"If the boys don't return before long," Frank broke out, after a
moment of silence, "I'm going to take a searchlight and go out
looking for them."

The boy expressed the thought which was brooding in the minds of them
all. They were more than anxious for the safety of the two truants.
Oliver arose and walked away from the fire up the slope, until his
figure was out of sight, but shortly came back and sat down again,
his face expressing impatience as well as anxiety.

"There's no reason why they shouldn't see this fire," he said. "I
walked over the summit a bit to see if the light was reflected over
there. It is. If anywhere within two miles, they ought to see this
blaze or the glow from it. They're just doing this to make us worry.
I'd like to get them by the neck, this minute," he added.

Uncle Ike, the mule, gave vent to a vicious scream at that moment,
and Ned arose and started in the direction of the feeding ground.
When he reached the spot he saw that the mules were agitated, weaving
about on the tying lines in either fear or anger.

"Uncle Ike," Ned said, patting the ugly beast on the neck, "what is
it about your sleeping chamber that you don't like? Or it is your
supper you object to?"

Uncle Ike thrust his long ears forward and elevated his heels, as if
kicking at some imaginary object back of him. Then Ned saw a figure
moving in the darkness.

"Come out of that!" he called. "Why are you sneaking around here?"