The rooms all bore the appearance of recent occupancy, but there were evidences that the house had been set in order before the departure of its people.
The sleeping chambers he examined last. All of these rooms had been swept, dusted and the beds made; but in one of them he picked up a fancy celluloid hair-comb. There was only one person on Nannabijou Limits to whom that could belong, and that was Josephine Stone.
The conviction brought home to Hammond from every quarter was that he had arrived too late. Josephine Stone’s captors must have carried her off to some other fastness. He thought of the building adjacent, but on going there he found the doors and windows securely locked. The blinds, however, were up, and he could get a clear view of all the rooms and the wireless plant inside. There was nothing else there beyond a number of empty bunks, a table and a few chairs.
It struck him that there was possibly another retreat hidden away in some other part of the Cup—perhaps up in the woods. He returned to the plane intending to make a thorough search of the area in the Cup from the air. But his engine was in a decidedly balky mood. He had a feeling it would fail him altogether, and, on an impulse of better judgment, he swung up and over the cliffs.
He had barely reached the confluence of Solomon Creek with Nannabijou River when the motor went dead.
Fortunately, by skillful manipulation of the planes, he was enabled to glide safely down over the timbered sides of the mountain to the cleared area just above Nannabijou camps.
His plane was soon surrounded by wondering groups of camp workers from among whom there strode a member of the mounted force. He leaned close as Hammond was getting out of the machine.
“Inspector Little would like you to go down to his quarters at once, Mr. Hammond,” he said. “I will see that your machine is taken care of.”
The inspector’s genial smile and hearty handshake did much to revive Hammond’s drooping spirits over his nonsuccess in finding trace of Miss Stone. “Mighty glad to see you back safe and sound, old man,” he offered. “Find any clues up there as to the whereabouts of the young lady?”
Briefly Hammond gave a verbal report of his discoveries, adding that he was convinced Josephine was still held prisoner somewhere up in the Cup.