“Excuse me for speaking in the way I did, Phil; I forgot myself that time. It’s all in a day’s work, I guess. And I want you to understand that it’s a treat for me just to get out in the woods along with you.”
“I thought I heard something just then,” said Phil, quickly, swinging his camera around so as to be ready; while Ethan drew back the hammer of his rifle once more, his eyes sparkling with renewed anticipation.
“Yes, I can get it, too, Phil,” he whispered; “it sounds as if it might be over yonder in that thick patch of trees. Move a little to the left, so we can have a clear field in case it rushes out. Now let’s advance slowly.”
They kept on going ahead, and nothing burst into view. Still that queer sound came to their ears. It was not unlike a sob, Ethan thought; though he immediately took himself to task for imagining such a silly thing.
Picking up a stick he gave it a toss into the thicket. The sound stopped, it was true, but not a thing appeared.
Then a minute later and they heard it again. The two boys turned wondering eyes on each other.
“What in the dickens can it be?” whispered Ethan, in a puzzled way.
“I give it up; let’s push in and see. Be ready, if it’s a cat, which is the only thing I can think of,” said Phil.
With that they started ahead again, and gradually working into the thicket soon found themselves staring at a sight calculated to amaze them.