Tad did not understand Lilly's reason for wanting to do this, but he supposed the guide knew best. Lilly did. He leaped back suddenly, giving a vicious kick with his heavy boot, then jumping on some object with both feet.
"Look out! There may be more of them!"
"What is it?" cried Tad.
"A moccasin! The hound. Don't you see what he has done? He's made a snake-trap here. This bucket standing in the middle of the shack is sure to be tripped over by anyone who didn't know the trick. That would mean trouble for the kicker."
"I saw that bucket. I presume I should have at least pushed it to one side," answered Tad in an awed voice.
"That's the kind of a critter we have trailed down."
"It strikes me we haven't trailed him down. Perhaps he discovered us and has gotten away."
"I don't know about that. I'll let you take a look outside in a minute. The dishes are cold, but that doesn't mean much—he may not have cooked anything."
"The remains of his fire are cold, too," answered Tad. "I felt them when we came in."
"You are a wise head," nodded the guide. "You go out and see what you can pick up on the outside, but watch out for yourself," warned Billy. "There are some things I want to look at in here. Take your time. Don't get far away, that's all."