but the credit they received at the
inspection silenced all that and made each boy resolved to be just as
thorough every day. It wasn't so bad, after all, most of them decided.
Certainly they enjoyed their swim twice as much for the knowledge that
the longest part of the day lay before them, unburdened by a single duty.

Both before and during dinner, there was a good deal of speculation as to
what had been planned for the afternoon. But this was not revealed until
the last spoonful of dessert had been consumed, when Mr. Reed arose from
his place at the officers' table.

"Most of you fellows have heard of Lost Mine Hill," he said, "and are
probably wanting to get a closer view of it. There's a legend, you
know, that before the Revolution there were copper workings in the
neighborhood which were long ago abandoned and the entrance to the
shafts, or whatever they were, lost track of. This afternoon we'll take a
hike over there and see if a little systematic scouting can't solve
the mystery. To make it more interesting, we'll consider it a sort
of competition on the treasure-hunt idea, each tent working together
as a unit against the other five. If the entrance should happen to be
located, the crowd that finds it will be given a certain number of
credits toward the emblem. Everybody be on hand at headquarters at
one sharp, for we don't want to waste any time starting."

The idea met with instant approval, and the burst of eager talk that
followed showed how thoroughly it had stirred the boys' imaginations.
For the next twenty minutes the camp buzzed with interested discussion,
and at one o'clock not a scout was missing from the throng before
headquarters tent.

They started at once, with Mr. Reed and Mr. Curtis in the lead. There
were no regular roads to follow, but after half an hour's tramp through
the woods they struck an overgrown track, and kept to it until it
simply dwindled away into nothing and disappeared. A little distance
beyond, the ground began to rise, gradually at first, but with increasing
steepness, while outcroppings of rock showed more and more frequently.
Presently, reaching a small open place among the trees, the scoutmasters
paused and waited for the stragglers to come up.

"We may as well start the hunt here, fellows," said Mr. Reed, taking
out his watch. "I won't make any suggestions as to how to go about it;
each tent-leader must think that out for himself. Use your heads, that's
all, and don