len into a walk. The boys decided that a
gig and a labourer had passed along, both going the same way.

Ten yards up the hill the bicycle track crossed a track of the gig.
Thirty yards up the hill the ribbed Dunlops had wiped out the side of a
hobnailed impression. Very good. The bike had come down the hill
after these had passed; it had been the last thing on the road. This
greatly strengthened the idea which the scouts had already formed, that
no help had been available. Now they began to search for the rider's
line of movement from the place.

Dick found it: a footprint on a dusty patch in the grassy wayside
track. He called to his companion. When Chippy had seen it, Dick set
his own foot on the track; his shoe exactly covered it.

Now the scouts gathered their impressions together, and reconstructed
in theory the whole affair. A boy of about their own age had ridden
over the brow of the slope, with only one brake available on his
machine. Near the top of the hill the brake had broken; they regarded
this as proved by the tremendous way which the machine had got on it.
The rider was skilful, for his track was true, and he would have
escaped had it not been for the large stone in the track, and this, it
was very likely, his great speed had prevented him from seeing until
too late; another point, by the way, to prove the early giving-out of
the brake. He had swerved violently aside, and struck the heap of
stones by the bank before he could regain control of his machine, and
the smash followed. After the smash the rider had pulled himself
together, and gone alone from the place; his trail ran up the hill, and
it looked as if he were making for home; it was certain that he was
pretty badly hurt.

'Now, Chippy,' said Dick, 'the point for us is this: Has he got safely
home or not?'

'Foller 'im up,' said the Raven briefly; 'scout's job to mek' sure.'

Dick nodded, and without another word they struck the trail, and worked
their way up the steep slope.

'Blood,' said Chippy, and pointed out two stains on the grass.

'Blood it is,' replied his companion, and they pressed forward.

Near the top of the slope, where, just at the crown, the hill was at
its steepest, the boys stopped in amazement. Here was a trail with a
vengeance! The roadside grass gave way to a sandy patch twenty yards
long, and the patch was scored with long, dragging marks. Then
Dick-pointed with his staff. There in the soft soil was