“Are you going to push on to Settlement Mountain tonight?” Dick inquired, addressing Sergeant Richardson. “Or do you think that no attempt will be made to start for the pass?”
“It’s hard to say. Personally, I’m inclined to believe that they will.”
“But this storm!” gasped Sandy.
“I doubt if that will make a great deal of difference. I’m convinced now that they have a huge cache in their cabin at Settlement Mountain. They’ll be compelled to do one of two things—either remove their fur to another place of safety, or follow their original plan to take it through Blind Man’s Pass. They’ll be forced to act quickly. They’re in a difficult predicament and know it. From what you have already told me, it is easy to see what has happened.”
The others were hanging upon the sergeant’s words. He had ceased speaking for a moment and had stepped closer to the fire, his handsome upright figure outlined clearly against the background beyond. Corporal Rand addressed his superior:
“Exactly what do you mean, sergeant?”
“It is all clear enough,” Richardson spoke again. “Nichols’ suspicions have become aroused. When he found out that you three boys had left Fort Good Faith and had started north for Wandley’s, he surmised at once what was afoot. Arriving at Wandley’s and finding Pearly there, very naturally still further alarmed him. Fortunately for him, his confederate, La Qua, had not yet gone on to Settlement Mountain.
“Now put yourself in his place,” he went on after a short pause. “What was to be done? A cache of stolen fur worth thousands of dollars in a cabin only a few miles away awaiting shipment—and the police aware of this fact! He would suppose naturally that Pearly intended to go immediately to seize the cache. In desperation, he ordered La Qua to send the two half-breeds ahead with instructions to ambush the police party. La Qua himself hurried on to Settlement Mountain.”
“Your theory seems reasonable enough,” said Corporal Rand. “But now that the outlaws know that Pearly is out of the way, do you suppose that they will do anything tonight?”
“La Qua doesn’t know this. Even if he did, it would be folly on his part to take chances. Something must be done with the cache at once.”