managed to get his breath again.

Jack breathed easier, since he knew now that his brother had not been
concerned in the adventure; still, there was that other thing--but he had
promised Paul not to believe, or even suspect, anything so early in the
game.

"I admit that it does seem ludicrous; and no doubt if I had been there I
must have been strongly tempted to laugh at the comical spectacle those
six pigs must have presented. But it is the spirit of the thing that
looks so bad. Growdy never harmed a boy in his life, he says, and only
wants to be let alone; but they went out of their way to play a malicious
trick on the old man. It took him the whole of Sunday to scrape that
paint off the hides of his pigs; which I consider a pretty hard
proposition. And I repeat what I said before, that I'm pleased to know
a son of mine would not be guilty of so mean a trick."

Karl left the table just then, and his brother fancied that he looked a
bit confused, as though his conscience were troubling him, but then Jack
hoped he might be mistaken.




CHAPTER IV

THE FIRST SCOUT LEADER


Paul had said that he would be away the greater part of the day, his