here a hundred years. It was about ten
feet high, and of course the length of its shadow was different at
different times of the day. The only guide I had was in the heap of
rock. There were four rocks in it. As there is no sun at four o'clock in
the morning it was a sure thing that I must choose four in the
afternoon. So I waited until four o'clock and at the exact spot where
the peculiar knobby head of that stump threw its shadow I commenced to
dig."

The boys were listening in strained silence. One of the younger ones
squeaked "Rah for Matty!" but drew no response.

"I dug until supper time," continued Matt. "It was hard work, but I made
a pretty good hole though I found nothing. Nobody had been around to
bother me. I just stuck up a couple of sticks at supper time and came
in. This morning I was late getting to work. Digging alone so hard
yesterday had taken off some of my appetite, and I didn't dream of what
I was going to find so I didn't hurry much. But I found the ground
turned up easier and I had hardly dug twenty minutes before my spade
struck something that gave out a metallic ring. I scraped away the dirt
until I could see a metal object like the lid of a box about fourteen by
eighteen inches. The ground all around it was hard and I could not get
it loose. I tried to get my fingers under it but couldn't do it. The
dinner call was sounded. I wouldn't have come only I was obliged to have
some help anyway, and I thought I'd better tell the scout master all
about it and have him see fair play."

"Which the scout master will proceed to do," added Mr. Newton. "We will
follow Matt to the scene of his explorations which we hope will turn out
to be the treasure, although one box fourteen by eighteen inches would
not hold a great deal of bullion. Still there may be other boxes. Who
were the boys who wanted to work with you, Matt?"

"Chick-chick and Goosey," replied Matt.

"Very well. You two boys may take a pick and a spade and help Matt get
his box out."

The boys did not respond willingly.

"We don't want to," said Chick-chick. "He didn't want us yesterday and
he won't want us to-day. Let Brick Mason and Apple do it."

"I don't like that spirit, Henry, but we'll excuse you. Corliss and Glen
will do the work."

"You don't seem very much excited over this find," said Glen to Spencer,
as he pushed him along in his billy-cart.

"I'd be more excited if they found a gushing spring, my boy. I don't
excite easi