This placed the responsibility for any mistake upon his companions; but one of them had a suggestion.
"If we head a few points north, we'll certainly cut McCarthy's track."
"Yes; but we'd be behind him and he can't wait."
"Then if we stick to the line we're on, we'll join."
"If we run it far enough, but we'll have to go a long way first. It's difficult to catch a man who's marching as fast as you are when you have to converge at a small angle upon his track."
This was obvious as they looked at the diagram.
"What are you going to do about it?" one of the packers asked.
Gerald hesitated, because his plan might daunt them; moreover he must be careful not to rouse their suspicion.
"We want food first of all, and we'll have to sacrifice a day or two in finding the cache. To do so, we'll cut McCarthy's line; this won't be hard if he's blazed it."
"You'll follow him after you find the grub?"