“I see you’re in good company,” replied the Scout leader, shaking hands with Captain Carter. “Sorry to have been held up. Anything wrong?”
“Plenty,” Warwick answered. Without mentioning the unfortunate episode with Captain Carter, he told of the manuscript’s disappearance.
The loss plainly startled the Scout leader. Nevertheless, he said very little and did not blame Warwick.
“Don’t worry about it,” he advised the Scouts. “I’m mighty sorry to lose the translation, but if we’re lucky enough to find that old missionary who made it, we should be able to duplicate the information.”
As Captain Carter ate his dinner, the Scouts listened attentively to his talk with Mr. Livingston. The seaman ignored them entirely as he discussed details of the proposed trip.
“According to the arrangement, I’ll be off for Peru next week,” he growled. “See to it that all your heavy supplies are at the dock ready for loading on the Shark by noon of the sixth.”
“Everything will be there,” Mr. Livingston promised. “We’ll follow next month by plane and meet your boat at the coastal port of Cuertos. Right?”
“Right,” the captain scowled. “I’m warning you though, this is no expedition for a bunch o’ kids.”
“The Explorers are well seasoned,” Mr. Livingston returned. “They’re tough and efficient. I know I can depend on them. That’s why I told Mr. Monahan I wouldn’t attempt the search for his brother without their help.”
“That’s a laugh! If you run afoul of a tribe of wild Indians, you figure to hold ’em at bay with your Scout knives?”