.

They came to the place where the carriage was stopped, and Mose took
time to point to the very spot where his head came in contact with the
root of the oak. They followed the road along which Sam Wiles went with
the struggling Viola in his arms. They turned to the right, and saw the
hoof prints of the horses the marauders had hidden with the wagon in
the brush.

Examining the road carefully (a road very little traveled) they saw
wagon tracks which might have been those made by the wagon in which the
kidnappers sat with their victim.

Suspecting that the men would go first to the cabin of Zibe Turner,
they went to this house, and found the old mother at home. From her
they could get no satisfaction. She denied that she had seen Viola
LeMonde lately. Shaking her bony arm at the Judge and the rest, she
commanded them to begone from her premises.

The searchers, leaving the enclosure, rode a short distance into the
woods and there stopped. They decided to follow the flight as before by
means of the horse hoof and wagon tracks. This they did, but soon the
way became merely a path, and then the path ended in the unmarked
woodland.

All trace of the fugitives was thus lost. The sheriff then divided his
company into parties of two men each, and sent them in different
directions in such a manner as to cover as much ground as possible.
Before dismissing them, he told them to search diligently the ground
traversed, especially the wildest and deepest parts of the hills. They
were to ride their horses when the way permitted, otherwise to go on
foot.

Not one of these men needed urging. They were all fired with a grim
determination to find if possible the place where the beautiful captive
was imprisoned. They took no account of their own personal affairs, of
hunger and fatigue, of the difficulties of travel through the uncleared
forests. The clothing of some became torn with briers and sharp rocks,
their shoes were damaged with stones, fallen limbs, muck and mire.
Their hands were pierced by many thorns, as they pushed their way
through the wilderness.

The first day passed without finding any trace of the missing maiden.

Where was Jasper Very while these thrilling events were taking place?
As we have intimated, he had gone to a distant part of the county to
hold a two days' meeting. All unconscious of the terrible evil that had
fallen upon his betrothed, he was pursuing his Master's work with his
accustomed zeal and s