“That isn’t much of a hardship,” he was told; “but we may be lucky enough to run across fresh water; and you could fill that empty flask of yours if you wanted.”
“By gum! not a bad idee that, Pal Jack; shore I’ll do that same right willin’ly, if the chanct comes aour way. Haow ’bout the next move, sense it seems we’ve got this far okay?”
“I’ve been trying to figure that out,” Jack told him, reflectively it could be seen. “I’ve studied the conformation of the ground, which is something out of the general run; Simeon’s rude chart helped me a lot in the bargain. This enclosed valley, you understand, has high cliffs around it, with possibly only one way to go in and come out.”
“Yeah! I get yeou, buddy—meanin’ the queer pass that’s so narrow three hossmen couldn’t enter abreast—is that straight, Jack?”
“Absolutely so,” came the immediate reply, accompanied with a smile, as if it pleased Jack to understand how readily his comrade entered into the explanation he had offered. “That being the case it seems likely we might be able to keep on climbing until finally we reached a place where we could find a screen close to the top of such a cliff. That would give us a wonderful eyrie like an eagle would select to build her nest on; and from which place we could look down into the entire valley.”
“Hot-diggetty-dig! but woudn’t that be a scream, oh! boy?” gasped the deeply interested Perk, in whole-hearted enthusiasm, as he nodded his head in approval. “Let’s do jest that, then, partner. Why, with the glasses as I fetched along for keeps, we could spy aout everything we’d want to know, an’ mebbe find a way to git into the valley, withaout usin’ that guarded pass.”
“Just so, Perk, and I notice you’ve got a strangle hold on the situation, which pleases me a heap. You see, there were a few hints in what our good friend Simeon incorporated in his brief notes, that started such an idea in my brain; so once again we’re indebted to his scouting for putting us wise to a good thing.”
“Bully ole Simeon—he’s all wool an’ a yard wide I’m a tellin’ yeou Jack, as the boys used to say in aour village when I was a smart-aleck kid.”
“Then that’s settled,” Jack announced, with finality, “and we’ll keep on climbing after we get some rest, and finish our lunch. I’ve an idea I can catch the sweet song of a brook up above, so we’ll be able to wash down this dry stuff in fine style.”
“Good for that, partner,” gurgled Perk, with his mouth almost full, so that he was in danger of choking; and Jack, noting the fact, refrained from making any further remarks calculated to tempt the other to splutter out a reply, or a comment of some sort.