"I have gone to find Forrester, and help him out. I took one-third of the grub and one of the guns and a third of the shells. If we have good luck, you'll hear of us at the Ferry. I have the detail map of this section.
Enoch looked from the note up to the golden pink of the sky. Far above the butte an eagle soared. The dawn wind ruffled his hair. He drew a deep breath and turned to wake Jonas and Agnew, and show them the note.
"Did you folks go to sleep when I did?" asked Enoch when they had read the note in silence.
"Then he must have left at once. No fire has been built out in front."
"Well, it's solved the problem of who walks," remarked Agnew, drily.
"How come Mr. Harden to think he could find him?" demanded Jonas, excitedly.
"Well, they both will have had to start where I did, yesterday. And neither could have gone very far in the dark." Enoch spoke thoughtfully. "If they don't kill each other!"
"They won't," interrupted Agnew comfortingly. "Neither of them is the killing kind."
"Then I suggest," said Enoch, "that with all the dispatch possible we get on our way. You two tackle the Ida and I'll take care of Milton and the breakfast."
"Aye! Aye, sir!" Agnew turned quickly toward the boat, followed eagerly by Jonas.
Milton opened his eyes when Enoch bent over him. "Let me give you a sip of this hot broth, old man," said Enoch. "Come! just to please me!" as Milton shook his head. "You've got to keep your strength and a clear head in order to direct the voyage."
Milton sipped at the warm decoction, and in a moment his eyes brightened.
"Tastes pretty good. Too bad we haven't several gallons of it. Tell the bunch to draw lots for who goes out."
Enoch shook his head. "That's all settled!" and he gave Milton the details of the trouble of the night before.
"Well, can you beat that?" demanded Milton. "The two fools! Why, there were a hundred things I had to tell the pair who went out. Judge, they'll never make it!"
"They've got as good a fighting chance as we have," insisted Enoch, stoutly. "Quit worrying about them, Milton. You've got your hands full keeping the rest of us from being too foolish."
But try as he would, Milton could do little in the way of directing his depleted crew. His leg and his back pained him excruciatingly, and the vertigo was with him constantly. Enoch after trying several times to get coherent commands from the sufferer finally gave up. As soon as the scanty breakfast of coffee and a tiny portion of boiled beans was over, Enoch divided the rations into four portions and stowed away all but that day's share, in the Ida. Then he discussed with Agnew and Jonas the best method of placing Milton on the boat.