"Le's see," he said. "I been a'most asleep. Le's see. What say to calling the cave?"
Mr. Temple eagerly grasped at the proposal.
"Yes, certainly," he said. "Why haven't I thought of that before? Perhaps Frank has heard something."
He did not pause to consider that the party at the cave in all likelihood was little better prepared than he with information. The mere idea of doing something, of taking some action that would break up this horrible spell of waiting, appealed to him in his excited state.
But after hearing from Frank an account not only of the fight the latter had had to recover the cave, after once having been dispossessed, but also of the attempt to warn the Calomares ranch ahead of the boys' coming which Morales had made, he began to wish he never had called Frank.
"Think of it," he said to Dave Morningstar, after explaining the situation. "In all likelihood all that clash of conversation in the air put them on guard at the Calomares ranch. They were led to suspect all was not well. And then when the boys landed they were captured. That can be the only reason for our failure to hear from Bob and Jack."
Dave attempted sympathetic protest, but Mr. Temple shook his head and groaned.
"No, something has happened to them," he said. "Oh, I was a fool to let them go. I'll never forgive myself. If only they were not injured. If only they were merely made prisoner, I——"
"Hey," said Dave, "look at that signal bulb. Somebody's calling us."
"It's only Frank, calling back, I suppose," groaned Mr. Temple.