“Search me!” replied Harry, with a careless shrug of his shoulders. “But say, wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “He did say something about it, too. I remember now. He has gone about fifty miles up north to look over a piece of uncut timber land there, and I remember he said he would be back before the last of this month. But what did you want him for, anyway?” inquisitively.
Dick thought a minute, and then decided to tell Harry all about the happenings of the last few days. He knew that Harry was friendly to the Scouts, and would help them all he could in bringing the outlaws to justice.
Another thing that he did not know, but which was an important factor in the chase later on, was that Harry disliked the outlaws heartily. They had often plagued him, and made his hard life even harder, and he had often wanted to get even with them. So it is possible that Dick could not have taken a wiser course than that which he now decided to pursue.
Accordingly he proceeded to detail the happenings of the last few days to the attentive cookee, who could not help interrupting him at times with expressions of surprise and indignation.
“Well, what do you know about that?” he asked at the conclusion of Dick’s recital. “Ain’t them two about the most underhanded crooks goin’? I only hope I can do somethin’ to help put them in jail,” and here the expression of his eyes boded no good to the outlaws.
Dick perceived that he had gained an ally worth having, and was pleased accordingly.
“I know that the others will be as pleased as I am to know that you are going to help all you can,” Dick replied cordially to the other’s outburst. “Now, Harry, you know from what I have told you that both Lavine and O’Brien will go to any lengths to get even with Flannigan, and also with us, whom they now suspect to be their enemies.
“We have reason to believe that they will do all they can to waylay the foreman, steal the money that he will have on his person, and either kill or seriously injure him.
“Now, what we want you to do is to notify us at our camp if the foreman is not back before the last day of the month. Will you do that?”
“Will I?” said Harry, his eyes sparkling as he thought of the trust that was being placed in him. “Well, I should smile! Just give me a chance, that is all I ask. You can count on me, Dick, as much as you can on yourself.”