"
A silence followed Ned's intimation.
CHAPTER XV
IN THE COILS
"Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to
desert us?" asked Tom.
"Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
"It's a possibility, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper. "But
what if it is? We might as well trust him, and
if he proves true, as I believe he will, we'll be
so much better off. If he proves a traitor we'll
only have lost a few days, for if he doesn't come
back we can go on again in the way we started."
"But that's just it!" complained Tom. "We
don't want to lose any time with that Beecher
chap on our trail."
"I am not so very much concerned about him,"
remarked Professor Bumper, dryly.
"Why not?" snapped out Mr. Damon.
"Well, because I think he'll have just about
as hard work locating the hidden city, and finding
the idol of gold, as we'll have. In other words
it will be an even thing, unless he gets too far
ahead of us, or keeps us back, and I don't believe
he can do that now.
"So I thought it best to take a chance with this
Indian. He would hardly have taken the trouble
to come all the way back, and run the risks he
did, just to delay us a few days. However, we'll
soon know. Meanwhile, we'll take it easy and
wait for the return of Tolpec and his friends."
Though none of them liked to admit it, Ned's
words had caused his three friends some anxiety,
and though they busied themselves about the
camp there was an air of waiting impatiently for
something to occur.
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