In the silence that followed the final words of the girl, the Mystery Boys signified their readiness to enter a council. And as they folded their arms they saw the girl stare at them amazedly and then her face became intent, but she did not look at them. Instead, she looked up at the roof of the hut. Anyone would think she was trying to remember something.
But Tom was not paying any attention to her. He realized that he and his chums were in a tight corner. The Indians were cruel and callous: when they demanded magic, they expected magic. Failure to produce it meant certain doom, perhaps—and Tom shuddered!—with one of those terrible arrows he had seen the youth preparing.
And the chums knew nothing about magic! They had seen stage people produce rabbits from supposedly empty silk hats and make coins disappear. Of course, with the proper apparatus and lots of experience these things could be done. Out in the jungle, among hostile people, with no apparatus and no experience, there was no hope!
So Tom planned to communicate to his chums his idea of what they must do. There was little time to spare. As yet the Indians were not openly hostile. They were intent on seeing something marvelous and while that was in their minds—and until they were disappointed—they would be quiet.
But, after that!——
Tom determined to help his sister and, if possible, to enable his chums to escape. To accomplish that without having Henry and Mort interfere and perhaps warn the Indians—they were capable of anything to secure Margery’s secret of the Golden Sun for themselves—Tom made up his mind to make one desperate effort to escape.
Tom concentrated every effort of his mind. He had convened the Mystery Boys but he must convey his message. He knew how he proposed to do it, and in such a way that Henry and Mort would not comprehend, while the chums would. But it took some hard thinking to make up the sentences.
As Cliff had done, back in Mexico, Tom proposed to use the special code in which he would say short sentences. The final word of each sentence would have a meaning. Taken all together the last words of all the sentences would make a sentence themselves.
He had done this when he called the chums to see what news Henry had. Now Tom must give them a plan and do it briefly and so clearly that they could not mistake his meaning.
Therefore he paid no attention to Margery for the moment, but held his eyes on the floor, making up and going over his plan.