"There's only one car owned in Ash Fork," said Matt, "and that belongs to the cattleman I came to the town to see. From the looks of the road, no car has come into town or gone out of it for several hours, except this one. Keep a sharp watch on your side of the road, Carl. We've got to find the place where the car stopped while the driver was lashing the wheel and getting out."
"Py shinks, I haf peen vatching as sharp as some veasels, aber I don'd see nodding."
Matt was covering the back trail slowly, so that no clues which might have been left in the road could get away from his keen eyes.
For a long time neither he nor Carl saw anything of importance; and then, suddenly, when they were about four miles from town, Matt's sharp glance showed him something that caused him to bring the car to a quick stop.
"Vat it iss?" asked Carl excitedly.
"Get down and I'll show you," answered Matt.
When they were both in the road, beside the car, Matt pointed to a spot close to the wheel-marks left by the car on its trip into town.
"Py shinks," muttered Carl, pushing his fingers through his carroty hair in a puzzled way, "dot looks schust like some feller had t'rowed a bag der car off. Dose marks in der dust look schust like dey vas made mit some pags."
"It must have been a bag that could move, then," said Matt.