“Jacques, was it Ben who hit me?” he asked.
“Oui, heem lam you one, all right.”
“Lam is about the word I guess,” Bob laughed. “But I don’t suppose I can blame him. I suppose he took me for a burglar. But what about Jack? You spoke back there as if you had found out something about him.”
“Oui, I tink two mans geet Jack. They try burn bunk house. Jack heem see ’em. They scared. Not know what do so take heem off up north. But I tink they no hurt heem.” Jacques hastened to add, as an exclamation of fear burst from Bob’s lips.
“But, Jacques, how did you find out all this? I don’t understand it.”
“Ben, heem tell me.”
“But how in the world did you make him do it? He isn’t in the habit of giving away that kind of information. And I never saw him act so funny as he did tonight. What does it mean?”
For a moment Jacques seemed to be lost in deep thought, then he said slowly: “I no can tell now. Sometime mebby, not now.”
Bob saw that his friend had a good reason for keeping his secret, and asked him no more questions about the man.
“All right, Jacques,” he declared. “I know you’d tell me if you could, but what are we going to do about Jack? He must be found.”