No, I don't think
Link would quite dare to play such a trick. But of course we can
investigate,--after we have reported to Mr. Endicott."
"You are not going to try to keep up this dog-trot all the way to the
house, are you?" questioned the shipowner's son, after about a mile had
been covered, and when they were passing over a rather rough portion of
the trail.
"Winded?"
"Not exactly, but I shall be if I keep this up," panted Phil. "Besides,
I don't want to tumble over these tree roots."
"I wanted to get as far as possible on the way before that storm broke,"
went on Dave, glancing anxiously upward, between the branches of the
trees. "When it comes, I rather think it will be a corker. I hope the
others reach that shack before it rains."
"Oh, they ought to be there by this time."
The boys kept on, sometimes running and sometimes dropping into a walk.
As they advanced, the sky kept growing steadily darker, both on account
of the storm and because the day was drawing to a close.
"Here's the spot where we passed Link and that man with him," said Dave,
presently. "Wonder who that fellow was?"
"Oh, some hand from the Merwell ranch, I suppose. He didn't seem to be
very sociable. He kept his head turned away all the time Link was
talking to us.
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