of a man.

"That's he---the Man of the Haunting Face!" came from Tom Reade
in a hoarse whisper.

"Then we'll get him!" cried Dick Prescott, leaping forward. "Hold
the light on him!"

CHAPTER XV

THE SCREAM THAT STARTED A RACE

Yet even as the three boys dashed toward the two spruce trees
the light went out.

Tom pressed frantically on the spring of the lamp as he ran, but
the lamp gave forth a flickering gleam that was little better
than no light at all.

The long use of the lamp in the cave had weakened the storage
battery.

"Give us the light!" called Dave, as they reached the tree.

"Can't! The battery's on a strike," answered Reade grimly.

Dick Prescott, who was ahead of his companions, now halted, whispering
to the others to do the same.

The man they sought had vanished. No betraying sounds came to
indicate where he had gone.

"Dave and I'll stay here," whispered Dick. "Tom, run back for
a lantern. Hustle!"

Fifteen minutes of eager searching, after the lantern was brought,
failed to give any clue to the whereabouts of the man whom they
sought.

"This is more ghostly than human," laughed young Prescott.

They felt compelled to give up the search. As they returned to
the camp the firing on the opposite side of the lake broke out
anew. At the distance, however, it was not loud enough to disturb
the other three, who still slept in the tent. Dick flashed the
lantern inside to make sure that the sleepers were safe.

At intervals the racket across the lake broke out anew.

"It's my turn to go on watch again," said Darry, glancing at his
watch by the light of the lantern. "You two might as well turn
in."

"We'll dress and bring our cots out into the open," Dick proposed.
"You might as well have us, Dave, where you can get us instantly,
and ready for action, by just touching us on the shoulder."

But the night passed, without any further disturbances than the
occasional distant firing, and the rousing, every hour, of a new
watchman for the camp.

It was past seven in the morning when Dick finally turned out,
to find Greg and Harry busy preparing breakfast, while Darrin
still slumbered.

"Where are Tom and Dan?" Prescott asked.

"Look through the trees, and presently you'll discover them out
in the canoe," answered Greg. "Tom simply couldn't wait any longer
to go out after bass."

"I'm going trout fishing, if I can do it without shirking," said
Dick, as he rose and stre