The boys followed their father to where some eight or nine men were sitting down at a short distance from the sleepers, and these the boys made out, by the glow from their pipes, to consist of Herries and Farquhar, the two Jamiesons, Mr. Percy, and the four Gauchos.
"This is a terribly bad business," Mr. Hardy began, when he and his sons had taken their seats on the ground. "I expected it, but it is a heavy blow nevertheless."
"Why, what is the matter, papa?" the boys exclaimed anxiously.
"Have we lost anything?"
"Yes, boys," Mr. Hardy said; "we have lost what is at this moment the most important thing in the world—we have lost the trail."
Charley and Hubert uttered a simultaneous exclamation of dismay as the truth flashed across their minds. "The trail was lost!" They had never thought of this. In the excitement of the fire, it had never once occurred to them that the flames were wiping out every trace of the Indian track.
Mr. Hardy then went on, addressing himself to the others: "Of course this fire was lit with the especial intent of throwing us off the scent. Have you any idea how far it is likely to have come?" he asked the Gauchos. "That is, are you aware of the existence of any wide stream or damp ground which would have checked it, and which must therefore be the furthest boundary of the fire?"
The Gauchos were silent a minute; then Perez said, "The next stream is fifteen miles further; but it is small, and would not stop the fire going with the wind. Beyond that there is no certain stream, as far as I know of."
"The ground rises, and the grass gets thinner and poorer thirty miles or so on. I should say that they would light it this side of that," Martinez said. The other Gauchos nodded assent.
"We took the bearings of the track by our compass," Farquhar said. "Could we not follow it on by compass across the burned ground, and hit it upon the other side?"
Mr. Percy and Mr. Hardy both shook their heads. "I do not pretend to say where the trail is gone," the former said, "but the one place where I am quite sure it is not, is on the continuation of the present line."