“Can you beat that!” Jack muttered. “Rhodes a captive! What do we do? Try to rescue him?”
“He’s not worth the trouble,” Ken said in disgust.
Mr. Livingston, however, had another opinion. “Evidently, Rhodes is being taken to the bandit village,” he said thoughtfully. “The one Willie and War spotted. This, I think, is our chance!”
“To trace Corning?” supplied Jack.
Mr. Livingston nodded as he dismounted. “We’ll have to rescue Rhodes, but there’s no great hurry. Let’s follow Carlos and his captive for awhile, and learn where the trail leads.”
Chapter 24
FLIGHT
Leaving their mules at the trail entrance, the Scouts plodded up the narrow, rocky path in the wake of Rhodes and Carlos. Fearful of losing the pair in the darkness, they kept as close as they dared.
The going was hard. But after more than a half hour’s struggle over tree roots and creepers, the path widened a bit. A short distance farther on, the trees suddenly opened up into a small clearing.
Peering cautiously down, the Scouts made out a cluster of seven thatched huts scattered over a small area. A camp fire burned brightly in the center of the little village.
“This is the bandit hide-out, all right,” Mr. Livingston asserted. “But why has Carlos brought Rhodes here? If robbery were the motive, he could have accomplished it with less trouble.”