Bart was dismayed. He reflected for a moment, and then followed the road ahead for about a hundred feet.
It turned through some slate heaps, lined the side of a deep excavation, and came to an abrupt end where some boards, placed crosswise, barred the sheer descent.
Just such a valley spread out beyond the barrier as on the other edge of the hill whence Bart had seen the man he believed to be Lem Wacker.
Here, however, the landscape was barren in the extreme. There was not a house visible.
Bart was in a dilemma, but he decided how he would act. He first ran back to the spot whence he had last viewed the break in the woods.
A glance stirred him up to prompt and decisive action.
Three men were now in view. They were running at their top bent of speed up the road he had taken.
"Lem Wacker and the Tollivers, sure!" murmured Bart. "They know the wagon is up here somewhere, and they will be here in less than half an hour."
Bart's one idea now was to locate some pit or cranny where he could stow the trunk where it could not be readily found.
This done, he would start on foot in the direction of Clyde Station to get assistance and return before his enemies discovered it.