"'Course it is. Here's the big birch tree and you can see where the bushes are trampled down. Oh, if we'd only taken those caps with us! But come on, we mustn't stand here doing nothing. We've got to get those wheels back, and let's hurry out to the road and see if we can see anything of them."
As they hurried along, Bob continued, "If King or Reed spotted us I guess it's all up, but it may be that some country lout saw us leave 'em there and has swiped 'em. If that's the case, we may get 'em back."
"We'll do our best anyhow," panted Jack, as they raced along.
They soon reached the main road, and quickly looked both ways, but nothing of the wheels was to be seen.
For a moment the two boys looked at each other in helpless despair, then Jack, casting his eyes on the ground, said:
"Here, quick, Bob, see here's their tracks."
Sure enough, in the dusty road the tracks of two wheels, leading in the direction from which they had come, were plainly visible.
"See, here's our tracks on this side of the road and there's the others," and a second later he added, "There's only one fellow; see where he walked between 'em."
"Right you are, Sherlock," shouted Bob, "come on now, on the run."
They set off at a rapid pace, their hopes away up. They ran nearly two miles, both being in good training, before they saw any one, then as they rounded a turn, they saw the object of their pursuit, walking rapidly about two hundred yards ahead of them, between the two wheels.