“Can’t say I noticed them, why?”
“Nothing only they looked as though they might have made that track in the sand we found yesterday.”
“But what do you suppose he’s doing away off here?”
“Ask me something easy. But unless he was bluffing we’re likely to find out unless we keep our eyes open.”
If the going had been bad so far it was worse now. The mountain was heavily wooded nearly to the top and there was a good deal of underbrush through which at times they had to literally push their way. Then, in places, it was very steep and they were obliged to pull themselves up by grabbing hold of branches. They had pushed on in this way for a half hour when Bob, who was slightly in the lead, stopped and held up his hand.
“Listen,” he whispered.
“I don’t hear anything,” Jack said after a moment’s pause.
“Perhaps I was mistaken but I was sure I heard a bush crack off there to the right.”
“A deer maybe,” Jack ventured.
“No, a deer wouldn’t have made just one crack like that. I’ve had the feeling ever since we left that fellow that we were being followed.”