The aviators, however, found landing-places. Mr. Havens lighting on the shelf where the fire had been, and Dick Sherman coming to earth close beside the machine Ben had brought.
In a short time the two parties met almost directly in front of the cavern. To the surprise of the other members of the party, Dick Sherman called the Englishman aside and spoke to him earnestly for a few moments. At the conclusion of the conversation, the Englishman’s face fairly beamed with good nature.
“I’d like to know what’s coming off here!” cried Jimmie.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” put in Terry tipsily. “Here we’ve got a perfectly good breakfast in this basket getting cold, and I don’t know what that dog’ll say when we give him a frosty meal! I wish now that I’d gone and fed him while you boys were hunting for those two outlaws you didn’t find!”
“What do you think, Mr. DuBois,” Carl broke in. “Dick Sherman arrested Neil Howell and Chubby over there at the hunters’ camp and left them handcuffed and tied up in one of our tents.”
“Yes, he was just telling me about that, don’t you know,” replied the Englishman.
“Well, how the old scratch did he get any information against them?” demanded Ben. “If he’s got them under arrest for complicity in the abduction of inspector Colleton, why doesn’t he say so?”
“Suppose they are implicated in the abduction case,” demanded Carl, “how did Officer Sherman come to know anything about it? He hasn’t been working on the case.”
Ben broke into a shout of laughter, and Terry, who was beginning to think the breakfast never would be needed, turned hastily into the cavern.
“Look here,” Ben said in a moment, “I didn’t tell you boys everything that took place at Field last night. After I got done telegraphing, Mr. DuBois took the wire and held a long conversation with Officer Sherman. How he found Sherman I don’t know, but the operator seemed to help a lot, after Mr. DuBois gave him a roll of bills that would choke a cow, and in the end they routed out the officer, and the arrest of Howell and Chubby is the result of that conference.”