“You believe Mr. Corning still is alive?” Willie asked quickly.
“I do. Until we have proof otherwise, I’ll assume he is being held captive.”
“When do we start?” War asked with a drowsy yawn.
“Soon after dawn tomorrow. Get some sleep now. You’ll need it.”
Willie and War promptly turned in and fell at once into heavy slumber. When they awakened in late afternoon, Jack was preparing a hearty supper over the camp fire.
“What’s new?” Willie asked, ambling over. “I feel like Rip Van Winkle—all out of touch.”
“Nothing very exciting,” Jack reported. “Rhodes finished getting up the bridge. Late this afternoon, the miners started digging at the tunnel across the river. Our orders are to stay in camp.”
“He doesn’t want you to see what’s going on!”
“That’s the size of it,” Jack nodded, squatting by the fire. “He pretended it was all news to him, our finding that old vein. But he sort of let it slip later that he’d uncovered it himself, probably by using Corning’s map.”
“Which he cunningly redrew, to keep others from learning the exact location,” Ken contributed. “Now that we’ve tumbled to his secret, he’s decided to dig emeralds as fast as he can!”