Owing to the character of the surface, Jimmie was obliged to wait
for some moments before following on after the party. In fact, it
was only by moving cautiously and keeping cliffs and crags between
himself and the renegade's group of outlaws that the boy could make
progress without being seen.
Before leaving the spot where the prisoner had stood, Jimmie selected
a rock of the size of a two-gallon jug, placed it in plain view, and
laid on top of it a smaller rock. At the left he placed another stone,
the size of the one on top. This would direct any of the boys who might
come too late to his relief.
During his Boy Scout excursions the boy had often used this "Indian
talk" to inform his friends of the course he had taken. All Boy Scouts
are supposed to be versed in "Signs in Stones." The large rock with the
small one on top read, "Here the trail begins." The smaller stone to
the left read, "Turn to the left." If the stone had been placed on the
right it would have read, "Turn to the right." If he had built a pyramid
of three stones, two on top of the large one, it would have read, "You
are warned:
Proceed cautiously." Jimmie knew that Fenton understood signs in stones,
and would therefore have no difficulty in following him if he came up
later on.
As the boy followed on to the north, now and then sliding down declivities,
turning with dizzy eyes from great heights, but forever keeping the direction
taken by the hostile party ahead, he listened for the sound of a gun, for
the rattle of Fenton's drum, but listened in vain.
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