e reigned, broken only occasionally by a nervous
whisper from one of the girls as they watched the approach of the
enemy--or so they regarded them--with breathless interest.

There were about twenty in the group, of which the majority were men. As
they came nearer, the girls and boys could see how greatly their ages
varied. Some were old men with white hair and flowing beards, while
others were young striplings scarcely out of boyhood. Their clothes were
many hued and picturesque, while each one carried on his back a huge
bundle. They traveled along the bank, speaking in a low mellow tone, a
language which the Outdoor Girls and the boys had never heard before.

Grace crowded close to Betty, and the Little Captain squeezed her arm
reassuringly. "I kind of like them," she whispered. "They look so
interesting. They look like bandits or----"

Frank's hand closed abruptly over her mouth--for low as her tone had
been the gypsies were near enough now to hear the slightest whisper.

On, on came the little procession so near that the girls, by stretching
out their hands, could almost have touched them. They scarcely dared to
breathe.

The gypsies moved on for a short distance, then gathered about something
the nature of which the girls and boys could not discern. In his
curiosity, Allen forgot caution and rising from the protection of the
bushes he tip-toed over to a more advantageous lookout. In a moment he
was back again on his knees beside the crouching group crying in an
excited manner: "It's our cave--the cave Betty and I discovered--they
are going into it. Say, I wish we had gone in when we had the chance!"

"I don't," said Mollie, "they might have found you there and knifed you
in the back or something."

"Especially something," mocked Roy. But Mollie was too excited to hear
him.

"Look!" Grace cried. "Now that they are all inside, you wouldn't know
that there was any opening there at all."

"It _is_ tough to have to sit outside and look at nothing," Roy began.

"Don't look at me when you say that," complained Mollie, with a little
grimace.

"When we ought to be in there capturing the thieves--if that is what
they are," he finished.

"I'd bet on it," said Frank. "All gypsies are born robbers. Just the
same, I wouldn't mind having some of their loot."

"Frank!" Grace exclaimed, in a shocked voice. "You know you wouldn't
like anything of the sort."

"Why not?" he said, his eyes twinkling, for teasing Grace