Page:Fairview Boys at Camp.djvu/126

122 ton and the others reached the old house, and prepared to enter.

"Of course—why not?" inquired the young man, with a smile.

"Well, I was thinking that the counterfeiters"

Mr. Houghton laughed.

"I'll explain all that," he said.

The place of the secret room was soon reached. It was just as when Sammy and his chums had rushed away from it after the explosion that had so frightened them. The sliding door was still wedged back with the piece of shutter.

Mr. Houghton went over to the table on which was piled the strange apparatus. He moved some of the wires and springs.

"Look out!" cried Sammy. "You may get shot!"

"No danger!" laughed the young man. "I fancy you boys set off the flashlight, and there isn't another."

"Flashlight!" cried Sammy.

"Yes, that was what made the smoke and explosion," said Mr. Houghton. "You touched the spring that worked the electric battery, and the current set off some flashlight powder in a box. It did make quite an explosion, I fancy."

"But what was flashlight powder doing up here?" asked Mr. Jessup.

"I was trying to get some night photographs of bats," explained Mr. Houghton. "You see all this apparatus is just some photographic cameras, set to work automatically. I fancy I have the pictures of you boys on the plate, instead of the bats," and he smiled at the three chums.

"Photographs!" cried Sammy.

"Cameras!" exclaimed Bob.

"Aren't these things telescopes?" asked Frank.