“Maybe while his brother was in Panama he went and cleaned out the bed,” Brick suggested.
“Sure—that’s what happened—what did you do with it?” Joe poked his face into the former aviator’s.
“With my brother I went to Panama, and while we were there the notes of my brother were in the strong room at the bank in Lima,” he answered coldly.
“Ah—”
“If I need any help from you fellows, I’ll let you know,” Cardow told them hotly. “Now get back.” They slouched to the wall and stared sullenly at the chief.
It suddenly occurred to Jim that if one of them ever came upon his lieutenant when the man was off guard, he would be knifed. As the boy got a better look at them they appeared to him more like a lot of hired thugs picked up from the numerous big cities in the northern continent, than men who were members of a well organized gang banded together under their Boss for the purpose of rediscovering the ancient secrets of the Yncas buried hundreds of years ago when their oppressors were annihilating them by the thousands and stealing their vast treasure.
“That is all there is to tell,” Pedro spoke up quietly.
“Have you any idea how you happened to make a mistake about the place?” Cardow asked, but although he was inquiring into something which was really none of his business, there was nothing offensive in his manner.
“I have not,” Pedro answered, then added, “The rest of the day we have been—our minds otherwise occupied.”
“You have had rather a hot time of it. Why on earth did you run away? I saw the plane before we came down and we found tracks among the rocks, but you had vamoosed. What did you do that for?”