Sure enough, a faint cry was breaking the vast stillness. It was repeated again and again, and then came the sound of a rifle shot.
“It’s our party!” cried Joe happily. “They’ve heard us.”
“Come,” said Bob, setting off at a rapid pace. “Let’s hurry.”
Five minutes later the chums broke through the foliage and faced none other than Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton.
“Boys!” cried Bob’s father, his joy beyond words. “We’ve found you at last!”
Mr. Lewis was equally affected.
“We were afraid something happened to you,” he said, patting them affectionately. “We didn’t see how you could possibly go through this forest unharmed. Especially with all the strange things here.”
“Just what do you mean by that?” demanded Bob, wondering if the naturalists had also seen or heard unexplainable phenomena.
“What I said,” returned Mr. Lewis, his face grave. “Howard and I heard all kinds of mysterious noises from the depths of the forest. We haven’t any idea what they were. And there’s something else that we haven’t been able to explain.”
“What was that?” inquired Joe, thoroughly interested.