“Read it aloud,” Jack urged.
“Okay,” Mr. Livingston agreed. “Rhodes isn’t sneaking up here to listen, is he?”
“He went to the cottage in a dreadful fury,” Jack answered. “I’ll keep an eye out for him though.”
Mr. Livingston began to read slowly so that every word of the message could be grasped.
“Emerald sample assayed. Highly favorable—”
“Highly favorable!” Ken broke in excitedly. “Then Rhodes lied again!”
Mr. Livingston nodded and read on: “Mrs. Rhodes tried several tricks, substituting poor grade emeralds for one of top quality. Certain she is teamed up with Ferd Baronni on deal to defraud company. We went over their heads and got the emerald sample to higher officials.”
“Good lads!” Jack chuckled. “I knew we could depend on ’em. What else do they say?”
Mr. Livingston continued to read: “Only visible habitation in mine area a group of huts above Emerald Valley. This may be bandit hide-out. Returning to Bogota.”
A map had been included with the hastily scrawled message. Studying it, Mr. Livingston and the Scouts estimated that the cluster of huts might be about seven miles from the mining camp in the more rugged area.