“You’ve got me,” was the perplexed answer. “I never heard anything like it before in my life. Let’s get the lanterns and go look around.”
They went to the tents to get the lanterns and Bob and Charlie got out the ones in the middle tents and lighted them. The boys were now standing in a huddle around the fireplace and talking.
“I knew that this was no place for us,” Plum was telling the other boys. “I always heard that this camp was haunted. I guess I’m going home.”
“Maybe we had all better go home,” suggested another boy.
“Yes, go home and let the whole town have the laugh on us!” snorted Drummer.
The four lanterns were lighted but before they sallied forth another sound reached their ears. It was that of an object which had apparently just fallen, for they could hear it strike the rocks and break. This came from the same direction as the weird call had come and for an instant they simply stood and looked in the direction, waiting for some further sign. But the silence was unbroken.
“Well, let’s go,” said Ted, starting off towards the woods with his lantern. “We’ll see if we can learn anything.”
He and Buck took the lead, the two smaller boys bringing up cautiously in the rear, fearful but curious. The two older boys plunged straight into the bushes that fringed the camp and mounted the slopes of the mountain, looking before them as they went, on the alert for something unusual. There was no further sound and they proceeded to the spot from which the sound had come, to find it a high and bare rock which commanded an excellent view of their camp.
“Somebody stood here and looked down at the camp,” said Buck, with conviction.
“You’re right about that,” nodded Ted. “I think they must have dropped something at the bottom of this big rock. Let’s go and see.”