"I did have a rough drawing of this country," was the reply, "but it didn't seem to mean much to me."
"That's the document we want," the outlaw said, "and the quicker you give it up and get out of this district, the safer your hide will be."
Before Clay could make any response the man who had set off in pursuit of Alex came wrathfully into the cave. One hand was bleeding profusely, and there was a long cut on his left cheek. His clothing was disarranged, showing every evidence of a physical struggle.
The man's reply was a volley of epithets and profanity.
"You never let him get away from you, did you?" asked the other angrily. "You might bring him in in your pocket."
"You couldn't bring him in in a dray," answered Ben. "You might as well try to wrestle with a bumble bee. I got a grip on the little imp's collar, but before I could do a thing, he had a knife out. And then I got this," laying a dirty finger on a dirtier hand, "and this," pointing to the bleeding cheek. "And the next I knew, he was out of sight in the jungle."
"You're the brave boy!" snarled the other.
"Look here, Steve," Ben said, "if you think it's such a fine stunt to seize a Chicago newsboy, you just go and try it yourself. I've had enough of it. And that's no fairy tale."
Ben threw himself angrily on the floor of the cave, took a bottle of liquor and a roll of white cloth from under a fur robe which lay in a corner and proceeded to cleanse and bind up his wound. Clay watched him with a smile on his face. Steve was scowling frightfully.
"You needn't look so pleased over it, young feller," the outlaw said. "We'll get that little imp, yet. And we'll get your boat and your whole crew. And if we have much more trouble, we'll start a cemetery right here."
Clay made no reply at the time. He was wondering just how much the outlaws knew of the map. It seemed to him that the person who had drawn the first one might easily draw a second upon the loss of the first. He could not understand why the outlaws were making such strenuous efforts to secure the document when they might have procured a copy.
"What was it you said about a map?" the boy finally asked of Steve who sat now scowling at Ben. "Where did the map come from?"