Privately the boys resolved to make an escape as soon as possible, but not while the rifle of the guard was trained on them, for they doubted neither his ability to shoot as well as he said he could, nor the fact that he would not hesitate to do as he threatened.
They looked over the clearing with some curiosity. It fitted its name well, for misery seemed to be on every side. King, who appeared to be that in fact as well as in name, called the boys to his own shack for breakfast. Here they found that the squatter leader had opened their knapsacks, and the contents were strewn over a rude table.
Both boys jumped to see if their wireless ’phone had been broken by the curious squatter, but were relieved to find that it had not been touched.
“What’s that there contrivance?” asked King, pointing to the radio-phone.
“That’s a wireless telephone,” answered Garry. As he answered he had a vision of a way out of their difficulty, but subsequent conversation soon proved that they would not be able to put the plan into execution.
“I seen a telephone onct,” said the squatter, “but it had wires. You don’t mean that that thing will talk without a wire, do you?”
“Yes it does. Would you like to have us set it up, and talk through it, and have a message come through the air?” asked Garry, eagerly awaiting the answer, for he thought that if he could get the wireless up he could signal some way for help.
“No, I don’t. I don’t believe that ye can talk through the air without a wire, but ye might be able to an’ I ain’t agoin’ to take no chances.”
The squatter did not seem interested in the contents of the knapsack except for the little medicine case that Garry always carried. The boy noted, too, that all the foodstuff was gone.
“What be these things, medicine?” asked King.