“All right, you’re number one,” smiled Dick. “What is your plan?”
Sandy flushed with embarrassment.
“Look here, Dick, not so fast. Give me a little time please. You know blamed well that I haven’t had an opportunity to think yet.”
“What about you, Toma?”
The Indian guide stirred uneasily and licked his dry lips. From his look of detachment, it was quite evident that he had been deeply engrossed in his own thoughts for quite a long time. He stared blankly at Dick.
“What you mean?” he asked.
“We’re trying to think of some way to fool Henderson,” Dick patiently explained. “What are we going to do, Toma? We can’t sit here all day just waiting for something to happen.”
“Only way I think of is for me go down trail in direction La Lond’s house. Bye-’n’-bye when Henderson come, I hide in bush and shoot rifle. Henderson stop. He not know what to do. Mebbe he think man in bush is you, Dick. He come after me an’ I keep shoot all time, but all time me I run very fast. No can catch. I keep lead him away more all time from this camp.”
Dick and Sandy clapped their hands enthusiastically.
“Very good,” Dick complimented Toma. “Your plan’s so original that I don’t think we can improve on it.”