“I must go back to camp,” he said.
“But there is a meeting to-night,” Van Ellis urged.
“An important one,” Gostel put in.
“And a midnight visit to the dam,” Itto said.
“I have a previous engagement at the camp,” Harvey insisted. “We have guests from New York, my son and myself.”
“The secret service lads,” exclaimed Gostel, scornfully. “Leave them to me to-night, and you can then keep your engagement with us.”
“I have my doubts about their being connected with the secret service,” Chester replied.
“We are positive,” Gostel said. “They were followed from New York. We know the plotting that has been going on between Gordon and Nestor.”
Much more concerning the boys was said, but Ned was too anxious to get away to pay full attention to it. Another burden was now on his mind. He must see that the boys were warned and came to no harm.
He had left them with the understanding that they might remain at the Culebra hotel or return with Tony Chester to the cottage where they had been taken when brought out of the jungle. If they had returned to the camp, they might already be in great danger.