“Oh—stuff! I don’t see any big split hemlock.”
“You’re looking at it, stupid! I’m sitting on the butt of it, and right there is the rock, I think.”
At first inclined to scoff, both lads now saw Phil’s side of it at once. Dave looked about again.
“It’s a thick place here,” he ventured. “You were lucky to stumble on it this way, Phil.”
“Didn’t stumble on it. I was particular about keeping my compass right. When I got where I thought I might have gone half a mile or so I began to look round a bit. I couldn’t see any big split hemlock, but I did manage to find this big rock. After that it was easy to find the tree, even though it had been blown down.”
After some further talk it was agreed that the first step would be to return to the car. Then they would decide upon what to do next.
“I think we should visit that old tavern while we are here,” remarked Paul. “No knowing what we might find there. If there’s an old shovel or anything, we might come back and dig under that rock for a starter.”
Phil and Dave also had their theories as to what should next be in order, but nothing conclusive was determined on. Meanwhile the three, threading the trail Phil had first followed and which Dave and Paul had made more distinct, they finally reached the clump of shade trees where they had left Billy on guard over the Big Six.
But in the place of the glistening car with Billy Worth still on guard there was only a vacant place. No glimpse of either was anywhere to be seen.
“Look here—on the ground,” exclaimed Paul, pointing here and there. “Somebody else has been here! Looks as if there had been a scuffle!”