e
carried more than the others, in addition to which Harriet carried the
captured rifle. An examination of the magazine showed that there were
ten cartridges in it, quite sufficient for any likely needs of theirs.

Before starting out Harriet raised the rifle with the muzzle pointing
skyward.

"Don't be frightened, I'm going to fire a signal," she announced.
Margery screamed, despite the warning, when a crash woke the echoes.
After an interval of a few seconds Harriet fired two more shots in
quick succession. This was a signal. All listened, but no answering
shot was heard, nor any shout to indicate that the signal had been
heard.

"We will move on," announced the guardian. "Keep within calling
distance. Harriet will take the trail from the camp; the others will
spread out on either side."

Harriet Burrell started a little in advance of the others, beginning at
the point where she had seen Janus disappear. For a time it was
somewhat difficult to follow the trail, because of the trampling the
bushes had had on the evening before. However, after a short time the
trail stretched away, clear to the eyes of an experienced woodsman.
There were broken bushes here and there; that was all, though enough
for one who knew how to use her eyes.

"I have found the trail," called Harriet; "it is turning to the east."
This she knew was to enable the pursued to make better time in getting
away. After a short distance the trail turned upward, then led to the
east again. Bushes were getting more scarce. Only occasional clumps
of them were to be found, making the work of following the trail much
more difficult.

Two hours of climbing, with frequent periods of hunting for the trail
that had lost itself, brought them to the end of their resources. The
trail, at first so plainly marked, had, as a famous woodsman has said,
"petered out into a squirrel track, run up a tree and disappeared into
a knothole." On every side were almost barren rocks, though below and
further to the east the mountain vegetation showed thick and green,
dropping away into ravines here and there, the surface being more
uneven than anything they had yet encountered on this particular
mountain. Still further below, the mountainside appeared to be quite
heavily wooded.

"I believe we should look into that," said Harriet, indicating the
lower part that was covered with green. "We may find some clue to the
whereabouts of our guide."

"We might get l