"If I stick to the road they'll catch me sure, and if I leave it I'll have to go right into the woods, and they'll easily see my trail," he reasoned. He broke into a run, and thus managed to pass another bend of the highway. Behind him he heard the jingle of the sleighbells as the cutter drew closer. In a few minutes more his pursuers would be upon him. "I'll chance it in the woods," he muttered, and, reaching a spot where the undergrowth was thick, he leaped between the bushes and then walked on to a clump of pines. He was barely under the pines when he heard the cutter dash past. The men were talking excitedly, but he could not make out what was being said. As the jingle of the sleighbells grew more distant, another thought came to Andy's mind, one that made him smile grimly in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "Might as well return and get something to eat," he told himself. "They won't come back right away." It did not take him long to retrace his steps to the cabin. The cutter, with its occupants, had kept on towards the village, so he had the place entirely to himself. He quickly found something to eat and to drink, and made a substantial meal. Then he placed a few more of his belongings in his bundle. "It won't do for me to stay here as long as I have the papers with me," he told himself. "I guess I'd better try to get to the old Smith cabin for tonight. Then I can make up my mind what to do in the morning." The Smith cabin was a deserted place nearly a mile away. To reach it, Andy had to tramp directly through the woods. But the youth did not mind this, for he had often been out hunting in the vicinity. "I might get a shot at something," he mused. "A rabbit or a couple of birds wouldn't go bad for breakfast." He lost no time in striking out. Half the distance was covered when he saw a big rabbit directly in his path. He blazed away, and the game fell dead. Then he caught sight of a squirrel, and brought that down also. "Now I'll have something besides crackers and bacon when I'm hungry," he told himself, with satisfaction. Soon he came in sight of the old Smith place. Much to his surprise, smoke was curling from the chimney, and he saw the ruddy glare of an open fire within. "Somebody is here," he thought. "Some hunter most likely. Wonder who it can be." And he strode forward to find out. CHAPTER IV CHET GREENE'S PAST "Hello, Andy!" "Hello, Chet! I never expected to find you here! This is a real pleasure!" And Andy rushed into the old cabin, threw down his luggage, and grasped another lad by the hand. "And I never expected you to come here tonight," said Chetwood Greene, as a smile lit up his somewhat square face. "I thought I was booked to camp here alone. What brought you, hunting?" "Not exactly. It's a long story, Chet. Say, I'm glad you have a fire. I'm half frozen from tramping through the woods. The snow was pretty deep in spots."