It was not such a difficult matter, after all, to win permission from Miss Sallie and the major to take the walk through the forest. The major explained to Miss Sallie that Stephen was a safe and careful guide who knew the country by heart, and that if the girls were equal to the walk there would be no danger in the excursion. The party, however, dwindled to five persons, Bab and Ruth, Stephen, Jimmie and Alfred. The latter appeared early, equipped for the walk, carrying a heavy cane, his trousers turned up over stout boots.

"Now, Stephen," said Miss Sallie, "I want you to promise me to take good care of the girls. You say the woods are not dangerous, although a highwayman stepped out of them one evening and attacked us with a knife.

But I take your word for it, since the major says it is safe and I see Alfred is armed."

Everybody laughed at this, and Alfred looked conscious and blushed.

"Doesn't one carry a cane in this country?" he asked.

"Not often at your age, my boy," replied Jimmie. "But I daresay it will serve to beat a trail through the underbrush."

"Come along, girls; let's be off," cried Stephen, who at heart was almost a Gypsy, and loved a long tramp through the woods. He had strapped over his shoulder a goodly sized box of lunch, and the cavalcade started cheerfully down the walk that led toward the forest, a compact ma.s.s of foliage lying to the left of them.

"Isn't this fun?" demanded Jimmie. "I feel just in the humor for a lark."

"I hope you can climb fences, girls," called Stephen over his shoulder, as he trudged along, ahead of the others.

"We could even climb a tree if we had to," answered Bab, "or swim a creek."

"Or ride a horse bareback," interrupted Jimmie, who had heard the story of Bab's escapade on the road to Newport.

"This is the end of uncle's land," said Stephen, at last. "We now find ourselves entering the black forest. Here's the trail," he called as the others helped the two girls over the dividing fence.

"All right, Scout Stephen," replied Jimmie. "We are following close behind. Proceed with the march."

Sure enough, there was a distinct road leading straight into the forest, formed by ruts from cartwheels, probably the carts of the woodcutters, Stephen explained. The edges of the wood were rather thin and scant, like the meagre fringe on a man's head just beginning to turn bald at the temples; but as they marched deeper into the forest, the trees grew so thickly that their branches overhead formed a canopy like a roof.

Squirrels and chipmunks scampered across their path and occasionally a rabbit could be seen scurrying through the underbrush.

"Isn't this great!" exclaimed Stephen, after they had been walking for some time. "Uncle says there's scarcely such another wood in this part of the country."

"Don't speak so loud, Stephen," said Jimmie. "It is so quiet here, I feel as if we would wake something, if we spoke above a whisper."

"Let's wake the echoes," replied Stephen and he gave a yodel familiar to all boys, a sort of trilling in the head and throat that is melodious in sound and carries further than an ordinary call. Immediately there was an answer to the yodel. It might have seemed an echo, only there was no place for an echo in this shut-in spot.

They all stopped and listened as the answer died away among the branches of the trees.

"Curious," said Jimmie. "It was rather close, too. Perhaps one of your woodcutters is playing a trick on us, Stephen. Suppose we try again, and see what happens!" Jimmie gave another yodel, louder and longer than the first. As they paused and listened, the answer came again like an echo, this time even nearer.

"Let's investigate," proposed Alfred. "I think it came from over there,"

and he led the way through the trees toward the echo.

"Halloo-o," he called, "who are you?" and the answer came back "Halloo-o, who are you?" followed by a mocking laugh.

"Well, after all, it isn't any of our business who you are," cried Stephen, exasperated, "and I don't think we had better leave the trail just here for a fellow who is afraid to come out and show himself," he added in a lower tone.

There was no reply and they returned to the cartwheel road and began the march again.

"You were quite right, Stephen," said Ruth, "why should we waste our time over an idler who plays tricks on people?"

There was another laugh, which seemed to come from high up in the branches; then sounds like the chattering of squirrels, followed by low whistles and bird calls. They examined the branches of the trees around them, but there was nothing in sight.

"Oh, go along!" exclaimed Alfred angrily. "Only cowards hide behind trees. Brave men show themselves."

Silence greeted this sally, also, and they trudged on through the forest without any further effort to see the annoyer. Several times acorn sh.e.l.ls whizzed past their heads, and once Jimmie made a running jump, thinking he saw some one behind a tree, but returned crestfallen. A surprise was in store for them, however. They had been walking for some time when the trail, which hitherto had run straight through the middle of the wood, gave a sudden and unexpected turn, to avoid a depression in the land, overgrown with vines and small trees, and now dry from the drought.

They paused a moment on the curve of the path to look across at the graceful little hollow which seemed to be the meeting place of slender young pine trees and silver birches gleaming white among the dark green branches.

"How like people they look," Bab whispered. She never knew just why she did so. "Like girls in white dresses at a party."

"And the pine trees are the men," whispered Jimmie. "Look," he said excitedly, under his breath, "there's a man! Perhaps it's the--"

He stopped short and his voice died away in amazement. Barbara said "Sh-h-h!" and the others paused in wonder. Just emerging from the hollow on the other side, was the figure of a man. All eyes saw him at the same moment and two pairs of eyes at least recognized a green velveteen hunting suit. As the figure turned for one brief instant and scanned the forest they saw his face in a flash.

"It's Jose!" they gasped.

"Bab," exclaimed Ruth, "he is wearing the green velveteens!"

"I know it," replied her friend. "But are we sure it was Jose?"

"No; we aren't sure," answered Stephen. "It certainly looked like Jose, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, at any rate."

From beyond the hollow came another yodel.

"By Jove!" said Jimmie, "nothing but a tricky foreigner, after all, and I was just beginning to like him too."

"He's more than a trickster," Bab whispered. "He's wearing a green velveteen suit."

"Well, what of it?" asked Stephen.

"It's the same suit the highwayman wore who slashed the tires of the automobile."

"Whew-w-w!" cried the boys.

"Be careful," whispered Ruth. "Don't let him hear us. Do you think he saw us?"

"No," replied Alfred, "or he would never have yodeled."

Barbara began to consider. Should she tell about the knife, or should she wait? She believed that if she told it would only complicate matters and bring Zerlina, the Gypsy girl, into the muddle. Suppose she told, and then, when they reached home, they found that Jose had been away that morning? It would immediately call down upon him the suspicions of the whole party, suspicions perhaps undeserved. Bab had never had cause to regret her ability to keep a secret, and she concluded to test it again by holding her peace a little longer.

"Jose or no Jose, let's go on and have our good time," exclaimed Stephen. "Everything depends on whether Jose was at home or not this morning. If he wasn't, why, then he'll have to give an account of himself. And if he was, we shall have to consult uncle about what to do.

We will hunt the man out of these woods, anyway. He has no business lurking around here."

Once more they started off, and were not troubled again by the yodler.

Presently the jangle of a bell was heard in the distance, a pleasant musical tinkle in the midst of the green stillness of the forest.

"What on earth is _that_?" exclaimed Ruth, a little nervous now from the nearness of the robber.