Let's go over
and look about a little."
Stacy was willing, so they strolled over. Tad sat down, a thoughtful
look on his face, taking a survey, forming a mental picture of the
scene as it had appeared during the bloodless battle with the border
bandits.
"According to my idea those fellows must have fallen into a hole in
the ground about where that tree is down," declared Stacy wisely.
"That is my idea too," answered Tad. "I can't understand how they could
have slipped by us as easily as they did."
"Maybe they didn't."
"They must have done so. There is no hole in the ground over there, as
you can see for yourself. Even if there were, what good would it have
done the men? Let's go over and see if we can pick up a trail of some
sort."
"I'm with you. Where shall we begin?"
"You go to the left and I'll go to the right. We will meet somewhere
near the fallen tree unless we get side-tracked."
The tree referred to was a huge one. It lay at the base of a great
pile of rocks, from which it evidently had slipped. In falling it had
carried its roots with it. These roots, massed with dirt and stone,
stood up in the air all of fifteen feet. The top of the tree was a
hundred feet further out. It must have been a magnificent tree when
it stood towering from the top of the rocks there and no doubt was a
landmark for all that part of the Guadalupe Range.
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