Naturally enough Cora's words were echoed aloud by some of the party.
"Lost!" cried Belle. "How do you know?"
"We're going in the wrong direction," Cora said. "Don't you know when
persons get lost in the woods they always go around in a circle? Nearly
always they turn to the right, as we have done. I forget the
explanation, but it has something to do with the right side of the body
being stronger than the left. And that's what we've done. We've wandered
around in a circle, so of course we're lost."
"That doesn't follow at all," declared Walter.
"Why not?" challenged Cora.
"Because the path may have been shifting. We've only followed the trail
through the woods. We haven't gone off it."
"That's so," chimed in Paul. "We're still on the path, and it must lead
somewhere."
"Perhaps it's a cow-path," suggested Bess. "It's narrow enough for one."
"Well, even a cow-path leads somewhere," said Hazel. "We'll end up at a
stable."
"Or a dairy," added Jack. "Some bread and milk won't go bad if we miss
our supper."
"Oh, we won't miss it," declared Walter. "We're bound to end up
somewhere, and even if we come out a mile or more from our camp. And if
we see a house, we can hire a farmer to drive us over, if we're too
tired to walk."
"Yes, we could do that," Cora assented. "But what plan is best to follow
now? Shall we keep on the way we are going, on this path, even though it
leads west and our camp is to the east? Or shall we go back until we
find a path extending in an easterly direction?"
"Whew!" whistled Jack. "That sounds like a question in my old school
geography. What's the answer, Cora?"
"I wish I knew," said his sister. "Let's take a vote on it."
They discussed the matter a little while, and the general opinion was
that it was better to go on than to retreat.
"We didn't see any houses in all the distance we came," said Walter,
"and it is getting so late now we may have to appeal to a farmer to
drive us back. I say go ahead, even if the direction seems to be wrong.
We may reach a house this way."
"I guess you're right," admitted Cora, "though it seems illogical to go
deliberately away from, instead of toward, our camp."
"Perhaps it isn't called Camp Surprise for nothing," suggested Hazel.
"What do you mean?" asked her brother.
"I mean it may surprise us by appearing when and where we least expect
it."
"You always were a hopeful child," laughed Paul. His sister blushed.
"You believed in Santa Claus long after I had detected our respected
parents sneaking down the back stairs with the presents," he continued.
"Hope on, foolish one."
"She may be right at that," said Jack, championing Hazel's cause. "If
the sun insists on appearing where we think it oughtn't to be the camp
may take a notion to do the same thing. Come on! Forward!"
A little anxious, they kept on, rather tired, but not greatly
discouraged. Youthful hearts are not made for discouragement,
fortunately.
"Anything left to eat?" asked Jack after a bit, when the path seemed to
be shifting somewhat toward the east.
"A little," announced Walter, who was carrying the basket. "But you
can't have any."
"Why not?" demanded Jack, indignantly. "I have as good a right as you.
Who delegated you to carry the rations?"
"Nobody else seemed to want to. Now I'm in charge of the commissary
department, and I'm going to put you, and myself included, on short
rations. We may have to stay out all----"
"Ahem!" interrupted Paul, giving Walter a nudge. "Do you see anything
like a house through the trees? Cut out that talk about having to stay
out all night, if that's what you were going to say," he added in a
quick whisper.
"It was," Walter admitted. "But I'll cease."
"You'd better. We don't want the girls to get nervous."
"I don't see any house," Jack reported, having looked in the direction
indicated by Paul.
"I thought I saw smoke, and where there's smoke there's generally a
house or a camp," Paul said. "However, I may have been mistaken."
It was evident that he had been, but a little later, as they once more
emerged from the woods, Cora gave a joyful cry and called out:
"There it is!"
"What, our camp?" asked Belle.
"No, a house! See it?"
They looked to where her finger pointed. Undoubtedly, it was a
farmhouse, located on the farther edge of the clearing in which they had
halted. There was a vacant space about it, and several barn-like
structures. But there was a curious lack of life around the place.
"I don't believe any one lives there," said Jack.
"Don't be a pessimist," urged his sister. "Let's go and find out."
They hurried toward the house, but the nearer they approached it the
more it seemed that it was not a farmhouse in the ordinary sense of the
word. Though in the midst of cleared fields that must at one time have
been part of a farm, there were no growing crops. The fields were
overgrown with weeds, there were no horses or cattle to be seen, and no
challenging dog rushed out to bark at the boys and girls.
"Still some old man or woman may live there who can put us on the right
road," Cora suggested. "We won't give up yet."
Confirmation of Jack's idea that the house was uninhabited was given as
they went up the weed-entangled front path. And the sight of broken
windows, a door sagging open on fractured hinges gave further aspects of
abandonment.
"Anybody home?" called Walter, knocking on the door, which swayed as
though it wanted to part company from the only hinge that held it up.
"Who's in here? Hello inside!"
An echo was his only answer, though as they had approached the place
Paul had said he heard a noise inside.
"Nobody home," said Jack. "But this is at least encouraging. We are
getting 'warm' as they say in hunt the thimble. Let's go around back.
Maybe they don't use the front door."
He started around a side path, followed by Cora, Bess and Belle. The
others straggled along in the extreme rear. As the four in the lead
turned around an ell of the house, Cora uttered a cry and pointed to two
men who were running out of the barn, not far off.
"Look, Jack!" she cried.
Jack stood still, quite taken by surprise, and then Belle added:
"Why, Cora! I declare! One of those men looks like one of the two who
ran off with your car!"
"Are you sure about that, Belle?" demanded Cora's brother. "I don't want
to make a mistake."
"I only saw their backs, of course," explained Belle, quite excited.
"But that one on the left looks like the one who took the wheel and
steered Cora's auto away from the tea room. The coat is just the same."
"Well, it's pretty slim evidence on which to chase after two strange
men," said Jack, "but here goes. Come on, boys!" he called to Walter and
Paul. "Tally-ho!"
"What's the excitement?" asked Walter, as he and Paul came running
around the corner of the house. "Dog after you, Jack?"
"No, but we want to get after those two fellows. See 'em?"
He pointed to the fleeing men.
"Who are they?" Paul queried.
"Belle thinks they're the ones who took Cora's auto. It's a rather slim
identification, but we'll take a chance."
"Yell at 'em," suggested Paul.
"Good idea," commented Jack. "I say there--you two! Hold on a minute, we
want to talk to you!" he cried.
The two men, running away, never heeded nor looked around. They ran on
toward the woods, the boys following, while the girls stood in a group
near the deserted house.