“I keep right on till I come to bend in river. You an’ Sandy be watch, look for me alla time an’ soon I come down to shore you paddle in an’ pick me up.”
Dick’s face grew instantly grave.
“The plan might or might not work,” he decided. “Supposing, Toma, that only one or two of them leave camp. How do you know they’ll all follow you?”
“I not know that,” the young Indian admitted. “But pretty good chance they all come when I make noise.”
“But if only two should follow you, what will we do?” persisted Dick.
“Mebbe you get chance to get canoe anyway. If one fellow stay at camp, he very much like to know what other two fellow do, what you call ’em, he be excite. He keep look up that way. Then mebbe you an’ Sandy creep up close behind him with club an’ knock him down.”
Dick’s breath caught. He and Sandy were staring questioningly and a little wildly into each other’s eyes.
Toma persisted. “What you say ’bout that?”
“I couldn’t do it, Dick,” Sandy exploded. “There’s something sneaky and cowardly about creeping up and knocking a man down with a club. I just can’t do it. I can’t!”
“He try same by you,” the young Indian scowled. “What for you not do it to him?”