After a long time spent in this sort of crawling business Jack believed he could see what seemed to be a fire flickering among the stunted trees.
Calling the attention of the others to this, he changed his course a bit, in order to find an easier route, and perhaps come upon the camp from behind.
For tenderfeet the five boys seemed to be making a pretty clever advance. They could now see a man stretched at full length near the fire, as if sleeping; though now and then a puff of smoke told that he was only taking it easy, and indulging in his pipe.
A little farther and they glimpsed the second fellow. He towered up like a house, being all of six foot-three, and bulky in proportion. But then, as Jack well knew, a man is only a man, no matter what his size, when he is looking into the muzzle of a rifle and modern repeating shotgun. And even this giant might well quail when brought to book.
The boys were now creeping through the bushes, and getting very close in. All the while Jack was eagerly trying to see what had become of Clarence. At first he could discover nothing of the other; and became chilled with a deadly fear that these cowards might have gone to extremes; though he could hardly bring himself to really believe it.
George was the first to find out what had been done with the prisoner.
“I see him,” he whispered close to Jack’s ear. “He’s lying on the ground over by that stump of a tree.”
Guided by these directions Jack was enabled to also place Clarence. There was certainly a figure lying there, and it must be the companion of Joe; for the latter had said there were only two of the scoundrels.
Jack bobbed his head back in a hurry, after he had made this little survey of the enemy’s camp. For the big man had arisen to his feet, and started toward the very place where Clarence lay.
“Be ready!” muttered Jack, seeming to understand that the crisis must now be very close upon them.