ys ought to make a note of a thing like that," urged Will,
wisely nodding his head as might a school-master. "When a storm comes
along in summer time, with thunder and lightning, they should never
dream of taking shelter under a tree or in a barn. Frank, I'm right
there, I reckon, am I not?"

"Every time!" responded the other vigorously. "It's better to drop
flat down in the open and take a good ducking, rather than risk
chances under a tree or in any sort of barn. Lightning picks out those
objects for a blow. But I think myself a shelf of rock like this is
about the finest shelter going."

"And I'll always be on the lookout for places like this," asserted
Bluff, who could take a lesson to heart for all his bluffing ways.

"I can promise you I will," added Will, "because while I'm still sore
from lying so many hours on that hard stone, I feel deep down in my
heart that I ought never to look a gift horse in the mouth. That rock
ledge was the best friend we had all through the terrible hurricane."

"Well, we're in no great hurry to get back home, are we, boys?" asked
Jerry.

"We started out with the intention of making a day of it," Frank
observed, "and there's no reason to change our minds. I'm going to
take a turn in a new direction, though in the end we may strike the
old trail that leads to the Point from Mr. Dennison's place."

Jerry looked at him eagerly.

"Now it so happens that everybody's gone and seen that place but poor
me," he went on to state; "and Frank, if we just happened to be in
that vicinity between now and sunset would you mind if I took a peep?"

Frank shook his head as though he did not wholly like the idea.

"The old gentleman seemed pretty huffy when we had our little
heart-to-heart talk with him," Will remarked, noticing this
disinclination on Frank's part; "and on the way down we made up our
minds it was none of our business. Jerry, I can guess that it's the
queer cry we heard that interests you more than wanting to see the
house itself, for I've good pictures of that."

Jerry laughed.

"Oh! I own up you fellows have kind of excited me a little when
telling about that thrilling sound you heard," he admitted candidly.
"I'd like first-rate to do some prowling around up there to satisfy
myself that it wasn't a peacock that screamed, or even a tied-up dog
that yelped."

"But I hope you'll give over that idea then, Jerry," said Frank
soberly. "You must understand that Mr. Dennison is a