Caribou shook his head and held up his empty pipe.
“Tobac’ all gone,” he said. “No tobac’, Caribou him no good. Friend down here got tobac’. Come back soon.”
He waved the pipe toward the timber as if to point out the direction of the home of this friend.
There was an unfathomable look on Caribou’s face which Frank did not like. The guide had said nothing about being out of tobacco before that time, and the conviction was forced that this was merely an excuse to enable him to get out of the camp.
Jack Diamond, who had all along doubted John Caribou’s honesty, gave Merry a triumphant and questioning glance.
“I don’t think you had better go just now,” objected Merriwell. “We may need you here in the camp.”
“No tobac’,” said Caribou, doggedly. “Must have tobac’!”
He did not try to parley, but threw his gun on his shoulder and struck out for the woods.
“That fellow is up to some dirt,” averred Jack Diamond. “You mark my words now. He has plenty of tobacco. If I’m not mistaken, I saw him have a whole pouchful this morning.”
Merriwell wanted to defend the reputation of the guide, but he felt that he could not satisfactorily explain Caribou’s queer action.