"I know your father," he said to Snap, "and I know your folks," and he nodded to Shep. "Your father gave me some medicine when I was sick. So you came up here to go camping?"
"Yes."
"You are pretty brave lads to do that."
"Oh, we've been out camping before. We came out last summer and also last winter."
"Up here?"
"No, to Lake Cameron and Firefly Lake."
"That's different from Lake Narsac. Don't you know this place is haunted?" And Peter Peterson looked at the boys very solemnly.
"We've heard something about that, but we aren't afraid," said Shep.
"We are more afraid of snakes than we are of ghosts," added Whopper.
"We met a lot of them just before we reached the lake."
"To be sure you did,—- the river is full of them, and so is the north side of the lake shore—-anybody who has camped up here can tell you that. But I don't mind the snakes—-but I do mind ghosts." And the old hermit shook his head in a manner to prove he meant what he said. "I would stay up here to do some fishing and hunting only—-"