“I wonder if it was Hanleigh!”
“We’ll mighty soon find out.”
They brought the boat inshore and took in the sails. Then they scrambled out, made their way up over the rocks, and examined the footprints. They did not lead up toward the cabin, but instead they led along the shore around the bend.
“Follow him!” said Chet.
“Not yet,” Frank advised. “I think we’d better go up to the cabin first and find out what Joe knows about it. Perhaps he recognized the fellow and saw where he went.”
They ploughed through the snow up to the top of the slope. They found Joe awaiting them in the door of the cabin.
“Did you see him?” shouted Frank.
“Just caught a glimpse of him,” returned Joe, as the boys came running up to him. “I happened to look out the window and caught sight of somebody down among the rocks.”
“Who was he?”
“I don’t know. His back was turned to me, and he was crouching over. He was looking for that notebook, all right. I waited for a while, but I still couldn’t get a good look at him, so I went and got the rifle. By the time I got back to the window he was gone.”