arry saw no one in it save a member of the city
police, who seemed to be keeping a good watch. But as he did not wish to
be observed by the man he waited a little while in the mouth of the alley,
until he had moved on and was out of sight.

"Now, George," he said, "you and I are going to do a little scouting.
You know I'm descended from the greatest natural scout and trailer ever
known in the West, one whose senses were preternaturally acute, one who
could almost track a bird in the air by its flight."

"Yes, I've heard of the renowned Henry Ware, and I know that you've
inherited a lot of his skill and intuition. Go ahead. I promised that
I would help you and ask no questions. I keep my word."

Harry climbed silently over the low fence, and Dalton followed in the
same manner. The light from the street and house did not penetrate the
pines and rosebushes, where Harry quickly found a refuge, Dalton as usual
following him.

"What next?" whispered Dalton.

"Now, I do my trailing and scouting, and you help me all you can, George,
but be sure you don't make any noise. There's enough moonlight filtering
through the pines to show the ground to me, but not enough to disclose us
to anybody twenty feet away."

He dropped to his hands and knees, and, crawling back and forth, began to
examine every inch of ground with minute care, while Dalton stared at him
in amazement.

"I'd help," whispered Dalton, "if I only knew what you were doing."

"Suppose, George, that somebody wanted to see the Curtis house, and yet
not be seen, wanted to observe as well as he could, without detection,
what was going on there. He'd watch his chance, jump over the fence as
we have done and enter this group of pines. He could ask no finer point
of observation. We are perfectly hidden and yet we can see the whole
rear of the house and one side of it."

"So we can. I infer that you are looking for some one who you think has
been acting as a spy."

"Ah! here we are. The earth is a bit soft by this pine, and I see the
trace of a footstep! And here is another trace, close by it, undoubtedly
the imprint of the other foot. It's as plain as day."

Dalton knelt, looked at the traces, and shook his head. "I can't make
out any of them," he said. "I see nothing but a slight displacement of
the grass caused by the wind."

"That's because you haven't my keen eye, an inherited and natural ability
as a trailer, although you may beat me out of s