Soon they found themselves going up hill and
presently struck a lumberman's trail leading down in the direction of
the town. Here, however, after two hours of hunting, they failed to find
any game whatever.

"We didn't improve things by coming over here," grumbled Andy.

"Now I guess we had better be thinking of getting back to the school,"
said Jack, as he consulted his watch. They had been told that they must
return in time for the evening meal.

"All right, I'm ready to go," came from Fred. "Gosh! I wish I had a
horse to ride, or something." The many miles of tramping had wearied him
greatly.

"My left foot is beginning to hurt me a little," put in Randy. "I
slipped on the rocks this morning when we were carrying that old Uncle
Barney. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now it's growing
quite lame."

"You can walk on it, can't you?" questioned Jack anxiously.

"Oh, yes, I can walk; but I can't go any too fast--or any too far,
either."

The boys had done their best to keep track of where they were going, and
now they turned in what they thought was the direction of Haven Point.
But, as my young readers may have heard, it is an easy matter to lose
one's sense of direction in the woods, and before they knew it, they
found themselves in a locality that was entirely strange to them.

"We don't seem to be getting much closer to town," announced Fred
presently. "I don't see a farmhouse of any sort in sight."

They had gone but a short distance when they stirred up several more
rabbits, and had the pleasure of bringing two of the creatures down.
Then they came to a small clearing, and beyond this some farm fields.

"Now we must be getting to somewhere," announced Randy; and a few
minutes later a turn of the road brought them in sight of a farmhouse.
Here they saw a farmer coming from a cowshed with a pail of foaming
milk, and accosted him.

"Sure, you're on the road to Haven Point," answered the farmer, in reply
to their question. "It's about two miles and a half from here. But do
you want to go to the Point or to Colby Hall?" he went on, noticing
their uniforms.

"We want to get to the Hall--and by as short a route as possible,"
answered Jack.

"Then the best thing you lads can do is to come right through my lane
here and go across the back field. Then you will come out on the road
that runs from the Hall to Carwell. I guess you know that?"

"Oh, yes; we know that road," returned Randy.

The cade