“Look—the road lies before us for a mile. Where is he?”
“Not in sight, that is sure.”
“He must have turned off somewhere,” said Rattleton.
“That is true, but we have seen no road that turned off from this.”
“Perhaps he saw us and turned aside to avoid us.”
“Or it may have been Bill Higgins, the sheriff, and he is lying in wait to arrest us all,” suggested Browning.
“It was not Higgins,” assured Merriwell. “It was a young man, I am sure, although I obtained but a glimpse of him through the trees. We have passed no house since then.”
“Never mind him,” said Harry. “We must find a place to stop for the night.”
“I wish we might learn what has happened to Hodge before we stop. I don’t believe Higgins recaptured him.”
“It’s ten chances to one we’ll never hear anything more about him while we are in California.”