“Yes, I do. That is my determination,” said Chet, nodding vigorously. “It is our best chance to find the papers, whether they have dropped them, or whether Steve was lying about it and has got them hidden away somewhere.”
“He said he might have dropped them back where they camped,” Dig said reflectively.
“Well, they haven’t camped but once since they robbed us, and that’s sure. That was for their noon bite. Where that was we have no idea. We just have to watch them!”
Both boys were excited by the adventure of the evening and Chet declared that he could not sleep at all; so he took the first watch. He heard nothing of the two men but he noted that their fire was kept burning brightly.
Dig was not unfaithful to his duty during the last of the night, either; but he awoke Chet about dawn by shaking him vigorously.
“Hi! come alive!” urged the slangy youngster in a hoarse whisper.
“What’s the matter?” demanded Chet, sitting up.
“Those fellows are getting ready to move out. If you want to follow them, we have got to get a move on.”
Dig already had the coffee over the fire and the meat ready for broiling. It seemed that the other camp had been astir for some time. The sky was growing light and Tony had brought up the horses.
“I have an idea they’ll try to get away from us,” Chet said. “But we’ll fool them. Hero and Poke can travel twice as much trail in a day as those sorry ponies they have.”