While he was taking a look at them, Joe and Bob were giving the cabin a most thorough overhauling, tearing the beds to pieces, and peering into every dark corner they could discover, and at every turn they found something to strengthen them in the belief that they had stumbled upon a den of thieves, sure enough.
In the way of provender, they found a whole ham, a bushel of potatoes, and an armful of corn; and Joe declared that the last two must have been stolen the night before, because the dirt was not dry on the potatoes, and the husks on the ears of corn were perfectly fresh.
"Mr. Hallet's fields furnished those things, and I should not wonder if the ham came from his smoke-house," said Joe. "But what could have been their object in stealing these sheets and pillow-cases? Campers don't generally care to have such things around, because they can't be kept clean."
"Don't you think they used them to dress up their ghost?" inquired Bob. "That dummy out there under the bushes has got a sheet on."
"So it has," replied Joe. "I'd give something to know what it was that suggested to them the idea of scaring folks away with that thing. They must know that everybody can't be frightened by white scare-crows. What is it? Found a false bottom in that grip-sack?"
"Or the twelve thousand dollars in bills, and three hundred in gold?" chimed in Bob.
These questions were addressed to Tom Hallet, who just then called attention to himself by uttering an exclamation indicative of the profoundest amazement.
By way of reply he shook a handful of greenbacks at them, and then dropped it to pick up a large roll of postage stamps. By the time they got out to him he had exchanged the stamps for two elegant gold watches.
"This grip-sack is full to the brim of valuables, money, and securities," said Tom, in a scarcely audible whisper, "and I—stop your noise!" he added, turning fiercely upon Bugle, who just then uttered a sound that was between a whine and a bark, and came running from the foot of the path where he had laid himself down to wait until the boys were ready to leave the camp. "Shut your mouth, you coward!"
The beagle crowded close to his master's side, in spite of the efforts the angry boy made to push him away, looked toward the path, and whined and growled, and exhibited other signs of terror and excitement.