“I saw four men. There must be others. We’re outnumbered.”
“Then our only hope of getting Corning out of that hole is to start a diversion,” Mr. Livingston said.
“We might fire one of the huts,” Jack suggested.
“Any of them empty?” the Scout leader asked.
“One of ’em appeared to be.”
“It’s a wild scheme,” Mr. Livingston said dubiously. “But it might work. If it shouldn’t, we’d likely wind up prisoners of Carlos.”
“Let’s try it,” Jack urged. “If we can free Corning, we’ll have another helper. Two, if we count Rhodes.”
After discussing the plan in detail, a decision was made that Ken should remain behind. He was instructed that if the rescue scheme miscarried, he was to escape at once and try to seek help at the closest village or Bogota.
Details arranged, Jack and Mr. Livingston slipped quietly down to the hut village.
Unable to get close to the cottage where Rhodes and Corning were imprisoned, the pair spotted a hut some distance away. It was empty, and apparently had not been used in many weeks.