“Look here, you chaps,” called Garry, as he gazed at the little roll of bark, which he had not yet picked up. The boys crowded around and looked at him in amazement.
“Without making any rash bets,” announced Garry, “I’ll wager my best rifle against a plugged nickel, that one of our friends has been in this vicinity within the past few hours. Cast your eyes on that roll of bark, and tell me if you dare that we won’t find a funny cryptic little message in it!”
“The Hermit!” burst out Dick and Phil almost in one breath.
“That’s my guess. Now we’ll see if we are right,” and Garry stooped and picked up the little roll from its resting place beneath the stone. “It’s the Hermit, and it’s just the kind of a note I expected to find. Listen to this. ‘Unseen watchers often give the best aid. When you need me most, I’ll be with you.’ And it’s signed with his old mark, the lone pine with the crossmarked boulder,” said Garry as he had finished reading.
“Well, if that doesn’t beat anything I ever heard of,” said Dick. “How in the name of all that’s wonderful did he ever find us in this part of the country?”
“I think I can answer that,” interrupted Phil. “He must have run across Nate Webster and asked about us. It is likely that Nate told him where we were going, and since he knew that we were good friends, might have given him an inkling of the business that we were here on. The thing that puzzles me is why he should not have waited and seen us, or even waked us up to say howdy.”
“Well, you know what a queer old codger he was, and this latest stunt is typical of him. Much as I would like to see him, I confess I would have been a little bit disappointed if he had not done something out of the ordinary,” replied Garry.
“Wonder where he went after he left the note?” queried Dick.
“Oh, he’s probably somewhere out in the woods, you know life in the open woods is nothing to him, after all the years that he must have lived in them. The main question now, since we can do nothing about our friend the Hermit, as he will come in his own good time, is to see what has happened to Sandy. I cannot understand his going away. He may have chased up some animal, and if so he will be back. But it is unusual for him ever to stir away from where we are sleeping until he knows that we are up and about.”
Throughout the morning they searched every nook and corner of the camp, going almost to the edge of the cutting operations, asking all the workers they met whether or not the dog had been seen. Their search was of no avail. The day dragged on, still no Sandy, and each passing hour made the chums more downcast.