"I told you!" exclaimed Nat, at length. "Now we are lost completely."
"Yes, we are lost completely, little ones," echoed John Hackett, with a grin.
"Bears, wildcats and wolves—how like the babes in the woods," laughed Kirk Talbot.
Another hour passed. Several ridges were traversed, when Bob proposed climbing a tree.
"I'll do it," exclaimed Nat, promptly.
But Bob, springing up, had already grasped a low-hanging limb. Climbing from one branch to another, he at length reached a position of vantage, which enabled him to see, far off, the glistening water of a lake. He realized instantly that it was the one they had come across early in the day.
"Whew!" he muttered. "We must have walked a good deal further than I thought. All right!" he called, cheerily, in answer to a hail from below. "We are on the right track."
A few moments later, he rejoined his companions. Dusk finally settled over the scene. Then progress became more slow. Fireflies flitted about, from a pond came the hoarse croaking of frogs, while all around, the insects kept up a continual noise.
"Poor old Dave will certainly be worried," observed Bob.
"Well, his legs aren't almost walked off," grumbled Kirk Talbot.