f a person had stolen into camp under cover of the night,
wounding and stampeding the horses, it was probable that footprints or
other evidences of his presence had been left behind, a tell-tale clue
to the recent visitor. As yet, not a single trace had been found by
the searchers. They continued with their work until they finally
brought up facing each other in front of the trees to which the broken
ends of the halters were still tied.

Harriet glanced up into the perplexed face of the guide and laughed.
Janus gave back a glum look and muttered, "I swum!"

"Have you two sleuths finished your work?" called Crazy Jane.

"It certainly looks as though we had," replied Harriet. "What do you
think, Mr. Grubb?"

"I reckon we're beaten."

"Yes. We haven't found a clue of any consequence. Perhaps we have
imagined too much, but I do not think so."

"Give me a torch; it's my turn now. Let's see what Crazy Jane can
find," said Jane McCarthy. "My grandfather was the champion shamrock
hunter of the Emerald Isle, and my Dad says I'm a pocket edition of my
grandfather. Just watch me while I show you a few things."

Harriet handed her torch to Jane, and, walking over, sat down by Miss
Elting.

"Did you really fail for once, Harriet?" questioned the guardian in a
teasing voice. She understood Harriet's peculiarities, knowing that
the girl was not given to talking when there was real or fancied reason
why she should not.

"I should say I did; that is, I did not discover anything that I could
feel certain about. But some one has been here. There was just one
footprint in a bit of soft dirt, but some one had most provokingly
stepped on it, nearly obliterating it. From what I could make out of
the original footprint it wasn't made by any of our party. That is all
I found, but enough to verify our suspicions. Where is Jane going?"

Jane McCarthy was moving away from camp, apparently following the trail
made by the party when they came up from the river to make camp among
the trees.

"That's a good idea, too," she added approvingly, instantly catching
the significance of Jane's action. "I never thought of trying it."

"I don't know just what you mean, but anything not thought of by you I
shouldn't consider worth bothering about." Miss Elting laughed softly,
patting the brown head beside her. "There! She is returning, and
empty-handed like yourself, I'll warrant."

"Do not be too certain of that. On the contr