Dick was working most carefully round his half of the circle, when the cry of the peewit rang out from the other side. Away shot Dick, quickly and quietly, and, as he ran, the call was repeated, and this guided him straight to the spot where Chippy was kneeling beside the mouth of a rabbit burrow. The rabbits had been at work making the burrow larger, and a trail of newly thrown out earth stretched three or four feet from the hole.
'Have you got the track?' breathed Dick eagerly.
'I've got summat,' replied Chippy; 'it looks pretty rum, too!'
Dick dropped beside his companion, and saw that a foot had been set fair and square in the trail of earth. But there was no sign of a nail to be seen; the track of the foot was smooth and flat, and outlined all the way from heel to toe.
'That's not a boot-mark,' said Dick.
'No, it ain't,' murmured Chippy. 'If you ask me, I should say it wor' stockin' feet.'
'But what should he pull his boots off for?' said Dick, knitting his brows. 'This is an awfully strange affair, Chippy.'
'Ain't it?' said the latter, his eyes glittering with all the excitement of the chase, and the pleasure of having found this queer mark. 'As far as I can mek' out, he wanted to step as soft as he could tread.'
'But why—why, in the middle of the heath, here?' went on Dick.
'I dunno yet,' said Chippy; 'let's get on a bit, an' see if we pick up summat else.'