"There are two things we'll have to set aside time for," Ned
declared, as he took a seat on the ground before the blaze, with a
great plate of food in his lap. "We'll have to arrange for keeping
Uncle Ike, the mule, out of mischief, and for keeping track of Jimmie
and Teddy. Those boys will get lost in the mountains yet, and go
hungry for a few days. That would be punishment enough for Jimmie--
hunger!"
The boys sat by the campfire a long time, heaping dry wood on the
blaze until they were obliged to widen the circle about it. There was
only the light of the stars, looking down from a cloud-flecked sky,
but there would be a moon shortly after ten o'clock.
"If the boys don't return before long," Frank broke out, after a
moment of silence, "I'm going to take a searchlight and go out
looking for them."
The boy expressed the thought which was brooding in the minds of them
all. They were more than anxious for the safety of the two truants.
Oliver arose and walked away from the fire up the slope, until his
figure was out of sight, but shortly came back and sat down again,
his face expressing impatience as well as anxiety.
"There's no reason why they shouldn't see this fire," he said. "I
walked over the summit a bit to see if the light was reflected over
there.
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