ly over buried gold."

"Well, we'll soon see. If I get hold of that pick I'll soon have that
box loose."

Matt Burton did not really relish Glen's aid, but he could offer no
valid objection. A few rapid and accurate strokes with the pick loosened
the hard earth, and Apple and Matt quickly spaded it out. As soon as a
grip could be obtained Matt seized the box. It certainly was heavy,
especially since he could not yet get a good grip on it. Apple lifted
one side and slowly but with great excitement they brought the
mysterious box from its hiding place.

A look of disgust swept the features of Matt Burton as he looked at his
treasure and read the white letters on the side of the box.

From the edge of the pit came a roar of laughter from Black Bob, the
cook, who had been eagerly watching the proceedings.

"Ah ben missin' that yere bread box since yis'day two days gone," he
shouted. "Dat ah is mah treasure. Bring her up yere!"

Glen, on his knees, had thrown open the lid of the box. As he saw its
contents to be damp earth, tightly tamped, his roar of laughter equaled
that of Black Bob.

"Wow!" he shouted. "Look at this. The treasure's name is Mud!"

Matt's look of disgust had changed to fiery anger.

"You're the one who put this trick up on me," he shouted. "You've been
rubbing me wrong ever since we let you in here from nowhere. Now I'm
going to pay you up!"

He made a wild lunge forward at Glen, and in a second the two were
locked in a rough and tumble conflict in the narrow confines of the pit.
But the scout master reached down from above and seized each by the
collar, and Apple valiantly pushed himself in between their belligerent
forms.

"Enough of that, boys," said Mr. Newton. "Climb out of that hole. Glen,
what have you to say to this charge."

But Glen was spared from making an answer, for Henry Henry stood forth
and spoke.

"He didn't do it, Mr. Newton. It was me," confessed Chick-chick, more
convincing than grammatical. "Goosey was in it with me. When Matt turned
us down yesterday we thought we'd give him something to dig for. Never
dreamed he'd make big blow 'bout it. Just s'posed be little joke all t'
himself. We came last night, dug down to hard pan; cut hole s' near
exact size o' bread box as we could, made it heavy with dirt and turned
it in upside down. Just joke, Mr. Newton."

And as "just a joke" it did not seem so very reprehensible, for a good
joke that does no harm is not out of place