"I don't know of any at this moment, but Mr. Gilroy surely will know,"
replied the Captain.

So they all went to the bungalow the next morning to inquire after
Jake's scent, and also to borrow any books on the subject they had
discussed.

"Yes, I have several books, and let me tell you they are precious, too.
There are but few on this subject, and the one I consider the best was
compiled by Ernest Seton-Thompson under great difficulties. He had to
gather all information from plaster casts made in the tracks themselves,
or from sketches, or from camera pictures taken on the spot.

"As every different animal leaves a different track, there are many
illustrations necessary in such a work, and that makes the book most
desirable and also very expensive. But it is great fun to study the
pictures and then try to recognize the tracks in the woods."

"We haven't found any about camp," said Judith, regretfully.

"There must be all sorts of tracks there, but you don't know how to find
them. Now, if you want to study this book and then practice early some
morning, I'll come down and help find the tracks," Mr. Gilroy said.

"Oh, great! Will you come to-morrow morning?" asked the girls.

"Hadn't we better study the book first, scouts, and let Gilly know when
we are ready to go tracking?" suggested the Captain.

So for a time every one was busy reading the book and trying to discover
a track in the woods near camp. But Julie laughed as she said, "It isn't
likely that a wild animal will prowl close to our camp at night. We'll
have to hunt one some distance away."

Mr. Gilroy overheard the remark as he came down the trail. "Sometimes
the animals will come quite close to camp just to find out what it is
that is intruding on their forest domain."

"Well, then, I wish they'd hurry and come here!" declared Judith.

"When you are ready to hunt tracks, I'll arrange some baits around your
camp grounds; and the next morning I'll vow you'll see that you've had
callers while you slept. So quiet are they that you won't hear them,
either," said Mr. Gilroy.

"We are ready to hunt now, Gilly. We know everything in the book and are
crazy to test it," said Joan, eagerly.

"Then I'll tell you what we might do. I was going over to Grey Fox Camp,
but if you girls will deliver a message for me, I will go home and
attend to the bait I spoke of. Hiram and I will do the rest."

"All right--what do you want us to say to the boys?" agreed the