"We've got Maybe with us," said Sammy, boldly. "I'm not afraid."
And so the boys decided on Sammy's plan, little thinking what would come of it.
They could no longer see the hermit, but they thought they could trace which way he went by following the tracks in the snow.
"Besides, we have the dog with us," added Sammy, "and he can follow. He can track the hermit just like he does a rabbit."
The boys went on cautiously. They did not want to get too close to Mr. Addison, who, though he was an old man, might be one who was very easily made angry, and who might work some harm to them. In fact they already knew that he lost his temper easily.
For perhaps half a mile they followed the tracks of the aged man through the snow. This was easy to do since he tramped over a place where the white crust was unbroken by other footsteps. The dog, too, led them by sniffing at the trail on the ground. But they had had no sight of Mr. Addison since he had disappeared into the bushes after shaking his fist at them.
"He isn't going toward the old house," said Sammy, after a bit.
"No, he's heading in the wrong direction for that," added Frank. "Maybe he's going to his own cabin."
"If he does," spoke Sammy, "we won't follow him there."
The boys were now some distance away from Camp Mystery. They had occasional glimpses of the frozen lake, but they had not seen any figure bearing a likeness to Mr. Jessup, skating over it. The hunter was probably still with his sick sister, they thought, and they did not quite know what to do.
