"Yes."
"I think it was a mighty queer occurrence."
"So do I," agreed Jarvis, "and it's my opinion that it will bear looking into."
"He sneaked away when the others left. But he is of no use to us. He knows nothing about this affair, beyond what we all saw. We must look beyond him for the cause of the fire. Well, I'm off."
The lads separated for the time being and went off about their duties. But the thought of the fired bag kept recurring to Steve Rush. He turned the matter over and over in his mind, yet without being able to reach any definite conclusion regarding it.
"I wish I knew," he mused. "It is not my business, however, to inquire into the affair unless I have orders to do so."
He was to receive his orders sooner than he imagined, and his investigations were eventually to develop some startling facts concerning conditions in the Cousin Jack Mine.