THE CLIMB At last they found the trail.

It wound up and away from the road about half a mile farther along than where they had found the shavings.
"I guess no one would have noticed those but you," Hervey said admiringly; "I guess the detectives would have gone right past them." "A lot of little clews are better than one big one," Tom said as they scrambled up into the dense thicket.

"The initials on the turtle, the new jack-knife, the willow shavings, all fit together." "Yes, but it takes Tom Slade to fit them together," Hervey said.
"Maybe we might be mistaken after all," Tom answered.

"Anyway, nobody'll have the laugh on us.

We didn't talk to reporters." Their journey now led up through dense woods, but the trail was clear and easy to follow.