ear, we are all in the dark," reminded the Chief Guardian.
"Won't you be good enough to explain this mystery? Surely you can do
so in a way that will make it clear to us. Two men, a box and a boat
and goodness knows what else, here on this lonely part of the coast."

"I was suddenly awakened last night," began Harriet without
preliminary remarks. "A boat sailed into the bay close to shore and
came to anchor. Then a small boat put off. Two men were in it. They
came ashore with a heavy box, started down the bar, then back to the
beach after I had met and stopped them. Tommy has told you the truth
about their further movements."

"Wait a moment. You stopped them, you say?" questioned Mrs.
Livingston.

"Yes. I didn't want them to get near the cabin and disturb our party.
According to their story they had made a mistake. They had some
supplies for a friend of theirs who was on a fishing trip somewhere
up the coast."

"You believed that to be the case, then?"

"No, Mrs. Livingston, I did not, because, instead of going up the
beach after I had turned them back, they went the other way,
eventually turning in among the trees, where they remained for some
time. I did not see them again until they fell over me later--"

"What!" The guardian was more amazed than before.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that I followed them to see what they were
going to do. I didn't find out, but they found me, though they were
not aware of it." Harriet explained how she had lain down on the
ground and how one of the two men had stumbled over her feet without
discovering her presence. Exclamations of amazement greeted this part
of the story.

"What became of them after that?" asked Miss Elting.

"They shoved off their rowboat, rowed out to the sailboat, which
quickly weighed anchor and put out to sea. That is all I know about
it. You see, Tommy was right."

Mrs. Livingston turned to Tommy.

"My dear, you did splendidly. Of all this camp of girls you were the
only one who found the trail and read it aright. That is trailing for
you, Mr. McCarthy. But what could the men have been doing here? I do
not like the looks of it at all."

"They have gone, so we needn't worry," replied Harriet. "I forgot to
say that there was a boat in here--I think it was the same one--the
other night just before the storm. It is my idea that they came in on
that occasion to put something ashore, but were obliged to get out to
sea before the storm broke. They came