The detective soon lost the path, however, and found himself in a
desperate tangle, with the blackness of a dismal night settling down
upon the place.
"I'm in a pickle, now, for a fact," muttered Dyke Darrel. "I was a
little indiscreet in coming here so late in the day. It does seem as
though I must come out somewhere if I continue to strive."
Nevertheless, an hour's walk in the dense undergrowth failed to bring
the detective to the bank of Black Hollow, or to any opening. "A
veritable trap for the unwary," growled Dyke, as he halted with his
back against a tree, with the perspiration oozing from every pore.
Even his wiry limbs and muscles were not proof against the tangled
nature of the wood into which he had so coolly entered.
Dyke Darrel was not in a pleasant mood as he stood meditating on the
situation.
"It looks now as though I was destined to remain in the wood all
night."
It was not a pleasing prospect.
The detective was on the point of making one more effort to break
through the tangle that encompassed him, when something caught his eye
that sent a thrill to his heart.
It was the glimmer of a light.
It did not seem to be far away, and Dyke Darrel resumed his fight with
the thickets with renewed courage.
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