"Forward is the word!" cried Ned cheerfully. "Forward!"'
They had not gone more than an hour on the second stage of their tramp when Tom, who was in the lead, following the direction laid out by the compass, suddenly stopped, and reached around for his electric rifle, which he was carrying at his back.
"What is it?" asked Ned in a whisper.
"I don't know, but it's some big animal there in the bushes," was Tom's low-voiced answer. "I'm ready for it."
The rustling increased, and a form could be seen indistinctly. Tom aimed the deadly gun and stood ready to pull the trigger.
Ned, who had a side view into the underbrush, gave a sudden cry.
"Don't shoot, Tom!" he yelled. "It's a man!"