“But it’s cold,” spoke Bert, “and you need hot water, and soap, to get the grease off.” “Oh, we’re not as particular as all that,” declared Dick. Lanterns were lighted as the dusk settled down, and then the lads gathered in the main, or sleeping tent, around some boxes that had been arranged in the form of a table. On it the paper Tom had found was spread out. “Well, what do you make of it now?” asked Bert, when he and the others had stared at the document for some time. “It’s a plan--a plan of the old mill,” declared Tom. “That much is certain. See, here is the ground floor, with the main wagon entrance. Then comes the second floor where we were, with the machinery, mill-stones and the like. Then the third floor is shown, where there were living rooms, evidently. That must be where the old hermit hangs out when he’s home.” “That part is all true enough,” said Bert, “but I don’t see where the location of treasure is marked on here.” “Of course not!” exclaimed Tom. “If it was you can wager Skeel or the hermit would have had it long ago.” “Then what good is the paper?” asked Dick. “Well, don’t know yet,” Tom admitted frankly. “But I think it’s going to come in useful.” And he little knew what a service that same piece of paper was shortly to render him and his companions. “I think it’s a sell,” declared Jack decidedly. “I don’t,” fired back Tom quickly. “I tell you what I do think, though. I think that this is only the beginning of a search Skeel and the hermit have started for the hidden hoard. This is an old plan of the mill, evidently a copy of the original, for you can see that some of the words are spelled in the old-fashioned way, with ‘f’ for ‘s.’ And the distances, too, instead of being in feet and inches are in chains and links which, though they are still used by surveyors, are not in such general use as they were in the old days.” “Then you think that the old hermit somewhere found an original of the old plans, and had a copy made?” asked Dick. “I do, yes. And I think somehow our friend Skeel got in touch with him, and secured one of the copies to work on.” “But I can’t see the good of just a plan,” spoke Dick. “I can only surmise, of course,” went on Tom, “but it seems to me that what Skeel intends to do is this: He will look at the plan, and from his knowledge of mathematics he’ll try to figure out the most likely place for a secret chamber, where treasure would be apt to be put. That would be more logical than digging here and there at random in the walls, with the risk of bringing them down.” “That’s so!” exclaimed Jack. “But what if the stuff was buried somewhere outside the mill, Tom?”