Again the three chums looked one at the other.
"You'd better tell, Sammy," said Frank, at last, "you made the find, you know."
"What's this?" asked Mr. Jessup, in some surprise. "Have you boys a secret, too?" and he looked curiously at them, while Maybe frisked about, barking and unable to understand why his master would not take after a rabbit he had driven from its burrow.
"Yes, we did find something strange in the old house," said Sammy. "We discovered a secret room, and in it is an outfit of counterfeiters, Mr. Jessup!"
"And they shot at us!" cried Bob.
"And you ought to have seen the smoke!" added Frank.
The hunter looked from one to another of the boys, as if unable to understand what they were saying. He might have thought they were playing a joke on him, but their faces were too serious for that.
"Secret room!" he murmured. "Counterfeiters! They shot at you!"
"Yes, and we thought the hermit might be the counterfeiter, so we were following him to see if he went to the old house," said Bob.