gully. I think the motor would be about run down if the plane got this far,” he said. He came to a stop in a little glade on the edge of the ravine. The ground was covered with a soft carpet of pine needles.

“Makes a good landing field,” commented Joe as he brushed a pile of needles together with a motion of his foot.

“Just like coming down on a spring bed,” declared Dick. He threw himself on the ground with a soft thud.

19 “Well, let’s have a look around,” suggested Joe. “If your plane is here, Teddy, it ought to be easy to spot it with the white wings and fusilage.”

19

“Yes, it’ll show up well against all this darkness,” agreed Dick. “Now let’s spread out a bit and look.”

“Take it easy going down into the gully,” advised Teddy. “If any of us slip we might get a bad fall.”

Foot by foot the boys advanced deeper into the woods. Darkness slowly hemmed them in. The trees were thicker now. The boys looked down into the ravine at the foot of which raced a murmuring stream.

Suddenly Dick clutched Teddy’s arm and exclaimed:

“There! Isn’t that your plane? That white thing?”

“Where?” asked Teddy.

“Right near that big rock. Look! Sure! That’s your plane!”

20 “By golly! So it is!” cried Teddy in delight, “I’ve found it and not far down in the gully, either. Hurray!”

20

He started toward the toy plane. But before he and the boys who were following him could reach it, they were startled by a loud snorting noise.

Then some animal, with large ears and an upraised tail, sprang from behind the rock and made straight for Teddy Benson.

“Look out!” yelled Dick. “Look out!”

21

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