What do you think?"
"It looks bad, certainly," the officer admitted reluctantly. "I am
awfully sorry I have led you into this mess."
"It can't be helped," Ralph said. "We must make the best of matters.
At any rate it's better than it was, and the mist is not nearly as
heavy as when we were marching up that valley."
CHAPTER XI.
STILL-HUNTING.
"Now, sergeant, the men may as well fall in," Ralph said cheerfully,
"and then we will set about finding this path. On which side do you
think it is most likely to lie, Mr. Fitzgibbon?"
"I really can't give an opinion, sir. You see there is not a breath of
wind to help us, and in this sort of light there is no telling where
the sun is, so I don't know at the present moment which way we are
facing."
"Well, we will try to the right first, sergeant," Ralph said. "I will
lead the way. Let the men follow at a distance of about ten paces
apart. I will keep on speaking. Do you stand at the left of the file,
and when the last man has gone ten paces from you pass the word along.
By that time I shall be about two hundred yards away. If I have not
found the path then we will come back to you and do the same thing on
the left. If we don't light upon the path itself we may come upon some
rise or bog or something that will enable Mr. Fitzgibbon to form an
idea as to where we are.
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