Anyway, it was none of my business, only there was one mighty funny thing about that footprint.  There was an Indian’s head stamped right in the mud.  It wasn’t very plain, but I could see it was an Indian’s head all right.  It was something like the Indian’s head on a cent.

Oh, boy, I was all up in the air then, because I didn’t understand how that could be there, Maybe you’ll say that it was stamped there to show what make of shoes they were, but that’s where you’re wrong, because most of the sole was all worn away and the mark would be worn away, so somebody must have cut it there lately, that was one sure thing, and I couldn’t understand why any body would want to cut that on an old worn-out shoe.

So I sat down on the edge of the float to think about it and then I saw two or three more just like it, and even more, too, only not all of them were so plain.  Believe me, I didn’t know what to think.  Then all of a sudden I happened to remember that the Indian’s head is the design of the scout pathfinder badge.

Jiminetty, but didn’t I get down on my knees and study those some more.  Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with the scouts, but maybe it did.

And even if it did I couldn’t make out what it meant, because that shoe was no scout shoe.  I know a scout shoe when I see one, you can bet.

Anyway, I made up my mind I was going to follow that track as far as I could.  Maybe it would peter out on a street or something and then—­good night!

You’ll see what happened in the next chapter.  Oh boy, it’s going to be a peacherino!

CHAPTER XIV

THE SLACKER

One thing, I wished Tom Slade was there, because he was the best tracker we ever had.  He could track an airplane—­that’s what the fellows used to say.  But he was over in France and the only other fellow in our troop who is a crackerjack at tracking, is Westy Martin.  I don’t say that just because he’s a Silver Fox, because I have to admit that Artie Van Arlen and Wig Weigand are heroes, and they’re not Silver Foxes.  But, honest, Westy is a winner when it comes to tracking, and you’ve got to remember that, because now I’m going to tell you some other things about him and maybe you won’t know just what to think.  But I’m going to tell you straight just what happened.

Well, I decided that I’d rather have another fellow with me, because that’s a good rule in tracking and anyway two fellows are better than one.  And anyway, I knew he could hold a track longer than I could.  He got the pathfinder’s badge for one of the best tracking stunts that was ever done up at Temple Camp and he’s done enough tracking stunts to win it two or three times over.  He’s a fiend on tracking.