“Brad did that on purpose!” Ross said, angrily pulling off a lily pad which had plastered against his face. “Look at me!”
“You’re a little dampish,” Brad grinned. “I’m sorry you slipped. I didn’t touch your stick, you know.”
“This scene is stupid!” Ross fumed. “I’ve had enough of Robin Hood for one day! I’m going home.”
“I’ll take you,” Mr. Holloway offered sympathetically. “You should get into dry clothes right away.”
As the two walked toward the parked car, Ross made a sorry sight indeed. His shoes and trousers were caked with mud and a lily pad still clung to the back of his shirt.
“That was a ripping scene,” Brad laughed, once Ross was beyond hearing. “Falling into the brink may cure that know-it-all of wanting to hog the best scenes. I thought I’d die laughing when he fell in!”
“You weren’t the only one,” said Dan in an odd tone of voice. “Did you hear laughter from the woods?”
“From the woods?” Brad echoed, rather mystified. “The other Cubs, you mean?”
“No,” Dan replied soberly. “The laughter came from far off. It was a strange, almost ghostly laugh. I think it came from the general direction of the castle.”
“That is queer, Dan. None of the Cubs were over there during the filming of the brook scene.”
“I know,” Dan admitted with an uneasy chuckle.
“Who do you think it was?”
“I don’t know,” Dan replied. “It seems though, that our castle may be haunted. And by a ghost with a keen sense of humor!”
CHAPTER 4
Laughter from the Woods
“I didn’t hear any laughter from the woods,” Brad said, gazing thoughtfully toward the fringe of trees beyond the castle. “You’re sure you heard it, Dan?”
“Positive,” the younger boy replied.
“Maybe it was one of the Den 1 Cubs.”
“Everyone was right here watching the filming of the bridge scene. I checked to make certain.”
“Well, I don’t see anyone in the woods,” Brad said. “We might take a look around.”
This proposal appealed to Dan. However, before the two boys could leave the creek, they heard an automobile drive up from the main road.
To the surprise of the Cubs, the car stopped nearby. A stout man in a gray suit alighted and came toward the group.
“It’s one of the bank officials, I’ll bet a cookie!” Brad murmured. “Now what?”
Curious to learn what the stranger wanted, Mr. Holloway and Ross rejoined the group of Cubs. The man approached them, addressing Sam Hatfield.
“Good morning,” he greeted the Cub leader, “I am Grover Kain, sent out by the bank to inspect the grounds here. I see you’re getting in a little archery practice.”
“That’s right,” agreed the Cub leader. “We need a longer archery field though.”
Mr. Kain nodded as his gaze roved over the grounds which had grown up with bushes and were cluttered with brush.
“I trust you’ll be careful about starting fires,” he remarked. “The season is unusually dry and brush presents a hazard. If a fire should start in this area, it would be most difficult to fight it because of the scarcity of water.”
Mr. Hatfield assured him that the Cub Scouts would be careful.
His answer did not entirely satisfy the bank official, who walked about the premises making note of work that needed to be done.
“Someone should call that broken window to his attention,” Dan suggested.
“I’ll do it,” offered Ross. “Having it fixed will spoil a lot of our fun though.”
Mr. Kain spent nearly ten minutes looking over the property and then returned to talk to Mr. Hatfield and Midge’s father.
“I don’t want to put a damper on your good times here,” he said apologetically. “But in looking over the grounds I am more than ever impressed with the fire hazard. Boys don’t mean to cause trouble, but they are careless with matches.”
“Not the Cubs,” spoke up Mr. Hatfield. “They know and practice the rules of safety.”
“So much dry brush is a distinct danger. I dislike to say the Cubs can’t use this property, but—”
“I have an idea,” proposed Mr. Holloway, well aware that the bank official intended to forbid the Cubs from filming their picture on the grounds. “The boys will pitch in and clear out some of the brush.”
Mr. Kain was both pleased and astonished by the offer.
“That would be fine!” he declared. “In that case, we have no objection whatsoever to the property being used.”
The three men discussed what work should be done before Mr. Kain returned to the city.
“Let’s get at it right away,” proposed Brad. “We can map our areas and have each Cub responsible for a certain section.”
“Why doesn’t the bank clean its own rubbish?” Ross growled. “I can’t help because I’ve got to go home and get into dry clothes.”
“I’ll take you,” Mr. Holloway offered again. “We’ll pick up rakes and return by lunch time.”
The proposal rather displeased Ross, who never liked to work. But knowing that the other Cubs would call him a quitter if he made an excuse for not returning to the castle grounds, he scowled and made no reply.
After Mr. Holloway and Ross had driven away, the others marked the area into sections and then set about clearing away the debris.
Loose brush was accumulated in a large bare spot near the road ready for burning. The Cubs worked with a will and by the time Ross and Mr. Holloway came back with garden tools, were fairly well along.
“Ross, your section is that area behind the castle,” Brad gave him his assignment.
“My section? Say, I’m all tired out from archery practice and chasing back and forth. What does that bank guy think we are anyhow? Work horses?”
“We gave our promise to clean up the grounds and we’re going to do it.”
“Well, I’m tired,” Ross said sullenly, flinging himself on the ground. “Besides, it’s almost lunch time.”
“You can clean your section later,” Brad consented. “Just so you get the job done in the next day or so. By the way, you told Mr. Kain about the broken window?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Then, as Brad fixed him with a disapproving gaze, Ross added with a flare of temper: “I didn’t get a chance to do it. I’ll tell him the next time he comes around.”
“Don’t bother,” Brad replied shortly. “I’ll tell him myself when I see him.”
As the sun rose higher, all the Cubs began to look forward to lunch. Unaccustomed to such heavy work, they felt the need of a rest.
“All right, fellows, knock off,” Mr. Hatfield advised them. “You’ve put in a big morning. Rest awhile and then we’ll eat.”
Dan and Brad took advantage of the lull to roam around the castle. Both boys were fascinated by its unusual design and old-world appearance.
“It’s queer about that laughter I heard from the woods,” Dan commented thoughtfully. “We’ve seen no one, and yet I’m sure someone was watching us.”
“Maybe it came from the castle,” Brad suggested, gazing up at the shadowy turrets. “With that window broken, any tramp could get inside.”
“How about taking another look?” Dan proposed. “We’ll have time for a quick search through the house before lunch.”
“Okay,” Brad agreed after a slight hesitation.
Unfastening the window latch, the boys climbed through.
As he straightened up, Dan sniffed the air suspiciously.
“Say, I smell something!” he announced.
Brad also had noticed the odor. “Smoke!” he agreed. “Something’s burning! It’s inside the castle too!”
Thoroughly alarmed, the boys darted from room to room. Running through a butler’s pantry they came to a huge kitchen with row upon row of shelves.
At one end of the room was a fireplace. To the amazement of the boys, a fire had been built there. A few of the larger sticks still smoldered.
“Someone has been in here since we came!” Brad exclaimed.
“Do you suppose one of the Cubs could have built the fire, Brad?”
“The fellows all have been working,” Brad replied, deeply puzzled. “Besides, everyone heard Mr. Kain warn about starting fires.”
Dan had lowered his voice. “This just goes to prove that I was right,” he declared. “I did hear laughter while we were filming the creek scene. Someone was watching us—either from the woods or this castle.”
“The bird still may be here too, Dan. Let’s look around.”
Quietly the boys went from room to room. No one could be found on the lower floor. Yet as they climbed the circular staircase to the second floor, Dan again thought he heard faint laughter from below.
“You imagined it, Dan,” Brad insisted.
“Maybe, but this house has a dozen and one hiding places. It would be easy for anyone to keep out of our way.”
“I wouldn’t want to go through this place at night,” Brad said with a shiver. “It’s spooky enough by daytime. The bank will be smart to get that window fixed and board up the place.”
Decidedly uneasy, the boys tramped from one bed chamber to another. All the rooms were large and at least half of them had fireplaces. They found no further evidence that anyone was in the dwelling.
“Whoever the person was, I think he’s taken himself off by now,” Brad said finally. By this time they had examined every room, including the circular towers at each corner of the building.
“I guess so,” Dan agreed in relief. “Let’s go back to the kitchen.”
There, the two boys carefully stamped out the dying embers of the fire.
Then, after again inspecting the lower floor, they let themselves out through the window.
“I hope to see Mr. Kain tomorrow,” Brad said as he walked back toward the archery range. “That broken window should be repaired.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Dan reminded him.
“That’s so. Well, I’ll make a point of seeing him Monday then. The window has been broken for a long while, so I suppose another day won’t matter too much.”
The Cubs had spread out their lunch at the base of a large elm tree. Brad and Dan joined the group and began to eat their sandwiches. As usual, the conversation reverted to the archery competition.
“If the Pack expects to win a prize for having the best play, it means we’ve got to dig in and work,” Mr. Hatfield warned the Cubs. “Our acting is rough, and a lot of detail has to be worked out.”
“Not to mention our archery,” added Brad with a laugh. “We can stand plenty of target practice!”
The Cubs finished lunch, rested for a half hour, and then voted to return to the archery range.
“Dan, you have a chance to win the part of Robin Hood,” Midge encouraged his friend. “Why don’t you get to work and show Ross Langdon you can beat him a mile!”
“Easier said than done. He is good and we both know it.”
“Sure,” Midge admitted grudgingly. “But don’t forget he’s lazy. He’s so certain of winning the part, I’ll bet he doesn’t do much practicing.”
“I’d like the part,” Dan said. “I intend to work hard to improve my shooting. All the same, I haven’t much hope.”
The two Cubs were the first to reach the archery range and so had their choice of bows.
Dan shot first, placing four of his arrows within the black of the target. Only two struck the outer rim.
“You’re getting more accurate every time, Dan!” Midge approved, stepping up to take his turn.
Three of his arrows missed the target completely. He shot the next three more carefully, managing to get them on the rim.
“Friar Tuck would blush with shame if he could see me,” Midge laughed ruefully. “Wow! Am I lousy!”
The two boys trotted down to the target to retrieve their arrows.
Midge glanced at the very center of the target face and gasped in astonishment.
“Dan, you made a bull’s-eye! Your shaft went right to the heart of it!”
“What?” Dan demanded. “Impossible!”
“Well, look at the arrow!”
Dan saw for himself that an arrow had pierced the target padding at its very center. The shot was a perfect one.
“Midge, that couldn’t have been my shot.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t mine.”
Dan had examined the arrow carefully after removing it from the target.
“Neither of us shot it,” he announced. “See, it’s larger than those we used.”
“The shaft is longer,” Midge agreed in awe. “Also, we shot six arrows apiece.”
“Nine should be in the target, Midge. Instead, there were ten.”
“But who shot the tenth one?”
Dan had no answer for the question. “It must have been there when we started shooting,” he said slowly. “Probably we didn’t notice.”
“Maybe it’s one of Mr. Holloway’s arrows. Or worse luck—from Ross’ bow.”
“Could be,” Dan agreed as they picked up their arrows and left the range. “All the same, I wonder—”
His gaze roved toward the surrounding woods.
“You wonder what, Dan?”
“I don’t believe that arrow was shot by any of the Cubs or Mr. Holloway either,” he announced with sudden conviction.
Midge stared at him in amazement.
“Who else could have shot it, Dan?”
“Well, I don’t know,” the other boy admitted lamely. He was reluctant to tell Midge about the fire inside the castle until after he had talked with Mr. Hatfield.
“You’re keeping something to yourself,” Midge accused.
“I’m not sure of a thing,” Dan replied, moving off in search of the Cub leader. “I wish though that we could find the person who shot that arrow! He’s a natural for the role of Robin Hood!”
CHAPTER 5
Competition
The following Sunday all the Cubs and some of their parents gathered at the castle grounds to continue work on the play and movie.
“It’s well that the Robin Hood theme was chosen,” Mr. Hatfield told the boys as they set up the archery target. “I’ve learned that at least twenty organizations are entering the contest. Furthermore, about half of them are working on Indian scripts.”
The boys had entered into play acting with tremendous enthusiasm. Everyone craved to have the Robin Hood role, but it was generally conceded that it would fall to either Dan or Ross.
Mr. Holloway took several movie shots of the two Cubs at target practice. He told them that if they would drop around to his house a few nights later, all of the films would be run off.
“It will give us an idea of how we’re coming along,” he remarked. “We have a lot of work ahead of us before the play can be whipped into shape for the final filming.”
Mr. Hatfield explained to the Cubs that as the script was being written, a shooting match at Nottingham would be one of the outstanding scenes.
“We can’t film this scene until nearly last because we haven’t settled upon who is to be Robin Hood,” he declared. “For that reason, it will be necessary to skip around in the story, shooting a scene whenever we can. Later on we’ll prune out many of them.”
“This preliminary work is more or less to get a line on acting ability,” Mr. Holloway added. “The roles are only temporary.”
“What scene will we film first?” Midge asked his father.
Mr. Holloway said he had thought of doing one in which the sheriff played the leading part.
“You know the story,” he refreshed the memories of the boys. “At the shooting match in Nottingham, Robin Hood disguises himself and wins out over some of the best shots in England. But after tricking the sheriff, he wishes to let him know that it was he who had been victorious.”
“Oh, I remember that scene!” cried Dan. “Robin Hood sends Little John and Will Stutely into the town. While the sheriff and his men are at dinner, they shoot an arrow onto the table. A scroll is attached to the shaft. The message reveals that it was Robin Hood who won the shooting match, disguised as the tattered stranger.”
“We’ll have to modify the scene somewhat,” Mr. Holloway said. “For one thing, it will be taken outdoors instead of inside the castle.”
“We could make it inside,” interposed Ross.
Mr. Holloway shook his head. “We have no permission to enter the building,” he reminded the Cub.
“What will we use for a banquet table?” inquired Brad.
The Den Dad told the boys he had noticed a roadside picnic table and bench along the highway, which would serve.
“I asked permission of the State Highway Dept. to borrow it for an hour,” he said. “We can move it up here, so we’ll have the castle for a background. Then when the scene is finished, we’ll carry it back again.”
Brad, Dan, Chips and Fred Hatfield started off to get the table and bench.
“Coming, Ross?” Chips asked him.
“Oh, I’ve got to do something else,” he replied vaguely.
“I’ll go,” offered Red Suell.
Several of the Den 1 boys also offered their services. No comment was made on Ross’ reluctance to help. Each Cub, however, secretly was annoyed by the other boy’s laziness.
The long wooden table and bench were set up on the brick terrace in front of the vine-covered castle wall.
Food and dishes then were brought out from the picnic hampers.
“We’ll shoot the scene two or three times, using different boys in various parts,” Mr. Hatfield declared. “Brad will act the role of Little John for the first filming. We’ll try Ross out as the sheriff—”
“But I’m to be Robin Hood,” the boy broke in.
“That hasn’t been decided yet,” the Cub leader reminded him. Ignoring Ross’ scowl, he went on: “Chips will take the part of Will Stutely. The others will be knights gathered at the festive board.”
“I don’t want to be the sheriff,” Ross muttered.
“Oh, forget it, will you?” Brad demanded, losing patience. “A Cub is supposed to be cooperative.”
The filming of the scene began. Still grumbling at the role which had been thrust upon him, Ross took his place at the head of the picnic table.
As the camera began to grind, Brad, from the nearby thicket, shot an arrow. His first missed the table completely. On the second try, however, it dropped squarely amid the dishes.
“Whence came this?” Ross demanded, speaking the lines which had been assigned him.
He picked up the arrow, and removing the scroll, read the message.
“‘Thou didst give the prize to Robin Hood,’” he read aloud. And he added with gruff hostility: “Wait until I lay my hands on that sneaking coward!”
“Cut!” called Mr. Holloway. “Well done, boys!”
The Cubs praised Ross, for he had spoken the lines of the sheriff naturally. Also, his sullen manner had suited the character perfectly.
“You make a swell sheriff,” Red praised him.
“Oh, yeah?” Ross retorted. “Well, don’t think you’re going to unload that role on me! I’m going to be Robin Hood.”
Mr. Holloway filmed a scene with Brad and Chips as Little John and Will Stutely. He then tried out several of the Den 1 boys in the part of the sheriff.
However, everyone agreed that Ross had acted the role better than anyone else.
“Dan, you ought to be Robin Hood,” Brad told him as the two rested under a tree. “You’re a natural for that part, just as Ross is in the role of sheriff.”
“Try to make him think so!”
“It’s up to Mr. Holloway and Mr. Hatfield to assign the parts.”
“Sure,” Dan agreed, chewing at a blade of grass, “but it was decided Robin Hood should be played by the Cub who proves to be the best shot. And we both know Ross is tops.”
“It hasn’t been proven yet,” Brad insisted. “I noticed while you were practicing a while ago, you’re improving fast, Dan. Ross hasn’t touched a bow all day.”
“I’m working hard,” Dan admitted. “Honestly though, I think Ross will win the part.”
“He doesn’t deserve it with all his boasting.”
“Maybe not, but he’s handy with a bow. And that’s what counts. Say—”
Dan, who was sprawled comfortably on the ground, suddenly sat up. He gazed steadily toward the bushes behind the castle.
“What’s wrong?” demanded his companion.
“Nothing, I guess,” Dan admitted with a laugh. “For just a minute, I thought—”
“You thought what, Dan?”
“Well, I caught a flash of green over there amid the bushes. I thought I saw someone peeping out.”
“One of the Cubs probably.”
“It could have been, only it didn’t look like any of the fellows.”
“The parents are roaming around the grounds too,” Brad reminded him.
“I know,” Dan admitted, “it couldn’t have been anything. All the same, it gave me a start for a second. I had the feeling someone who shouldn’t be here was watching the filming of our play.”
“The ghost of the castle, for instance?” Brad asked, giving him a sidelong glance.
“Quit kidding me.”
“You did think you saw someone.”
“Sure,” Dan said soberly. “It might have been one of the Cubs, only I didn’t think so. You know, Brad, I’ve had a queer feeling ever since we came here.”
“As if someone were watching us?”
“That’s right, Brad. I know it sounds silly.”
“It isn’t silly,” the older boy replied soberly. “I’ve had the same sort of feeling myself.”
“I suppose my imagination was stirred by finding a fire inside the castle,” Dan said. “And then that arrow in the target. It never did match any of the ones we were using.”
“Someone is hiding out here all right,” Brad admitted with sudden conviction. “Suppose we amble around and see if we can find anyone. No use worrying the other Cubs.”
Without attracting attention to themselves, the two boys walked over to the bushes where Dan had seen movement.
No one was there. Brad found a few footprints. There was no way they could tell whether or not they had been made by one of the Cubs. For, as Dan pointed out, the boys of Den 1 and 2 had been everywhere on the grounds.
“We’ll be smart not to say anything about this to the other fellows,” Brad advised. “No use getting them excited. Especially as it may not amount to anything.”
“I’ll keep mum,” Dan promised. “All the same, I’d like to track down our castle ghost. So far, he’s proven as elusive as Robin Hood himself!”
CHAPTER 6
Ghost of the Castle
The Cubs of Den 2 worked hard the next week making “props” for their Robin Hood play. Dan assisted Mr. Holloway in blocking out scenes for the movie, and was told he had done an excellent job.
“We should have a chance to win first prize in the contest,” the Den Dad declared late one afternoon as the boys met in their clubroom.
The meeting room of Den 2 was the envy of all the other Cub Scouts in Webster City. Situated high in a natural cave above the beach, it afforded a fine view not only of the shoreline, but also the distant Boy Scout camp on Skeleton Island.
“Yes, the play is rapidly whipping into shape,” declared Sam Hatfield. “Right now, our crying need is for costumes.”
“I thought the mothers were going to help us out,” Dan remarked.
“They have agreed to,” the Cub leader answered. “That is, they’ll sew the costumes. However, there’s a little item of buying materials.”
“Can’t each Cub provide his own?”
“I was going to suggest that,” nodded Mr. Hatfield. “I feel though, that the money should be earned by each boy. It wouldn’t be fair to ask the parents to pay for our costumes—especially as some of them will be rather elaborate.”
The Cub leader explained to the other boys his plan and no one raised any objection. Chips and Red however, were uncertain how they would earn the necessary money.
“Well, you might try cutting lawns, gathering papers, or running errands,” Mr. Hatfield suggested. “Give it a little thought. I’m sure you can come up with some idea.”
“How soon must we have the money?” Midge asked.
Mr. Hatfield said he thought it should be turned in not later than a week.
“The mothers will need the materials to start sewing the costumes,” he declared. “Deadline for the contest is the twenty-fifth of the month.”
After the meeting broke up, Brad and Dan sauntered down the street together, discussing how they would earn their money.
“My Dad has been after me to clean the basement,” Brad remarked. “Maybe I can get fifty cents for that job. It will be a start.”
“All the odd jobs around our place are cleaned up,” Dan said thoughtfully. “It looks as if I’ll have to get out and hustle.”
That very afternoon, he called on several neighbors, offering to wash windows or the family car. In each instance, he was politely but firmly turned down.
Rather discouraged, Dan then appealed to his mother.
“Maybe I can think up some job if you give me a little time,” she said to encourage him. “Off hand I can’t think of a thing. Usually, you’re two or three jobs ahead of me.”
When Dan went to the drugstore at six o’clock to get a newspaper for his father, he met Fred.
“How you coming on earning money?” the boy asked him.
“No luck yet,” Dan admitted. “Jobs seem to be mighty scarce.”
“I ran an errand and picked up a quarter,” Fred told him. “But that’s all I’ve been able to earn so far. Red and Chips are having a tough time too.”
“Webster City must suddenly have been hit by a depression, Fred. I wonder how the Den 1 boys are getting their costumes?”
“Dad told me they’re earning their money too.”
“Well, I hope they have better luck than we’re having.”
As Dan spoke, a voice behind him demanded: “Better luck at what?”
Dan and Fred turned around to see Ross Langdon standing behind them. His bicycle was parked outside the drugstore. Over his shoulder was slung a paper carrier’s sack.
“We were talking about earning money for our Robin Hood costumes,” Fred explained.
“The trouble with you fellows is you don’t have any hustle and get-up,” Ross taunted them. “Now me—I’ll have no difficulty raising any amount.”
“Your father will give it to you, I bet!” Dan said.
“Not on your life. I’m earning it.”
“How?” demanded Dan and Fred together.
Ross tapped the canvas case over his shoulder.
“I’ve taken on a paper route,” he explained. “I start with eight customers. Probably by the end of the week, I’ll have twenty or thirty. That will give me a nice profit.”
Despite themselves, the other two Cubs were impressed.
“How long have you had the route?” Fred demanded.
“I just started. My father got it for me through a friend.”
“Gee! You’re lucky,” Dan said without envy. “Wish I could land one too. Any chance?”
“Not the slightest,” Ross answered loftily. “You have to think up your own ideas.”
“Sure, I guess so,” Dan admitted goodnaturedly. “Well, I’m glad you’re all set. Running a paper route should be profitable, but it will mean hard work.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Ross shrugged. “On my bike it shouldn’t take long to make deliveries. It’s a cinch! And watch the money roll in. I’ll buy myself a super Robin Hood costume that will knock your eye out! No home-made affair for me! Not on your life!”
Having delivered himself of this, Ross smiled in a superior way and ambled off.
“Even if that guy is a Cub, he makes me sick!” Fred muttered when the boy was beyond hearing. “He won’t last long at a paper route.”
Dan did not think so either. But he pointed out Ross probably would stick to the job until he had acquired enough to buy the Robin Hood costume.
“If he’s able to buy a good one, and I come up with a make-shift, that cinches the role for him, Fred.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” the other returned. “Dad won’t give the part to Ross just because he can dig up the best costume. He’ll have to prove he’s the better actor and archer.”
Dan paid for the newspaper and the boys left the drugstore together.
“Don’t forget we’re to go to Mr. Holloway’s house tomorrow night,” Fred reminded as they parted. “He’s promised to run off those first movie scenes we took at the castle.”
“I’ll be there,” Dan promised.
The Den Dad had invited all the boys of both Den 1 and 2 to his home. On the following night not a single Cub was absent from the meeting, for all were eager to view the films.
“How’d they turn out, Mr. Holloway?” Dan asked eagerly.
“Not bad,” the Den Dad replied. “In one of the scenes though—a mystery has cropped up.”
“A mystery?”
“I’ll let the boys discover it for themselves,” Mr. Holloway replied. “We’ll see whose eyes are sharp enough to spot it!”
Deeply puzzled by the Den Dad’s remark, the Cubs plied him with questions. To all he made the same answer: “Wait and see.”
Mr. Holloway had hung up a screen in the downstairs recreation room. The boys gathered in a semi-circle in front of it and waited impatiently for the showing of the film.
The room was darkened. After testing out the focus, Mr. Holloway ran through the first scene that had been taken at the creek.
The Cubs howled with laughter as they watched the duel between Brad and Ross. As the latter tumbled into the water with a mighty splash, their mirth could not be controlled.
“Heck! I don’t think it’s that funny,” Ross protested.
Mr. Holloway ran off other scenes in rapid order. The Cubs remarked that Dan’s acting was especially good and that Brad too had acted his role well.
“What’s that mystery you were telling us about?” Midge demanded when only one more scene remained to be shown.
“Wait and see,” smiled Mr. Holloway. “Watch sharp now.”
Again the room was darkened. Mr. Holloway began the showing of the banquet scene with the castle and forest as background.
“Say, Ross is good as the Sheriff of Nottingham!” exclaimed Midge. “It’s a natural part for him.”
“Like fun!” growled Ross. “I’m to be Robin Hood.”
So engrossed were the boys in watching for themselves in the scene, that almost before they realized it, the film had been run off.
“Well?” inquired Mr. Holloway. “Who caught it?”
“Caught what?” asked Red in perplexity.
“I didn’t notice anything,” declared Chips.
Dan spoke quietly. “I’m not sure, Mr. Holloway. The film went so fast. But I thought I did see something unusual.”
“Aw, you’re making that up!” challenged Ross. “What did Bunny Bright Eyes see?”
“It wasn’t in the foreground,” Dan said slowly. “Just for an instant, I thought I caught a flash of a face back in the bushes.”
“So what?” demanded Ross, getting up from the floor. “Cubs were all over the place.”
“This didn’t look like one of our boys. The face wasn’t clear, but I’m sure it was no one I’d ever seen before.”
As Ross was on the verge of making another jibe, Mr. Holloway said quickly:
“Dan is right. The camera lens picked up an extra character.”
Dan and Brad exchanged a glance, as the same thought occurred to them.
“Then I didn’t imagine that someone was hiding out in the bushes watching us!” Dan exclaimed. “It must have been that crack-shot—the ghost of the castle!”
CHAPTER 7
A Mysterious Arrow
Dan’s observation about seeing an extra person in the background of the film greatly excited the other Cubs.
“Show the scene again,” they begged Mr. Holloway.
The Den Dad re-threaded the film into the projection machine and ran it through at slow speed.
“There he is!” suddenly exclaimed Dan, catching the first glimpse of the unfamiliar face in the scene.
Before he obtained a definite impression of the person, the figure had ducked back into the bushes.
“Golly!” exclaimed Red in amazement. “Where did he pop from?”
“Couldn’t it have been one of the Cubs from Den 1?” demanded Fred.
Dan reminded the boys that during the filming of the banquet scene all of the Cubs had taken part.
“Someone was watching us from the bushes,” Brad confirmed the younger boy’s opinion. “Too bad we didn’t get a clearer impression of him.”
At the request of the Cubs, Mr. Holloway ran through the film a third time. However, it was impossible for anyone to identify the stranger in the scene.
Mr. Holloway, Dan and Brad were of the opinion that the intruder was another boy. The others thought he had looked older and might be a man.
“At any rate, we know there’s a little substance to our ‘ghost of the castle,’” Dan laughed. “Maybe next time we’re out there, we can catch him. I don’t like the idea of being spied on.”
Mr. Holloway and Mr. Hatfield devoted some time to discussing the various scenes of the play with the boys, pointing out where improvement could be made.
“For the movie we’ll need titles,” the Den Dad explained. “Also, it will be necessary to do a great deal of editing and cutting in the final version. We’ll need a committee.”
“Make Dan chairman,” suggested Brad. “He knows the Robin Hood story better than anyone.”
“I’ll appoint Dan, Red and Chips,” Mr. Holloway said. “There will be plenty of work to do because we must start the final filming by next Saturday.”
“Which reminds me that we’ll have to speed up the archery contest,” added Sam Hatfield. “To avoid argument, the winner of the match shall have the role of Robin Hood.”
“Fair enough,” grinned Dan.
Aware that costumes for the play would be needed in a hurry, the boys promised to turn their money in as quickly as possible so that materials could be bought.
During the early part of the week, the Cubs of both Den 1 and 2 canvassed the neighborhoods, seeking odd jobs.
As Dan already had observed, they were discouragingly scarce.
Except for Ross Langdon, not a single Cub was certain of earning the amount needed within a short period of time.
“What we should have is a project all the boys can work on together,” Brad declared one night as he and Dan discussed the problem.
“We might gather and sell papers.”
“The market has collapsed. I’ve already investigated that job possibility.”
“At this time of year, all the odd jobs are taken,” Dan said gloomily. “It’s so dry, even the lawns hardly need cutting.”
“I know,” Brad agreed. “City Council has warned folks to go easy on using water. The pressure is low. Every vacant lot with so many dried weeds presents a hazard.”
Dan stared at the older boy, as an idea suddenly came to him.
“Say, maybe that’s the ticket!” he exclaimed.
“What is, Dan? I don’t follow you.”
“Why, maybe the Cubs could get a job from the city cutting weeds!”
“The city has its own crew.”
“Sure, but not half of the outlying areas have been mowed. I read in the paper yesterday, the city is having trouble finding workers.”
Brad thought the matter over. “We never could sell our services to the city,” he said. “But we might get individual jobs for the Cubs—especially from real estate men who have considerable vacant property.”
“There’s a lot of it near the castle,” Dan recalled. “We might be able to round up a few jobs in that area.”