The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen

by Roger T. Finlay

"I am making every effort to catch up with them. We are out to meet the savages, and the sooner we get a chance at them the better it will be."

Harry had not taken that view of it, and concluded John's plan was the proper thing to follow out.

"I think myself it would be better to meet a half dozen than the whole tribe." But that, even, was not John's purpose.

When they reached the wagon, after the glowing camp fire had been discovered, John hurriedly gave his views: "The band is in our immediate vicinity. If we hurry up we can catch up with them before night. I have trailed them now for three hours. I will continue the pursuit as fast as possible, and it would be well to follow me as fast as the yaks can be driven through the brush. We must meet them and capture them before they reach their main band, so that we can get such information as they may have for our guidance."

John, Harry and Ralph now plunged forward, so that the two boys would enable him to make a chain of information back to the wagon, and it was understood that the moment they were sighted, the wagon was to be hurried forward to the spot selected by John.

It was not anticipated that the band would be numerous enough to require them to establish their traveling fort, and the sole object was to capture one or more of the savages in the first engagement.

For some reason John did not report sighting them during the entire afternoon, and they were again compelled to camp without getting a sight of the enemy. On this occasion the fort was put up, but no attempt was made to light a fire.

As soon as darkness set in, John motioned to Tom to follow him, and together they quietly made their way to the southwest, in the direction of the trail they had followed during the day.

Within an hour both returned, and announced that the camp had been discovered to the front and right of their position, and George and Tom went in that direction, after being cautioned by John to observe the strictest care not to disturb them by approaching too close.

The Professor and John had a long conference as to the wisest course under the circumstances. "I am of the opinion that we should never allow them to leave that camp," was John's observation, "because we are in a much better position to dictate to them during the hours of darkness, if we surround them."