“You ain’t so very slow yourself,” grinned Jimmie. “Where did you learn to speak United States so well?”
“Born in Frisco,” was the reply. “The Boy Scouts take me out on their hunting trips to do the cooking. That’s why I’m here now. I know the mountains, and Chang hired me to go along with him.”
“An’ they took you into the patrol, did they?” asked Jimmie.
“Sure they did,” was the reply. “Why not? I’m an American citizen, or will be in four years.”
“Have they captured any of the others?” asked Jimmie.
The Chinese boy shook his head.
“Have they heard from the men they sent out to capture them?” was the next question.
Another shake of the head, then Liu drew closer and whispered.
“Do you see Chang poking his head around that rock in the opening? He’s watching to see that I don’t knife you!”
Jimmie saw the parchment-like face of the old reprobate peering around the rock and wanted to heave a stone at it, but knew that this would not be good policy. Instead he threw it at Liu, and missed, of course.