“You know this country well. You could help us if you would.”
“I’m heading for Bogota to join my wife! Nothing will make me change my mind.”
“At least tell us where Carlos has his hide-out.”
“I haven’t the slightest idea. He shifts from place to place. To find Carlos would be very much like chasing a humming bird.”
Jack realized that it was useless to try to obtain the cooperation of the engineer. Giving up, he went back to report to Mr. Livingston and Ken.
“I’m almost certain he’s made a big haul of emeralds and is taking the pile to Bogota for his own use,” he concluded his account. “What’ll we do? Try to stop him?”
“He’s armed,” the Scout leader pointed out. “Besides, we have no absolute proof that he won’t turn the gems over to Baronni when he reaches the home office.”
“We’ll return to Bogota with him?”
“Not with him, Jack. We’ll trail along behind to see if we can find that village Willie and War spotted from the air.”
The Scouts resumed their packing. Long before they had finished, they saw Rhodes ride away from camp, carrying only the necessities of the trail.