picked out, Peewee," said George. "There's no accounting for the
tastes of some people. Now, I never should have selected that
place."

"You can believe me, I'll never select it again," answered Fred,
so soberly that his friends all laughed. "Once is enough and
forever. I didn't believe there could be such a place in the
whole of New York State."

"Well, you know now there is," said John, "and so do the rest of
us. We don't stop again without knowing something of the hotel in
which we are to stay."

"Where shall we stay to-night, fellows?" inquired Fred. "We ought
to get to Syracuse early this afternoon and we can go right on to
Oswego if you want to or we can stay there until to-morrow
morning and start then."

"Wait and see what time it is when we strike Syracuse," said
Grant. "Probably the gasoline you bought back there at Rome won't
last until we get there."

"I have got enough gasoline to take us to the St. Lawrence
River," declared Fred. "I'm not going to be caught again as I was
this morning."

Meanwhile the Black Growler was noisily speeding on her way. To
three of the boys the country through which they were moving was
all new and therefore abounded in interest. Prosperous villages
and fertile farms were passed. As the sun climbed higher into the