“Two boys,” answered Andy. “We want somebody to help us get out of this
hole.”

“Oh, that’s it,” said the person at the top of the hole. “Well, maybe, I
can do the trick. I happen to have a long rope with me.”

Something in the voice of the speaker struck Pepper as familiar. He
strained his eyes, and then saw that the person who had spoken was the
strange lad, Bert Field.

                              CHAPTER XXV
                        BERT FIELD’S REVELATION

“Hello there, Bert Field!”

“Hello yourself,” answered the lad at the top of the opening, in
surprise. “Who are you?”

“I am one of the Putnam Hall cadets, Pepper Ditmore.”

“Oh, one of the fellows I met at the church?”

“Yes. I have a friend with me, Andy Snow. Can you help us to get out of
here?”

“I guess I can,” was the answer from the boy above. “Can you climb a
rope?”

“I can,” answered Andy quickly. “And if Pepper can’t perhaps the two of
us can pull him up.”

“All right, here you are then. But wait till I tie the rope fast,”
continued Bert Field.

Quickly the end of a stout rope dropped into the opening. Then came a
pause, and then the boy above shouted out:

“All ready!”

Andy caught hold of the rope and now his ability as an acrobat stood him
in good stead. Up the line he went, hand over hand, in a manner that
would have done credit to a circus performer. Then Pepper tried it, and
after a struggle came up, too, although much more slowly.

          [Illustration: Up the line he went, hand over hand.]

“How in the world did you get down there?” asked Bert Field, after the
two cadets were safe. “I see you are pretty wet,” he continued, glancing
at their soaked garments.

“It’s rather a long story,” answered Pepper, with a side glance at Andy,
to keep the latter quiet. “By the way, Field, didn’t you say that you
were looking for the old mill in this vicinity?”

“I said so, yes,” was the slow reply.

“May I ask what you know about that old mill?” went on Pepper.

“Why, I—that is—it is a personal matter, a family matter,” stammered
Bert Field.

“I thought that if you told us something about the old mill we might be
able to help you,” went on Pepper. “Has Jabez Trask something to do with
it?”

“Yes.”

“And that is why you were looking for Trask?”

“Yes.” Bert Field’s face became a study. He looked at Pepper and Andy
with eyes that seemed to pierce them through and through. “I wonder if I
can trust you?” he said slowly.

“You can,” answered Pepper.

“If the thing is on the level you can trust me,” added Andy. He saw that
the strange lad was laboring under some subdued excitement.

“I—I guess I need a friend,” went on Bert Field. “I said once I might
need help. I may be able to solve this mystery alone, but somehow I am
beginning to doubt it.”

“Then it is a mystery?”

“Yes.”

“About the old mill?”

“Yes, and about Jabez Trask.”

“I thought so,” said Pepper, with a little smile.

“It’s a long story and maybe you won’t want to listen to it now—with
your clothing all wet. You may take cold.”

“Well, that’s true,” answered Pepper. “Can you meet us to-morrow evening
near our encampment up the lake shore?”

“I will if you say so. I was going to use this rope to-day—but I can
postpone that.”

“And we’ll postpone our story,” said Andy.

Bert Field showed them the way back to the trail through the woods and
then separated from them. Andy and Pepper saw the odd youth slouch off
with the coil of rope hung over his shoulder.

“He is certainly a queer stick,” was Pepper’s comment. “I venture to say
he’ll have a queer story to tell.”

“Well, we’ll have a queer one to tell too,” replied Andy. “Wonder what
he was going to do with that rope?”

“That remains to be found out. Maybe he was going to make the ghost a
prisoner.”

“Perhaps.”

“I think we ought to keep our adventure a secret,” went on The Imp.
“Maybe some day we’ll be able to solve this secret of the old mill.”

“Well, I am willing to keep it a secret for the present. But we want to
find out what the others have to say first.”

The boys walked through the woods and on coming out on a regular road
saw the hounds in a crowd, evidently hunting for the paper scent.

“There they are!” cried Dale, on seeing them. He ran up, followed by the
others. “Where in the world did you go to?” he questioned.

“Went into the water,” answered Andy, pointing to his uniform. “Got a
free bath.”

“Well, I never!” burst out another cadet. “No wonder we missed you!”

“How far did you follow us?” asked Pepper.

“Almost to the old mill. But some of the fellows wouldn’t go there, so
we went in a semi-circle, but we couldn’t find the scent anywhere.”

“We tumbled into the water before we knew it,” said Pepper, telling the
plain truth. “And we had an awful time getting out, for the current
carried us quite a distance. We are wet through and through and want to
get to camp as soon as possible, to change our clothing.”

“I don’t blame you,” said Dale. “Well, this ends the game,” he added, to
his followers.

The whole crowd returned to the camp, and Andy and Pepper lost no time
in taking a good rubbing down and in changing their raiment. The others
thought they had simply slipped into the river and did not ask for
particulars. Nevertheless, that evening, when they got the opportunity,
Andy and Pepper gave Jack and Dale the details.

“Well, that is certainly queer,” was the comment of the young major.
“Some wicked person must be hanging out at that old mill. But for what
purpose?”

“Maybe it’s a counterfeiters’ den,” said Dale.

“I don’t know what it is,” said Pepper. “But somehow I’ve got one idea
fixed in my mind and I can’t get it out.”

“What is it, Pep?” asked Jack.

“I think old Jabez Trask is mixed up in it. You’ll remember how he acted
at his mansion. Well, isn’t this a good deal like that?”

“Perhaps, but what would Trask be doing at the old mill?”

“I don’t know. He may be trying to keep others from going there.”

“But why? An old, tumble-down mill like that is of no account. I doubt
if there is anything about the place worth stealing. A thief couldn’t
take the ground, and that is all there is of value.”

“Well, we’ll learn what this Bert Field has to say,” said Andy.

“Wish we could all meet him,” came from Dale, who was now as much
interested in the mystery as anybody.

“Perhaps we can,” said Pepper. “Anyway, I can ask him about it.”

Promptly at the time appointed, Andy and Pepper went off to meet Bert
Field. They had mentioned an old tree with a broken limb, and they found
the strange boy there, pacing the ground nervously. He gave a start when
Andy called to him, but when he recognized them he called up a faint
smile.

“He is as nervous as a cat,” whispered Andy.

“Perhaps he has good cause to be,” was Pepper’s answer.

As soon as the cadets reached Bert Field, they mentioned Jack and Dale
and the strange boy said they might be summoned if desired. Andy let out
a shrill whistle, which Dale answered, and soon the latter and the young
major appeared, and the whole crowd walked along the shore road and sat
down on a grassy bank in the starlight.

“I said I’d tell you my story and I will,” said Bert Field, after an
awkward pause. “I am an American like yourselves, but I was born in
Japan, while my folks were on a trip around the world. My folks are dead
now and about the only relative I have in the world is Jabez Trask.”

“Jabez Trask your relative!” cried Pepper.

“Yes, and he isn’t much of a one, sort of a third cousin, that’s all. I
had another relative, a Robertson, but he is dead too.”

“The one that owned the old mill?” asked Jack.

“Yes. That mill was in the Robertson family for years, and they got rich
from it, so I am told. Well, to cut a long story short, when my folks
died they were in New York City and I was placed in the care of Jabez
Trask, who sent me to a boarding school in Connecticut, the Haley Oaks
School.”

“I’ve heard of that place!” said Dale. “Very strict institution.”

“It is a miserable place!” cried Bert Field. “The pupils are half
starved and sometimes beaten. I had more than one row with the master,
and about six months ago I ran away.”

“But you said you didn’t know where Jabez Trask was?” said Pepper,
questioningly.

“True, for he had moved to the country—to the mansion he now occupies
and which belonged to the Robertson estate. I tried to locate him, but I
didn’t do it openly—for reasons I’ll tell you later. Well, at last I
found him—and then I found the old mill.”

“But I don’t understand at all what you are driving at,” came from Andy.
“Why all this secrecy?”

“I’ll tell you,” answered Bert Field earnestly. “Jabez Trask has a
fortune in his keeping. He pretends that it belongs to him, but I think
it belongs to me.”

                              CHAPTER XXVI
                          A STORY OF INTEREST

The cadets listened with much interest to what Bert Field had to say.
Here indeed was a mystery—yet more of a mystery was to follow.

“I won’t go into all the details of the case,” went on the strange
youth, “for it would take too long. As I said, Jabez Trask sent me to
boarding school. He also went into court and had himself appointed my
guardian. My folks left a little money and this he handled to suit
himself.”

“I believe he is equal to it—he looked like a miser,” was Pepper’s
comment.

“In a roundabout way I heard about the Robertson mill and the Robertson
fortune. My mother and the Robertsons were related and I heard that when
William Robertson died he had expected to leave his property to my
mother’s side of the family and not to the Trask side. I wrote to Jabez
Trask about this and he came to see me. He was furious and said the
fortune belonged to him. He admitted that William Robertson’s will was
missing. Nobody knew what had become of the paper.”

“This sounds like a story book,” said Dale, as Bert Field paused.

“Perhaps, but I am telling you only facts. Well, time slipped by and I
was treated worse and worse at the boarding school. Then, one day I got
a letter from an old woman who had once been a servant in the Robertson
family. She said she was dying, but before she died she wished to tell
me something. She said she was sure that William Robertson had made a
will leaving his property to my mother and her heirs. She said she
thought he had gone to the old mill with it, and that maybe the will was
hidden in the mill. She added that Jabez Trask knew about this will and
was looking for it and probably wanted to destroy it, so that he could
keep possession of the Robertson fortune. That letter set me to
thinking, and one day I up and ran away from the school.”

“To find the will, I suppose,” said Andy.

“Yes. But first I had to locate the old mill—and also locate Jabez
Trask, who had moved, as I told you. You must remember that I was a
stranger in this part of the country and had never known much about the
Robertsons or the old mill. When I found the old mill I learned that it
had the reputation of being haunted.”

“I believe I begin to see the truth!” cried the young major.

“What do you think?” asked Bert Field.

“Jabez Trask makes folks believe the old mill is haunted so that they
will keep away. He is afraid that if folks visit the mill they may,
accidentally or otherwise, find the missing will.”

“That’s it exactly—or at least, that is how I figure it out,” answered
the strange youth.

“Do you think Trask plays ghost?” asked Pepper. “If he does, I’d like to
go there and catch him at it.”

“He either does it himself or has somebody do it for him,” answered Bert
Field. “You must remember that he is a very queer man,—very suspicious
as well as miserly.”

“Have you been to his mansion, or to the old mill yet?” questioned
Pepper.

“Yes, I was near the mansion several times, once during that
thunderstorm, when I saw two of you, and I have been around the old
mill. I tried to enter it once, when it was dark, but was warned away by
a ghostlike figure. I wasn’t much alarmed by the ghost, but when the
figure threatened to shoot me I walked away.”

“That proves that the so-called ghost is nothing but a man,” was Andy’s
comment. “Well, I was sure of that before,” he added.

“When you saw me with the rope I had a new scheme I was going to try to
carry out,” continued Bert Field. “I have been watching the streams
around here and I came to the conclusion that the one flowing along
where I met you ran under the old mill. I got the long rope and was
going to let myself down in that opening and see if I couldn’t follow
the stream backward to the place. By doing that—if it could be done—I
thought I might be able to get into the old mill without Mr. Ghost
knowing anything about it. Then, if I did get into the mill, I was going
to watch my chance and hunt for that missing will. The old woman wrote
to me that William Robertson was a great man for hiding valuable things
under the floor. Maybe that will is under some flooring in the old
mill.”

“Perhaps you can get into the mill by that stream,” said Andy. “But I
advise you not to attempt it. Pepper and I came through that way and
were nearly drowned.”

Then Andy and Pepper related the particulars of what had occurred to
them during the game of hare and hounds. Bert Field’s manner showed that
he was keenly interested.

“It fits in!” he cried. “Whoever is at the mill is doing his best to
keep all other folks away.”

“Do you know what I think we ought to do?” said Jack. “We ought to march
on the old mill in a body and demand admittance. They can’t play off
that game of ghost on a big crowd.”

“That’s the talk!” exclaimed Pepper. “Why, we can organize a regular
company for that purpose and go there with our rifles! I think Captain
Putnam would let us do it.”

“That might work, if it wasn’t for one thing,” answered Bert Field.
“Jabez Trask may get so alarmed that he may burn the old mill down—and
then the will would be burnt up too. Even as it is, I am afraid every
day that he will set the place on fire.”

“Yes, that is true,” answered Dale. “And I suppose all you care about is
that will.”

“Exactly. The old mill is of no account whatever.”

“Well, we are willing to help you all we can,” said Pepper, after a
pause. “I said I’d do that before.”

“Then you don’t think I can get into the mill by way of that stream?”

“Hardly. I’d not risk it. I think, if I were you, and you wish to get
into the mill on the sly, I’d wait for a dark night and then crawl up
very cautiously.”

“But the traps? You fell into one, and there may be others even more
dangerous.”

“I’ve got a plan!” cried Andy. “I am sure it will work, too.”

“What is that?” asked Bert Field with interest.

“When we were near the old mill I noticed that on the upper side were
several very large trees. One of these trees had its branches hanging
directly over the roof of the main building. Back of that tree were
other trees, stretching down into the woods. Now, why couldn’t some of
us climb into the trees and work our way along from one limb to another
until we reached the tree near the roof? Then we could get on the roof
and from there into one of the upper windows of the mill. I don’t
believe that way is guarded, and if we worked quietly and in the dark I
think we would give whoever is in the mill a complete surprise.”

“Say, that’s a great scheme!” cried Pepper. “Let us try it.”

“I’m willing!” said Jack.

“So am I,” added Dale. And then all of the cadets looked at Bert Field.

“Aren’t any of you fellows afraid of the ghost?” asked the strange lad.

“No!” was the prompt reply.

“We don’t believe in ghosts,” added the young major. “But we realize
that there may be great danger in visiting the old mill—the visit of
Andy and Pepper proves it.”

“And you all want to go with me?”

“Yes,—if you’ll take us,” was the chorus.

“It is very kind of you,” said Bert Field, with a little catch in his
voice. “Say, do you know, you’re the only ones who have been friendly to
me since I ran away from school? Most folks think me a suspicious
character and an odd one. Once I stopped at a farmhouse, wanting to buy
my dinner, and the woman set her dog at me!”

“Well, maybe they have seen you skulking around the Trask mansion and in
this vicinity and didn’t know what to make of it,” answered Jack kindly.

“Maybe.” Bert Field paused. “I must say I like that idea of getting into
the old mill by way of the roof,” he went on. “And if you want to aid
me, why come ahead. How soon will you be ready to tackle the job?”

“Let us make it to-morrow night,” said Jack. “We can all get away then.
Shall we keep it a secret?”

“Sure,” answered Pepper. He saw that Bert Field was not one to court
publicity.

“When and where will you meet me?” asked the strange boy.

The matter was discussed for a few minutes, and then it was decided that
the crowd should meet where they were then standing, at exactly eleven
o’clock the following night. The cadets were to procure pistols and thus
arm themselves, and Bert Field said he would also bring a weapon and
likewise a rope for possible use in climbing. This settled upon, the
cadets and their new friend separated, and the former hurried back to
camp, leaving the strange lad to go his own way.

                             CHAPTER XXVII
                           CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Reff Ritter and his crowd were exceedingly angry over the outcome of the
launch affair. They had rowed around in the darkness and the rain until
they were tired, and now they were fairly aching to pay Jack and his
chums back for sending them on the wild goose chase.

“I think I can fix Ruddy and Ditmore,” said the bully to Coulter, during
the time when the young major and his chums were having their meeting in
the woods with Bert Field. “I’ve got a plan for getting them into no end
of trouble.”

“All right, let me hear what it is,” answered Coulter, quickly.

“Will you promise to keep it a secret, Gus? This is no ordinary affair,
and we can’t afford to be found out.”

“You can depend on me.”

“We might take in Paxton, but I won’t trust Sabine. He is too
weak-kneed.”

“Right you are. Take in Nick and that’s all.”

A little later Paxton was called into the tent where Ritter and Coulter
sat and then the leader of the ne’er-do-wells unfolded his plan to get
Jack and Pepper into trouble.

“We might involve the others,” said Ritter. “But Ruddy and Ditmore are
the leaders. I’m hoping we can have them both dismissed from the
school.”

“Say, that would be great!” murmured Coulter.

“It would suit me down to the ground,” added Paxton. “I’ve hated them
ever since I came to Putnam Hall.”

“But it must be kept a secret, remember that,” continued Ritter, in a
hoarse whisper. “Not a word to anybody, on your life!”

Both Coulter and Paxton were at first startled when Ritter broached his
plan and each shook his head. But gradually the bully won them over, and
they agreed to aid him in the undertaking.

Ritter had learned during the morning that George Strong had been to
Ithaca on business and had brought back with him a box containing a
collection of rare United States paper money. In the collection were old
five, ten, fifteen, twenty-five and fifty-cent bills worth many times
their real value, as curiosities. The teacher was writing a magazine
article on the art of paper money engraving and was studying the
collection for that purpose.

Ritter’s scheme was to confiscate the entire collection of paper money
and hide the various bills in the clothing and other things belonging to
Jack and Pepper. The trick, taken as a whole, was not a particularly new
one, but Ritter was not a particularly brilliant youth when it came to
thinking out new things.

“When do you want to work this game?” asked Paxton.

“The sooner the better,” was the answer. “Strong may not keep the
collection longer than to-morrow.”

“Then we’ll have to do it to-night,” said Coulter. “What do you want us
to do?”

“Come with me and keep watch while I get the stuff. Then both of you can
help me stow the bills away in Ruddy and Ditmore’s clothing.”

The plotters waited until all was quiet and then stole through the camp
to where was located the tent occupied by George Strong. Here they came
to a halt at the rear of the tent and listened intently.

“He’s asleep,” whispered Ritter.

“Well, you look out that you don’t wake him up,” answered Coulter in a
voice that shook from nervousness.

“I’ll be careful. If you see anybody coming give a low whistle,”
continued the bully. “Remember to look in every direction.”

Coulter and Paxton promised to keep their eyes open, and as silently as
a shadow Reff Ritter walked around to the front of the tent, untied the
flap and peered inside.

All was dark, yet in a faint way he discerned George Strong resting on a
cot and sleeping soundly. He tiptoed his way into the tent and felt
around.

He knew the collection of rare paper money was in a square wooden box
with a brass handle. It rested on a campchair close to the head of the
cot.

As Ritter touched the wooden box the teacher gave a heavy sigh and
turned over. With his heart in his throat the bully crouched down on the
floor in a corner. But the teacher did not awaken, and soon commenced to
breathe as regularly as ever.

Once Ritter had the wooden box in his grasp he lost no time in quitting
the tent. As he came outside Paxton gave a low whistle.

“What’s wrong?”

“A guard is coming this way—lay low!”

The three boys threw themselves flat on the ground and remained there,
scarcely daring to breathe. It was the corporal of the guard who was
approaching, and he had another cadet with him.

“You say you saw somebody sneaking around here?” asked the corporal.

“I did,” answered the guard.

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I’ll take a walk through the whole camp,” said the corporal. “You
can go back to your post.”

The guard left, and the corporal walked off in the direction of the tent
occupied by Captain Putnam. Then he went down one of the company
streets, and at last disappeared into his own quarters.

“Say, that was a close shave!” muttered Coulter.

“Well, a miss is as good as a mile,” answered Ritter, coolly. “Come on,
if we want to get some sleep to-night.”

“Say, I’m beginning to think this is a dangerous piece of business,” was
Paxton’s comment. His teeth were chattering, but not from cold.

“You can’t back out now,” answered the bully, quickly.

“But if we are found out——”

“We won’t be found out—unless you blab.”

“Oh, I’ll not say a word,” answered Paxton hastily.

“Then come into the tent.”

They entered the tent occupied by the bully, and Coulter lit a candle.
By the faint light afforded Ritter opened the wooden box, took out the
paper money and divided it into three parts.

“Now, I’ll take my share and hide it in Ruddy’s things,” said Ritter.

“And what do you want us to do?” asked Coulter.

“Put your share in Ditmore’s clothing and in his dress-suit case.”

“Supposing he is awake?” asked Paxton.

“He won’t be—he’ll be asleep and snoring like a top.”

“All right. But if he is awake I’ll not go in,” said Paxton.

“Don’t be chicken-hearted, Nick.”

“I don’t want to be caught.”

“You won’t be caught.”

“Come on,” said Coulter. “We’ll do our share, you do yours,” he added,
to Ritter.

The cadets separated, each with the old paper money stuck in the bosom
of his coat, where he could get at it easily. Ritter hurried directly to
the tent occupied by the young major of the school battalion.

He knew he must act with caution and so listened closely at the flap of
the tent. Not a sound came from within.

“Wonder if he is out?” mused the bully and opened the flap cautiously.
Then he saw in a dim way that the tent was empty.

“Maybe he is off on a lark,” said Ritter to himself. “Well, so much the
better, although I’d like to put some of the money in the uniform he is
wearing. When he is found out he’ll have to explain where he has been.”

As the tent was empty Ritter did not hesitate to light a candle he
carried. By the rays thus afforded he found Jack’s dress-suit case and
in it stuffed some of the paper money. Then he took the young major’s
extra uniform and placed some of the bills in the pockets and lining of
that. He placed the last of the bills under the sheet on the cot.

“Ritter, what are you up to?”

The question came so unexpectedly that the bully jumped as if shot. He
was on the point of blowing out the candle when it was snatched from his
grasp. Swinging around, he found himself confronted by Jack, just
returning from the conference with Bert Field.

“Why, I—er—” stammered the bully. He was so dumbfounded he did not know
what to say.

“What did you hide on my cot, under the sheet?” went on the young major.

“I—er—nothing.”

“I saw you put something there. What was it?”

“I didn’t put anything there,” answered Ritter stubbornly. “You let me
go!” And he tried to brush past Jack.

“This is my tent and you have no right in it,” cried the young major.
“You give an account of yourself,” and now he caught the bully tightly
by the arm.

Hardly had he done this when with a cry of commingled alarm and rage the
bully struck out, hitting Jack in the face. Then he broke loose, blew
out the light, and ran out of the tent.

                             CHAPTER XXVIII
                       CAPTAIN PUTNAM HAS HIS SAY

The young major was surprised, and for one instant he did not know what
to do. But then he recovered his wits and dashed out after Ritter. He
caught the bully making his way back of the tent, and putting out his
foot sent the fellow sprawling. Then, before Ritter could arise, Jack
sat on him.

“You—you le—let m-me up!” gasped Ritter, who all but had the breath
knocked out of him. “Le—let me up, do yo—you he—hear?”

“I’ll let you up when you explain, not before!” cried Jack. “You were
doing something in my tent. I want to know what it was.”

Before Ritter could frame a reply—and it is doubtful if he had one
ready—a cry came from the tent occupied by Pepper, Andy and Dale.

“We’ve got you!” came in the voice of The Imp. “Stand where you are,
Coulter!”

“Let me go! Please let me go!” pleaded the voice of Nick Paxton. “Oh,
let me go this time and I’ll never do wrong again!”

“Hello, so the rest of your crowd are in this,” said Jack to Ritter. “I
might have known it. Come with me, and don’t you try to run away, or
I’ll give you the worst licking you ever had.”

The young major allowed the bully to get up and caught him tightly by
the arm. The two walked over to the other tent, and there beheld Coulter
and Paxton surrounded by Andy, Dale and Pepper. Paxton was trembling as
if with the ague, and Coulter was also much disturbed.

“We caught them in our tent at our things,” said Pepper. “At least, they
were at my things.”

“And Ritter was in my tent, putting something in my bed,” answered Jack.

“Coulter dropped something. Make a light and see what it was,” suggested
Andy.

“Oh, don’t make a noise! You’ll have the guard down on us! And Captain
Putnam and Mr. Strong!” cried Paxton, hoarsely. “We don’t want to get
caught!”

“You are making as much noise as anybody,” answered Ritter. He was much
disturbed, but tried not to show it. “We were only playing a little
joke,” he continued. “Just to square up for that launch affair.”

Andy had struck a match and lit a lantern that was handy. He cast the
rays on the flooring of the tent.

“Here is what Coulter dropped,” said Dale, and picked the object up. “A
twenty-five cent bill, I declare! Where did that old-time money come
from?”

“Here is another bill—a ten-cent one,” added Pepper, taking it from his
suit-case, which Coulter had not had time to close. “Where did they get
this stuff?”

“Let me see those bills,” cried Jack. “Keep your eyes on Ritter as well
as Coulter and Paxton,” he added, to his chums.

The young major took the paper money and examined it with care. He gave
a start and then turned sternly to Ritter.

“Where did that money come from, Ritter?” he demanded.

“Don’t ask me,” returned the bully as coolly as he could.

“You took it from Mr. Strong’s collection.”

“How do you know?”

“I feel sure of it. Shall I call Mr. Strong and find out?”

“No! no!” cried Paxton. “Don’t call him! Don’t call anybody, please!”
And he fell on his knees before the young major.

“Paxton, tell me the whole truth of this,” said Jack.

“Don’t you say a word, Nick!” cried Ritter. “Remember your promise.”

“But—but if they call Captain Putnam—” stammered the frightened cadet.

“Our word is as good as theirs,” answered the bully.

“Then you are willing to tell falsehoods to get out of this affair, eh?”
said Jack, in disgust.

To this Ritter did not reply. Coulter looked at Paxton and then at the
other cadets. Evidently he was trying to think out a way to escape
punishment.

“See here,” he said, in a low, nervous voice. “If we tell the truth
about this, and fix everything as it was before, will you let us go?”

“That depends,” answered Jack. “You tell us what you were up to first. I
know this paper money belongs to the collection Mr. Strong brought from
Ithaca. I saw it this afternoon.”

“All we were doing was to play a trick on you, and Mr. Strong,” went on
Coulter. “We took the old paper money and hid it in your tent.”

“And then you were going to put the blame of taking it on us,” broke in
Pepper quickly. “A fine trick, I must say! Why, Mr. Strong might have
had us locked up for stealing!”

“It was only a trick!” cried Paxton. “We would have explained it
afterwards.”

“Perhaps,—but most likely not,” said Andy. “It was a dirty trick, to say
the least. You had no business to touch the money.”

“Oh, you needn’t preach to us, Andy Snow!” cried Ritter.

“I—I wish I hadn’t touched the money!” whined Paxton. “I didn’t want to
do it in the first place!”

“Oh, you make me sick!” roared Ritter.

“Well, we’re in a mess, and now we have to get out of it,” muttered
Coulter. “We can’t stay here all night.”

“Better collect all that money first,” suggested Jack.

“Yes, that would be the best plan,” said a voice from the doorway of the
tent, and looking around all of the cadets saw George Strong confronting
them. The teacher had donned his long mackintosh and a pair of shoes.

“Oh, Mr. Strong!” cried Pepper.

“I presume none of you expected to see me,” went on the teacher.

“Well, hardly,” stammered Jack.

“I happened to wake up, and hearing you talking thought I would get up
and see what was the matter. I listened to your conversation and found
out that the collection of paper money I brought with me to-day has
been—what shall I say?—appropriated or borrowed? That collection is very
valuable and is not mine, and I am under a promise to return it intact.
I wish you would return the money to me, every bill, and each in good
condition.”

“Mr. Strong, I wish to state that neither Ditmore, Snow, Blackmore nor
myself had anything to do with the taking of that money,” said the young
major.

“So I judged, by the talk I overheard,” answered the teacher, and his
words gave Jack and his chums great relief.

More lanterns were lit, and Coulter, Paxton and Ritter were forced to
hunt up all the bills, both in the young major’s tent and in that
occupied by his friends. The corporal of the guard came along, to find
out what was going on, but when he saw the teacher in charge he retired.

It took some time to collect all the paper money, and while this was
going on Mr. Strong was grimly silent. He looked over the collection
with care.

“Every bill seems to be here,” he said, at last. “Now all of you young
gentlemen can go to bed. In the morning I will investigate further, and
report to Captain Putnam.”

Much worried, Ritter, Coulter and Paxton withdrew to their quarters.
They had been caught in their own trap, and wondered what punishment
would be meted out to them.

“Well, we’ve got to answer a few questions, too,” said Jack. “Don’t
forget that we were found fully dressed when we should have been in bed
and asleep.”

“That is true,” answered Pepper. “But, nevertheless, I am mighty glad
Mr. Strong came in as he did. If he hadn’t Ritter and his gang might
have gotten us into no end of trouble.”

“Ritter is a bad egg—I wish we were rid of him,” was Andy’s comment.

None of the boys slept well that night. In the morning roll call and
parade were held as usual, and then word was sent out for all the boys
who knew about the affair of the night before to report to Captain
Putnam.

Jack and his chums were first called on to tell their story, and they
frankly admitted that they had left the camp to talk to an outsider.

“The boy is a stranger here and he wanted aid, and we said we would help
him if we could,” said the young major. “We did not go on any lark or
play any tricks. We simply sat and talked, and then came back to camp.”
And this testimony was corroborated by Jack’s chums. Then all told how
they had discovered Ritter, Coulter and Paxton hiding the paper money.

After that Mr. Strong told his story, and then the bully and his cronies
had their say. Ritter tried to evade the truth, but Coulter and Paxton
broke down and confessed all, and pleaded for mercy.

After the hearing Captain Putnam read the cadets a stern lecture and
forbid their going out of camp without permission. Then he proceeded to
lecture Ritter and his followers separately.

“What you have done was despicable,” said the head of the school. “I did
not imagine any of the cadets could be so mean. I will think the matter
over, and this noon I will let you know what your punishment is to be.”

                              CHAPTER XXIX
                          AT THE HAUNTED MILL

“I think Ritter and his cronies will catch it rather heavily,” remarked
Andy, as he and his friends walked away from Captain Putnam’s quarters.
“Well, it will serve them right.”

“I think we have gotten ourselves in trouble,” said Jack. “We have
promised not to leave camp unless we have permission to do so. How are
we to get off to go to the old mill with Bert Field?”

“We might ask Captain Putnam for permission,” said Pepper “But I doubt
if he would let us go.”

The morning passed, and at noon the lads heard that Ritter, Coulter and
Paxton had been assigned to extra guard duty. More than this, they were
cut off from leaving the camp at any time and were also cut off from
taking any part in all athletic contests.

“That’s a blow for Ritter,” said Dale. “He wanted to row in a race and
wanted to play another game of ball.”

“Well, he can be thankful he wasn’t expelled,” came from the young
major.

What to do about meeting Bert Field the cadets did not know. They wanted
to keep their word with the youth and they did not desire to break their
promise to Captain Putnam.

“I suppose we’ll have to go to the captain and tell him about the old
mill,” said Jack. “But I am almost sure he won’t let us go there,
especially at night.”

“Well, he might let us go in the daytime,” returned Pepper.

The matter was solved in a most unexpected manner. From the Fords came
in an invitation to visit them at their hotel that evening, when a
well-known magician was going to give an entertainment for the benefit
of the guests. Mr. Ford enclosed a note to Captain Putnam, asking the
master of the school to give Jack, Pepper, Andy and Dale leave of
absence.

“Hurrah! I guess we’ll get off!” cried Pepper, and lost no time in
handing the note to Captain Putnam. Mr. Ford was to call for the cadets
in a launch, and they were given permission to take in the
entertainment.

It must be confessed that the boys did not enjoy the entertainment as
much as they might have under other circumstances. They liked the show,
and the girls treated them as cordially as ever, but they could not help
but glance at the clock, and wonder if they could get away in time to
meet Bert Field. At last Laura noticed Jack’s nervousness.

“What is the matter?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you,” he answered frankly. “We have another engagement—a
secret one—an hour from now. It’s something Captain Putnam doesn’t know
anything about—something just among us boys.”

“Oh, I know—a feast or hazing, or something like that!” cried Laura.
“Well, I’ll see that you get off to it, and when it is over you’ll have
to write to me and tell me all about it.”

“Perhaps I will,” answered the young major.

Laura explained to her sister, and the two managed it so that the cadets
left the hotel without having Mr. Ford take them back to camp in the
launch.

“Now for the place where we are to meet Bert Field,” cried Pepper. “I
hope we find him on hand. I am just in the mood for an adventure.”

“Well, you’ll get it—if we get in the old mill,” answered Andy, grimly.
“Don’t forget what happened before.”

“I am not forgetting it,” answered The Imp, and felt of the pistol he
had brought along. He had no desire to do any shooting, but he was
resolved to do his best to save himself from bodily harm.

Their numerous tramps in that vicinity had made them more or less
familiar with the roads, and they took as direct a course as possible
for the spot where they were to meet Bert. He was on hand and glad to
see them.

“I was afraid you couldn’t come,” he said. “I made up my mind to wait
just an hour and then go it alone. Here is the rope. Are you armed?”

“Yes; are you?”

“I am.”

But little more was said, for the boys were afraid that somebody going
to or coming from the old mill might hear them. Like a file of Indians
they walked through the woods in the direction of the dilapidated
structure that was located on the bank of the river.

“I’ve got a notion that Jabez Trask is at the mill,” whispered Bert,
when they came within view of the place. “I’ve been watching around his
house all afternoon, but he was nowhere in sight.”

They did not go very close to the old mill, but halted at the foot of
the trees before mentioned. Andy boosted the others into a tree and then
climbed up himself. Then the acrobatic youth led the way, from one tree
to another. All moved closer to the mill without making any noise.

There was no moon, but the stars were shining brightly, and by the light
they saw the building loom up before them. Not a light was to be seen,
and the only sound that reached their ears was the roaring of the Falls
some distance away.

“Now then, be careful!” whispered Andy, as he moved out on the end of a
limb. “Don’t make a noise when you drop on the roof.”

As he went out the limb bent beneath his weight until it rested on the
shingles of the roof. He alighted on the top of the mill with ease, and
one after another the others followed.

           [Illustration: The limb bent beneath his weight.]

The roof was of the low, gabled sort, with several windows at either end
of the building, just below the top. Andy crawled over the shingles with
the ease of a trained athlete and looked over the edge. One of the
windows was within three feet of him and he noted with satisfaction that
one of the sashes was completely gone and the other was minus its panes
of glass.

“I’d hate to break any glass—it would make such a noise,” said he. “Now
then, the rope.”

This was quickly made fast and Andy went down and crawled through the
window into the loft of the mill. The others came after him. Then the
five boys stood in a circle, almost holding their breath, and wondering
what they had best do next.

“Well, we are in the place anyway,” murmured Pepper.

“Yes, and they haven’t dropped us into the river either,” added Andy.

It must be admitted that the hearts of the four cadets thumped wildly in
their bosoms. They realized that they were in a dangerous situation, and
there was no telling what would happen next. Bert Field was strangely
self-possessed, even though his nerves were at a high tension.

“I’ll go first,” said he. “I think it is my place to do so.”

“Well, we’ll watch out, and do all we can to protect you, and ourselves,
in case of trouble,” answered Jack.

Having listened for several minutes, the boys grew bolder and Bert Field
lit a small bullseye lantern he had brought along. By the aid of the
light, they tiptoed their way across the loft floor and down a narrow
pair of stairs.

“Listen!” said Bert, suddenly, and came to a halt. He shut off the
light, and all came to a halt and strained their ears.

From a distance came a murmur of voices. Three men were talking in one
of the rooms of the old mill. Then the boys saw a ray of light shining
under a closed door.

“They are in that room,” said Bert. “I’m going to the door and listen to
what they have to say.”

He moved on and so did the cadets, all anxious to listen to the
conversation. Now the boys were certain they had only human beings to
deal with they felt better.

“I want you, Vidder, to go out on the road and watch,” came in the voice
of Jabez Trask. “Put on that cowhide with the horns to-night.”

“All right,—but I am pretty tired,” croaked the voice of an old man.

“Never mind—you can sleep all day to-morrow,” answered Jabez Trask.
“You, Jepson, guard all the doors. If anybody comes, why—the trap—you
know!”

“Indeed I do!” answered another voice, shrill and harsh.

“I am going to make another hunt to-night,” went on Jabez Trask. “I must
find that will. That boy is watching me and I don’t like it.”

“Wish you would find the will,” growled the old man called Vidder. “Then
we’d get our money.”

“Right you are. Now begone, so I can get to work,” went on Jabez Trask.

The men in the room began to move, and the cadets and Bert crouched out
of sight behind some boxes and barrels. Then two of the men came out and
left the mill. A moment later Jabez Trask appeared, lantern in hand.

“I’ll follow up that new clue to-night,” the boys heard the miser
mutter. “Let me see, what was it? Third stone from the top, sixth stone
from the left. William Robertson wrote that in the note-book, and it
must mean something. If I can get that will, and destroy it, the fortune
will be mine, all mine!”

Lantern in hand, Jabez Trask crossed the room and entered another
apartment. The boys heard him going down a flight of stone steps.

“I am going after him,” whispered Bert, excitedly. “He thinks he is
going to locate that will! Maybe I got here just in time!”

                              CHAPTER XXX
                    A FIND OF IMPORTANCE—CONCLUSION

“Don’t make a noise—or you may spoil it all,” whispered Jack.

He caught Bert by the arm, and as silently as shadows the pair followed
the old miser down the flight of stone steps, and the others came after
them. They saw that Jabez Trask had entered a room that was almost a
vault, being built of stone and about ten feet square. The miser had
placed his lantern on the floor and was counting the stones on one of
the walls.

“That’s not right,” the boys heard him mutter to himself. “This wall has
eighty-six stones in it. I want the one with seventy-six—seventy-six,
like the Revolutionary year. Let me see,” and he commenced to count the
stones in another of the four walls.

This, too, was a disappointment, and then he went at the third. Then he
gave a chuckle of satisfaction.

“Seventy-six, clean and clear!” he muttered. “This must be the wall. Now
then, sixth stone from the left, third stone from the top. Ha! here it
is! Now to find out what is behind it!”

He brought forth a chisel and commenced to pry on the stone. It came
from the wall with ease, revealing an opening behind it.

“The box! The box at last!” almost shrieked the miser, and putting his
arm into the opening he drew forth a black, metal box, covered with dirt
and mildew.

Bert Field uttered a cry, he could not help it But in his excitement
Jabez Trask did not notice the noise. The miser fell on his knees on the
dirt floor and commenced to fumble with the opening of the box. Then the
lid flew back and out tumbled half a dozen legal-looking documents.

“The will! At last!” almost shrieked the man, and fairly kissed one of
the papers. “I’ll read it over first, to make sure it is the one, and
then I’ll burn it. Then the Robertson fortune will be mine, all mine!”

“You scoundrel! Give me that will!” cried Bert Field, and before the
others could stop him, even had they wished to do so, he was on top of
Jabez Trask and had hurled the miser on his back. The man clung to the
paper desperately.

“Stop!” he bawled. “Help! help!”

“Give me that will!” repeated Bert. “It is mine,—I have a right to it!”

“No! no!” screamed Jabez Trask. “Vidder! Jepson! Where are you? Help!”

He continued to struggle, and the will was in danger of being torn to
pieces, when Jack and Pepper rushed forward and caught Jabez Trask by
the arms. Then Bert got a good hold on the legal document and twisted it
free.

“Don’t take that! It is mine—all mine!” moaned the miser, and suddenly
his eyes commenced to roll, as if he was going to have a fit.

“Take the box and the other papers!” cried the young major to Bert.
“I’ll see if there is anything more in that opening.”

He ran forward and felt into the opening, only to find it empty. By this
time footsteps were sounding overhead.

“Those men are coming!” cried Andy. “If you’ve got what you want we had
better get out of here, unless you want to fight.”

“I don’t want to stay, now I have the will and the other private
papers,” answered Bert. “Come on—they may try to take the papers away
from me!”

The boys ran from the vault and across the lower floor of the old mill.
Then an outer door opened and the man called Vidder appeared.

He presented a comical appearance and under ordinary circumstances the
boys would have laughed at him. Over one shoulder dangled a cow’s hide
and over the other a pair of fearful looking horns. In one hand he
carried a light, placed in an object formed to represent a large human
skull.

“What does this mean?” he asked, when Bert ran full tilt into him,
hurling him flat. Then the youth ran through the doorway, and the cadets
followed him.

“Beware of traps!” sang out Pepper. “Let us keep in a string and join
hands.”

This was done, Bert forming one end of the line and Dale the other. Once
they stepped on a platform that threatened to go down with them, but
they were on the alert and got off in a hurry. Then they dashed straight
into the woods, where they knew the men would have difficulty in
following them.

“Well, I guess we have accomplished what we set out to do,” said Jack,
when they finally came to a halt.

“Yes, indeed!” cried Bert. “And I do not know how to thank you enough,”
he added, warmly.

“Don’t you want to read that will over and see if it is really in favor
of your mother?” asked Dale.

“Yes.”

A light was made, and all of the boys looked over the document with
care. The will left small sums of money to various servants and
employees and then the bulk of the Robertson estate went to Bert’s
mother and her heirs—the only heir now being Bert himself.

“I’ll tell you what I would advise,” said Jack. “You come to camp with
us, Bert. You can sleep with me. In the morning we’ll lay this whole
matter before Captain Putnam and ask his advice. I am sure he will tell
you what is best to do.”

“I ought to have Jabez Trask arrested.”

“Perhaps. But it will be punishment enough for that miser if he has to
let go his hold on the property.”

Bert agreed to follow the advice of the young major, and before long
they reached the camp, and Jack took the strange lad to his tent with
him, and gave him the use of a vacant cot.

It was certainly a meeting of importance that occurred in Captain
Putnam’s headquarters the next morning, after breakfast and drill. Bert
told his story in full, and the cadets had their say, and then the will
and the other documents were brought forth and looked over with care.

“What you need is a good lawyer,” said the master of the school to Bert.
“This Jabez Trask is undoubtedly a scheming rascal who will do all in
his power to keep you out of your own. If you wish I’ll take you to
Rochester and introduce you to a legal gentleman who will take care of
all your interests and have the courts mete out to Trask the punishment
he deserves.”

This suited Bert, and the journey to Rochester was taken the next day,
Jack and Pepper accompanying the captain and the Robertson heir. A long
conference with a first-class lawyer was held, and immediate steps were
taken to place Bert in possession of his own.

When efforts to locate Jabez Trask were made there was a surprise. The
miser had closed up his mansion and fled. Nor could the two men, Vidder
and Jepson, be found.

“It is evidence of their guilt,” said the lawyer to Bert. “I do not
think you will have any difficulty in establishing your claim to the
fortune.” And the legal gentleman was right. Bert obtained the fortune
with but little trouble, and he was correspondingly happy. The courts
appointed a well-known business man of Ithaca as his guardian, and this
guardian told Bert the best thing he could do would be to go to some
first-class school and finish his education.

“That is just what I want to do,” said Bert. “And the school I want to
go to is Putnam Hall.”

“A good selection,” was his guardian’s reply. “A fine school.”

“And one in which I have some warm friends,” added Bert earnestly.

Bert’s coming to Putnam Hall pleased Jack and his chums, and they gave
him a royal welcome. Before this time the repairs to the school building
were finished, and the encampment at Lake Caboy came to an end.

“Well, we had a dandy time camping out,” said Jack to his chums.

“And lots of adventures,” added Pepper. “Wonder if we’ll ever have any
more?” They did have more adventures, and what they were I shall relate
in another volume, to be called “The Putnam Hall Mystery; or, The School
Chums’ Strange Discovery.” In that book we shall meet all our old
friends again, and also learn something more of the doings of Reff
Ritter and his cronies.

It was an ideal day when the cadets marched back to Putnam Hall. The sun
shone brightly overhead, and most of the lads were in the best of
spirits. The Fords came over to the camp to see our friends take up the
march.

“Well, are you glad to go back?” asked Laura, of the young major.

“Rather,” was Jack’s answer. “Putnam Hall seems like home, you know.”

Then Captain Putnam gave the order to break camp. The drums rolled and
the boys set up a cheer. The young major stepped in front of the two
companies.

“Battalion, attention!” he called out. “Shoulder arms! Forward march!”

The drums sounded, the flag floated out on the breeze, and the march for
the Hall was begun. The visitors gave a shout of farewell, and the girls
waved their handkerchiefs. And here for the present we will leave the
Putnam Hall cadets, and say good-bye.

                                THE END

                      Books by Arthur M. Winfield

                         THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES

  THE PUTNAM HALL CADETS.
  THE PUTNAM HALL RIVALS.
  THE PUTNAM HALL CHAMPIONS.
  THE PUTNAM HALL REBELLION.
  THE PUTNAM HALL ENCAMPMENT.

                    (Other volumes in preparation.)

                         THE ROVER BOYS SERIES

  THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN.
  THE ROVER BOYS IN THE JUNGLE.
  THE ROVER BOYS OUT WEST.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES.
  THE ROVER BOYS IN THE MOUNTAINS.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON LAND AND SEA.
  THE ROVER BOYS IN CAMP.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON THE RIVER.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON THE PLAINS.
  THE ROVER BOYS IN SOUTHERN WATERS.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON THE FARM.
  THE ROVER BOYS ON TREASURE ISLE.
  THE ROVER BOYS AT COLLEGE.

                    (Other volumes in preparation.)

                       _12mo. Illustrated. Cloth_
                _Price, per volume, 60 cents, postpaid_

                          THE TOM SWIFT SERIES

                           By VICTOR APPLETON

12mo, printed from large type on good paper, each volume with half-tone
frontispiece. Handsomely bound in cloth. Printed wrappers.

                  Price, 40 Cents per Volume, postpaid

It is the purpose of these spirited tales to convey in a realistic way
the wonderful advances in land and sea locomotion. Stories like these
impress themselves on the youthful memory and their leading is
productive only of good.

  TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR CYCLE
    Or Fun and Adventure on the Road
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS MOTOR BOAT
    Or The Rivals of Lake Carlopa
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS AIRSHIP
    Or The Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS SUBMARINE BOAT
    Or Under the Ocean for Sunken Treasure
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RUNABOUT
    Or The Speediest Car on the Road
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS ELECTRIC RIFLE
    Or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER
    Or The Quickest Flight on Record
  TOM SWIFT IN THE CAVES OF ICE
    Or The Wreck of the Airship
  TOM SWIFT AMONG THE DIAMOND MAKERS
    Or The Secret of Phantom Mountain
  TOM SWIFT AND HIS WIRELESS MESSAGE
    Or The Castaways of Earthquake Island
  TOM SWIFT IN THE CITY OF GOLD
    Or Marvellous Adventures Underground
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    Or Seeking the Platinum Treasure
  TOM SWIFT IN CAPTIVITY
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    Or On the Border for Uncle Sam

                        The Outdoor Chums Series

                        By CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN

The outdoor chums are four wide-awake lads, sons of wealthy men of a
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motor cycles, motor boats, canoes, etc., and during their vacations go
everywhere and have all sorts of thrilling adventures. The stories give
full directions for camping out, how to fish, how to hunt wild animals
and prepare the skins for stuffing, how to manage a canoe, how to swim,
etc. Full of the very spirit of outdoor life.

  THE OUTDOOR CHUMS
    Or, The First Tour of the Rod, Gun and Camera Club.
  THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE
    Or, Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island.
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    Or, Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge.
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    Or, Rescuing the Lost Balloonists.
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    Or, Perilous Adventures in the Wilderness.

12mo. Averaging 240 pages. Illustrated. Handsomely bound in Cloth.

                       Price, 40 Cents per Volume

                 GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK

                          Transcriber’s Notes

--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text—this e-text
  is public domain in the country of publication.

--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
  dialect unchanged.

--Moved promotional material to the end of the text, and moved
  illustrations to the appropriate place in the text.

--In the text versions, included italics inside _underscores_ (the HTML
  version replicates the format of the original.)

End of Project Gutenberg's The Putnam Hall Encampment, by Arthur M. Winfield