'm glad of that," declared the other; "but when you made a move I
thought you were going."

"Oh, I only meant to get out my newspaper again, and make another little
candle," said Elmer, with a chuckle.

"Well, say what you will, boys," remarked Lil Artha, who had been
thrusting his head below the level of the floor and sniffing at a great
rate; "I'm glad, too, that we don't just have to drop down this ladder.
It's cold and damp down there, and I tell you I don't like the smell."

"There is a queer odor comes up, now that you mention it," admitted
Elmer.

At that the eyes of Chatz grew round with wonder and suspense.

"Oh, I hope you don't think--" he began, when Elmer interrupted him.

"Kind of fishy smell, don't you think?" he said.

"Well, since you speak of it I rather guess it is something like that,"
Lil Artha admitted.

Then Chatz breathed easy again.

"But how could fish ever get in here from the mill pond?" he demanded.

"Give it up; I pass. Ask me something easy," the tall scout hastened to
say.

Meanwhile Elmer had, as before, taken a section of the newspaper,
crumpled it into a ball, and after that drew out his match box.

"Guess it's safe to drop this down," he remarked. "It seems so damp
there can really be no danger of anything taking fire."

"Sure there couldn't," asserted Lil Artha, sturdily. "Let her go, Elmer;
and everybody look."

The match crackled, and the resulting flame was instantly applied to the
paper ball.

Then Elmer let this drop, after he had made sure it would burn.

Three pairs of very good eyes immediately started in to take a complete
inventory of the contents of the little damp cellar under the deserted
mill cottage.

For perhaps a full minute the paper ball continued to burn, lighting up
the cellar well enough for them to see from wall to wall.

Then the flame dwindled, flickered, and finally went out altogether.
Chatz gave a big sigh.

"Well, I declare!" he exclaimed.

"What did you see, Chatz?" asked Elmer.

"Who, me?" exclaimed the Southern boy. "Nothing at all, Elmer," and his
manner told plainly that he was both disappointed and disgusted.

"How about you, Arthur?" continued the acting scout master.

"What did I see?" Lil Artha replied, promptly; "four damp-looking stone
walls, a hard earth floor, and a few old boxes lying around, but not
another blessed thing."

Something about Elmer's manner caught his attention and aroused his
suspicions.

"See