He poked about in the undergrowth, examining various flowers and plants that came to his attention, but discovered no specimens that he had not seen before. He was just on the point of going back to the other lads when he saw before him a small clearing. It was a part of the grove in which he had never been, so he ploughed on through the bushes until he found himself in a clearing that appeared to be part of an abandoned roadway.

It was in a low-lying part of the grove and the ground was wet. At one point it was muddy, and in this mud Joe saw something that aroused his curiosity.

“Tire tracks, eh! There’s been an automobile in here,” he muttered to himself. “I wonder how on earth a car could get this far into the woods!”

Then he remembered his father’s remarks on the value of developing his powers of observation, so he went over closer and examined the marks in the mud.

“That’s a strange tread,” he thought. “I’ve never seen a tire mark quite like that before.”