under him, and let
him get an ugly fall," Matty replied.

"That sounds reasonable enough," said Elmer, "and now I want some of you
to scatter around and see if you can discover any trace of our missing
comrade. Red, you get a long pole and poke down in that deep pool,
though I feel pretty sure you won't find any sign of him there, because
there isn't a mark of blood on the rocks, as there would be if he had
fallen from up here on the dam."

The boys looked aghast.

Up to this point perhaps Landy and several others may have indulged in a
hope that after all perhaps this might only be a little finish to the
remarkable game of fox and hounds which they had been playing.

Indeed, Red and Larry had once or twice even exchanged sly winks. They
actually suspected that Elmer had secretly ordered Nat to conceal
himself, up among the branches of a tree, perhaps, so as to have the
whole party guessing, and running around like a pack of dogs off the
scent.

Now the last vague hope in this particular seemed shattered by Elmer's
thrilling suggestion.

And more than Red's horrified eyes roved in the direction of the ugly
black pool, across the surface of which the foamy white bubbles kept
circling constantly, as the surplus water ran over the dam.

"Where will the rest of us look, Elmer?" asked Matty, breaking the awful
silence that had gripped them after hearing the scout master's
suggestion.

"Any old place," replied Elmer; "only I guess you needn't go far along
that farther shore, because Toby and Ty were there where you see that
big oak tree."

"They couldn't see the dam from there, could they?" asked Red, quickly.

"No, that's true," answered Toby.

"And so they wouldn't know whether anybody knocked poor Nat over here;
or if he went across to the old mill," Red continued.

"Right you are, Red," replied Ty; "but neither did we hear any shout. An
old bluejay was screechin' in the woods near us. Yep, a feller might 'a'
called out and we not noticed it."

"I want two of you to go with me to the mill," said Elmer.

"Count me for one!" cried some one, instantly; and of course that was
the eager Chatz, who would have started a new rebellion had he been
debarred that privilege.

"And I'm the second victim," declared Lil Artha, with a grin, but at the
same time looking very determined.

"All right," said Elmer; "fall in behind me, and we'll see what the
inside of the mill looks like."

CHAPTER IV.

THE SEARC