o you, Step-hen,
and you ought to believe me," protested the fat boy, firmly.

Step-hen looked at him queerly, as though he might be still a little
undecided. Then with a sigh he turned away; and Bumpus knew that he had
not been convinced.

"Here, you c'n tumble out everything I've got in the haversack, if you
want to, Step-hen," added the other, giving in finally.

"Never mind, I take your word it ain't there," said the other, over his
shoulder; but somehow Bumpus knew that the feeling of suspicion was only
"scotched," not killed; and that Step-hen fancied that he, Bumpus, had
only changed the hiding-place of the lost compass.

Thad had considerable to think about as he sat there, looking into the
fire, and listening to the talk that was going the rounds. His mind was
fixed upon the mystery that seemed to be hovering over the island; and
in various ways he found himself trying to connect the coming of the two
men and the bear, with the presence of those tracks across on the wooded
territory beyond the water.

He even got up, and went across to the other side of the fire, to stoop
down and examine the plain footprints left by their late guest. Then he
shook his head as though the result failed to tell him what he sought.

To make absolutely sure, he took a pine knot that had been thrust into
the fire; and using this as a torch, made his way to the tree where the
bear had been chained ever since coming among them.

It was no great task to discover the imprint made by the heavy shoes
worn by the Russian. They were marked all around by hobnails such as are
used by the lower classes across the water, in order to save the leather
soles, for leather costs more money than a few nails.

Apparently Thad found little satisfaction in his labors, for he was
frowning when he returned to the circle.

"Not the same parties, eh, Thad?" asked Davy, who had kept a wondering
eye on the movements of the young scout-master, and could give a shrewd
guess as to the reason for his action, as well as the disappointing
result.

"I'm dead sure of that," replied Thad.

"Different shoes make different trails, eh?" went on Davy.

"Oh!" Thad replied quietly, but conclusively; "that spluttering
foreigner has hobnails in his soles; and I saw none like that over on
the island. And this other man wears a shoe with a square toe; but
pretty good material in it. There was no print like that either."

"Well, then, that proves them innocent, do