“Well, what is it?”
“Did the Englishman accidentally lose his camp or did he lose it on purpose? Can you answer that question?”
“I’ve been watching the Englishman for some time,” the aviator replied, “and I think I can give you the answer. He left it on purpose!”
“I noticed,” Jimmie said, “that he didn’t seem very anxious about my helping him find it!”
“Well, whether he wants to find it or not,” Mr. Havens continued, “I must insist on you boys locating it!”
“You want to know about this man Neil Howell!” laughed Jimmie. “Perhaps you have a notion that by finding him we can get track of the dead man’s associates. You want to know why he induced DuBois to make the mountain trip. In fact, there’s a whole lot of things you want to know about Neil Howell.”
“That’s just the idea,” Mr. Havens replied. “I’m certain that DuBois left the camp voluntarily. There might have been a quarrel, for all I know. I half believe, also,” he continued, “that the Englishman knew what the bag contained when he left camp with it.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jimmie replied, “but I do know that a man going out for a walk in the mountains wouldn’t be apt to carry a hand-bag with him if he intended to return.”
CHAPTER XVI.
STILL ANOTHER GUEST.
“You bet he wouldn’t!” declared Carl, who had come into the tent during the progress of the conversation. “He’d be more apt to carry a gun! What did he want to lug his toilet articles away for?”