And the scout master laughed softly to himself as he muttered:
"I fancy Charles is about to have a little surprise, now that Elmer has found a trail to follow. Because, as a true believer in ghosts, he must realize that anything that leaves traces behind can hardly claim supernatural qualities."
Twenty minutes afterwards, shortly before breakfast was ready, the two boys came back again. Chatz was smiling in a queer way, but Elmer looked like a sphinx.
The latter, obeying a beckoning finger, hurried over to join Mr. Garrabrant.
"Unless my eyes deceive me, Elmer," remarked the gentleman, with a quizzical expression on his handsome face, "you've been up to your old tricks again, and finding out things. How is it, do you plead guilty to the charge?"
"I guess I'll just have to, sir," replied the boy, also smiling now.
"Then you found a trail, did you?"
"Yes, sir," Elmer went on, "a positive one; though the ground was that hard a greenhorn could never have seen it. And while Chatz kept at my side I don't think he dreamed what I was doing as we went along. Then, about a hundred yards away I heard that same queer 'woof' he spoke of."
"It didn't give you a shock, I warrant, Elmer?" remarked the scout master.
"Well, you see, sir, I've had too much to do with cattle not to recognize the snort of a startled cow! And that was what we saw just ahead of us. She had been lying down, chewing her cud, and our coming had caused her to get on her feet."