“Why?”
“Because if the stranger had a good reason to want us to move, and knowing that we’re Boy Scouts and capable of following a trail, he wouldn’t be so stupid as to leave a trail for us to follow.”
“Yes,” agreed Wallace, “that’s very logical. But what else can we do?”
“Nothing yet. For the present let’s see if we can follow the trail.”
For about a quarter of a mile they had no difficulty in following the trail. Soon they came to a rocky ledge and the trail disappeared. The boys therefore decided to separate and examine the ground within a radius of a hundred yards. Jack was busily engaged looking for signs of a trail when he heard a sharp whistle and he knew that Wallace was calling him. Again the whistle broke the silence of the mountain and he determined the approximate spot where it was coming from. He found Wallace sitting on a rock and waiting for him. A short distance away were some footprints that Wallace had come upon. They followed the trail for about a hundred yards when Jack called a halt. He got on his knees and examined the footprint very carefully. Nodding his head satisfactorily, he said, “I’m pretty sure it’s the same footprint all right. Notice, however, the direction the trail seems to follow.”
Both boys took out their compasses. “The trail seems to be leading to our old camp site,” averred Wallace.
“Correct,” pronounced Jack. “Therefore we’re going to disregard it.”
“What should be our next move then?” inquired Wallace.
“The cave,” replied Jack. “We ought to try and locate the cave.”
They returned to the ledge and sat down to determine their position. For that purpose they drew a map. A small circle indicated their camp site; a wavering line, running northwest, and another circle indicated their old camp site. Then they put in the path they had followed and approximately their position. “Now,” said Jack, “according to your best knowledge, about where do you think the cave should be situated?”