Part 11 (1/2)

”Saves a heap of water lugging, and that counts,” admitted Lil Artha.

”That oughtn't to bother you much, Lil Artha,” said George; ”when you're built to cover half a mile at every step. All you'd have to do would be to take one look-in, fill your pail, and then turning around, come right back again.”

”Our camp, then, will be pretty close to the old house, won't it?”

ventured Chatz; and there was an eagerness in his voice that betrayed how much he had been thinking of his luck at being in the vicinity of a building said to be haunted, for two full nights.

”That's what it will,” Toby called out over his shoulder, for he was following the pilot of the expedition, Elmer, who strode on all by himself away in the van; ”and you'll have a chance to sc.r.a.pe up an acquaintance with that old hobgoblin, Chatz. You're welcome to all the fun; I haven't lost any ghost that I know about, and you don't ketch me hanging about in there half the night, waiting for something white and clammy to stalk around. Ugh! I should say not. Oh! what was that?”

Nancy, up to then behaving very well, because quite tired after the long pull, began to prance at a lively rate; and every one of the four scouts craned their necks and stared in one particular direction; it was in that quarter George had just said the haunted house lay; and what had come to their ears was the strangest sort of a cry they had ever heard, a mingling of pain and rage it seemed.

CHAPTER X

IN FOR A GLORIOUS TIME

”A WILDCAT!” exclaimed Ty Collins, excitedly.

”Mebbe only an old owl,” Lil Artha ventured; ”because I remember you fellows told us there were some whoopers up here; and when an old house has got bats in its belfry it's likely to have owls too.”

”The house is over that way, ain't it?” questioned Landy Smith, showing a mild interest in the matter; but his indifference was more than made up for by the excitement on the part of the Southern scout, whose dark eyes fairly danced with eagerness.

”I should say it was,” he told Landy, ”and if you think that's only an owl, or even a wildcat, suh, I reckon you've got another guess coming to you.”

”Listen to that, would you?” broke from Ty; ”our chum from Dixie here believes in ghosts, and he even thinks that was one warning us away from the haunted house. It'd take a dozen of the same to scare _me_ off. I may light out before an enraged bull, but you don't find me sneaking away when there's a white thing waving up and down in the road. Had a lesson once, when I found it out to be just a rag hangin' from a branch, and since then nothing spooky ever faizes Ty Collins.”

Chatz looked keenly at the speaker, and nodded his head. Although he made no remark, his manner was that of a prophet, and Elmer, noticing it, could imagine him saying: ”Just wait, and we'll see what sort of nerve you've got, Ty Collins. Things seem different at high noon from what they do when it's midnight. And if I have my way you'll get a chance to see a real ghost, for once in your life; because I just believe in the things, make all the fun you want to.”

Whatever the strange thrilling cry may have been, at least it was not repeated. Nancy was quieted by Toby, and the other scouts stood there, listening earnestly, for fully five minutes, but nothing developed worth noticing.

Finally Elmer called out to them:

”Here, get a move on, Toby, and come along. We've got lots to do before we can cook our first dinner; and I don't know how you fellows feel, but I'm as hungry as a wolf. Make a sharp turn here, Toby, because we want to push straight into the woods, and reach that spring.”

Of all the scouts, George was really the only one who, as they walked on, turned his head and glanced back several times toward the region from which that strange sound had come.

Chatz noticed it, and smiled grimly, as though making up his mind that perhaps he might find a convert in his belief in George, especially if anything remarkable did come to pa.s.s, as he felt almost sure would be the case.

Presently they came to the running water, and by following this up a short distance found the spring.

”Hurrah! here we rest! Alabama for mine!” cried Lil Artha, as he turned and surveyed his surroundings, with the eye of one who had camped on numerous previous occasions, and might be expected to know something about such things.

Then ensued a bustle, as the scouts began to unload the contents of the wagon, stake out the mare, and start to get things arranged.

Every fellow had his share of the work apportioned to him, so that there was little real confusion, or getting in each other's way; and it was wonderful how things seemed to almost grow like magic.

Two khaki-colored waterproofed tents soon stood there, facing toward the south, and with the spring only twenty feet away. Inside these the scouts began immediately to arrange their blankets, though the beds would not be made up until after the coming of night.

Another pair attended to the very important duty of making the cooking range, on top of which they would spread the metal top that was to serve as a gridiron, to hold such utensils as were necessary for cooking purposes.

When this had been constructed to their satisfaction a fire was quickly kindled, for the air was still rather sharp, even for a November day, and all of them felt they would be much better for a warm lunch.