Step Hen as he said this threw himself down on the ground, and seemed to be making a mental photograph of the impression.
"How d'ye reckon they got here, Allan; by boat, or through the woods direct?" asked Thad, as though he had himself been pondering over that question, without being able to connect, as yet.
"Let's take a look along the edge of the river," remarked the Maine boy. "If so be they had a canoe, we ought to be able to see where it was pulled up on the little beach down here. Such a mark would stay a long time unless the water rose, and I don't think that happened here, not over half a foot, anyhow."
So once more they walked after Allan, who was soon examining the shore close to the edge of the water.
"There's a mark you can all see, that looks as if a boat had been pulled up, but it's old and faint. The rain has nearly washed it out. Do any of you glimpse signs of another scratch that's fresher?"
Allan's purpose, of course, was to make his chums think they were having a hand in the search. Then, when telling the story afterwards, they could say "when _we_ had hunted all along the shore, and didn't find any fresh sign, we knew that the yeggs must sure have walked all the way through the woods."
There was a little hustle as Giraffe, Davy, Step Hen and Bumpus all endeavored to earn the right to include themselves in the affair; after which they united in declaring that no further signs lay along the little beach.
"Well, we've settled that part of it pretty cleverly, I guess," Thad declared, as he smiled at Allan.
"It was one of the easiest jobs I ever tackled," declared the other.
"Wonder which way they went when they left here?" Bumpus remarked.
"Now, just don't bother your head about that, Bumpus," said Step Hen. "You're letting your envious mind think of that fat reward again; but you'd better forget it, Thad says."
"Oh! if they were making toward the Canada border," observed Allan, "why, of course they headed north after leaving here."
"And so are we," was all Bumpus allowed himself to say in reply; but the look he gave Step Hen was sufficient to announce that he did not mean to wholly relinquish all idea that somehow, some time, they might yet run across the fugitives, and be able to capture them handsomely.