“Hello, Joe, whoop la, hi, hi!”
But no response followed the sound of his voice.
“Jiminy, I don’t understand that!” gasped Aleck.
“What can have become of him?” said Norman, apprehensively, and he raised his voice with the others in a series of tremendous shouts.
Still there was no response.
“Come on, fellows,” shouted Bob. “Sure as guns, something must have happened.”
He dashed ahead, with the others following closely at his heels, all a prey to the most dreadful forebodings.
Far ahead were two figures, but no others were within range of their vision.
Panting and excited, Jack Lyons and Bob Somers kept well in the lead, and so the mad race was continued, until they had nearly reached the spot where Joe was last seen.
Suddenly Bob, who was plunging through a mass of tangled weeds and grasses, gave a yell which sent a thrill of terror through his companions’ hearts. They saw him fall forward and wildly clutch a straggling bush.