The boys were dumbfounded by Barrows’ answer.
“What’s that you say?” demanded Garry.
“I said I had not seen him since the three of you went to your shack last night to turn in. Isn’t that plain enough?” reiterated the manager.
“Well, all we know is that just after we got to the shack, Dick left to come back here and have a chat with you and get some information about the country, as we had some little thought of taking a week’s hike up into the wild lands that lie to the northwest.”
“If he started for this office he never got here, for I sat up late trying to straighten out the tangle that Howells left behind him. No one came near the office all that time. Perhaps your chum has gone off on some little private expedition.”
Garry was quick to notice that there was a malicious ring in the manager’s voice. At once the uncomfortable feeling overcame him that their night’s work had been discovered. Garry was at a loss what course to pursue. He could make no accusation of any kind, for Dick might have stumbled on some clue that took him off on the trail.
“Well, you can understand that we are a little bit worried over the matter, especially since this is strange country to Dick. He might have wandered into the woods and got lost.” Garry knew that this was next to impossible, but he could think of nothing better to say at the moment.
“My advice is that you wait a bit, and you will probably find that he is all right. He’ll very likely show up in a little while. I wouldn’t worry,” said Barrows.
There was nothing to do for the moment but take the manager’s advice, and the boys returned to the shack.
“Phil, there’s bad business afoot here somewhere. At such a time as this, Dick would not have gone off to follow a clue without leaving us some sort of a note or even a sign. He could leave a half a dozen different signs that we all know to denote trouble. He hasn’t taken anything with him. His rifle is still there and so is his pack. If it were some mission of danger that he had gone on he would at least have taken his rifle. Now what shall we do?”