“I think that one of them is that Jerry Jackson, from Hogs’ Hollow,” said Buck.
“What makes you think that?”
“The fellow that we chased ran in that direction and I’m sure that he is the one. I suppose he has a companion and they work together. Tell you what let’s do, let’s go over to Hogs’ Hollow tomorrow and call on Mr. Jackson.”
“All right, we’ll do it,” agreed Ted. “For some reason he doesn’t want us to camp here, and if we find him at home we’ll try and learn why he doesn’t want us.”
The boys were shaky with fatigue and Ted ordered them to bed at once, while he and Buck took lanterns and looked once more over the ground which had been burned, hoping to find some kind of a clue. But they were unable to learn anything from the burned, down-trodden soil.
“Nothing to be learned here,” decided Ted, as they went back to camp. “We’ll see what we can find out at Hogs’ Hollow tomorrow.”
That night the boys slept like logs, and had anyone been minded to run away with the tents, trucks or fires themselves, no one would have known anything about it until daybreak at least, and most of them not until much later in the day. It was almost noontime before the whole camp was awake and crowding around for something to eat.
“If anyone had run away with the whole camp last night, I wouldn’t have known it,” smiled Ted.
“Shows what a bum general he is,” said Buck. “He should have known that we would all be half-dead and that he could have worked anything he wanted to while we slept so soundly. But we’re glad he is a bum general!”
As soon as camp was cleaned up they began to make plans for a visit to Hogs’ Hollow. It was finally decided that only Ted and Buck would go, and that all of the boys would remain behind to protect the camp. With Charlie, Bob and Drummer to counsel and lead the younger boys they felt reasonably safe, and after talking it over with those who were to remain in the camp the two older boys started off.