“Which makes me regret the more that I didn’t put his machine out of commission when I had the chance.”
“I don’t see that that would have done much good,” said Harvey, “for he could steal up to the tent in the dark on foot.”
“Or might wait until the aeroplane was repaired and he had gotten a new supply of fuel,” suggested Wadsworth.
“The only hope, as it strikes me,” observed Hunter, “is that in his anxiety to be off on his trip he won’t delay to even up things with you folks. But, as I told you, my knowledge of lunatics points the other way.”
“It looks as if we shall have a call from our distinguished friend,” said Wadsworth, who, however did not seem to be much disturbed over the prospect.
“What do you advise?” asked Dick.
“There are two or three things we might do. Suppose we hang round here this afternoon, taking turns in playing chess, and not forgetting to keep a lookout for squalls. If the gentleman comes booming down this way, we can draw ourselves up in line and receive him with a proper military salute. We have Colts and a Winchester repeater, and if we all let fly together one or two of the bullets ought to find the bull’s eye, and we can blaze away before he is near enough to drop any of his pills of dynamite.”
Although none noticed the fact, Harvey Hamilton took no further part in the conversation. He was pondering over the scheme that came into his mind some time before.
“He is too cunning to offer such an opening; I gave him so good a scare with my little gun that he doesn’t want to run against it.”
“What do you think he will do?” asked Wadsworth.