re
dilapidated than they had supposed. It looked as if a good wind would
send its twisted, sun-split grey boards into a heap. Inside, however,
with the sunlight streaming through doorway, window and cracks, it
looked more inviting than it had at night. Weeds were growing between
the rotting boards and in one corner a hornets' nest as big as their
heads hung from a sagging rafter.

"Gee," muttered Amy, "I'm glad we didn't accidentally disturb that,
Clint!"

In the doorway they stood and tried to re-enact the happenings of the
night. It wasn't easy to decide on the spot where the men had stood,
however, but finally they agreed as to its probable location and walked
toward the road, keeping a little to the left, for some fifteen yards.
That brought them close to a six-foot bush which, they decided, was the
one Clint had walked into. The Chief and the others joined them.

"About here, you think?" asked the Chief.

"Yes, sir, as near as we can tell," replied Clint, none too confidently.
They viewed the place carefully, but, save that the grass seemed a
trifle more trampled than elsewhere, there was nothing to indicate that
the soil had been disturbed. Nothing, at least, until one of the
officers picked up a torn and twisted oak-seedling some sixteen inches
long which lay a few feet away. It's brown roots were broken as if it
had been pulled up by force and tossed aside. The Chief nodded and went
minutely over the turf for a space several yards in extent, finally
giving a grunt of satisfaction.

"Here you are," he said, straightening his body and pointing the toe of
one broad shoe at the ground. "They lifted the turf off and put it back
again. A pretty good job to do in the dark, I say. Bring your
shovels, men."

It was easy enough to see the spot now that the Chief had found it. The
turf had been cut through with a shovel or spade and rolled or lifted
back. Close looking showed the incision and there still remained some
loose soil about the roots of the grass at one side, although the men
had evidently striven carefully to hide all traces of their undertaking.
In a moment the turf was once more up and the spades were plunging into
the loosened soil beneath. Clint and Amy watched excitedly. Presently
one of the officers stopped digging, since there was now only room for
one spade in the excavation. Once there was an expectant pause while the
digger reached in with his hands and grubbed in the moist red gravel.
But it