!" exclaimed Seth, in disgust, "say, you
made all of us believe that you'd run across something worth while."

"How about it, Paul?" appealed Jotham, turning to the one whom he
fancied would be more apt to understand, "don't this tell a story; and
ain't it a pretty good clue to run across?"

"I should say, yes," replied Paul, as he took the article in question in
his own hands, and felt of it eagerly, "because, you see, Seth, this is
really silk, the queer kind they always make balloons out of. And that
ought to tell us we're on the right track. So you see it was an
important pick-up, and ought to count one point for Jotham."

"Gee whittaker! you don't say?" ejaculated Seth, staring with
considerable more respect at the foot of dingy yellow stuff which the
scoutmaster was holding in his hands. "Well, if that's so, then I pass
along the honors to Jotham. But if a piece of the bally old balloon fell
right here, Paul, don't that tell us the wreck must a passed over where
we're standing now?"

"Not the least doubt about that," asserted the confident Paul, "and I
was just looking up to see if I could make out the course it took.
Because it must have struck the top of a tree, to tear this piece
loose."

"How about that one over yonder?" suggested Fritz, pointing as he spoke.
"Looks to me like the top was broke some, and I just bet you now that's
where the big gas-bag did strike first, when it started to drop in a
hurry."

"Then following the course of the wind, which hasn't changed this last
hour, it would be carried on straight east," Paul continued, logically.

"Sure thing," declared Seth, "and if you look close now, you'll glimpse
where it struck that smaller bunch of trees just ahead, where we're
going to land soon. And Paul, hadn't we better be trying our luck some
more now? Guess all the boys must be rested, and if we've just _got_ to
do the grand wading act, the sooner we get started the better."

"First let's call out again, and see if we get any answer. It would
cheer the poor fellow up some, if he happens to be lying there badly
hurt; and if he does answer, we'll get our bearings better. Hit it up,
Fritz!"

They always turned to Fritz when they wanted volume of sound. That
appeared to be his specialty, the one thing in which he certainly
excelled.

Of course there was little need of any great noise, now that they had
reason to believe the object of their solicitude must be close at hand;
but then boys g