“Shall we stick around a while and see what happens?” Scott whispered, “or do you think we better get a little farther away while the getting is good?”
“Don’t see what more we can learn here,” Murphy replied, “unless we sneak back there and shoot the whole bunch. We have guns enough here now to do it.”
“Nothing to be gained by that now. But I would like to hear what those fellows have got to say and what their plans are. It will be a lot easier for us if we know what they are going to do.”
“Seems to me that we better beat it back as fast as we can and get out some warrants for these fellows before they can get out of the country,” Murphy suggested.
“Can’t do it,” Scott replied with decision. “If they are going to leave the country at all—as they certainly will—they will be gone long before we can get to town and there will be no way to trace them. Besides there may be other people mixed up in this thing whom we ought to get, and unless we find out from these men who they are there will be no way of getting them. The other fellows will lie mighty low when they find out that their little scheme has been discovered. No, we can’t leave them now. You stay here and wait while I sneak back there and see if I can find out what they are planning.”
“Nothing doing,” Murphy cried emphatically. “If you go back there I am going with you. Do you think I would let you go back there among that bunch of cutthroats alone?”
“I know it is too bad to miss it, Murphy, but that would not do at all. Two of us could not hear any more than one and if anything happened to us there would not be any one to take back the news and these men could go right on with their little business just as they have been doing for the past two years.”
“It would not take Graham long to find out that we were missing,” Murphy grumbled, “and, believe me, he would turn this outfit inside out in pretty short order when he got started.”
“Judging from the looks of him I guess you are right,” Scott agreed, “but he does not know where we went, does not know anything about this outfit, and would not have a clue to guide him. We have been two years finding this place and he might be two more in finding it again. No, Murphy, my plan is the only sensible thing to do. I know how you feel and I am sorry that you cannot go. If it were just for fun it would be all right, but we are trying to clean this up for the government and it would not be right to risk losing all the advantage we have gained.”
Murphy was forced to admit that it was the only safe thing to do and grudgingly consented to stay behind. He made a plea to go in Scott’s place, but, of course, Scott could not agree to that. He felt that he was directly responsible for the capture of these timber thieves and he could not very well turn it over to any one else.