Ned was thinking fast. This might mean something tangible. He had never heard of Gostel before.
“Well, what of Gostel?” he asked.
“He talked with the boys for a time and invited them to become his guests for the night. He referred them to Lieutenant Gordon. I got it from my friend who heard all their talk.”
“And they went away with him?”
Ned’s voice was harsh and high, and the boys in the cottage were heard moving about, as if awakened by his voice.
“No, they didn’t go away with him. They became suspicious of him, and when he went for his car they ran away into the jungle. A mad thing to do. A crazy thing for boys to do, for strangers. There is death in the jungle.”
“And why didn’t you go in after them?” asked Ned.
“What could I do alone?” asked the other, with a little shiver of apprehension.
“If you know the country—”
Gastong interrupted with a gesture of impatience.