thing,
perhaps the scratches he had received in plenty where the brambles
had scraped his face.

"Perhaps you'll be kind enough to explain what we're being held up
this way for?" asked Hugh, as pleasantly as he could, for he realized
that these men must represent some sort of authority, and in all
probability were laboring under a misapprehension.

"Who are you all, anyway?" demanded the taller of the two men, and Hugh
saw that he had better address himself to this person, since he seemed
to be the more even-tempered of the pair.

"Our suits ought to tell you that," Alec managed to snap out, not
fancying the idea of being forced to keep his hands elevated in such
a fashion, just as though he might be a miserable criminal trying to
escape from the penitentiary.

"We are Boy Scouts," said Hugh, hastily, seeing the men frown at Alec's
impatient remark. "We belong in Oakvale, and have come up here to
spend a couple of days camping out. Besides that one of us has been
commissioned to take some pictures of an old deserted mansion not far
away from here, which his aunt in the city is expecting to buy, if
his report turns out favorable. That's the whole story, I give you
my word of honor, sir."

The tall man looked straight into Hugh's face. What he saw there
seemed to impress him very favorably, for the expression of distrust
quickly faded from his own countenance, and a friendly smile began
to take its place.

"I reckon we've been and made a mistake this time, Pete," he said,
turning to his companion. "These young chaps don't look like they'd
have a hand in trying to get a crazy man free, after the law had shut
him up in an asylum!"

"What's that you say?" exclaimed Arthur, while Billy's eyes were
like small editions of saucers, in so far as being round was concerned.

"We belong at the State Asylum for the Criminal Insane," explained
the taller man, whom Hugh now understood must be a guard. "There was
a notorious party shut up there, and he managed to escape by the aid
of his money and the help of some friends outside. Men are searching
the whole country over for signs of him. We got a clue that he might
be found up here in this region, and that he was being taken care
of in a camp, until such time as he could cross the line into Canada."

"Can we lower our hands now, friend?" asked Hugh, seeing that Billy
for one was getting very red in the face with the exertion of
stretching upward so long.

"I guess