"We'll wait here for you," said Dick. "When you come back there may be light enough for us to look into matters a little." Dave and Dan returned in a little more than five minutes afterwards. The daylight was now becoming stronger. "Are Greg and Harry keeping awake?" was Prescott's first question. "They are," nodded Darrin. "Then they can be trusted to look after the camp," Dick continued. "And to look after the canoe," Reade amended. "Now, we'll explore the woods a bit," Prescott went on. "We know about where we heard the explosions, and we'll look for whatever evidence we can find." For this purpose each explorer went by himself. Ten minutes later Dave Darrin set up a loud hello. This brought the others to him on the run. "Give us another call," demanded Dick. "Here!" called Dave, from the depths of the woods. Dick went in, followed by Tom and Dan. "I've found this much," Dave announced, holding up a scorched bit of colored paper. It was such paper as is used for the outer wrapping of fireworks. Dick took the fragment of paper, reading therefrom the title, "The Sploderite Pyrotechnic Co." "Nothing but fireworks, after all," ejaculated Danny Grin in great contempt, now that it was broad daylight. "But I would like to have seen the fireworks before they blew up," retorted Tom Reade. "They were surely the loudest I ever heard. I don't believe anything but the heaviest cannon could make as much noise." "Whoever touched off fireworks like these," uttered Dave, "didn't care a hang whether or not he set the woods on fire." "There was no fire danger," Dick rejoined. "The grass and everything in these forests is as green as can be. But let's look about and see if we can't find evidences of the explosion at this point." "There ought to be a good-sized hole in the ground right under where this piece of fireworks exploded," Tom guessed. "We ought to find, not far from here, some evidences of what explosives can do in ripping up the ground." "Now I remember that one of the explosions in the night sent something whizzing through the air over our heads." "Pieces of the pasteboard enclosing the mine, bomb or whatever kind of fireworks it was," Dick suggested. "But let's look for other debris around here." That single bit of scorched paper, however, was all that any of them could find. Tom discovered a spot where he thought the ground had been blackened, but Dave thought the blackened appearance due to humus soil, and so nothing came of the argument. "I think," yawned Dick, "this search will lead to the same result that the others did during the night. About all we can do is to go back to camp." The sun was up by the time that all six members of Dick & Co. were once more gathered about the remains of their campfire.