side. He also collected and stored at home a supply of old
mattresses, blankets, kitchen utensils, a laundry stove, and other
domestic conveniences usable in a place of this kind. A week before
vacation he wrote thus to his 12-year-old brother, Paul:

"I'm going to bring seven boys home with me. We are going to spend the
vacation in the mountains, with the cave as headquarters. Will you
have the stove hauled there and set up and keep a fire in it a good
deal of the time to dry the place out thoroughly? We will come to
Hollyhill on an early train, so as to have plenty of time to haul the
mattresses and other outfittings to the cave and get it ready for
habitation. We will all have guns and will have some great times
shooting game. Of course, you will be in on all this."

Paul did as requested. When the patrol arrived at the Hunter home, he
reported to his brother that the latter's instructions had been
carried out and all was in readiness for the removal of the outing
outfit from the storeroom over the garage to the cave. Everything but
the mattresses were piled into Mr. Hunter's seven-passenger touring
car, the eight boys piled in on top and the first run to their holiday
headquarters was made.

As the machine drove up toward the mouth of the cave, the boys were
startled at seeing two rough looking men emerge from the entrance and
slink away to the south, half hidden by the unevenness of the ground
and the thick shrubbery. Their hurried movements and evident desire to
avoid meeting the boys marked them as suspicious characters. Fearing
that they might have committed some malicious act to render the place
uninhabitable, Ernie hastened toward the cave, followed by the other
boys, to make an inspection.

Before entering, however, Ernie, who was the patrol leader, asked four
of the boys to return and watch the automobile. Division of the
patrol with this in view was quickly arranged, and Ernie, Clifford
Long, Harry, Gilbert, and Jerry McCracken proceeded into the cave.

The entrance of the cave was protected against the cold by a heavy
blanket hung over a pole anchored at either end in the rocky side at
the top. Pushing aside this wilderness portiere, the four
investigators stepped in, lighting their way with two or three
electric flash lights.

They were relieved to discover that no damage had been done to the
cave or to the stove set up within. After satisfying themselves on
this score they proceeded to replenish t