"This looks like a wild goose chase," said Fred. He had stepped into a deep hole and covered one foot with mud, which put him in anything but an agreeable frame of mind.
"This is the spot where Dan Marcy came from," said Joe. "Let us walk up the creek a bit further."
"Hullo, what's this?" cried Bart, a second later. "A paint pot, I declare, and with a little fresh paint in it. How did that get here?"
"We must be on the right track!" shouted Joe.
"How do you make that out, Joe?"
"Don't you see? If the Sprite is here Marcy must be painting her over and giving her a new name."
"That's so!" ejaculated Fred. "That's just the color a fellow might use in painting a sloop."
They hurried on, and presently came to a sharp turn where the bushes were thicker than ever.
"You can't get through there," declared Bart.
"If I can't I'm going to swim up the creek," came from Joe. "I am positive we are on the right trail."