As usual, they stayed at the station longer than they had expected to and when they came out they decided it was too late to go around to their cave that afternoon.
“We’ll make a good early start in the morning and spend the day,” decided Bob. “We can take some canned beans and rolls along so Doughnuts won’t starve to death.”
“That reminds me that we’d better go around by way of the crossroads,” said Herb. “Doughnuts ate up the last bit of jam last night, and if we’re going on a picnic we’ve got to have jam.”
The boys agreed on the necessity, and so started to detour through the woods in the direction of the little crossroads country store, where a few things, they had discovered, could be bought.
But they were destined not to reach the store that afternoon. They had never gone straight from the ranger station to the place, and so the country through which they were passing was new to them.
They knew there was no possibility of their becoming lost, however, for Mr. Bentley told them that if they followed straight along the path they were now on they would come out right at the crossroads.
However, the way was long and as they had been climbing steadily they finally sat down on the crest of a low mountain to regain their breath and look at the scenery.
It was then that Joe discovered, half-way down the mountainside, a curious gaping hole, half concealed by intertwining underbrush.
“Look!” he said. “That looks like a fair-sized cave to me.”
“Let’s go and have a closer look at it,” said Bob, curiously. “It’s probably just a hole, but there may be something interesting about it.”