e in this game than I ever thought of,"
admitted the latter.

"Don't see how he does it," remarked George, with a doubting shake of
his head.

"Oh, the more you study up on this thing," said Red, "the better you'll
like it. No end of clever stunts that can be engineered. But see here,
Matty, didn't you say we must be getting near the place where we
expected to round up both foxes and hounds?"

"Yes, I'm looking to hear the bugle any minute right now," replied the
leader.

"Where was it fixed for?" asked Landy.

"Oh, I thought you knew," Matty replied, as they once more took up the
broad trail, at the point beyond the end of the fallen tree.

"I heard some talk about an old mill, but didn't pay much attention to
it," remarked Landy, carelessly.

"Then you've got to turn over a new leaf, old fellow, if you expect to
ever succeed as a good scout," Red broke in with.

"How's that?" demanded Landy.

"Because," replied the red-headed lad, himself always wide-awake and on
the alert, "a scout to succeed must forever keep his wits about him and
observe things. In fact, Elmer says he should take as a motto, besides
the words 'Be Prepared' the old sign you see at railroad crossings."

"Stop! look! listen!" exclaimed Matty, Larry, and Chatz in chorus.

"I suppose I _am_ somewhat sleepy," grumbled Landy, "but perhaps some
day I'll surprise you wide-awake Slim Jims by doing something real
smart. But tell me more about this mill."

"You sure must have heard of Munsey's mill?" remarked Matty.

"Oh, I believe it does sound kind of familiar, but then I must have
forgotten all I ever heard about it," Landy confessed.

Red and Matty exchanged glances, and shook their heads mournfully. It
seemed a pretty tough proposition to ever expect to make a good and
profitable scout out of such poor material.

"Well," said the patrol leader, "there is a long story connected with
the old ramshackle mill. No use of my going into all the details. It's
been abandoned a good many years now. People have tried to live there
three times since old Munsey was found dead there, but they had to give
it up."

"Yes, suh," Chatz broke in, his eyes shining brightly, for this was a
subject that appealed very strongly to him, "they just couldn't hold
out. Got cold feet after going through the experience and had to quit."

"But why?" demanded Landy.

"Because they declared the old mill was haunted!" replied Matty.

"Yes, suh, it was haunted," ech