l right; that's mosquitoes.
I guess one or two of you kids had better hit the trail for the nearest
village and complete our shopping before we get any further. What do you
say? We're a little short on mosquito dope and we ought to have some
crackers, and let's see, a little meat would go good. I'm hungry."

When we turned into the woods from the road, we knew that we were coming
to a village and I guess that's what put the idea into Harry's head to
have somebody go there and get two or three things that we hadn't been
able to get in Catskill.

I told him that I'd go, because the rest would be busy getting in fire
wood and I said it would be good if two or three of them tried to catch
some fish in the brook.

Oh boy, I had hardly said that, when Ralph Warner shouted that he had a
perch and that the brook was full of them. Harry Donnelle went over and
saw for himself how it was, and then he came back and said to me that as
long as there seemed to be plenty of fish I needn't bother about meat, but
that I'd better go and see if I could scare up some more mosquito dope and
some sinkers for fishing and a trowel to dig bait with, because if we liked
the place we might stay there till noon the next day. That's the best way
on a long hike-take it easy.

"How about Charlie Seabury?" I said; "he doesn't like fish."

"All right, get him a couple of chops, then," Harry said; "now can you
remember all the things you're going to get? Mosquito dope, fishing
sinkers, a writing pad and some stamps, and let's see--"

"Some crackers," I said.

"Righto," he shouted after me.

CHAPTER VI

I DISCOVER SOME TRACKS

I went back through the woods and when I got to the road I noticed how it
curved, and just then I saw a very narrow path on the opposite side of the
road that led into the woods. I decided it must be a short cut to the
village. So I started along that path.

Pretty soon the woods grew very thick and it wasn't so easy to follow the
trail, because it was all overgrown with bushes. But I managed to keep
hold of it all right, and after about fifteen minutes I came to a little
stone house with the windows all boarded up and the door standing a little
open. There was a staple on the door with an old padlock hanging on it,
but I guess the padlock wasn't any good. One thing sure, nobody lived
there. I went and peeked inside and saw that it wasn't meant for people
at all, because there wasn't any floor and it was all dark an