They crossed the morass to the higher ground beyond and passed along in the direction of the camp.  There might be duck over Moose river, Thede suggested, and Tommy certainly would want a duck for his stew.  Also there might be wild geese there.

When they came to the place where the provisions had been cached, they found the surface of the ground broken and the provisions gone.  Not a single can remained.

“Now, we’ll have to shoot all the more game,” declared Tommy.  “We haven’t got many beans or tomatoes left, so we’ll have to forage on the country.”

The loss was not considered a serious one, for the boys had plenty of provisions at the cabin and game was very plentiful.

As they passed through the country signs of the wild creatures of the woods were numerous.  There were few spaces of a length of twenty-five feet in which the track of some wild beast or bird did not cross their path.

Thede read this writing in the snow so understandingly that the boys actually paid more attention to his explanations than to the discovery of the game he was talking about.

“What crossed there?” Will would ask.

“That must have been a red deer!”

“And this track, here?” asked Tommy.

“Probably a fox.”

“Well, what do you make of this?” Will demanded with a wink at Tommy.

“That must have been a moose, but he passed here some time before the last fall of snow!” replied Thede.

“Well, what’s this wobbly little mark here?” Tommy asked.

“Partridge!” replied Thede readily.

“Well, here’s another odd little mark.  Looks like some one had been dragging a rail fence.  What’s that?”

“You ought to know that!” answered Thede.

“I ought to know lots of things that I don’t know!” commented the boy.

“Well,” Thede said with a laugh, “the wild animal that passed along there was a Beaver!”

“I wonder if he belongs to our patrol!” chuckled Tommy.

“I should think the little fellow would freeze to death,” Will objected.

“Pierre said it was pretty cold for them to be out when he saw tracks two or three days ago!” replied Thede.  “They’re building a dam over on the river some place, and I suppose they think they’ve got to finish the job before real winter sets in.”

After a long ramble through the forest, the boys came to the site of the old camp.  The snow which covered the ground here had been well trodden down, and many tracks led in the direction of Moose river.

“I suppose they’ve been hunting for deserted provisions,” Will suggested.  “I’d like to know who it was that made the search!”

“It might have been your Hindu friend,” suggested Tommy.

“Look here, kid,” Will said in a moment.  “Now that this Hindu discussion has broken out again, I’d like to know what you think the chances are for locating that little brown man.”