“Well,” said the hermit, bitterly, “since I have told you part of my secret, and trusted you with it, I suppose your assistants must be in on it. But no more! No more!” and he shook his fist toward the clouds, and glanced around as though he feared more intruders. “There were some other boys around the other day,” the aged man went on, “and if I find them sneaking about my mill it will be the worse for them.” “Say, we did get away just in time,” whispered Jack. “That’s right,” agreed Dick. “But what in the world does Skeel mean by saying he is going to help Wallace, and that Sam and Nick are his assistants, I wonder?” asked Bert. “That’s easy to guess,” answered Tom. “Skeel, somehow or other, has heard about the treasure. Now he’s trying to soft-soap the hermit into letting him have a hunt for it. Probably he’s promised to turn most of it over to the old man.” “I think I see him doing it, if he finds it,” commented Bert. “And Skeel has the nerve to say that Sam and Nick are his helpers,” said Jack. “Hot helpers they are!” “Oh, that was just a bit of jollying, thought up on the spur of the moment,” declared Tom. “He didn’t figure on Sam and Nick following him, and he had to concoct some story to account for their presence. Though I don’t doubt but what Skeel, and those two cronies, are in thick about some scheme.” “Searching for the treasure?” asked Dick. “I believe so. Well, they’ve got one advantage of us, but maybe we can get ahead of them yet,” spoke Tom. “If only we can get a chance to do some exploring we’ll do it. But we can’t do anything more now.” “No, let’s go down to the boat and eat,” suggested Jack. “I’m still hungry.” “Wait a minute,” advised Tom. “I think they’re going to move on, and we don’t want to run into them.” As they watched they saw Sam and Nick turn and retrace their steps back along the path. They had held a little conversation with Mr. Skeel, to one side, so that the hermit had not heard, though he eyed them suspiciously. Then Mr. Skeel and the old man resumed their talk. “Lucky that Sam and Nick didn’t come this way,” said Tom, as he helped Jack to stand up. “Now don’t make any more noise than you can help, or they may hear us.” “They’ll hear the boat when it starts,” said Dick. “I’ll drift down the river a bit before I crank up,” spoke Tom. “Come on, everybody.” They started down the bank, toward their boat, having come to a halt a little distance from it. Suddenly Dick, who was in the rear, uttered an exclamation. “What is it?” called Tom sharply. “They’re going away--Skeel and the hermit, and one of them has dropped a piece of paper on the path.” “A piece of paper!” exclaimed Tom. “We must have that! Here, wait a minute! If they don’t miss it, and come back for it, I’ll get it.” He crawled cautiously back to his former post of observation behind the screen of bushes. CHAPTER XII THE PIECE OF PAPER