It seemed hours. Would the trees never stop rustling, and would the steps below never cease their shuffling?
"I have said that this was to be my night of music," whispered Helka.
"The night of the full moon always is. So we must have music!"
A long line of automobiles had rumbled along the narrow road. Not a horn sounded, not one of the cars gave any warning. It was night in the White Mountains, and besides the party from the Tip-Top, who had been searching from late that afternoon, there were also, on Mr. Rand's orders, two officers in a runabout.
"Which way?" called the boys from their car. "Sounds like water!"
"Oh, mercy!" exclaimed Bess, who was quite near. "Don't let us run over a falls!"
"No danger!" came back from the Rand car. "That water is half a mile away."
"This is rather unsafe for the girls, though," said Jack to Ed. "I wonder if they don't want to change cars?"
"I have just asked Bess and Betty," replied Ed, "and they would not hear of it. Strange that such timid girls can be so plucky on occasions."
"They're game all right," observed Jack. "I almost feel, now that we are out in the woods, that Cora is along. It is tough to think anything else."
"Perhaps she is. I never felt as encouraged as I do to-night," declared Ed. "Somehow we started out to win and we've got to do it!"