Dan Carter and the Haunted Castle.

by Mildred A. Wirt.

CHAPTER 1

A Prize Contest

A stir of excitement swept the room, causing the Cub Scouts to shift restlessly in their seats.

The monthly meeting of the Pack was nearing its end. Not a Cub from either Den 1 or Den 2 had failed to attend, for Sam Hatfield, their leader, had promised the boys "a real surprise."

Now, as a break came in the regular program, the Cubs sensed that the moment for the long awaited announcement had arrived.

"Something worth while is in the wind, that's sure," whispered Brad Wilber. The Den Chief spoke to a sandy-haired boy whose nose was buried in a book. "Mr. Hatfield has kept his secret from everyone. What do you think is up, Dan?"

"Huh?" demanded Dan Carter, coming suddenly to life. Reluctantly he closed "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood," a volume obtained a few minutes earlier from the Webster City Public Library.

"Oh, don't bother that book worm," laughed Midge Holloway, another Cub in Den 2. "He never hears anything that goes on at a meeting, even if he is the official Denner."

"I resent that slur," retorted Dan goodnaturedly. "I hear every word."

"Sure he does," declared Chips Davis, coming to the defense of his friend. "Dan's just smart enough never to waste any of his time."

A loud, offensive snicker greeted this remark. Looking quickly across the cave, the Cubs of Den 2 saw that the offender was Ross Langdon, a tall, gangling boy in Den 1.

Now Dan and Ross always had been athletic rivals. In a recent swimming contest the Den 2 boy had soundly defeated the older lad. Ross hadn't taken it too well. Whenever an opportunity afforded, he made belittling remarks.

The Cubs of Den 2, Brad, Red Suell, Chips, Midge and Fred Hatfield, the son of their leader, were in no mood to "take" anything from Ross. So they pinned him with hard glares, and Midge muttered: "Quiet, you!"

"I didn't say a word," retorted Ross, pretending innocence. "You were the one who remarked that Dan never hears anything."

Midge would have uttered a sharp retort had not Dan given him a nudge in the ribs. He was willing to overlook the snicker, because he'd made up his mind to have no trouble with Ross.

Fortunately, the Pack meetings came only once a month unless Mr. Hatfield called the gang together for something special.

At the regular weekly gatherings of Den 2, everything went smooth as silk because Ross never attended. However, the Cubs of Den 1 reported that their sessions sometimes were a bit rough as a result of the older boy's desire to boss everyone.

Before Ross could pa.s.s another remark, Mr. Hatfield took the floor.

Signaling for silence, he said:

"Fellows, I have an interesting announcement to make. I don't know how this will strike you, but a sporting goods firm-Fielding & Jones Corp.-has offered a substantial prize to the organization putting on the best play."

"What sort of prize?" demanded Dan quickly.

"A complete archery set. Practice and tournament targets, bows and arrows-everything. All first cla.s.s equipment."

"Sounds okay," nodded Brad. Thirteen years of age, the Den Chief was also a Boy Scout and very dependable for his years.

"How many organizations will compete?" inquired Midge.

"That's hard to guess," the Cub leader replied. "I know several church clubs are entering the contest. Now, I thought if the fellows are interested, we might make it a joint Den 1 and Den 2 project."

"Swell!" approved Chips Davis. "That way, we'll have a bigger field from which to draw acting talent."

"Let's do it!" approved Midge, while the other boys in Den 2 nodded vigorously.

"Suppose we hear from Den 1," said Mr. Hatfield.

With the exception of Ross Langdon, all the other boys were in favor of joining forces to try to win the prize. Ross remained noncommittal, thinking it over.

"Now that it's settled we're to make the play a joint affair, I'm open to suggestions," Mr. Hatfield resumed. "Any bang-up ideas?"

"Let's make it an Indian pow-wow!" proposed Ross. "We've got a lot of costumes already sewed that we can use."

Mr. Hatfield nodded and waited for other suggestions.

"An Indian script would be old stuff," protested Dan. "It's the first idea that pops into one's mind. Probably a dozen other organizations will come up with the same thing."

"Maybe you've got a better idea!" Ross scoffed.

"Well, no, I haven't at the moment," Dan admitted, and then his gaze rested for a moment on the Robin Hood book. "Yes, I have too!" he announced.

"Let's hear it, Dan," invited Mr. Hatfield. "If we're to win first prize, we need the best idea we can get."

"Why not build our play around the adventures of Robin Hood?" Dan proposed. "Remember? He was the famous archer who lived with his men in the green glades of Sherwood Forest near Nottingham Town."

"That was in the time of King Henry the Second, wasn't it?" Brad asked, taking up with the idea. "The forest setting would be dandy, and we could have green costumes!"

"And throw in a little real archery," added Fred. "Wasn't Robin Hood expert at it?"

"The very best," Dan declared, paraphrasing the book he had just been reading. "'No archer ever lived that could speed a gray goose shaft with more skill than he.'"

"Who wants to do Robin Hood?" Ross cut in. "An Indian pow-wow would be more fun."

"Indians are old stuff," Chips Davis said. "Tell us more about Robin Hood, Dan."

"That would take some doing, because it's a long book. I'll tell you how the story begins though. One day Robin Hood came upon a group of foresters who twitted him about his ability as an archer. Robin Hood won a wager with them by shooting a deer. The foresters were jealous and turned upon him. One of the men shot an arrow at Robin Hood, who returned the shot. Unfortunately, he killed the man, and became an outlaw."

"Nothing in that idea," broke in Ross. "I'm in favor of the Indian pow-wow."

"Oh, peddle your feathers somewhere else," cut in another member of Den 1. "Dan's idea sounds good! Tell us some more."

"Robin Hood always befriended the poor people," Dan explained. "The book would provide any number of exciting scenes, including a big archery tournament."

"What characters could we have?" demanded Red Suell.

"The main part would go to Robin Hood. Then we could have the Sheriff of Nottingham, Little John, foresters, the tinker, the king, Eric O'Lincoln, the cook, Allan-a-Dale, the merry friar, and a dozen others."