"Let's elect Ross the Sheriff of Nottingham," chuckled Chips, in jest.

"Like fun!" Ross retorted. "Just bring on your target and I'll show you I can hit the gold band every time."

Eager to try their skill, the Cubs lined up ready to take instruction from Mr. Holloway. With the exception of Ross, Dan and Midge, the other boys had never tried archery.

"The first thing we learn is how to face the target," the Den Dad instructed. "Look straight ahead and extend your left arm out to the side. Heels together. Relax!"

"Kindergarten stuff," muttered Ross impatiently.

Ignoring the boy, Mr. Holloway explained the fundamentals of the sport.

He told the boys to draw the string with their first three fingers of the right hand, avoiding the use of thumb or little finger.

"When you have the arrow on the string, sight over the arrow point," he advised. "Don't look up until you hear the arrow hit the target. If you do, you will miss."

Midge took his turn first. He drew the string back to his chin, closed his left eye and let the arrow fly. Ping!

It struck the target but on the lower rim. After his father had told him how to correct his aim, Chips took the bow. On the first shot he hit his left arm with the bowstring, receiving a painful bruise.

"Remember your fundamentals and that won't occur," Mr. Holloway said.

"Elbow bent, wrist straight, shoulder low, index finger under the jawbone and the string to the center of the chin."

Dan's turn came next. His form was excellent despite lack of practice.

Two of his arrows went in the gold and the other four in a group in the next ring.

"Not bad, Dan!" Mr. Holloway approved. "Let's see you beat that, Ross."

Ross confidently took his place in front of the target. With easy grace he sent an arrow winging on its way. It struck the bull's-eye, causing the Cubs to cheer l.u.s.tily.

"See, didn't I tell you?" Ross demanded.

He shot two more arrows. Both missed the target completely.

"I'm a little out of practice," Ross muttered. Instead of shooting the remainder of his arrows, he handed the bow to a Cubmate from Den 1.

For nearly an hour the boys practiced, some acquiring the art readily and others finding it difficult to catch on to the trick of relaxing.

"We'll definitely a.s.sign parts next time," Mr. Hatfield told the boys.

"Off hand, I think Fred will make a good Friar Tuck and Brad could act the part of Little John."

"Do I get to be Robin Hood?" Ross demanded.

"That will be decided later," the Cub leader replied, a trifle annoyed that the Den 1 boy should make such an issue of the role. "We'll need a good actor for the part."

While some of the Cubs remained to practice archery and pose for camera shots, Dan, Brad, Midge and Ross set off to explore the castle.

Long shadows extended from the forest to give the castle a shadowy, eerie appearance.

"Gosh, the place does have a spooky look," Brad remarked, pulling at the vines which half-covered one of the lower windows.

"Let's climb in," proposed Ross, gaining a foothold on one of the stone blocks.

"I don't think we should-" Dan began, but Ross cut him short.

"Oh, the place is wide open. Why shouldn't we go in?"

Reaching his hand through the broken window pane, he unlatched the catch.

The leaded window swung back on creaking hinges.

Ross climbed in and helped the others through.

The Cubs found themselves in the central living room. One wall had been paneled but the others never had been finished. The main point of interest was a huge fireplace ornamented with imported tiles in an old English hunting scene design.

Crossing to the hearth, Dan gazed curiously up the deep chimney.

"Filled with old bird's nests," he reported.

Dan ran a stick part way up the chimney, knocking down some of the debris.

"Hey! Quit it," Ross commanded. "You're stirring up an awful dust."

Dan's stick had lodged between two loose bricks.

To free it, he reached up and moved the bricks slightly. Much to his astonishment, one of them pulled out.

"This old chimney is falling apart," he said. "Either that or-"

"Or what?" Brad demanded.

Rather excited, Dan thrust his arm far up the chimney and groped about.

"Find anything?" Brad demanded eagerly.

"I'm not sure," Dan murmured, as his fingers continued to explore. "Yes, I think that brick was set loose on purpose. Sure as shooting, I can feel a deep niche in the chimney-a hiding place!"

CHAPTER 3 Robin Hood's Strong Box

Excited by Dan's discovery, the other three boys cl.u.s.tered about him.

"Let me look up that chimney," Ross said. In his eagerness to see, he rather rudely shoved Dan aside.

The Den 1 boy thrust his arm far up the dirty flue, groping about in the niche.

"Nothing here," he reported in disgust. "Not a thing."