"We can drive Hepsy and ride in the buckboard," added Julie.

"Hepsy hasn't had much exercise lately, and she's getting too lazy; it will do her good to thin down somewhat," laughingly said Mrs. Vernon.

"Verny, did you ever hear of Bluebeard's Cave, 'way back on this mountain?" asked Julie, glancing slyly at her companions.

"I have, but how did you hear of it?"

"Now you've got to tell her!" exclaimed Betty, while Joan and Ruth tried to hush her.

"What does this mean--what is there to tell, scouts?" asked Mrs. Vernon, seriously.

"Oh, it isn't anything--much. Only a little joke we had on you a long time ago," began Joan, stammeringly.

"Better tell me all about it and end it," advised Mrs. Vernon, not a little surprised, for she wondered if the girls had ever tried to find the cave, which she knew to be dangerous without a grown person or a lantern to guide them.

"Do you remember the day we built the roof on the hut?" asked Julie, giggling.

"Yes, it was the neatest work you ever did--before or since."

"But we didn't do it!" exclaimed Ruth, also giggling.

"You didn't! Then who did!" gasped the Captain, amazed.

The girls laughed merrily. This was just the sort of a surprise they had looked for. They never thought of the danger in the cave that had worried the Captain, so there was no reason why they should not laugh and enjoy the joke.

Mrs. Vernon saw immediately that there was no ground for her fear, so she managed to laugh too. "What is the joke, girls?"

"You had no sooner gone, that day, when a young woodsman came across the plateau. He lives way back on the last crest," began Joan, eagerly, but Julie interpolated with: "In winter he traps fur-bearing animals and sells the pelts. He was out hunting that day. He had a gun in his hands and a loaded revolver in his belt."

"He asked us if we weren't afraid to camp here alone," added Betty.

"And we laughed at him. We told him you were always with us, so we were not alone."

"He then said, we ought to have a big dog to keep away tramps, but we said he was the first stranger we ever saw about. Then we showed him our hut and the roof we had to make. But he laughed."

"Yes, he laughed, because he said we were doing it wrong. Then he leaned the gun against a tree and showed us how to roof the place properly,"

said Ruth.

"He told us always to place a gun with the barrel aiming up or down.

Never to lean it sideways or lay it on the ground. He told us how many hunters are accidentally killed through carelessness in handling their firearms," explained Betty.

"He said he wanted to see you and tell you something, so he waited around, but finally he had to go. We made each other promise not to tell you that day as we wanted you to think we did the fine roof," concluded Julie, laughing merrily.

"Do you know what he wanted to see me for?" asked Mrs. Vernon, finding an entirely different cause for concern, since she heard this story.

"Nothing, I guess, unless he wanted to get orders for a fur coat next winter," said Joan, smiling as if to invite a laugh at her wit.

"Oh, no, Joan. He didn't look like that at all," said Betty, reprovingly.

"I think he wanted to tell Verny where there might be dangerous places in the mountains, 'cause he warned us not to stray away alone at any time; but we don't need him for that, 'cause we don't wander off, like he does," added Julie.

"And he told you about Bluebeard's Cave, eh? What did he say about it?"

"We asked him if there were any wonderful places in this mountain that we could visit some day. He told us of a place known as 'Bluebeard's Cave' that was about twelve miles away, but he said we ought to make a day's trip of it, 'cause it was so fine," explained Joan.

"We'll consider going there some day, but I do wish this young man had waited to talk with me," murmured the Captain.

The days preceding the Fourth, the scouts completed a rustic book-shelf, several original ornaments such as no one could possibly name, and having woven a small gra.s.s rug, they felt that the hut was better than any king's castle.

The morning of the Fourth was cloudless and the scouts were up earlier than usual. It had been decided upon, before going to bed the night before, that the trip to Bluebeard's Cave would be an interesting outing if the party got away in time to have a full day for the outing.

Hepsy was feeling most frisky because she had had so little exercise the past week; two of the girls led her to the buckboard and hitched her securely, while the other two slid the adjustable rear seat into the grooves meant for it along the sides of the vehicle. As they did so, Joan noticed the edge of one groove seemed splintered.

Mrs. Vernon and the scouts had packed the hamper with a good luncheon, and now the Captain placed the basket in front of the three girls who took possession of the back seat. The other scout sat on the front seat beside the driver.

Hepsy jogged along at her own sweet will, and all the chirruping and switching of the reins failed to bring forth one added bit of speed.

"I think Hepsy's awful mean to go so slow! We'll _never_ get there at this rate," complained Ruth.

"And after the royal way we have treated her, too! Why, one'd think the old nag was tired to death!" added Joan.

"I wish we had tied a feed bag to her nose--then she'd show some speed,"

laughed Julie.

"Maybe the climb is too steep for her. I know I wouldn't want to pull five folks and a wagon up this grade," said Betty.

"Oh, pshaw! If Hepsy thinks this is steep what will she do when we come to the last mountain climb," asked Mrs. Vernon, exasperated with urging the horse onwards.

Julie laughed as she said, "She'll let the buckboard run backwards on that hill."

"Serve her right if we pull her over on her haunches and drag her down with us," added Joan.

With such complaints and banter, the scouts reached a steep ascent.

Hepsy brought the party to the foot of the hill and then stopped. All the urging and switching failed to make her move a foot.

"Girls, you'll have to get out and walk up--Hepsy used to play this trick on us long ago, but she has forgotten it during the last few years; or perhaps, she hadn't the occasion to use it until to-day," laughed Mrs.

Vernon.

The scouts joined in the laugh, but jumped out to see if Hepsy would start. The wise old horse turned her head, and finding several of her pa.s.sengers were out of the buckboard, continued on up the grade.

When they came to the level again, the horse would stop long enough to allow the pa.s.sengers to get back on the seat. But they had to jump out again when Hepsy reached the next grade.

This amused the scouts tremendously; they laughed and enjoyed the way the wise old animal balked about pulling them up the hills. But Mrs.

Vernon had an idea.

"Girls, the next grade we come to, you three jump out and wait for Hepsy to start on her way, then instantly climb up on the tailboard and sit there. We'll see if she minds the extra weight, or if she is just whimsical."

So Hepsy halted as usual when she came to the next grade and the scouts did as the Captain suggested. They sat on the back of the buckboard floor, swinging their feet and laughing wildly at the way the horse jogged on up the hill, believing that they were walking.