“No wonder you have a pain in this going,” Jack declared.
“Now, I’ll tell you what,” Rex began as he got his breath. “You two go on and I’ll stay here. You see,” he explained as Bob was about to interrupt, “they don’t know me and I doubt if they’d harm me.”
“Say, Rex, if I didn’t know that you were innocent of any bad intention I’d sure give you a punch for that,” Jack declared. “To think that we’d leave you. No sir ree! We stick together, sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish.”
“Hark!”
“Hear something?” Jack asked.
“I think I can hear them coming this way,” Bob replied. “How about it Rex, old man? Think you can make another stab at it or shall we meet them here? They’ll probably catch us anyhow and perhaps it will be as well to save our strength.”
“The pain’s gone now and I guess I can hold out for awhile, but I wish you’d do as I said.”
“Nothing doing along that line,” Bob smiled as he started to lead the way once more.
Rex seemed to have gained his second wind, as Bob had hoped, and for some time they made good progress considering the going. It was now broad daylight and the sun was beginning to touch the tops of the tall pines and spruces with its rays. Both Bob and Jack from time to time caught the sound of their pursuers and both knew that, in spite of their best efforts they were gaining steadily on them.
They had covered perhaps half a mile, when Bob again stopped.