go on over the divide.
Keep your eye peeled for recent marks. If he came over here with a
canoe, he will probably slip or slide some place. Look for his tracks at
the sides of the trail."

They went along at a slow pace. More than once Mr. Waterman stopped and
set down the canoe, only to pick it up a moment later and go on along
the trail. Just after they had reached the top of the divide in a very
steep place, Bob noticed a place near the side of the trail that was
trampled down. Mr. Waterman set down the canoe and came back. After
carefully looking at the bushes, he said,

"I think that you're right, Bob. He evidently got off his balance here
and not wishing to make a bad slide on the trail, has stepped off in the
bushes."

"It looks to me as if he had tried to cover this up too," said Bob.
"Look at this small branch. It was bent right over and evidently some
one has tried to straighten it out."

Mr. Waterman bent over and exclaimed,

"You're right, Bob. This is the way he came."

The two then went on, but though they watched very carefully, they could
not find a single further trace of the man they were seeking. They soon
came to the little lake they had been on before. Mr. Waterman led the
way and they got out at the further end as if both had agreed that the
fugitive was heading for the north and would take this course.

"Now if we can get another trace of this son-of-a-gun on this portage,
I'll bet some money that I know where he is staying," said Mr. Waterman.

This time Bob carried the canoe and Mr. Waterman went ahead. It was not
until they had come almost to the next lake that Mr. Waterman noticed a
tree from which a piece of bark had been chipped off.

"That's funny," said he.

"What's funny?" asked Bob, who looked all around but could note nothing
out of the way.

"That tree," replied Mr. Waterman. "That piece of bark was knocked off
by something out of the ordinary."

"Maybe he bumped into it with his canoe," replied Bob.

"Hardly," replied Mr. Waterman. "A real woodsman does not bump his canoe
into trees and other things along the trail. He avoids them by
instinct."

"That is probably true," said Bob, "but the only time he could steal
those things from camp would be at night, and he might hit a tree then."

"You're right," said Mr. Waterman.

Once more they emerged at a lake. This one was fairly large. They
paddled slowly around it but could see no sign of a trail except the one
at th