ves coming down on top of him.

In the meantime, Sam and Tom had gone on. Coming to where the path
appeared to divide, they turned to the right, only to find, five minutes
later, that they had made a mistake.

"Where in the world can Dick be?" murmured Sam, after he and his brother
had called again. "I thought he was right behind us."

"So did I, Sam. It's mighty queer what's become of him. If he fell over
a cliff----" Tom did not finish, but heaved a deep sigh.

With anxious hearts the two boys endeavored to retrace their steps up
the mountainside. They had to climb up one of the cliffs, and just as
this was accomplished it began to rain.

"More bad luck," grumbled Sam. "If this keeps on we'll soon be soaked."

"Spit, spat, spo! Where did that mountain path go!" cried Tom, repeating
a doggerel often used by children. "Dick! Dick!" he yelled, at the top
of his lungs. Then Sam joined in the call once again. But as before,
there was no answer.

It must be confessed that the two Rover boys were now thoroughly
alarmed. As they had climbed up the mountainside they knew they must be
close to the spot where they had last seen Dick. What had become of
their big brother?

"Tom, do you think he could have fallen over some cliff and rolled to
the bottom of the mountain?" questioned Sam, anxiously.

"How could he roll to the bottom with the trees so thick? He would have
plenty of chance to catch hold of one of them."

"Not if he was knocked unconscious."

"Well, where can he be?"

"I don't know."

It was now raining steadily, and to protect themselves the two boys
pulled their caps well down over their heads and turned up their coat
collars. They came to a halt under the wide-spreading branches of a
hemlock tree.

"It beats the nation, that's what it does," declared Tom. "Maybe the
earth opened and swallowed him up!"

"Tom, this is no joke."

"And I'm not joking, Sam. I can't understand it at all."

"Is that the path over yonder?" continued the youngest Rover, pointing
to a spot beyond the opposite side of the hemlock tree.

"It looks a little like it," was Tom's reply. "Might as well go over and
make sure."

Leaving the shelter of the tree, they made their way through the bushes,
which were now beginning to drip from the rain. As they progressed Sam
pushed a big branch from him and let it swing back suddenly, thereby
catching Tom full in the face.

"Wow!" spluttered the fun-loving Rover, as he staggered b