Part 20 (2/2)
”Say, but I've had a long wait!” Jack complained.
”Why didn't you signal before, then?” demanded Ned.
”Why, I thought you'd come right on, come on and meet me!”
”And you never knew I was here until I climbed the tree?”
”Of course not. How should I?”
”Well,” Ned observed, ”we'll know better next time. I presume I should have made a sign myself--the call of the pack, for instance.”
”Of course,” Jack replied. ”Now,” he went on, ”do you know what's doing here?”
”I'm in quest of information,” Ned grinned. ”What have you found?”
”I've discovered that the Brady cabin is being watched!”
Ned couldn't understand that, and said so. Jack went on: ”When I stood in front of the house, two men came out of the canyon and walked down to the tree belt and stopped. They stood there a long time, talking, and then started off in this direction and I followed them.”
”Are they mountaineers?” asked Ned. ”People of this section?”
”Certainly not! They are to all appearances city people, at least in dress.”
”You couldn't hear what they were saying?” asked Ned.
”No, but I could get some idea of their thoughts from their gestures.
One was kicking about something, and the other was trying to pacify him.”
”Well, where did they go? Where did you see them last?” asked Ned.
”They went up the slope, and disappeared behind that chimney of rock.
I've got pictures of that rock!”
”This looks like a three-cornered game!” Ned mused.
”What do you mean by that?” asked Jack. ”Where are the three interests?”
”We'll probably have to come back here tonight,” Ned went on, without answering the question. ”We can never get up that slope in daylight without attracting their attention.”
”We must be at least four up-hill miles from camp,” Jack calculated.
”All of that,” answered Ned. ”It is a long walk there and back.”
”Then why not remain here?” asked Jack. ”I'm hungry, but I'm more in need of rest than food just now. We can lie here in the thicket until night, and then creep up the slope and see what's doing.”
”I was about to suggest that,” Ned observed, ”but I thought you'd be ravenous for the sight of a camp dinner!”
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