"Right you are!" cried Dick. "We don't want any shooting if it can be avoided."
"Evidently you think they are close at hand," remarked Sam, while they were cutting stout sticks from among the brushwood.
"They can't have gone so very far, in that dense woods," answered Tom. "Why, the auto couldn't get through."
At last the boys were ready to continue the search, and stick and lantern in hand, Dick led the way, with Tom and Sam close behind. They had to bend close to the ground, to make sure that they were following the tracks of the touring car.
The trail led among the trees onto what was evidently a road used for hauling out timber. Following this for about a quarter of a mile, the youths discovered a dark object, resting near what looked to be the end of the road.
"It's the auto!" whispered Dick.
"Anybody around?" questioned Tom, in an equally low voice.
"I don't know. Be careful and we'll see."
With extreme caution the boys walked closer to the touring car and then all around it. Nobody was at hand, and not a sound broke the silence of the night.
