"We'll have to find the trail and follow.

Maybe I'll have to light the lantern." "Say, let us fix the auto first--so they can't use it, if they come back!" exclaimed Tom.
"A good idea, Tom," answered his big brother.

And, as soon as Dick had lighted the lantern, Tom and Sam set to work to render the touring car unusable for the time being by turning off the flow of gasoline from the tank and disconnecting the spark plugs.
"That will keep 'em guessing for a while, if they try to run it," was Sam's comment.
In the meantime Dick was examining the ground, and soon he found the mark of many footprints in the moss and leaves.

They led along a well-defined footpath running through the woods and up something of a hill.
"They went this way," he said.

"The fact is, I don't see how they could go any other,--the brushwood is so thick." "Maybe there's a house back there," suggested Tom.
"I shouldn't be surprised.