taking off his boots and
stealing about like a thief or an escaped convict, as we thought.'

'Foller 'im up,' said Chippy shortly.

'Right,' said Dick, 'we'll see this out;' and the scouts began once
more to work along the trail.

For more than half a mile they followed quite easily. There were many
bare patches among the grass, and the heavy shower which had fallen at
midday proved a good friend to them, the damp soil giving many
excellent impressions of the heavy steps of the man whom they pursued.

The boys had now gained a very lonely part of the heath, for the
fugitive appeared to be making for the most secluded corner of the vast
expanse. They had been steadily working away from the part where the
patrols had been searching, and the distance between them and the
rendezvous at the railway-station increased with every stride.

Chippy was leading, and Dick was guarding the rear. The former looked
out the track, the latter watched before and behind and on either side:
by sharing the duties thus they covered the whole field of a scout's
work--the finding of the trail and the guarding against surprise.

Looking out in this fashion, Dick saw a crow come sailing on outspread
wings, down, down from a great height. The crow was skimming straight
towards a small solitary pine sixty or seventy yards before them, as if
aiming to settle among the topmost branches; but just as it was about
to alight, it gave a startled, gobbling quaw-quaw-quaw, flapped its
wings swiftly, and shot away at a sharp angle, and continued its flight
across the heath.

Dick reached out his patrol flag and touched Chippy. The latter
paused, and the two scouts put their heads together while Dick
whispered what he had seen. 'There's someone about,' concluded Dick.
'The bird was going to settle, but it was scared and flew away.'

'S'pose I 'ave a look?' suggested Chippy.

'All right,' said Dick. 'I'll stay here. One can work more quietly
than two.'

Chippy went, and within ten minutes was back, his face shining with
excitement and triumph.

'Albert,' he whispered--'it's Albert aw' right. Come on!' He crept
away on hands and knees, and Dick followed. Piloted by Chippy, the
latter crawled along until he found himself behind a small bank about a
yard high.

'Yer can see 'im over this bank,' breathed Chippy into his ear.

Laying his hat aside, Dick raised his head inch by inch until his eyes
were above the bank. Now he could see be