"So I see. But, somehow, this edge of the woods doesn't look familiar to me. I thought we entered at a point where I saw a clump of four trees on the left." "Hum! I rather think I saw those trees myself," mused Dave. "But I don't see them now." "Neither do I, and that makes me think that perhaps we came out of the woods at the wrong spot." Much perplexed, the two lads walked around the edge of the woods for a considerable distance. But they saw nothing of any other trail and so came back to the point from which they had started. "This must be right, after all," was Phil's comment. "Anyway, it's the only trail here, so we may as well follow it." They hurried on, the halt under the rocks having rested them a good deal. Out on the prairie the trail grew a bit drier, for which they were thankful. They got into their dog-trot once more, and thus covered all of two miles in a short space of time. Then, of a sudden, both came to a halt in dismay. "Which one?" asked Phil, laconically. "Don't know," was Dave's equally laconic answer. Before them the trail branched out in three different directions, like three spokes within the right angle of a wheel. "This is a regular Chinese puzzle," said Dave, after an inspection of the trails. "The one to the right looks to be the most traveled." The two boys made every possible effort to pierce the darkness ahead of them, and presently Phil fancied he saw a light in the distance. Dave was not sure if it was a light or a star just showing above the clearing horizon. "Well, we may as well go ahead," said the shipowner's son. "No use in staying here trying to figure it out." They went on, taking the center one of the three trails. They had covered less than quarter of a mile when Phil gave a shout. "It is a light, I am sure of it--the light of a lamp or lantern! Hurrah! we must be on the right trail after all!" "Go slow, Phil," cried Dave, a sudden thought striking him. "That may not be a ranch light." "Yes, but----" "It may be something much worse--for us." "What do you mean?" "It may be the light from the camp of the horse-thieves." CHAPTER XIX A FRUITLESS SEARCH Phil stared at Dave in consternation. "Do you really think that?" he cried. "I don't say I think so, I only say it may be," returned the youth from Crumville. "If they are the horse-thieves, and we watch our chances, we may get the animals back!" "Not unless it is a single thief, Phil. We don't want to run the risk of getting shot in the dark." "That's true." With great caution the two lads advanced along the muddy trail. As they got closer to the light they saw that it came from a log house, low and rambling. Not far away were several other buildings, and also a corral. "We are on the right trail after all!" sang out the shipowner's son, joyfully, and commenced to run at the best speed he could command.