The Rival Campers Ashore

Or, THE MYSTERY OF THE MILL

By Ruel Perley Smith

Author of "The Rival Campers Series," "Prisoners of Fortune," etc.

ILLUSTRATED BY

LOUIS D. GOWING

BOSTON

THE PAGE COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1907

By the Page Company

Entered at Stationers' Hall, London

All rights reserved

Made in U. S. A.

New Edition, May, 1925

THE COLONIAL PRESS

C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.

"HE HANDED THE PACKAGE TO COLONEL WITHAM."

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. An Inland Voyage
CHAPTER II. Turned Adrift
CHAPTER III. The Old Mill
CHAPTER IV. The Trout Pool
CHAPTER V. Some Causes of Trouble
CHAPTER VI. Capturing an Indian
CHAPTER VII. A Long Race Begun
CHAPTER VIII. Conquering the Rapids
CHAPTER IX. An Exciting Finish
CHAPTER X. Henry Burns Makes a Gift
CHAPTER XI. Col. Witham Gets the Mill
CHAPTER XII. The Golden Coin
CHAPTER XIII. A Sailing Adventure
CHAPTER XIV. The Fortune-teller
CHAPTER XV. A Hunt Through the Mill
CHAPTER XVI. The Golden Coin Lost Again
CHAPTER XVII. A Strange Admission
CHAPTER XVIII. Granny Thornton's Secret
CHAPTER XIX. The Mystery of the Mill

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"He handed the package to Colonel Witham"

"At the sound of the man's voice, Henry Burns and Jack Harvey had sprung up in amazement"

"The watchers ashore saw the canoe slowly turn and face the swift current"

"He separated the line into two coils, whirled one about his head and threw it far out"

THE RIVAL CAMPERS ASHORE

CHAPTER I

AN INLAND VOYAGE

The morning train from Benton, rumbling and puffing along its way through outlying farmland, and sending its billows of smoke like sea rollers across the pastures, drew up, ten miles from the city, at a little station that overlooked a pond, lying clear and sparkling at the base of some low, wooded hills. An old-fashioned, weather-beaten house, adjacent the station, and displaying a sign-board bearing the one word, "Spencer's," indicated that Spencer, whoever he might prove to be, would probably extend the hospitality of his place to travellers. Here and there, widely scattered across the fields, were a few farmhouses.

The locomotive, having announced its approach by a mingled clanging and whistling that sent startled cattle galloping for the shelter of the thickets, came to a dead stop at the station; but, as though to show its realization of the insignificance of Spencer's, continued to snort and throb impatiently. Certain important-appearing trainmen, with sleeves rolled to the elbows, hastily throwing open the door of the baggage-car, seemed to take the hint.

Presently a trunk, turning a summersault through the air, landed, somewhat damaged, on the platform. A few boxes and packages followed likewise, similarly ejected. Then, through the open doorway, there appeared the shapely, graceful bow of a canoe. Whatever treatment this might have received, left to the tender mercies of the trainmen, can only be imagined; for at this moment two youths, who had descended