they set forth. "I'm telling you that
for a purpose, you understand."

"You mean in case we lose the pesky trail that seems so faint, we can
keep going in the right direction all the same; is that it, Frank?"
asked Jerry.

"You've struck the right nail on the head, Jerry, for that was what I
meant. But by keeping our eyes on the trail we ought to have little
trouble following this old path."

"It strikes me the trail hasn't been worked much for some time," Bluff
observed.

"That's true enough," said the pilot of the expedition, "but once a
trail has been well worn you can find it years and years afterward if
you look the right way. It's easy to notice heaps of signs that tell
the story, where the earth was worn away by passing feet. When you're
in doubt just push back the grass and there it lies as plain as day."

Frank always prided himself more or less on his ability to follow
tracks where others might give up the task in despair. Nothing pleased
him half so much as to run across a puzzle along these lines that
required his best work in order to find the answer.

After they had gone on for some time a rest was called.

"That's a good idea, Frank," Jerry declared when he heard the order
given to drop their burdens and lie around for ten minutes or so. "Not
that I'm feeling played out you understand; but I've always been told
it was poor policy to whip a willing nag."

"It's certainly a pretty rough path, all right!" Will admitted.

"But we must be about half-way across by now," added Bluff.

"How about that, Frank? Let's take a look at your map again," said
Jerry.

Upon examination it was found to be about as Bluff had thought; the
shore of the big water could not be more than half a mile further on.
Cheered by this information, even Will expressed himself as willing to
start again.

"When you've got anything unpleasant to do," he told them, "I believe
in getting it over with as soon as you can, and off your mind."

"Huh! that pleases me a heap to hear you say so, Will," chuckled
Bluff; "because you know there's that dicker I wanted to make with you
for that new hunting knife I took such a fancy to. I offered you my
old one and something to boot in the bargain. Now I understood from
the way you acted the deal wasn't pleasant to you; so please get it
over with as soon as possible."

"I'll see you in Guinea, Bluff, before I trade that splendid blade,"
retorted the other, "but I told you where I got it,