woodcraft a study. "At least a couple of rains have passed over since
this fire was left. There are no footprints that I can see. That also
goes to show it was some time ago; but I think it was only one person
who camped here."

He pointed as he spoke to where soft hemlock browse had been gathered
as if for the purpose of forming a couch; and there being but a single
bed even Landy could guess Elmer was correct when he said one party had
made the temporary camp.

"Then it must have been the unknown man," said Lil Artha, "and our chum
Hen wasn't along at the time."

They moved around as if looking for further signs, because scouts are
always keen to find tell-tale marks that will add to the size of the
edifice they are building up, founded partly on conjecture and also on
"give-away" facts.

Lil Artha it was who emitted a low whistle, and the others glancing up,
well knowing that he must have made some sort of important discovery,
saw him waving one of his hands to them--he held the Marlin
double-barrel with the other, of course.

"See that?" he told them when they reached his side amidst the bushes
adjacent to the little opening where the long-cold fire ashes lay.

"Feathers, for a cookey!" exclaimed Toby, "and a heap of the same, too."

"Now we know what he cooked on the ends of those sticks!" observed Mark.

"Yeth, and now we know where one of Farmer Trotter's henth went to,"
added Ted.

"This is more than Johnny ever ran across," remarked Lil Artha,
"because he only guessed the chicken thief was hiding in the swamp, for
he'd seen tracks. Hold on, he did say there was ashes, too, at the
place he picked up that filed half-circle of steel, but it must have
been in a different place from this."

"Well, it's only a little incident after all," said Elmer, "and doesn't
tell us much that we didn't know before."

"Only that we're on the track of those lost chickens, you know,"
chuckled the tall scout. "But see here, Elmer, if they made a fizzle
of their raid last night, how d'ye suppose they're going to keep from
starving to death in here?"

"Ask me something easy, please," retorted the other; "though if I was
in their place I think I could manage to keep alive. There are lots of
ways for doing that, if you only stop to think."

"Sure there are," spoke up Toby, eager to show that he had learned his
lesson fairly well, even though not claiming to be as expert at some
things as were Elmer and Lil Artha.