"Why is it?" she asked.
"Because two of the men are guarding him and Hains threatened them if they let him get away."
"But when they find I've escaped they'll most likely kill him," she insisted.
Neither of the boys had any answer to this and, after a moment's wait she continued:
"Couldn't we do it the same as you did for me?"
"I don't see how," Jack spoke for the first time since they had mentioned Royce. "You see if they've got him in one of the tents it's dead certain that he isn't there alone and we couldn't make him know that we're here without telling some of the gang at the same time."
"Jack's right," Bob declared. "I'd risk most anything to get him out of their clutches but that wouldn't be a risk, it'd be a dead sure thing."
"But it's awful when he gave himself up to save me," Sue moaned.
"I know it is," Bob agreed, "but it seems to me the best thing we can do for him is to get back as soon as we can and bring the boys in here."
"But you'll never be able to find your way back home in this darkness," she objected.