of certain fancies that
had taken lodging there.

"I say, fellows, doesn't this beat everything you ever saw all
hollow?" he went on to say, for there was really no need of their
keeping quiet, since they had not started out to steal a march upon
any enemy,--only to find poor lost K. K. "Just listen to that awful
groaning sound, will you? If I didn't know it was caused by the
limbs of trees sawing across each other in the wind I'd think
somebody was almost dying."

"At another time I guess we wouldn't bother our heads about such a
silly thing," observed Julius Hobson; "but, of course, our minds are
full up with what may have happened to our comrade, and all that
noise makes us shiver a heap; it's so suggestive, so to speak."

"Oh! what did you think you saw then, Owen?" gasped Horatio, as,
chancing to fix his gaze on the other, he noticed him suddenly
elevate his gun, as though tempted to shoot the same.

Owen chuckled.

"It was only a frisky rabbit, after all," he announced calmly enough.
"I was just covering him to find out how easy I could nail the
rascal, if only I was out hunting game instead of a lost boy. And
we'd have had rabbit stew at the Dugdale home to-morrow, let me tell
you, Horatio, if I'd cared to let fly, for I had him covered
handsomely."

"Well, please don't do it in a hurry again, Owen," asked Horatio,
settling back once more, and hoping his throbbing heart might not
beat so loudly that any of his comrades could hear it pounding
against his ribs. "Remember this is no ordinary patch of woods we're
in right now. All sorts of stories have been told concerning the
country up here; and in passing through after nightfall we're doing
what a big bribe couldn't tempt any farmer's help to try. But, Hugh,
don't you think we must be getting pretty near that place by this
time?"

"Just about two-thirds of the way, Horatio," he was informed. "That
leaning tree we passed is exactly three hundred and thirty-seven
paces from the place we left the road."

"Well, what do you think of that for looking ahead, fellows!"
ejaculated Horatio. "Hugh here took all the trouble to count the
steps while passing through, the day he came up to examine the
ground. That's what I call preparedness, and I guess it counts in a
race, just as much as in getting ready for war."

Hugh laughed as though momentarily amused.

"Well, they're both in the same category, Horatio, if you look at
things from the right point