"Nobody knows a thing about him, either," remarked Sam, as they sat around the porch, early one morning. "When Tom and I take our trip to the mountains, you chaps ought to do a bit of detective work."
"Guess he's only some old crank," said Bob, "not worth bothering about."
"He's sharp enough, eh, Tommy?"
Clifton nodded.
"You bet," he said. "Whenever we start to quizzing, he always says, 'Now, youngsters, I'll spin a little yarn.' He's great at it, too."
"Couldn't beat Hank Merwin," said Dick.
"Huh—you haven't heard Neil Prescott."
"And you haven't heard Hank."
"Fellows," interrupted Bob, "let's get away from this porch. Suppose we take a jaunt somewhere?"
The captain arose, and picked up his gun. "Saw some ducks yesterday," he went on. "Might get a crack at 'em."