"How far did it seem to be?" went on the leader.
"That is hard to say. The man may have been weakened from loss of blood. If he was shouting, then it may have been several hundred yards, perhaps a quarter of a mile off; but I think we'll come across him closer than that."
"I agree with you, Jerry," said Frank, stopping short.
"What did you hear?" demanded the other, for Frank had bent his head, and seemed to be listening over his shoulder.
"I don't know. Perhaps it was a bush springing back into place after our passage. But sup
pose we shout occasionally? It may encourage the poor fellow, and besides, guide us to where he lies," returned Frank, once more pushing on.
Accordingly they lifted up their voices and gave a series of calls.
"Why doesn't he answer us?" asked Will, astonished when only the echoes came back from the surrounding forest.
Frank stopped in his tracks.
"Can he have fainted from loss of blood?" said Bluff, still having in mind a picture of a woodsman who had severed an artery by a misblow of his ax.