“Wait and see,” whispered Amos, “two of us ought to be able to beat a pair like that. They’re only bunglers, anyway. I’m dependin’ on you, girl, remember. When Teddy Overton comes, you’ll be right glad you promised to help. You’ve heard of his dad, the head of the big lumber company, ain’t you? But laugh a little, Sallie, ’cause Gabe, he’s watchin’ us like a hawk, right now. It wouldn’t be good for us if he thought we was hatchin’ up a way to pull the wool over his eyes. Laugh, and make out as how I was sayin’ something funny like.”
Sallie understood, and played her part so well that Hackett, who had been growing suspicious at seeing them with their heads together as if in confidential conversation, seemed satisfied that all was well, for he went on with his argument.
And so the minutes crept on. An hour had passed since they heard those three shots. The boys must be on the trail, and presently Gabe and Crawley would be considering it high time they set their trap. And yet Amos had not been able to figure out just how he was going to prevent the capture from taking place.
Teddy Overton busied himself for several minutes around the spot where they could easily see, a deer had been butchered.
Dolph watched his chum eagerly, now and then casting an uneasy glance toward the scene of the late tragedy; as though the mutilated remains of the deer might tell the story, if only gifted with the power of speech.
One thing was already evident. The tracks of the two lawless poachers told that their comrade must have run up against some sort of snag, in his quest for a bee tree; and the secret of his failure to return to camp was not hard to guess.
Teddy seemed to have finally made up his mind, for he approached his friend.
“Well, have you found out what happened?” asked Dolph, eagerly.
“Yes, he’s a prisoner, all right,” the other replied.
“Gabe and Crawley responsible, I take it?” questioned Dolph.
“No other. They shot this deer out of season. Amos happened to see them do it. Because they’re afraid he’ll inform the game warden of this district, or because of some other reason, they concluded to take our chum along with them.”
“But what business have they making any respectable person a prisoner? Why, those men would rob a trapper’s _cache_ of his pelts—they’d steal the pennies from a dead man’s eyes. They’ve got some sort of a game up their sleeve, I guess and you’re on to it, Teddy; I can see it in your face.”