"
"I believe I was in the case," Quest observed carelessly.
"That so! Now then, young ladies," Mr. Horan advised, "hold tight, and
here goes!"
They ambled down the line for about half a mile. Then Horan brought them
to a standstill.
"This is the spot," he declared. "Now, if you want my impressions, you are
welcome to them. All the search has been made on the right-hand side here,
and in New York. I've had my eye on that hill for a long time. My
impression is that he hid there."
"I'll take your advice," Quest decided. "We'll spread out and take a
little exercise in hill climbing."
"Good luck to you!" the boss exclaimed. "You'll excuse my waiting? It
ain't a quarter of a mile back by the road, and I'm going a bit farther
on, inspecting."
Quest slipped something into his hand and the little party left the track,
crossed the road, scrambled down a bank and spread out. In front of them
was a slope some hundreds of feet high, closely overgrown with dwarf trees
and mountain shrubs. It was waste land, uncultivated and uninhabited.
Quest made a careful search of the shrubs and ground close to the spot
which Horan had indicated. He pointed out to his two companions the spot
where the grass was beaten down, and a few yards farther off where a twig
had been broken off from some overhanging trees, as though a man had
pushed his way through.
"This may have been done by the police search," he remarked, "or it may
not. Don't spread out too far, girls, and go slowly.
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