While preparations for breakfast were being undertaken by those appointed for this purpose, Elmer strolled out of the camp. He wished to carefully examine the open patch of ground at the point where the two sentries had been so positive the uncanny white object had appeared to them.

Disappointment awaited him there, however. Numerous footprints told how those of the scouts whose duty it was to secure a fresh supply of firewood that morning had pa.s.sed back and forth directly across this open place. If there had been any suggestive tracks they were surely trampled out of sight by the army of boyish feet that had gone over many times.

Elmer shook his head. He felt that he had been hoodwinked in one sense, but no matter, even this setback must not induce him to give up the task he had set for himself. He owed it to Chatz and his infirmity to discover a reasonable explanation of that ghost theory. And while the solution might be delayed by this unfortunate trampling of the ground, he meant to persist.

"Nothing doing, I guess?" remarked a voice close by, and turning his head the scout leader saw Chatz himself standing there, observing him with a quizzical expression on his dark face.

"Well, if you mean an explanation of the little affair of last night, Chatz, I admit that so far I'm up against it good and hard. You see, I hoped to find some marks here that would give me a clue, but it's all off. The boys ran after wood and back again so many times, that if there was a trail it's been squashed."

"Oh! I don't think that mattered any," remarked the other, with conviction in his tones. "You can't very well discover what there isn't, can you? And I've always believed that spooks never leave a sign behind them when they come and go. Why, a spook is only a vapor, you know, Elmer. They can slip through a keyhole if necessary. And as to a trail, why, you might as well expect to see that cloud up yonder leave a track behind it."

There could at least be no doubt about Chatz being in dead earnest in his queer belief, and as Elmer turned away he was more than ever determined to find the true solution of that strange happening, if only to drive another nail in the coffin of the Southern boy's superst.i.tion.

As neither of the sentries felt at liberty to mention the occurrence until the a.s.sistant scout master gave permission, the balance of the scouts ate their breakfast, and joked each other, in blissful ignorance of the fact that the camp had again been visited by a hobgoblin, and that this time not only the superst.i.tious Chatz but another had actually seen the misty intruder!

CHAPTER VI.

THE BOY SCOUTS' WATER BOILING TEST.

MR. GARRABRANT was full of business on this fine morning.

He set about a host of things immediately after breakfast, saying that they ought to take advantage of the opportunity to get in a good morning's work.

Several boys were sent out on the lake to try to duplicate the good luck attending the fishermen of the preceding afternoon. Mark c.u.mmings was encouraged to get numerous views of the camp, and whatever was going on--such as would afford the Hickory Ridge scouts the most pleasure in later days, when this series of camp fires was but a hallowed memory.

With the balance of the troop the scout master proceeded to try out various interesting tests, to discover just how the boys stood in the matter of efficiency. As Elmer was such an old and experienced hand in most of these matters, he was of course debarred from entering the compet.i.tions. It would be taking too great an advantage over the tenderfeet scouts, who had everything to learn as yet.

First of all the scout master decided to put ten boys at the boiling-water test. This is one of the most interesting, as well as amusing compet.i.tions, the scouts indulge in, and one that never fails to evoke much laughter among those who look on.

Each boy was given a tin pail that held two quarts of water, and which could be carried by a bale. Besides this, he was handed just three matches, and put upon his honor that he did not have another of the kind upon his person.

A spot was selected that was possibly fully eighty yards away from the edge of the lake, and this Mr. Garrabrant did purposely, so that if one of the competing scouts was so unlucky as to upset his pail of water during the test, he would be greatly handicapped by having to run so far in order to replenish the same.

Lined up, they were to be given the word, when a rush would be made for the lake, the buckets filled at least up to a line midway that indicated a full quart. Then they had to hasten back to the place a.s.signed, being careful not to spill a drop of the fluid on penalty of losing marks for having less than the quart needed.

Wood had to be quickly gathered, and some sort of fire-place constructed where a blaze must be started without the aid of paper. Then the kettles were to be seated on the stones, and the first one that had water actually boiling, as witnessed by the scout master, would be the victor, and the second called "runner-up."

"Ready, all!" called Mr. Garrabrant, and ten eager pair of eyes watched him closely; "go!"

Immediately there was a race for the lake. One clumsy scout fell down and had to scramble to his feet to take his place at the tail end of the procession. Of course the long-legged Lil Artha easily outran all his mates. He had scooped up his water and was on the way back before the next best arrived.

The wise ones made sure to dip up more than they really needed, so as to make allowances for any that might be spilled on the return flight. The surplus could be easily tipped out before they set the kettle on the fire.

When the whole lot had finally reached the open spot where the compet.i.tion was to be carried out, the picture was a lively one. Mark was on hand to take a few snapshots, and catch all the humor of the scene.

Now Lil Artha had his fire going, being far in advance of the others. As they hustled to get things moving it was only natural that each fellow cast jealous glances toward those who were getting along faster. In one instance that caused the withdrawal of a compet.i.tor, for while paying more attention to what Matty Eggleston was doing than his own business, Larry Billings upset his kettle. After that he gave up with a grunt, for it was the height of folly for him to think of running to the lake for a fresh supply.

Two others used all their three matches and failed to get a fire started, so they also withdrew.

When Arthur Stansbury placed his kettle on his hastily constructed fire-place, long before the rest, it looked as though he had a "walkover."

All at once there arose a shout of boyish glee. In starting to get to his feet, the long-legged one had, as frequently happened, caught his ankles in a hitch, and throwing out one hand to balance he upset the kettle, which came near putting out his fire.

Mr. Garrabrant expected to see him leaping toward the far-off lake in the hope of being yet in the running. To his surprise, Lil Artha s.n.a.t.c.hed up his pail and _ran away from the edge of the water_! Several were so astonished at this that they suspended operations for a second or two to stare after him.

"Oh! I see what he's after, the sly fellow," laughed Elmer. "He remembers the little stream that runs down the side of the hill right there, and reaches the lake. It isn't half as far away as the edge of the big water. Yes, there he comes, with a grin on his face, and a full pail. Good boy, Number Five!"

Once back at his fire, now burning briskly, the tall boy hastened to spill some of the contents of his kettle, and then set the latter firmly on the stones. Nor did he stop there. He had lost some ground, and several had by this time succeeded in catching up with him. So down Arthur lay, full on his stomach, where he could blow his fire, and get it to burning more savagely, after which he fed it with the best small pieces of splintered wood he had been able to pick up.

When a certain number of minutes had elapsed he beckoned to Mr.

Garrabrant, who, antic.i.p.ating the summons, had been hovering nearby.

Together with Elmer, the scout master hurried up.

"The water is boiling all right," he announced, "and Number Five wins.

But keep going, the balance of you, until we learn who comes in second and third."

Matty Eggleston proved an easy second, while Ted Burgoyne edged in just ahead of Mark, because, as he claimed, his "blowing apparatus worked better."

"But I think we ought to protest that win of Lil Artha," declared Chatz Maxfield, although he had been one of the last in the bunch.

"On what grounds?" asked Mr. Garrabrant, smiling, as though he had expected to hear something of the sort, though hardly from one who had no chance of winning.

"When his kettle upset he didn't go all the way to the lake to fill it again, as he ought to have done," said Red Huggins, who had also the ill fortune to overturn his tin vessel when the water had begun to steam, and who naturally felt a little "sore" as he termed it, because it was too late for him to enter again.

"Listen while I read the terms of the compet.i.tion again," said Mr.

Garrabrant. "I wrote them down so as to be prepared for any event; that's one of our cardinal principles, you know, boys. Here it especially states that 'any compet.i.tor who upsets his kettle at any time during the test may have the privilege of filling the same again from the nearest water.'"

"Oh! I didn't think of it that way, sir!" exclaimed Red.

"That's just it," smiled the gentleman. "You failed to grasp all there was in that rule, while Arthur a.n.a.lyzed it. He undoubtedly laid his plans beforehand, in which he proved himself a true scout, preparing for eventualities, even though he may not have expected to meet with such an accident. He remembered that little stream, and even the fact that there was a small basin scooped out where a pail could be quickly dipped in and filled. All the more credit to Arthur for his forethought. He doubly deserves the honor he has won, and I congratulate him on his victory. It will be an object lesson to the rest of you. In time of peace prepare for war. And now we will turn our attention to another test. Perhaps some of the rest may excel in that. I want everyone to do his very best, and earn marks that will help to take you out of the tenderfoot cla.s.s and make second-cla.s.s scouts."

It was now the turn of Elmer to interest his camp-mates. He had been looking around before this, and laid his plans, so that he was able to lead the entire bunch to a neighboring gully, where in the soft mud alongside a stream he had discovered several distinctly separate sets of animal tracks.

Here he pointed out to them the marked difference between the trail of a muskrat from that of a mink, and even went so far as to tell a number of things which the latter cautious animal had probably done in his pa.s.sage down the ravine in search of food.

Mr. Garrabrant listened carefully himself, and nodded approvingly from time to time, to show how much he liked Elmer's way of reasoning.

"You can see, boys," he remarked finally, when the lesson was over for that occasion, "what a vast amount of mighty interesting information can be drawn from so simple a sign as the spoor of a little slender-bodied mink. Elmer has made a study of the animal, and knows his ways to a dot.

I think he described all that the mink did on his way along here, just as it actually occurred. And the deeper one dips into such woods' lore, the more fascinating it is found. All around you are dozens of things that strike the educated eye as deeply interesting and worthy of study, but which would never be seen by the tenderfoot. And it is this power of observation that we wish our boy scouts to employ constantly. Once the fever takes hold, a new life opens up for the lover of Nature."

After that they busied themselves around the camp doing various things until lunch time. About the middle of the afternoon three relays, of two boys each, were sent out in as many different directions. They were not to take paper or pencil along, but simply to try to impress various interesting things they happened to meet with, upon their memories, and after they had returned to camp they would be given a chance to note these down on paper. The one of each pair who could excel in his description as to the number and interest of the things seen, would receive merit marks. And later on the three victors might be pitted against each other again.

While the six boys were absent, for they had a couple of hours in which to accomplish their end, those left in camp found plenty to do. Mark spent some time in developing the films he had exposed thus far, having a daylight developing bath along with him. In this way he could find a possible chance to duplicate any pictures that, for some unknown cause, failed to do justice to the subject. If he waited until they returned home to get to work, the chances would have gone forever.

Everybody seemed happy but Ted Burgoyne, and he went about with an expression of gloom on his face that of course may have been a.s.sumed.