"Besides, if Greg isn't far from here, and if his captors are with him,
we don't want to raise too much of a racket and scare the captors away."

"I wish they'd go away, the captors, if they're around here," grinned
Dalzell. "Maybe they have guns, and would be cranky enough to use 'em on
us, sooner'n give Greg up."

"If you're afraid, Dan, turn around and go back," advised Dick quietly,
as he moved slowly forward. "The rest of you keep a sharp lookout for
more prints around here."

"Who's afraid?" snapped Dan, his grin fading.

"Here's another footprint!" called Reade, who had ranged slightly ahead
of the others.

Dick was quickly at the spot.

"That was made by Greg's left shoe," Prescott swiftly declared.

"Correct," nodded Tom Reade. "Say, fellows, we are on Greg's trail!"

The enthusiasm was "catching" by this time. The little line narrowed and
the Grammar School boys pressed forward, tingling with the mystery and
excitement of this problem written on the face of old Mother Earth!

CHAPTER XI

DAN SEES BEARS--IN HIS MIND

In twenty minutes, studying the ground harder than any one of the five
had ever scanned a problem in arithmetic, the Grammar School boys had
advanced some three hundred feet. Their course had taken them into the
woods on the further side of the bridle path.

"I don't see any footprints around here," half grumbled Tom Reade.

"No," Dick replied, "because the ground is hard and stony here. This
isn't the place to look for prints. But we may find some other sign at
any----"

"Stop right where you are!" ordered Dave excitedly.

All halted at once, gazing up the hillside, where Dave pointed.

"Fellows, there's a big rock cropping up, and do you see that hole
leading into it?"

"Looks like a bear's hole," suggested Dan, with another grin.

"Cheer up!" advised Dick, smiling. "There haven't been any bears in this
part of the country in a century. But come on, fellows! That place is
worth looking into."

Willingly enough all trotted up the slope to the hole in the rock,
though, truth to tell, all the boys were rather footsore by this time.

The hole in the wall of rock proved to be some three feet in diameter.
Dick struck a match and peered in.

"This tunnel seems to go in as far as I can see with the help of the
match," young Prescott announced. "Fellows, some of us will have to
crawl in here and see what we can find."

"Better not," advised Dan. "Greg isn't in there. An