Before he realized it Roger had gone some distance from the vineyard, and only occasionally could he catch a glimpse of the smoke from the brush-wood fires. There was scarcely a sound to break the silence, save the piping of some early birds, and the boy sat down on a rock under a big chestnut tree to rest. On a fallen log near him a bright green lizard crawled out to bask in the sunshine. Then a rustling in the dried leaves on the ground caught his ear. He looked in that direction to see a snake wriggle into view. He tossed a bit of bark toward the reptile and in an instant it had disappeared in alarm. The lad drew a long, deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet, balmy spring odor of the woods,--a smell that seemed laden with health. "My! But that's fine!" he exclaimed. The next minute he was startled by a sound, as if some one had stepped on and broken a tree branch. Glancing up the hill he saw, rather indistinctly, some moving body. "I guess it's a cow," he remarked. Then he looked more closely. "Two cows," he added, as he noted a second form. "No, it isn't either," he corrected himself a moment later, "it's two men," and he rose to get a better view. "It's Mr. Dudley and Mr. Ranquist. I guess they didn't want to wait until to-morrow to go prospecting. I wonder what they're doing on Uncle Bert's hill. I guess it won't do any harm to watch and find out. If they strike gold, or decide to run a railroad here, I might as well know it. I suspect those men are after something, and they're not telling what it is either," he concluded, rather wisely. "Well, here goes for a little detective work." Using as much caution as if he was trailing some wild and timid animal, Roger slowly made his way up the hill and through the woods in the direction the two men had taken. He trod lightly, being careful not to step on any twigs or branches, which might snap and betray his presence. For he did not want the men to discover him. Not that he was doing anything wrong, or anything he had not a right to do, for the men were on his uncle's land, and Roger felt he should be interested in whatever they did. For a quarter of a mile he trailed after Mr. Dudley and Mr. Ranquist, easily keeping them in sight, yet remaining hidden himself, since they seemed to have no suspicion they were being followed.