ere so thick that to follow
the marks one would have had to have the eyes of an expert trailer.
Dave and the farmer, with the two boys, searched around for the best
part of a quarter of an hour, but without success.

"He's slipped you, I guess," remarked the farmer, shaking his head. "I
thought he would."

"Are there any trails running through the woods in this vicinity?"

"The only trail I know of is the one running to Bixter. There is a
woods road used by the lumbermen, but that is on the other side of the
railroad tracks."

The struggle with Ward Porton, followed by the run, had put Dave into
quite a perspiration, and in the depth of the woods he found it
exceedingly cold.

"I'll have to keep on the move or I may get a chill," he told the
others, after another look around. "I guess we had better give it
up."

"Goin' to offer any reward for capturin' that feller?" questioned the
older of the two boys, when the four were on their way back to the
cow-shed.

"Yes, I'll give a reward," answered our hero, promptly. "If any of you
can catch him and have him held by the authorities I'll give you ten
dollars."

"Wow! Me for the ten dollars!" cried the youth. "But say! how'll I
know that feller if I do find him?" he questioned suddenly.

"That's right, Billy, you won't want to hold the wrong man," put in
the father, with a grin. "If you did that, you might get into hot
water," and he chuckled.

"It will be easy to recognize him," answered Dave. "Just take a good
look at me. Well, unfortunately, that other fellow resembles me very
closely. In fact, that's the reason I want to catch him. That's how he
got those goods I said he had stolen. It's virtually stealing to get
goods in such an underhand manner."

"All right, I'll know the feller if he looks like you," said Billy.
He turned to his younger brother. "Say, Paul, what do you say if we go
into the woods later on and lay low for that feller? Maybe he'll come
out this way after he thinks the way is clear."

"Sure, I'll go with you," declared Paul. "If we look around very
carefully we may be able to pick up his tracks somewhere."

It must be admitted that Dave felt much crestfallen when he bade
good-bye to the farmer and his sons, after having left them his name
and address.

The farmer had offered to drive him back to Bixter, but our hero had
stated that he would rather walk and take the short cut through the
woods. When he arrived at the village he found Ro