“I—I hope that won’t be necessary,” Sam said at last, unsteadily.
“I don’t think it will be,” Mr. Grant encouraged. “I’ve been figuring on this business, and it seems to me the chances are that those youngsters strayed away from the camp, lost their bearings, and when the rain increased took to any shelter they could find. With the weather as thick as it is, it wouldn’t be hard for them to miss their way. Of course, if they kept their heads, they’d steer for higher ground, knowing that sooner or later they’d come to a road. But boys will be boys—and there’s the river, of course. We can’t forget that.”
Sam nodded. “We’re not forgetting it, sir. And as for keeping their heads—well, one of those fellows is a stranger to all this sort of thing, but the other’s as cool as they make ’em. That’s the part that sets me worrying most: the Shark’s not likely to go wool-gathering unless he gets interested in some of his calculations.”
“He’d have trouble in finding a slate to do his ciphering out yonder.”
“Oh, the Shark wouldn’t need slates or paper. His head’s good enough for him. But—but don’t you think we’d better start, sir?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Grant briskly.
It was left to Sam, as the recognized leader of the club, to allot the tasks. Poke and Step he told off to follow the road up the valley, with instructions to make inquiries at each house on the way. The Trojan and Herman Boyd were to scout down the road. Mr. Grant went with Lon, Orkney and Sam himself to the sugar camp.
The tramp across the fields gave plenty of evidences of the rapidity with which the thaw was progressing. The lowlands were fairly afloat, and the line of march led through pools, some of which were more than ankle deep.
Arriving at the camp, Sam shouted lustily, but there was no response. Again heads were put together for a consultation. It resulted in a scattering of the party through the maple grove, each of the searchers looking for tracks in the melting snow.
In this several difficulties were encountered. To begin with, Mr. Grant and his helpers had been busy about the place for some days, and near the building footprints were only too numerous. Then, too, the heavy rain made it hard to tell fresh tracks from old. It was Lon Gates who suggested an improvement in their method of search.