“Aw, get out with your gloomy ideas. Drowned—those fellows drowned—not on your life. They have some good reason for not showing up. I don’t know what it is, but you’ll see when they do come. Don’t get timid, Will.”
“Timid! Who’s showing the white feather, I’d like to know. Why, I’m not afraid of anything that could happen here. You never saw me shake unless it was with the cold. What is there to fear, after all? Just lie down if you feel like it, and—— What’s that?”
Will gave vent to a half-muffled yell when a sudden vivid flash dispelled the darkness around them, as if lightning had cut the gloom of night.
CHAPTER X—FRANK TRIES TO FIGURE IT OUT
Frank was sorely perplexed. He felt sure that Jerry must have fallen into the hands of some enemies while he was busily engaged in examining the second Indian mound. Perhaps it might be that he had even heard the low cry of his chum when the others seized upon him, but in his ignorance had supposed it to be the call of a bird in the brush.
He tried to read the signs the best he could.
“There’s that same small footprint, showing that the two tramps have been here. Were they watching for us, or did we just happen to drop in upon some favorite hiding-place of theirs? They saw a chance to get my pard while I was away with the gun. And now what will they do with him?”
So he pondered as he stood there looking around at the dense foliage that gave no hint as to where these lawless characters could have taken poor Jerry.
Frank searched high and low as the minutes passed, but without any success. He saw the coming of night with uneasiness.
“This is a nice pickle for me. Trying to warn the others, and I fall into the pit myself the first one. But they wouldn’t dare hurt Jerry. We haven’t done them any harm. What they really want, I imagine, consists of our guns and food. Then they could hold out for a long campaign in the woods, and snap their fingers at the sheriff and his posse. Like as not, in the morning they’ll try to open communications with us and offer Jerry in exchange for our things.”