“You callee me?” he queried.
“Yes,” answered Spouter. “I want you to come around to the front of the house and tell me what you know about this,” and he motioned to the cook to follow him around to the big veranda.
No sooner had their chum and the cook disappeared than the others ran into the kitchen. Here at one side was a home-made kitchen cabinet, the top within a foot of the ceiling.
“See if you can find the big bread-board,” said Randy. “I guess that will answer our purpose.”
“And here is the fishing line,” added his twin. “We can run it from the ceiling over to the window and then outside.”
The line was run to the window as mentioned, then fastened to the ceiling back of the cabinet, and then to the back end of the board, which was placed flat on the top of the cabinet. On the board the boys placed the fish, laying them out in a row from front to back. One fish was placed on the pulled-out shelf of the lower part of the cabinet.
“Now then, clear out before Hop Lung catches us,” said Andy. And the lads lost no time in disappearing.
In the meanwhile Spouter had taken the Chinese cook to the front of the ranch house and then to an out-of-the-way corner where there was a large spider’s web.
“Hello, he’s gone now!” exclaimed Spouter, in a tone of disappointment. “Do you see him anywhere, Hop Lung?”
“Hop Lung see what?” demanded the puzzled cook.