Morris felt confidently in the accustomed pocket for his watch. His fingers fumbled there persistently for a minute before he realized that the watch really was not there. At the mention of the time all within hearing had looked up: they were all interested in the time.
Morris felt doubtfully in his other pockets. He was the legitimate butt of many of the camp jokes, and a wink from Price told all the others that something was up.
“I don’t know,” Morris answered hesitatingly, “I’ve lost my watch.”
“Lost it?” Price exclaimed. “When did you have it last?”
“Looked at it just a little while ago.”
“Haven’t been away from here, have you?” Hazen asked.
“Only down to the dirt pile.”
“Must have fallen out of your pocket when you were leaning over the bed,” Greenleaf suggested.
“Don’t see how it could fall out on this bare ground without my seeing it,” Morris objected. “There is nothing around here to hide it.”
Bill Price was equal to the occasion. “Perhaps you covered it up in the beds. You’ve been sifting sand over them. Might have dropped right under the sifter,” he suggested.