“For some reason he decided to go deeper into the woods,” Mr. Holloway added thoughtfully. “Evidently, he wanted to travel fast, so he pitched this bulky sack. He left it on the log, where he could find it easily on his way back.”
More than ever mystified by the boy’s strange disappearance, the four now hastened on. Soon however, Mr. Hatfield reported that he no longer could find any shoeprints on the trail.
“Red must have turned off somewhere,” he told the others. “That will make it a lot harder to find him.”
The four paused, discouraged by the realization that it might take hours to learn what had become of the missing boy. A cool wind whispered through the pines, causing Dan to pull his sweater more tightly about him. Red, he recalled, had worn no jacket. Unless they found him soon, he might actually suffer from cold.
“Listen!” commanded Brad suddenly. “I thought I heard something!”
The four stood perfectly still, listening. Overhead an owl hooted, but there was no other unusual sound.
“I was certain I heard something,” Brad muttered, ashamed to have aroused false hope. “It sounded like someone running. Guess I imagined it.”
“We’ll have to go back a ways and try to pick up Red’s trail again,” Mr. Hatfield said. “I only hope my flashlight holds out.”
The searchers turned around, but scarcely had they gone a dozen yards, than Brad exclaimed:
“There! I heard it again! Someone _is_ running through the underbrush!”
“You’re right, Brad!” exclaimed Mr. Hatfield. “It must be Red!”
Their hope revived, the four shouted the missing boy’s name repeatedly. To their intense relief, an answering shout came from the left of the trail.
“He’s over by the ravine, just as I thought!” added Mr. Hatfield. “Keep shouting, so he can find us. We’ll wait here on the trail.”
Five minutes later, Red struggled through the bushes and brambles to confront his would-be rescuers with a sheepish grin.
He was breathing heavily, having hastened as fast as he could.
“Gosh, were you out looking for me?” he asked, sagging down on a log to rest.
“Were we looking for you!” Brad exclaimed furiously. “You and your crazy jokes!”
“I intended to come right back—honest I did. But gosh, I had the scare of my life! I’m still shakey from the shock of it.”