ing that racket came from
where we happen to know the old castle lies."

"Oh! that's an easy nut to crack!" declared Monkey Stallings. "The
sounds came right down the wind, and any one can see it's blowing
softly straight from the haunted mansion."

"We might guess that the ghosts were having a hop all by themselves,"
ventured Billy, "only you know they say spirits never show themselves
in the daytime. Anyway, those whoops were more like wild Injuns on
the warpath than just spooks."

"Well, as we don't happen to have any Indians left in this region
nowadays," added Hugh, drily, "we can put that explanation down as
impossible. But we'll know more about it before three minutes more
have passed, because, unless I miss my guess, we can glimpse the castle
when we strike that rock yonder. I remember taking a look back as
we came along, so as to impress distances and direction on my mind,
and could see the whole structure looming up."

"Whee! listen again, will you?" exclaimed Billy, aghast.

The strange noise had again broken out. They could hear many husky
voices shouting in unison, and, besides, there were other odd sounds
such as might be made by a small army of desperate assailants beating
wildly against that stout door of the lonely castle.

No wonder the five boys stared at one another, with vacant looks on
their several faces. It would have puzzled smarter people than they
pretended to be to analyze such a remarkable jumble of noises as their
ears now caught.

Hugh would not let them stop for a second. Indeed, if anything, he
hurried them along faster than ever, as though fully determined to
have the mystery cleared up without further loss of time. If Billy's
footsteps were inclined to make him linger behind his mates he bestirred
himself to assume a faster gait, for at such a critical moment the fat
scout did not wish to find himself left in the lurch.

The horrid din continued as they hurried forward. If anything it grew
more and more maddening, causing the boys to shiver with mingled
impatience and alarm.

Now they were close on the rock mentioned by Hugh. In another ten
seconds they would be able to at least see the walls of the grim castle
in the near distance. Billy wondered whether, after all, they might
not discover that there was not the slightest sign of a living human
being in sight. He was rapidly coming to believe there might be something
ghostly about these sounds. Billy was just t