Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/156

 Abner, who halted at the foot of a hard wood ridge and stared off to the northwest.

“He’s watching the smoke and trying to figure it out,” whispered Bub as the two youths came up.

“I see no smoke,” said Stanley, gazing in vain.

“It’s just a yellow haze, but it’s plain,” said Bub.

“I shouldn’t be surprised if it’s Big Nick,” muttered Abner. Then seeing the youths he frowned, “Don’t either of you wander away from camp tonight. I don’t like that smoke.”

“Big Nick?” inquired Stanley, his hands tightening.

“He’s there, like enough, but he never built the fire. There’s someone with him who started a blaze when he wasn’t ’round to stop it. It died down mighty quick, as if he’d arrived and put it out. Besides, Nick would use wood that wouldn’t give off any smoke. That feller used pine.”

For the next few miles the trio remained silent. Stanley’s gaze was ever focused on the point where his companions had made out the tell-tale smoke and his nerves were keyed up to a high tension as Abner continued to hold his course. As they mounted the ridge and