No matter how slowly the minutes passed, Roger realized that the conditions were vastly different from what they seemed earlier in the night; when tied to that tree the gloom around him was no thicker than the state of his feelings.
Dick finally came to a halt. Perhaps the hour had not fully passed, but he believed they had put enough ground behind them to feel safe. Besides, he had made a discovery that he fancied ought to be utilized.
Either the night had grown lighter, as though the moon might have arisen, and was shining back of the heavy clouds, or else the eyes of the boys, in growing accustomed to the darkness, allowed them to see things better.
“I’ve noticed several trees of good size as we came along, Roger,” he told his chum; “and if only we can find one that is hollow, we need go no further until morning.”
At that the other laughed as though pleased.
“If that’s all we need, Dick, how would this one over here do for our purposes?” and, speaking in this way, he directed the attention of his chum to a tree not far away.
It was an unusually big tree, and both of them could see, though a bit uncertainly, that it had some sort of cavity at its base. A hasty examination convinced them they had found just what they were looking for.
“We can creep in through that hole easily enough,” said Roger, “because it’s big enough for a giant to pass through. I hope though, Dick, it doesn’t turn out to be the den of any wild beast.”
“We can soon settle that!” declared Dick, as he took up a long stick, over which he had just tripped, and thrust it in through the opening.