CHAPTER V
THE EYE
Forrester was the first to break the silence.
"They've gone a little out of the way," he suggested. "By the time we've got the tent up, they'll be here."
But minutes passed, and the men did not appear.
"We had better go and look for them," said Jackson.
"It's a good riddance," Mackenzie replied.
"But we can't leave them in the lurch," said Forrester. "They've absolutely no defence against wild beasts. Come along! We three will go with Sher Jang back into the scrub and beat it. We mustn't lose touch with each other. Every man give a coo-ee every few seconds."
The suggestion was carried out. The four men scattered, and worked back through the scrub until daylight was almost gone. No trace of the Chinamen could be discovered. Forrester called to his companions to join him.
"It's my belief they've done a bolt," he said. "They couldn't possibly have missed the track. But where can they have gone? Tibet is still very far off, and they run no end of risks going through the country unarmed."