ching his nose in a way he had
when puzzled.

"He can't mean he's a dead one, and sprouting wings, can he?" asked
George.

"Wings! I've got it, fellows!" shouted Red.

"Then pass it around to the rest, because I'm all up a stump," observed
Larry.

"Shucks! don't you know there's only one fellow in the whole troop who's
always sighing because he can't fly, and wishes he had wings?" demanded
Red, promptly.

"Toby Jones, the boy who's bent on sailing through the clouds some day!"
cried Chatz.

"Exactly," remarked Matty. "And in this clever way our pathfinder has
told us who the three scouts ahead are. Now he shows them coming to a
fork in the trail. One goes to the north, and the others to the
northwest. Which party can be carrying the wampum belt we expect to
trace down?"

All of them looked again, and while several shook their heads Red
remarked:

"Seems to me one of the two that kept together fell down just at the
fork of the trail. Was that only an accident, Matty, or a part of the
play?"

"I believe it was done on purpose," the other replied. "Because, if you
look closely, you'll find that the one who stretched out on the ground
was Ty, and that from that time on he has a funny little wiggly line
drawn around his waist."

"Sure, he has. That must be the wampum belt," exclaimed Red.

"Yes. No doubt he was instructed by our scout master, Mr. Garrabrant,
that when they separated the fellow carrying the belt must do
_something_ to show it. That was a clever dodge of Ty's to lie down, and
make an impression in the earth."

"Yes, and smarter yet for Elmer to discover the impression, and read
it," declared Chatz.

"What else does the letter say?" asked Landy, who seemed quite enthused
now, after discovering how exceedingly interesting this communicating by
means of Indian picture writing might become.

"Elmer tries to tell us he is pursuing the two who headed northwest. You
see he has made an arrow showing this fact," Matty continued.

"But there are some other marks; can you make them out at all?" asked
Landy.

"This is certainly a fire. Before separating, the three enemies built a
fire and pretended to feed. Here they are sitting around the blaze and
eating; and if you look over yonder right now, you'll see the ashes
where the fire has been."

All of them hurried across to where Matty pointed.

"By all that's wonderful, there has been a camp fire here," said Landy.

"You're a little off there, L