A little farther on they came to a road branching off from the one they were traveling, and Harry found on examining his map that it made a loop of a couple of miles and reëntered the straighter road.
“There must be houses along that road,” said Gordon.
“Why?”
“Else what would be the good of the road at all?”
“Well, then,” said Harry, “what’s the use of this one, if you come to that? There are no houses on it so far.”
“Well, if they both lead to the same place, if the other one just forms a loop, it must be to take in some houses, don’t you see?”
“Maybe,” answered Harry.
“And I believe it would be a good thing for me to go along there and see what I can learn. We’ll meet at the other junction. The troop must have gone along one or the other of these roads, unless they went in another direction altogether. And if there are any houses along there, as there must be, why, somebody must have seen them pass.”
“You seem to be more anxious for tips than you were,” said Harry.
“No, only I think they may have started down that road and cut up into the hills before it joins this one again. What’s the use in just marching right past them?”