NOVEMBER JOE
But of course they won't turn up—they'd be shy of such a big party!"
"Maybe," said November. "With your permission, Mr. Close, me and Mr. Quaritch'll sleep here to-night."
"All right. But I can't attend to you. I'm behind with my accounts, and I must even them up if it takes all night."
"And there's one question I'd like to have an answer to. It's just this. How did the robber know that Dan Michaels was worth holding up? Or that he was going off on the spree? He must have been told by some one. Blackmask has got a friend in Camp C all right. That is, unless—"
"Aye, unless?" repeated the manager.
But November would say no more. An idea had come into his mind, but Close could not draw it from him; yet I could see he had entire trust in the taciturn young woodsman.
Next morning November seemed in no hurry to go, and shortly before the midday meal a party of half a dozen men rushed into the camp. They were all shouting at once, and it was impossible for a time to discover what the tur-
60
