“Well, it’s about time,” groaned Jimmy, as they all looked in the direction indicated. “I was just getting ready to lie down and die peacefully. I couldn’t travel another mile if you paid me for it.”
“Oh, buck up, Doughnuts, and get a move on!” exclaimed Bob. “You never know what you can do until you try. Come on, let’s take it on the double.”
He and Joe and Herbert broke into a lively trot, and rather than be left behind Jimmy overcame his reluctance for further effort, and with much puffing and blowing and fragmentary complaint managed to hold the pace until they arrived at the mess house.
Luckily for them, supper had been delayed owing to the failure of some supplies to arrive on time, and the lumbermen had just started eating when the radio boys burst in through the door.
The lumbermen stopped eating long enough to welcome their arrival, and they found their places set as usual.
“Glory be!” exclaimed Jimmy, as he slid into his chair. “If there were a pie-eating contest on to-night, I could show you fellows some real class. I feel empty right down to my toes.”
“It’s lucky we got a head start, Champ,” remarked one of the men, with a grin. “Pass everything down this way, you amateurs. There’s a professional here wants to show us some fancy eating.”
By this time Jimmy was too busily occupied to make any answer, and the other radio boys were also showing good appetites. The long trip and the excitement of their discovery of the secret code had sharpened their naturally keen appetites until for once they all felt on equal terms with the lumbermen. Jimmy surpassed himself, and great was the admiration expressed for his ability as a trencherman.
After supper the boys sought out Mr. Fennington and told him of their discovery in the lonely cabin. Then Bob showed him the copy he had made of the code, and Mr. Fennington studied this a long time with knit brows.
“There seems little doubt that you boys have unearthed an important clue, and one that may easily lead to the discovery of the crooks who stole my merchandise,” he said, at length. “I suppose I should put this information in the hands of the police. And yet perhaps we had better say nothing until we learn something further. With your radio outfit you may be able to catch another code message that would give us more definite information, and then it would be time enough to call in the police.”