“Oh! there might be several explanations,” replied the other with a reassuring smile.  “First of all, these fellows may be a couple of curious countrymen wanting to take a look around while the sun is still up, being afraid to come here after night sets in.”

“Yes, go on, Hugh; what next?”

“Then it might be they are men who have heard about the deserted castle, and wonder if they could pick up anything worth carrying off if they forced an entrance.  But there’s still another answer to your question, Alec.”

“I can guess what you mean, Hugh.  My aunt, it may be, isn’t the only person with money to burn who’s taken a notion to buy Randall’s Folly.  Is that what you’ve got on the tip of your tongue, Hugh?”

“Just what I meant to say,” he was told.  “But no matter, if we find there’s a rival in the field, perhaps we might scare him off in some way.  That wouldn’t be such a hard thing to do, when you’ve got a haunted house to work with.”

“Oh! with my trick of throwing my voice, Hugh,” spoke up Monkey Stallings, “I bet you I could play the ghost racket to beat the band.  Just give me a try-out and see what I can do, Hugh.”

“Well, first of all,” remarked the scout master, “we had better climb over the break in the wall here, and find the trail of these two unknown men.  After all it may turn out they are simple country jakes wanting to take a peep at the mansion they’ve heard so many queer stories about.”

Accordingly the five scouts hastened to clamber across the gap, a feat requiring little dexterity; though clumsy Billy had to catch his toe among the stones, and come near pitching headlong down, were it not for Hugh quickly throwing out his ready arm.

It required little effort to find the tracks beyond the mass of fallen stones; a mere tyro of a scout could have succeeded in following such a plain trail, and at that hardly half test his ability along that line.

Bending partly over, the boys kept diligently at work pursuing the zigzag line of footprints.  Evidently the men had picked out the easiest way to advance.  They must have either known where they were going, or else followed a former path that was not overgrown, and partly concealed with rank vegetation.

“Look! there’s a glimpse of the castle!” whispered Alec, suddenly.

Through the openings in the copse beyond they could see the gray walls rising up ahead.  It was an impressive spectacle.  The westering sun shone on the tower that had been made to look like some old-time type English masonry, famous in history, with its portcullis, drawbridge, and surrounding watery ditch known as a “moat.”

After silently inspecting the side of the old building thus presented to their gaze for a minute or so, the boys began to show their former restlessness.

“The trail keeps right on, Hugh!” whispered Alec, which was as much as saying that he could see no reason for further delay.