Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/288

 By the aid of his compass and map and with the youths some fifteen feet on either side of him he pursued his quest for a mile. The net result of his endeavors was zero.

To be doubly sure he carefully retraced his steps and arrived at the starting point without having discovered anything in the company’s favor.

“It’s simply a waste of time and muscle,” he complained as they came to a pause. “If Carlton couldn’t find anything it ain’t expected that I can. Every monument has been removed.”

“Does this end it?” asked Stanley, deeply disappointed at their failure.

“Hardly,” grimly replied Abner. “We’ll run the line Nace is depending on. Our line originally, as we hold, ran from here due north. Nace holds it runs from here northeast. And that leaves him the triangle of rattling good timber. Wal, let’s be moving.”

The second trip was made more quickly, as at every one-fourth of a mile the cruisers found the cedar post, encircled with stones and again encircled by blazed trees.

“Now we’ll cut to the west for a fourth of a mile and then we’ve made the round of the lot,” said Abner.