"
After a few moments of sniffing the lad decided that smoke lay off
obliquely to the right of him. Having decided upon this he started
in the direction named, but proceeded with much more caution than
before as he did not wish to stumble upon strangers until he had first
determined whether they were friends or enemies.
At last he saw a faint flicker of light.
"It's there," muttered the boy. "Now we'll see. I hope nothing has
happened to Ned. Still, he would have fired his revolver had he got
into trouble. He may be waiting for me down by the creek. But I must
find out what's going on here before I take time to look him up. I
hope the others don't come and blunder in."
Tad paused in his reflections as the sound of voices reached his ears.
Young Butler, crouching low, crept cautiously through the bushes, each
foot being placed on the ground as softly as an animal stalking its
prey could have done. Not a sound did the young woodsman make. Of
course his progress was slow, but it was silent, which was much more
to be desired.
Some fifteen minutes elapsed before Tad reached a point where he could
get a view of the fire. He was obliged to crawl some three or four
rods from that point ere he found a position where he could see the
men who were near the fire.
The first to attract Tad's attention was the mountaineer, squatting
down with head thrust forward, his rifle held across his chest, the
man's hand over the trigger-frame.
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