a thing. I thought I caught a shout, like a boy whooping.
We've got a few trees of fine Baldwin apples back here, and twice now,
boys from Riverport have raided the orchard; so I'm on the watch to fire
a gun out of the window to give 'em a scare."

"And you thought they were in your trees again; did you?" asked Fred,
when the woman paused.

"That's what struck me at first," she went on; "but as soon as I got up
I knew better; because all the noise came from up the road there. I
stayed by the window listening and heard a lot of shouting. Then it was
all still, and pretty soon a covered wagon went past the house."

"Which way; toward Riverport or in the other direction?" Fred inquired.

"Oh!" the woman replied, "it was going up toward the graveyard; but then
I didn't think that so strange, because I've seen that same limpy white
horse, and the covered wagon, go by here lots of times for years now."

"That is, you knew it, and could even tell it in the moonlight?" the boy
asked.

"It belongs to old Toby Scroggins," she replied. "The hoss limps, and
you can always hear Toby saying 'gad-up! gad-up!' every ten feet, right
along."

"I know him, and what she says is so," remarked Sid. "Why, years ago he
had the same old crowbait of a horse, and the boys mocked him when he'd
keep using the whip, and telling the beast to get along."

"Did you hear Toby talking to his limping nag last night, ma'am?" asked
Fred.

"Why, lands! no, I didn't, now you mention it," she answered; "but then
sometimes he goes to sleep on his wagon, returning from market, where he
buys corn for his hogs, 'stead of raisin' it like the rest of us. And he
lives a long way up the road, you see."

Fred turned upon his companions.

"What do you think, fellows," he asked; "was that wagon filled with corn
last night, or had it a lot of boys under the cover when it passed
here, one of them being our missing chum, Colon?"

"I reckon you've struck pay dirt, Fred," declared Corney.

"My opinion too!" echoed Semi-Colon.

"Count me in on that, and make it unanimous!" Bristles remarked.

"And what about you, Sid?" asked Fred, turning on his nearest chum.

"H'm! I not only agree to all you say, Fred, but I reckon I know right
now where they've got Colon shut up. He's in the haunted mill, boys!"

CHAPTER X

THE AMBUSH

Several of the other boys had uttered exclamations when Sid made this
statement. Fred, however, did not seem to be very much i