CHAPTER PAGE I. "THE BAND" AND THE CAVE 1 II. RAVEN PATROL HITS THE TRAIL 20 III. TRACKING THE ROBBERS 37 IV. "DANGER--COME" 53 V. A CAMPFIRE ON BOB'S HILL 67 VI. A FOURTEEN-MILE HIKE 82 VII. "BILL HASN'T COME BACK" 102 VIII. SMOKE SIGNALS ON THE MOUNTAIN 120 IX. FOUND AT LAST 135 X. A MAIDEN IN DISTRESS 146 XI. TREED BY A BEAR 162 XII. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEAR 174 XIII. EAGLE PATROL JOINS THE SCOUTS 191 XIV. PLANNING A CAMPING TRIP 206 XV. SCOUTING IN THE GREAT NORTHWEST 219 XVI. CLOUDBURST ON GREYLOCK 233 XVII. ON THE WAY AT LAST 246 XVIII. SCOUTING THROUGH A WILDERNESS 262 XIX. ON HISTORIC GROUND 278 XX. SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE 295 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE "I HAVE LOST THE CAMP. HELP!" _Frontispiece_ WITH SKINNY LEADING, WE STARTED, DODGING FROM TREE TO TREE 13 "IT GIVES ME PAIN," SHE SAID, "TO INFORM YOU THAT THE WOODBOX IS EMPTY" 206 AS WE RAN, WE HEARD A YELL OF PAIN, OR FRIGHT, AND IT WAS NOT A BEAR'S VOICE AT ALL 261 THE BOY SCOUTS OF BOB'S HILL CHAPTER I "THE BAND" AND THE CAVE BLACKINTON'S barn is exactly at the foot of Bob's Hill. Phillips's is, too, and so is our garden; but I am not telling about those now. Beyond the barns are apple orchards, reaching halfway up the hill, as you know, if you have read about the doings of the Band. When they built Blackinton's barn they cut into the hill, so that the roof of the stable slopes clear down to the ground, on the hill side in the orchard. It makes a fine place for us boys to sit and talk about things. Mrs. Blackinton, who owns the barn, says that maybe climbing around on a roof isn't the best thing in the world for shingles but boys have got to do something and she is willing to take a chance; only to be as careful as we can, and not to eat any more apples than are necessary to our happiness and well being. Anyhow, seven of us Bob's Hill boys sat there one Saturday afternoon in May, planning what to do in the long vacation. Every member of the Band was there, not counting Tom Chapin, except Skinny Miller; and we were expecting him every minute.