“Hello to you!”
“Yes, we’re still here,” replied Terry. “And if you’ve fetched anything to eat, out with it quick. Where’s the cap’n? Did you see him?”
Hugh and Bill busied themselves.
“Yes, we met up with him last evenin’, below, down river. He hadn’t come back to you, ’cause he hadn’t killed anything. But Baroney and us were packin’ buffalo meat and deer meat both, and he sent us two out to find you first thing this mornin’, soon as ’twas light enough to s’arch. After you’ve fed, we’ll help you on to camp.”
“Who else is there?”
“Just the cap’n and Baroney, but they’re expectin’ the doctor and Brown. Them two are somewheres in the neighborhood. The cap’n fired a gun as signal to ’em. We’ll have to look for the other fellers.”
“What kind of a camp, an’ whereabouts?” Freegift asked, as he and Terry and Stub greedily munched.
“Oh, a good camp, in the open, not fur from the river.”
Hugh and Bill acted oddly—with manner mysterious as if they were keeping something back. After the meal, Hugh opened up.
“Now that you’ve eaten, guess I’ll tell you what’s happened,” he blurted. “You’ll know it, anyhow.”