He began to pry off the top boards. Finally, one came loose. Willie focused the beam of his flashlight on the opening.
“Say! What’s this?” he exclaimed. “We must have broken into the wrong box.”
“This isn’t our stuff,” War confirmed. “But the box is marked with our name! How do you figure it?”
His curiosity piqued, the boy went to work energetically prying loose another board. As he ripped it loose, the others obtained their first clear view of what was inside the box.
In amazement and silence, they beheld the contents. Then War burst out indignantly: “Well, I’m a jumping horn toad! That two-timing, double-crossing Captain Carter!”
The box contained several sawed off shot guns and ammunition.
“This can’t be our equipment!” Jack declared. “How’d it get into boxes marked in the Scout name?”
“We didn’t bring in a single weapon,” Ken said soberly. “I know, because I helped Hap check every box.”
“This looks bad—mighty bad,” Jack murmured.
“No wonder Captain Carter wouldn’t let me help pull this box out of the water,” Willie asserted. “He was afraid we’d find out what it held.”