swim?"

"No, sir. I haven't seen Brick since morning."

The scoutmaster rose to his feet.

"Mason has not appeared at dinner. Has any one seen him since ten
o'clock?"

There was no answer; the boys waited in silence. At last Chick-chick
held out a crumpled sheet of paper.

"I haven't seen him, but here's what found near tree where Matt thought
he'd found bee tree," he explained.

It was the note from J. Jervice. Mr. Newton read it in silence.

"I don't know who could have written such a note," he remarked, handing
it to Jolly Bill.

Then Matt Burton found his voice.

"I was in the neighborhood where the note was dropped this morning and I
saw Mason in company with the very disreputable peddler fellow who came
here Sunday. They seemed very intimate and were going off together."

"What do you mean by going off together?"

"I mean they were just walking along through the woods like they'd
always known each other and were planning something. The thought came
to me that they might be accomplices and the peddler had sent the boy
into our camp just to work something up."

"He sure did it," volunteered Chick-chick.

"Something up and something down," suggested an irresponsible listener.

"That's enough, boys." Mr. Newton brought them sharply to order. "Burton
has no right to such a guess nor you to such remarks. They don't make
for harmony. They aren't helpful. You may all go now, except the patrol
leaders and assistants and the signal corps."

When the little group had collected Mr. Newton continued his remarks.

"Glen Mason is a scout--a member of this troop--and we are responsible
for him in more ways than one. Mr. Spencer and I know enough about him
to be sure that there is no reason why he should go away with the
peddler excepting under misrepresentation. Perhaps nothing out of the
way has happened, but we have just a suspicion that Jervice is making an
effort to get Glen into his hands for a reward which he thinks he will
get."

"He'll have a sweet time holding him in his hands after he gets him,"
interrupted Jolly Bill.

"Unless he has help," corrected Mr. Newton. "And this is not
improbable. Because of this I want the scouts to divide into groups of
four and explore the territory I lay out. Each patrol leader and each
assistant will take three boys. Signal and make for headquarters at once
if you find anything. If there is any need of a rescue don't attempt it
without me. Henry may start at the p