at 'an ounce of prevention
is better than a pound of cure.'"

"Also," added Billy drily, "that in times of plenty it's wise to lay
in a stock against the dry spell that's coming. I've been there myself,
and ought to know what it means to go hungry just because you've been
careless. That's one reason I always try to put in a spoonful of
coffee for every fellow, and then add one for the pot."

That was always the way with Billy; he seemed to view almost every
subject as inevitably connected with the one absorbing idea of supply
and demand. By this time these good chums of his knew his weakness
so well that they generally let such allusions pass unnoticed.

"How would it do for us to root around a bit while we have the time?"
ventured Monkey Stallings, who liked to investigate better than anything
else, except in an old mansion where the dust of years had settled, and
there were uncanny things to be run across.

"If you mean," Hugh told him, "we might move around some, and look for
that place where we want to make our camp for the rest of our stay up
here, I'd say it was a good idea."

"Of course," supplemented Arthur, "we could move back to the castle
late this afternoon if the weather turned out bad, and a storm
threatened, which, according to all the known signs, isn't going to be
the case."

"Glad to hear you say that, old weather bureau prophet," laughed Alec;
for the scout who had just made that bold assertion had long been
looked up to as an authority on the subject of changes of the weather,
and could reel off a dozen reasons for the prediction he was making,
all founded on a good sensible basis.

Accordingly they all started forth, having deposited most of their
belongings in a good hiding-place where they would be perfectly safe.
Since there had been no attempt to clean up the grounds surrounding
the wonderful "castle" after its abandonment, Some ten years or so
before, of necessity they had gone back to their original, wild condition.
Nature always seeks to hide the cruel gashes made by the hands of
man, covering the wound with all manner of growth from trailing vines
to young saplings, brush and weeds.

Passing through a dense wilderness of this newer growth, the scouts
pushed on into the heavier woods. Here they found things much more to
their way of looking at it. Indeed, with the stately forest trees
rising up all around them, and shutting out that queer building on the
point of land overlooki