“As fit as ever.”
There ensued a short interval of silence. Sandy gazed down at his chum, sympathy and commiseration in his eyes.
“I guess you’ve had a pretty tough time of it. Do you think you’ll be able to be around soon? Over at the warehouse, Toma told me all about your experiences.”
At the memory, Dick’s face shadowed.
“I wouldn’t care to go through it all again. I’m glad you weren’t here, Sandy. You might not have been so fortunate.”
Sandy grinned to himself. “Well, we’ve had a few exciting moments ourselves. Early this morning we discovered the packers. I suppose Rand told you.”
“Packers! What do you mean? Both the corporal and Toma have been as secretive as clams. But once or twice I almost caught them. Tell me about it, Sandy.”
The young Scotchman pulled forward a block of wood and sat down.
“It isn’t a very long story, Dick. I think our meeting with the packers was as much a surprise to us as it was to them. You see, all day yesterday we had been hurrying along, anxious to get down here to the coast. We were not sure where we would find you. Sergeant Richardson was always looking for the smoke of a campfire. When we were still ten or twelve miles back along the trail, every chance he got he’d climb some hill and scan the surrounding country with his field-glasses.
“We passed several cabins, but he thought it would be better not to make inquiries there. Last night, just before we made camp, he shinned up a tall tree and looked everywhere. He thought he could see the distant glow of a fire, but he was not sure. This morning we rose early. It was still dark when we started out. Sergeant Richardson was in the lead. When daylight came, I remember he turned to tell me that we were not more than four miles from the ocean.”