“I must assume they do,” ruminated Ralph, “at least for the present. They are bound for some point in the woods, of course, and I shall soon know their destination.”
The two men proceeded for over a mile. They commenced an ascent where the cliffs lining the railroad cut began. The place was thick with underbrush and quite rocky in places, wild and desolate in the extreme, and the path they pursued so tortuous and winding that Ralph at length lost sight of them.
“Where have they disappeared to?” he asked himself, bending his ear, keeping a sharp lookout, and with difficulty penetrating the worst jungle of bushes and stunted trees he had yet encountered. “I hear voices.”
These guided Ralph, and he followed their indication. At last he came to a halt near an open space, where the men he was following had stopped.
“Here we are, Ames,” were the first distinct words that Ralph heard spoken.
“Why, one of these men must be the farmer that Zeph worked for,” decided Ralph. 63
“All right, you’re safe enough up here. Got the plunder here, have you?” was asked.
“Yes. I will show you the exact spot, and you come here after we have got the bulk of the stuff to a new hiding place, take it as you can, dispose of it, and keep us in ready money until we feel safe to ship our goods to some distant city and realize on them.”
“I’ll do just that,” was replied. “What are you leaving here for?”
“Adair, the road detective, is after us, we understand, and this is too dangerously near the railroad.”