a house tonight,” Benny said, skipping toward it.



“I smell something cooking.” Jessiesniffed the air. “There may be other canoeists here.”



No sooner had Jessie spoken than a red-haired man limped over to them from behind the lean-to. The man wore a green flannel 7 shirt, blue jeans, and only one sneaker. His other foot was bound up in a towel.



“Did you hurt your foot?” Benny blurted 8 out.



“Yes,” the camper said. “I twisted my ankle in a large hole outside the lean-to this morning. The strange thing is I never noticed the hole there before.” The man spoke 6 in a clipped British accent.



Aunt Jane and the Aldens looked at each other. They were not the only ones noticing mysterious things on the canoe trail.



“Is that your canoe back there on the trail?” Jessie asked.



“And is that your food we smell cooking?” Benny asked before the man could answer.



“Yes to both questions,” the man replied, laughing a little. He introduced himself as Rob Wilson.



“I had to leave my canoe on the path because I couldn’t carry it with my twisted ankle,” Rob explained.



“We could move it to the lake for you,” Henry suggested.



“Thank you,” Rob said. “That would be very helpful. I was planning on canoeing down Catfish Lake, but now I’m not too sure of my plans. I may stay at this campsite a while longer until my ankle gets better.”



“I don’t know how you can manage.” Aunt Jane shook her head. “It’s hard enough to canoe alone without a twisted ankle.”



“Yes, nothing’s gone right since the beginning of my trip,” Rob confided 9.



“What do you mean?” Henry asked right away.



“Well, the sprained 10 ankle was the main thing.” He suddenly grew quiet, almost as if he were afraid he’d said too much.



“Are you on vacation?” Benny asked him.



“Not exactly,” Rob answered.



Jessie noticed he wanted to change the subject. “Have you been on this trail long?” she asked.



“No, only two days,” he said in his clippedspeech. Suddenly he turned away.



“Oh, please excuse me. I must take my fish off the grill,” he said quickly. After removing the fish, he packed his food in a basket, and limped into the woods.



“Where is he going with all that food?” Benny wondered.



“Shhh, Benny. He might hear you,” Violet said. “Maybe he just wants to eat in peace.”



Aunt Jane and the Aldens ate their macaroni and cheese dinner outside the lean-to, which they would be sharing with Rob Wilson. “Do you think we scared him away by asking him all those questions?” Jessie asked.



“It’s hard to tell,” Aunt Jane said. “He did seem friendlier at first—before we asked him about his trip.”



“Everyone we’ve met seems to have something to hide,” Henry observed, thinking of Lorenzo Espinosa and now Rob Wilson.



“Well, at least Rob Wilson isn’t warning us to stay away from this lake, like everyone else is,” Violet pointed out.



“Yes, he’s even going in the same directionwe are,” Jessie said. “He must not think Timberwolf Lake and Catfish Lake are dangerous.”



“Do you think he’s trying to solve the riddle 11, too?” Benny asked.



“I don’t know,” Henry said. “We really don’t know anything about him yet. I don’t think we should tell him too much.”



“Can’t we tell him about the riddle or the coin robberies?” Benny wanted to know.



“No, I think we should first find out why he’s on this trail.” Henry sounded firm.



“Henry, it’s not like you to be suspicious of everyone,” Aunt Jane remarked. “But I agree, it’s best to be careful.”



Rob had not returned by the time the Aldens were ready to go to sleep.



“I hope he doesn’t snore,” Benny said. He lay inside his sleeping bag on the bottom bunk 12. Henry was in the top bunk reading his book by the light of his flashlight.



“That’s the least of our worries, Benny,” Henry said.



Benny gulped 13. “Do you think Rob Wilson is a burglar?” He motioned across the roomto Rob’s empty bunk. Rob had left a large backpack and two fishing poles on top of his sleeping bag.



“I don’t know what to think about Rob. But he’s probably all right.” Henry tried to sound comforting.



“I hope we won’t hear any wild animals tonight,” Benny said sleepily.



“I hope not, Benny,” Henry said softly. He looked down and saw Benny’s eyes were closed. It never took Benny very long to fall asleep, no matter where he was.