“How’ll we divide up?” says Plunk.
“You and Binney together, and Tallow and me. Motu can go with whichever he wants to.”
“It is not best that I should go,” says Motu. “Here I shall stay until you come back.”
“All right,” says Mark. “Whatever suits you.”
So we started off. I looked back in a few minutes and Motu was nowhere to be seen.
“Motu’s ducked,” says I to Mark.
“Yes,” says he. “He’s got some p-pretty good reason for keepin’ out of sight. He ain’t the kind to be afraid of nothin’. If he’s hidin’ it’s because there’s somethin’ to hide from.”
“I don’t like the whole business,” says I. “First here’s a Japanese boy all alone. Where’d he come from and what’s he doin’ here? Next that boy’s afraid of somethin’. What is it? Then we take him to live with us. If there’s somethin’ that’s like to hurt him ain’t it just as like to hurt us? That’s what I want to know.”
“I’m s-sort of wonderin’ myself,” says Mark.
“Maybe he’s just run away from his folks,” says I.