Part 5 (1/2)
”Do you think the paper rapped around the rock?” asked George
”Of course it was!” replied Tommy ”You can see the folds now, and there's the place where a a corner of the rock cut a hole!”
Will turned a searchlight on the paper, now held outstretched in Toh as he read the words written there:
”Nix on the help signal”
”The little rascal!” exclai the sentence
”He's wise, that boy!” declared Sandy
”He thinks we're setting a trap for him,” Will explained, ”and I can't say that I blae”
”Anyway,” Tommy went on, ”it shows that he isn't far away If he'll only hover around within reaching distance, we'll soon convince him that we don't mean him or his father any harm”
”I wonder if he took any provisions with hie ”I really hope he did That is, if they haven't got any in their own camp”
The boys looked at the provisions which had been taken out for supper, and discovered that two loaves of bread and several tins of preserved meats had been taken
”Good for hied that two of the boys should watch the camp until one o'clock, and then awake the others, ere to stand guard untilTommy and Sandy were to take the first watch
”I don't think there's uard!” exclaimed Will ”Our lovely burros over there will probably lift up their voices if any stranger coested, ”we ner if we keep watch all night”
Will and George were in bed by nine o'clock, and then Sandy and To the excursion into the hills which each one, independent of the other, had deteran, ”wherever those fellows are, they have a fire It's Septehts are cold here, just the same Now, you remain here and watch the camp and I'll make my way to one of the summits to the north and take a peep over the country If I see a campfire, and it isn't too far away, I'll sneak down and see whether it belongs to Wagner, to the cheap detectives, to the train robbers, or to the cowboy vigilantes”
”That's quite a collection of interests to be assehed Sandy
”Oh, ays get into sorumbled Toner if the detectives, and the train robbers, and the cowboys had re them out, anyway!”
”I have an idea that the detectives will soon get tired of wandering around in the hills and rizzly bears, and rattlesnakes, and wolverines every half hour”
”Grizzly bears!” exclairizzly bears for?”
”There are ,” declared Sandy, ”than in all the other western states put together The Bad Lands are full of them, and up in the Yellowstone National Park, they have theht!” exclaimed Tommy ”I'll take your word for it, but I don't believe it! I know there are rattlesnakes, all right, but I don't believe there's a grizzly bear within a hundred miles of this spot!”
The words were hardly out of the boy's rowl came to the ears of the watchers
”There!” cried Tommy ”You've called the roll and that's the first response But I'll bet he's the only one around here!” the boy added