At noon Tad sat down and ate another egg.
"I must be getting near the place," he mused.
Still there was no trace of human habitation. There remained nothing
for him to do save to push on, which he did stubbornly.
When the sun went down he seemed no nearer to the object of his search
than when he had set out at daybreak. The lad, after looking about,
came upon a tree which he climbed in order to get an unobstructed view
of the country. He argued that camp-fires would be lighted for the
evening meal. Not a sign of smoke could he discover anywhere.
Tad's heart sank.
"I've got to stay out all night," he muttered. "If I were sure of
finding some one in the morning I wouldn't mind."
There remaining about two hours before dark, he decided to push on as
long as he could see. So he trotted on resolutely until the shadows
fell so densely about his path that he could no longer find his way.
Tad reluctantly halted and after selecting a suitable place, gathered
wood for a camp-fire. Water there was none, so he had to do without
it while he ate his last egg.
Then he lay down to sleep, refusing to allow himself to think very
long at a time of his lonely position.
Late that night, the boy awakened, finding the moon shining brightly.
He got up and looked about him. The camp-fire had died out. The
light of the moon was so strong that he could make out the
surroundings almost as well as in daylight.
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