to Dick.

"Wait! Listen!" counseled Prescott. "We don't want to please
that crowd by stepping right into a trap. And I've an idea that
by this time they must know that we're around here."

"If they knew, they'd be out here making faces at us," retorted
Darrin wisely.

"And ordering us to get off the earth," supplemented Greg, in
a whisper.

"Listen," whispered Dick. "Perhaps we can guess what they're
doing."

"I can guess what they're doing," murmured Reade, who had now
moved around to the front with his chums. "I've been watching
the smoke of that fire come up through the chimney. Humph! I
don't believe Rip and Dodge are doing anything worse than a little
camping. There must be a stove in there, and they're cooking
some supper---playing at camping out."

"I don't smell anything cooking in there," rejoined Dick with
a shake of his head. "We can't hear anything sizzling over the
fire, either."

"Then what-----" began Harry curiously.

Bang! interrupted a crashing explosion inside the building.
Boom! Then the door flew wide open, followed by a single great