Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
Secret OF Mournt uI Scamp.

There was one small window of glass, door
and tin pipe serving as a chimney.
THESE things were not sufficient to make the
boys clutch each other in spellbound ex-
element. In front of the hut Dave Duncan
was digging into the soft earth with the spade
he had carried with him into the swamp.
Already he had thrown up quite pile of earth,
and was down more than foot. The hole
appeared to be a trench about six feet long,
and its significance burst upon the boys. Lave
Duncan was digging a gravel
Horror stricken, they watched him throwing
up the dirt with slow, relentless motion Of the
Sdade. few feet away lay the white cross,
mony ySaS ended. And besides the cross the
BOYS saw semething the size of a mans body,
carefully wraSoed in the canvas that Dave
Duncan had carried under his arm.
If the boys had storned to think they would
have realized that their L<esence at this secret
they now were so absorbed that 1t Is doubtful
If they would have moved, even had they
thought of their peril In fact, they we're so
lost in watching the digging of the grave shat
they forgot all about Major. The dog had been
crouching quietly beside Jack, but he had
pushed his nose through the bushes and seen
Duncan.
MAJOR evidently did not like what he saw
80 Suddenly he uttered an ominous growl
and started forward. The noise was like clap
Of thunder to the boys. Before they had time
more than to gasp, they saw Dave Duncan start,
leap from the grave and whirl around For a
moment he gazed with wild eyes straight at the
faces of Keith and Jack. But only for q
moment. With shout of alarm the two boys
took to their heels. Jack dropping his rifle in
his haste Without a backward glance, they
few back along the narrow, tortuous path by
which they had entered the swamp
Of oif avNG he
missed q turn. Suddenly ne went plunging
through clump of bushes, and although he
uttered a scream Of warning, Keith was too
close behind him to heed it. Keith felt his
feet leave the solid path and sink into cold
water. He clutched madly at the bushes to
save himself, but went down on his face IN
the ooze, few feet away from Jack.
He fought to regain his footing, got his head
clear of the water, thrashed with his feet. But
it seemed to his terror-stricken mind that his
legs were held fast in a vice of sticky, clinging
mud. Strive as he would, he could move them
only an inch at time.
THEN a new horror burst upon Keith Jack
lay just beyond him, but he did not move
In plunging into the swamp his head had
struck some bit of log or buried stump, which
had knocked him Senseless. And now the boy
lay helpless, his head barely out of the hungry
water, the rest Of his body imprisoned in the
mud
His face white, his eyes staring, Keith fought
desperately to get closer to Jack. He could not
move The clinging mud was up to his waist
and he seemed to sink deeper every second.
With gasping breath he screamed for help.
Again and again he shouted And then he heard
some one rushing along the path. Major came
bounding through the bushes, to stop abruptly
on the safe edge of the path, and few steps
behind him came Dave DuncaC-
CTo Be Concluded Next EIzaSayl