“Why didn’t you bring your nice gentle little parrot along, Pop?” inquired John. “He’d have enjoyed seeing his owner do some work.”
“I was going to bring him,” said George, “but look what he did to me,” and he held up a bleeding finger. “That’s his answer to my invitation to come along.”
“Isn’t he affectionate?” laughed John. “My, I wish I had a parrot.”
“He’ll be all right some day,” said George seriously. “You see if he won’t.”
“I’m glad you’re the trainer and not I, anyway,” said John grimly.
Laughing and joking, bantering one another and full of spirits they soon came to their destination, and prepared to measure off the distances according to the code.
“Read what the code says first of all, Grant,” exclaimed Fred. “That’ll help us all to know just what we are to do.”
“You ought to know it by heart now I should think,” laughed Grant. “Still, I’ll read it if you say so.”
“Go ahead, Grant,” urged John, and once more they listened to the words that meant so much to every one of them.
“Take a course due north one hundred feet from the southern extremity of shark rock, then east fifty feet and north by east thirty-three. Dig.”