“You don’t suppose do you that that fellow, whoever he is, knows what we’re here for?” Bill asked after they had gone a short distance. “I hardly see how he could,” Rogers told him. “Of course he probably suspects that we’re hunting for something.” “But if he does I shouldn’t think he’d want to bump us off till we find it.” “That’s so, too. I hadn’t thought of it in that way.” “Seems to me more likely that in some way we’re treading on his toes if you know what I mean.” “You mean that he’s hunting for something and that we’re in his way?” “Something like that.” “Well, that may be it.” By this time they had reached the top of the cliffs a little to the right of the pathway along which they had reached the shore. The ground here was very uneven and covered with rocks of all sizes interspersed with clumps of low bushes with here and there a tuft of tall grass. “Gee, but there are as many good hiding places along here as Carter has liver pills,” Bill declared. “A fellow could keep out of sight of an army easily enough.” “That’s a lot,” Rogers laughed. They walked or rather picked their way slowly along the edge keeping both eyes and ears alert for the sight or sound of the man or men they were hunting. But they finally reached the rift, where the rock had been thrown the day before, without seeing or hearing anything at all suspicious. “Well, I reckon we’ve drawn a blank so far,” Bill whispered as they stood close together on the edge of the rift. “Looks very much that way,” Rogers agreed. “But, to tell the truth, I didn’t really expect anything different.” “And neither did I,” Bill agreed with a slight smile. “Well, what’ll we do now? Go back keeping farther from the edge?” “I suppose that’s the logical thing to do.” “But you don’t think it’ll do any good, eh?” “Frankly, I doubt it.” “So do I, but we’ll try it. I don’t know of a better plan, so come on.” Half an hour later they were back again at the point opposite the camp and, as Bill put it, knew just as much as when they started. “And no more,” Rogers smiled. “But the discouraging part of it is that we may have passed within a few feet of him and never knew it.” “Like hunting for a needle in a hay stack,” Rogers declared. “Well, we might’s well get back to camp and hold another council of war.” “I reckon.” But when they arrived a few minutes later a surprise awaited them. Gordon was nowhere in sight. Everything seemed in perfect order and there was no sign that anything out of the ordinary had taken place except that he had disappeared. “Probably gone to the spring for water,” Rogers suggested. “I’ll take a look,” Bill said and started on the run. But he was back in a few minutes with word that the missing boy was not there. “I’ll give him a call,” he said as he put his fingers to his lips and sent forth a loud whistle. “That’ll get him if he’s within a half mile,” he declared.