“What did you mean, Garry, when you said that you had a hunch about lakes and things?” inquired Phil.
“Why, you remember how insistent Barrows has been that we make a sort of playground out of the little lake, setting forth its advantages about swimming, fishing and all that, and has done everything that he can do to discourage us from going near the big lake. I have let him believe that we took everything he said for granted, so I thought that tonight, if possible, we would make a trip to the big lake and see what’s what,” Garry answered.
“I’m wondering if Barrows is clever enough to play the old trick used by conjurers and magicians?” mused Phil.
“What do you mean, magician?” queried Garry with a puzzled look at his friend.
“Why, you know a magician always directs the attention of his audience to the thing that he is generally going to do, figuring that the people will be on the watch for a trick, and will be so busy trying to find the hidden trick, that they look everywhere but where the magician tells ’em to, and in the meantime he has done his trick.”
“I see,” exclaimed Garry. “You mean that Barrows may figure that we will guess he has been discouraging us about the big lake for the very purpose of making us go there rather than to the smaller body of water, where some sort of villainy may be going on.”
“That’s it exactly,” returned Phil.
“I think you have a good hunch there, Phil, although I rather think that Barrows is not clever enough to dope out that trick. Still, there can be no harm in watching both lakes. Suppose that we take a little trip today to the small one, and then tomorrow night we will hustle over to the big one after the camp has turned in for the night. Guess that will be our best plan. Now let’s wait for Barrows and Howells to finish their conversation, and we will trot over while I ask a few leading questions.”
They waited a few minutes, talking over their probable course of action, and were about to set out for the office, when Howells appeared on the scene. Rage and disappointment were depicted in his face, and the boys were quick to take notice of this.
“What’s the matter? You look as though you had bad news to bring us,” said Garry.