Greta's father began looking closely at the forest. He was very proud of the rows and rows of sturdy evergreens that covered a hundred acres of his farm. Each year a certain number of trees was cut. Some of them were sold, and some of them were used for fuel. But always, every year, new trees were planted to take the place of those that were cut. Greta was gazing off into the distance, but suddenly her attention was caught by Chouse, who was running along the road that led to the tower. If only her father didn't see him, thought Greta. Not a word had been said about Chouse for the last two days, and Greta hoped that the whole matter had been forgotten. When Chouse reached the foot of the tower he began barking loudly. He had never climbed the tower and he wasn't as brave as Greta, for he didn't even try. He just kept on barking and barking and barking. Greta called to him, but he paid no attention. He merely barked more loudly than before. Of course her father heard him. "What's that dog up to now, Greta? I guess you'll have to go down and see what he wants. Are you afraid to go down the tower alone?" "No, of course I'm not afraid." Greta was glad of the chance to show how brave she really was. But when she got down and patted him, Chouse still kept on barking. Something was the matter, but Greta couldn't imagine what it was. Soon her father came down, and Greta could see that he was annoyed. Chouse rushed up to him and barked, trying so hard to tell him something. The dog dashed down the road a short distance and then ran back, barking furiously all the time. "I guess we shall have to follow, Greta." When Chouse saw that they were following, he stopped barking and was quite content. Once in a while he would run on ahead in a great hurry. Then he would run back to Greta and her father and bark again. "There must be something wrong in the forest," said Greta's father. "I have never seen Chouse so upset." "You were just up in the tower, Father. If there had been a fire, you would surely have seen it." [Illustration: SOME TREES ARE CUT EACH YEAR] "Maybe not, because I was watching the men cutting the trees, trying to decide how many we should cut this year. I hadn't looked over the rest of the forest yet." A forest fire is a dreadful thing in this part of the country, where the wind from the North Sea blows all day long. It can blow a fire in front of it until all the trees are gone. That is why the forests are always watched so carefully. Suddenly Chouse darted off the main road into a narrow path. Greta and her father followed right at his heels, for they knew that the dog was leading them somewhere. This was his only way of telling them something that he thought they should know. Soon he turned off to still another path. Never for a moment did he hesitate. Chouse knew exactly where he was going.