e old mill?" asked Chatz.

Red gave him a quick, suspicious look.

"Aw, I reckon I know what's on our comrade's mind," he remarked, with a
wink.

"As what?" demanded Landy.

"Chatz thinks he'd like to prowl around some, and see if that ghost has
left any signs. 'Tain't often he's had a chance to meet up with a real
haunted house, eh, Chatz?" and Red gave the Southern boy a sly dig in
the ribs.

"Never had that pleasure in all my life, fellows, I assure you," replied
the Southern boy, with ill-concealed delight in his manner.

"But say, no respectable ghost was ever known to walk except at
midnight, and we don't intend camping out at the old mill, do we, just
because of this silly talk?" asked George.

"Oh, the rest of us don't, but Chatz might take a notion to stay over,"
laughed Red. "When a fellow is set on investigating things he don't
understand, and which were never meant for us to understand, there's
just no telling how far he will carry the game."

Chatz gave him a lofty look.

"Thank you for the compliment, suh," he said.

They continued to follow the "spoor" of the two hounds, left so plainly
for their guidance.

It was not long before another stick that held a bark "message" was
discovered. And Landy felt immensely elated to think that by some chance
he had been the first to see the "sign."

"I'll surprise you fellows yet, just mark me," he chuckled, while Matty
was trying to read the queer little characters Elmer had marked upon the
brown inner side of the fresh bark torn from a convenient tree close by.

"Wish you would, old top," remarked Red, with his customary enthusiasm.

"You'll get to like all these things more and more, the farther you go,"
said Larry.

"I feel that way already," was Landy's quick reply; "only I'm that
clumsy and slow-witted I just don't see how I'm ever going to keep up
with the procession."

"Elmer says it's only keeping everlastingly at it that makes a good
scout," remarked Chatz.

Evidently, from the way these boys continually quoted "Elmer," the
assistant scout master must be a very popular fellow in Hickory Ridge,
and those who have made a study of boy nature can understand what rare
elements the said Elmer must have in his composition to make so many
friends and so few enemies.

"Come around and see what I've made out of this message," said Matty
just then.

It proved to be the concluding communication, and in plain picture
language informed those for