They had covered about two-thirds of the distance to the Castle, when Dan abruptly halted to study a charred irregular area at the side of the road.
“Say, it looks as if someone had a camp fire here!” he exclaimed. “Recently too, because rains haven’t disturbed any of the ashes.”
Brad turned to gaze at the area his companion indicated.
Immediately he noticed a snake-like black tail of burned ground leading toward another charred area.
“Dan, this must be where the fire started!” he cried.
“The wind was blowing toward the Castle all right.”
“It’s clear as day,” Brad declared, walking over to the dead ashes of the bonfire. “Someone built this, and didn’t put it out entirely. Then the person went off.”
“And it slowly spread,” Dan agreed. “First in this narrow tail, and then after it struck that section of dry leaves and grass it spread out rapidly through the woods.”
The boys carefully examined the dead embers. Beside them was a blackened tin can which had been used for cooking purposes. Dan also picked up a half-burned stick with the remains of a roasted weiner still attached.
“This fire must have been started by a boy,” he said slowly. “Or possibly by a tramp. Brad, do you suppose it could have been Ross?”