For a time Dick stood undecided.
“No,” he answered, “we haven’t time. Tomorrow Corporal Rand will return to Fort Good Faith. He has asked us to meet him there. We’ll have to follow his instructions: Go back tonight.”
“But what about Creel? We can’t leave him here.”
“That’s right. Let me see,” Dick scratched his head in perplexity.
“Tell you what we do,” Toma suddenly broke forth. “One of us stay here look after Creel an’ other two go back to Fort Good Faith. If you like, I stay here myself while you, Sandy, you, Dick, go on see Corporal Rand. After while I get Fontaine an’ Le Sueur to help me. Soon they come back from Grassy Point Lake.”
“Your plan is a good one,” approved Dick. “It’s the best thing to do. If Sandy and I start at once—go over to the road-house and get our horses—we can reach Fort Good Faith shortly before the corporal arrives. What do you think, Sandy?”
“We ought to go, of course. The way things have turned out, we need someone to take charge and straighten out this tangle. Corporal Rand will know what to do. I expect his first move will be to set out in pursuit of Frischette. The sooner we get Rand back here the sooner he’ll be able to follow and overtake him. Yes, we’d better start at once.”
“All right, we’ll walk over and get the horses.”
Toma gave a little start of dismay.
“I jus’ happen think, Dick— By Gar— Make me feel like silly fool. What you think I do?”