"Was it a flaming red ghost, Number Four?" he inquired further.
"Why, of course not, sir," chuckled the other. "If it had been I'd have thought it was only Ty Collins in that red sweater he sometimes wears. Oh! no, what I thought I saw was a white object. It seemed to be there when I hid my face in my blanket, but when I looked a minute later it was gone."
"Did you hear any sound?" Elmer demanded.
"Well, yes; but after all it may have been one of the fellows snoring," Jasper replied. "But at the time I thought it the queerest sort of noise ever. Might 'a' been a big bulldog jumping into the water. I've heard something like it when I pulled my foot out of a soft oozy piece of mud."
"All right, Number Four. Your time is up, so go and gently arouse your successor. And please don't even whisper a word about this until I give you permission."
"Well, I guess I won't," Jasper quickly mumbled. "Think I'm itching to have the laugh on me? No, siree, I'm as dumb as an oyster," and with that he staggered off toward one of the tents to awaken Nathan Scott.
Elmer returned to his blanket, but he had something on his mind that kept him from enjoying any sound sleep for the remainder of that particular night.
Those two boys had certainly seen something, and while, of course, Elmer was too sensible a fellow to allow himself to give the idea of a ghostly visitor the slightest credence, he found himself puzzled to account for it all.
Because of his lying awake so long he slept later than usual in the morning. True, he sprang up when the notes of the bugle sounded the reveille, but most of the others had been abroad before him.
They took a dip in the lake, though the water was so very cold that none of the scouts cared to remain in more than five minutes. Besides, the almost tragic occurrence of the previous day haunted some of them, and made them a bit timid about venturing into the water, though by degrees this fear would naturally wear off.