“Where is he taking her?” Madge thought, torn by indecision. “Shall I follow or try to get aid?”
After a moment of frantic debate, she decided upon the latter course. Slipping quietly through the brush until she was a short distance away, she raced madly toward the beach. She reached the motor boat and groped for the rockets which she had stored under the seat.
The first match was wet and went out. She struck a dozen without success. Then as she was about to despair, one lighted and she touched off the rocket. It shot into the sky, leaving a trailing arch of fire which disintegrated into a shower of stars and vanished.
Madge tried to touch off a second rocket but could find no match which would light. Fearful of delaying so long that she would lose track of Enid and her captor, she gave it up and darted back into the woods.
At the white birch she found the trail which the two had taken. Before following it, she dropped her handkerchief as a clue for Rex, should he find it difficult to discover which way she had gone.
She had hurried some distance before a crashing of bushes directly ahead, warned her that she was overtaking Enid and her captor.
She followed more cautiously, taking pains to mark the trail well. At one turn she dropped her scarf, and a little farther on, broke twigs and placed stones in such fashion that they indicated the way she had gone.
“Rex may not notice,” she thought anxiously, “even if he has a flashlight. If it were Jack, he’d be looking for signs, but Rex hasn’t been trained to it.”
It was well that Madge had marked the trail, for the kidnapper was leading her deep into the forest. She wondered where he could be taking Enid and was fearful for her chum. If only Rex brought aid in time!
At last she beheld a clearing just ahead, and reaching the edge of it, dared not leave the security of the trees. She noticed a small, tumbledown cottage which stood at the edge of a ravine. The kidnapper led Enid toward the house and tried to force her to enter.