“Either that man is a lunatic or else he is a big fraud,” declared Elfreda, entering the tent. “Which is it?”
“Just another mystery, that is all,” answered Grace good-naturedly. “Why worry about him?”
“I don’t. I have sufficient troubles of my own to keep me from sleeping soundly.”
By this time the others were turning in; the visitor had already rolled himself up in a blanket with feet to the fire, and Ham White was out seeing that the ponies were secure for the night. He remained out there for a long time, looking up at the tree tops, dimly discernible in the faint light. At the same time he appeared to be listening, now and then glancing back at the silent figure of Jim Haley.
At last the guide turned and strode back into camp, and threw his blanket down beside Haley. But White did not lie down at once. Instead, he crouched down beside the visitor and peered down into the man’s face. A pair of twinkling eyes were gazing up at him.
“You are awake, eh? I rather thought you would be. Now who are you, and what is your game? Out with it or out you go!”
“Who am I? I am G 16, and I want to talk with you!” Haley’s voice sank to a whisper as he made the mysterious announcement.
Ham White uttered an exclamation, then, quickly collecting himself, he lay down on his blanket close to the peanut salesman, and for the next half hour the two men spoke in earnest tones, tones too low for the Overlanders to hear.
It was long after midnight, when, had one been awake, he might have discovered a shadowy figure slinking along at the rear of the camp. It first paused at the tent occupied by Hippy and Stacy, then crept on all fours to the one in which Grace and Elfreda were sleeping. These little tents were open at both ends, though they could be closed in the event of a storm, and a person at either end, by peering closely, could see the heads and faces of the occupants.
Inch by inch the shadow, now flat on the ground, wriggled towards the two sleeping girls. A lean hand reached cautiously under, first Grace’s pillow, then under Elfreda’s. The pillows were pneumatic pillows that were filled with air before retiring, and were soft and comfortable, as well as sensitive to the touch.