“Confound him,” whispered Joe, a little later, in his chum’s ear. “Before this I always admired persistency.”
Following the first dawn the light came in more strongly. Now, the two chums crouched more closely than ever, also seeing to it that Master Ted was forced to lie as flat as possible.
Joe Dawson, lying flat on his stomach, peering out beyond their retreat, moved one of his feet restlessly. Something made him turn to glance behind him. With that he began to slide slowly backward. His feet went further and further into a narrow hole. Then, after nudging Halstead in one leg, Dawson crept back until only his shoulders were exposed. Tom watched his chum in overjoyed wonder. Joe’s next performance was to vanish from sight. Then, very soon, he wriggled silently out again, until his lips were beside one of his comrade’s ears.
“There’s a hole running into that hummock there,” Dawson explained. “It is a crampy little bit of a hole, but it will conceal all three of us. Let’s work Ted in there first.”
This they proceeded to do, though with intense stealth and no hurry. They got Ted out of sight under the ground, at last, then more speedily concealed themselves.
“Fine, Joe, fine!” cheered Halstead, in a chuckling whisper. “Our chances of not being found have improved a hundred times!”
“If only Alvarez and his infernal crew will get away from this spot,” Joe whispered, in answer. “But the day that is beginning is absolutely the last day to save Ted’s fortune to him. If we trip up to-day there isn’t a chance of any kind left. He’ll simply lose!”
Tom kept his face close enough to the opening in the ground so that he could see outside for some little distance, and yet was sure that he himself was enough in the shadow not to be seen from outside.
By the time that the sun was well up Don Emilio insisted on another keen search. This time French and Gambon even trod through the edge of the thicket that had concealed the boys during the darkness. But the mouth of the hole under the hummock was still hidden from their eyes by other bushes.
By the time that the sun had been up for some time quiet had fallen in these woods. Tom and Joe might have felt tempted to make a sudden break for freedom, but the scratch of a match, not far away, warned them that at least one watcher was still in hiding.