When he had snapped off several views he declared himself satisfied.

“In the morning, if the weather holds good,” he remarked as he gave them the “high sign” that he was through, and that they need not pose any longer, “I mean to pick up a couple of views from the other side.  The morning sun will allow me to do that, you understand.  And now, Monkey, where did you climb inside?”

They were soon able to gain the interior after the same manner in which the pilot of the exploring expedition had accomplished it.  Monkey’s sharp eyes had discovered a small opening that might be called a slit in the solid wall, after the fashion of those to be seen in the dwellings of Moors and Arabs and Turks.  It was easy enough for each boy in turn to squeeze himself through that slender gap, though once there arose a serious doubt in Billy’s mind as to whether he would not stick fast, and have to be pushed through with a rammer, much to his bodily discomfort.

Two fellows behind assisted his progress, while the others in advance gave him a helping hand, so that finally Billy gained his end, though he could long afterwards be seen ruefully rubbing his elbows and hips as though they had been scraped in the passage.

After that they left their packs in one of the lower apartments, while they roamed all through the wonderful interior.  Apparently money had not been spared in the erection of an imitation castle, though Hugh found, in some places where what was supposed to be solid rock, proved to be only wood, skillfully painted to resemble the more lasting material.

“Whew! it has about forty rooms all told, I should say,” observed the steaming Billy after they had wearied of wandering about the strange place, and came back to the apartment where their blankets and packs had been deposited.

“Wonder how Aunt Susan will like the blooming old shack?” Alec was heard to say as though some doubt had already commenced to enter his mind.

“You, said, she wanted it quiet, you know, Alec,” observed Hugh.  “I defy any one to find a place that fills that bill better than this one.  Why, not even the peep of a bird can be heard; it’s just a brooding silence that would get on the nerves of most people and make them shout out loud.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way while we’re up here,” said Billy, and then noticing that some of the other fellows were smiling broadly he hastened to add:  “Oh! it isn’t that I really expect anything like a ghost to walk when it comes midnight, you understand, but I don’t always sleep as sound as I would like, and I hate to have anything screechy wake me up.  So, Monkey, please keep that goose-call of yours in your pocket the rest of the time.”

“Perhaps, we had better get ourselves comfortably fixed before night finds us,” suggested Hugh.  “We can make a blaze in that fireplace and cook supper here as nice as any one would want.  It’s going to turn out a novel experience for the lot of us.”