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　　Trailed by the dogs
　　Lucy-Ann shrank back against Bill and Johns when she heard the savage¹ howls and barks. Shedidn’t at all like the idea of the dogs being after them!
　　Bill and Johns exchanged glances, and Bill said something under his breath and looked stubbornand angry. They had all been so pleased at their escape – and now here they were, about to becaught again! Nobody could do anything against ten man-hunting dogs!
　　‘Bill! Get into the stream and wade² up through the water,’ said Jack³ suddenly. ‘That’s what theother man did when he wanted to break his scent⁴. Dogs can’t smell a trail through water. Let’s allwade up the stream, and try and find a good hiding-place – a big tree, like Sam went up.’
　　‘Well – it’s a poor chance,’ said Bill, ‘but we’ll try it! Blow that helicopter – behaving like thatjust when I wanted to take off to safety! We’d have been quite all right by now if it hadn’t been forthe damage to the steering⁵.’
　　They all waded⁶ into the middle of the little stream. Up it they went, the water very cold to theirfeet. Lucy-Ann was between Bill and Johns. She felt very glad indeed that there were two grown-ups with them! In the distance the dogs barked again. They were certainly on the trail!
　　The little company went up the stream as quickly as they could, so that their scent was wellbroken. But they could easily be seen, and it was essential that they should get up into a tree, orfind a cave as soon as they could.
　　And soon they found just exactly the thing! The stream disappeared into a large hole in themountain. The clear water came bubbling out from there into the sunshine, swirling⁷ round the feetof the two men and the children – and of Snowy too!
　　‘Look – it comes from that big hole,’ said Bill, pleased. ‘We’ll go in there and hope it will takeus all. We ought to be able to hide here till the dogs give up all hope of finding us.’

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