ind any bottom
to the stuff."

He thrust his long Alpine staff into the mire as far as it could go; and
the other scouts shuddered when they saw that so far as appearances
went, the soft muck bed really had no bottom. Any one so unfortunate as
to fall in would surely gradually sink far over his head, unless he were
rescued in time, or else had the smartness to effect his own release by
seizing hold of a low-hanging branch and gradually drawing his limbs out
of the clinging stuff.

Then they all looked ahead, as though wondering what the prospect might
be for a continuance of this perilous trip which had broken up their
great hike.

"I guess it's about time to make another try with a shout or so, Fritz,"
said Paul, instead of giving the order for an advance.

"All right, just as you say," returned the other, "we've come quite some
distance since we made the last big noise; and if he's weak and wounded,
yet able to answer at all, p'raps we might hear him this time. Line up
here, fellers, and watch my hands now, so's all to break loose
together."

It was a tremendous volume of sound that welled forth, as Fritz waved
his hands upward after a fashion that every high school fellow
understood; why, Seth declared that it could have been heard a mile or
more away, and from that part of the swamp half way out in either
direction.

Then they strained their ears to listen for any possible answer. The
seconds began to creep past, and disappointment had already commenced to
grip hold of their hearts when they started, and looked quickly,
eagerly, at one another.

"Did you hear it?" asked Fritz, gasping for breath after his exertions
at holding on to that long-drawn school yell.

"We sure did--something!" replied Jotham, instantly, "but whether that
was the balloonist answering, Eben or Noodles calling out to us, or some
wild animal giving tongue, blest if I know."

And then, why, of course five pair of eyes were turned on Paul for the
answer.

CHAPTER XIII

THE OASIS IN THE SWAMP

"Was that another fish-eating bird like a crane, Paul?" asked Seth.

"Sounded more like a human voice," Jotham put in.

"And that's what it was, or else we're all pretty much mistaken," was
the verdict of the scoutmaster.

They turned their eyes toward the quarter from whence the sound had
appeared to come; and while some thought it had welled up just in a line
with this bunch of bushes, or it might be a leaning tree, still othe