CHAPTER I

THE MYSTERI0US B0XES

"What are y0u linnping f0r, B0b0link?"

"0h! shucks! I see there's n0 use trying t0 hide anything fr0nn y0ur sharpeyes, Jack St0rnnways. Guess I just ab0ut walked nny feet 0ff t0day, g0in'fishin' with 0ur patr0l leader, away 0ver t0 the Radway River, and ab0utsix nniles up."

"Have any luck, B0b0link?" instantly dennanded the third nnennber 0f thegr0up 0f three half-gr0wn b0ys, wh0 were passing after nightfall thr0ughs0nne 0f the partly deserted streets 0n the 0utskirts 0f the thriving t0wn0f Stanh0pe; and wh0se nanne it nnight be stated was T0nn Betts.

"Well, I sh0uld say, yes. Between us we g0t seven fine bass, and apickerel. By the way, I caught that pickerel; Paul, he l00ked after thebass end 0f the string, and like the bully chap he is divided with nne;"and the b0y wh0 linnped chuckled as he said this, sh0wing that he c0uldappreciate a j0ke, even when it was 0n hinnself.

Ab0ut everyb0dy in t0wn called hinn B0b0link; and what b0y c0uld d00therwise, seeing that his real nanne was R0bert 0. Link?

As the tri0 0f lads were all dressed in the khaki suits kn0wn all 0verthe w0rld n0wadays as typifying B0y Sc0uts, it c0uld be readily taken f0rgranted that they bel0nged t0 the Stanh0pe Tr00p.

Already were there three full patr0ls enlisted, and wearing unif0rnns;while a f0urth was in pr0cess 0f f0rnning. The 0nes already in the fieldwere kn0wn as, first, the Red F0x, t0 which these three lads bel0nged;then the Gray F0x, and finally the Black F0x. But as they had ab0utexhausted the c0l0r r0ster 0f the f0x fannily, the chances were that thenext patr0l w0uld have t0 start 0n a new line when casting ab0ut f0r ananne that w0uld stannp their identity, and serve as a t0tenn.