“Taking no chances,” answered Garry briefly, for he had a feeling that it was almost time to tear the mask away. “We had one visitor here tonight, and we didn’t know what to expect.”
Garry explained his statement about the visitor by briefly telling of the attempt that had been made to enter the cabin an hour previously. Barrows passed this off by offering the suggestion that some of the lumbermen were naturally ruffians, and might have wanted to commit burglary.
“What I woke you up for was to tell you that a man has come here with a note that he refuses to deliver to anyone but you boys. He’s at my office now, and all he will say is that your friend Dick’s safety depends on obeying what is in the note. Of course I could have summoned some of the men and had him overpowered, but thought you boys might like to handle the matter for yourselves.”
The boys put on their shoes and coats, for they had gone to bed almost fully dressed, and prepared to follow Barrows.
“Careful now,” whispered Garry, as he passed Phil.
There seemed to be little need for caution, however, for they were unmolested on their way. At the office they found an unkempt dirty looking individual.
“Be these the boys,” he asked of Barrows, pointing a dirty finger at Garry and Phil.
“Yes, these are the ones. Now state your business and do it quick,” snapped Barrows.
“This letter tells the hull story,” answered the man in a hoarse voice, and he handed a crumpled piece of paper to Garry.
The leader of the Rangers took the note and read it in silence, then handed it over to Phil.