The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs - M. V. Carey [26]
“How about that!” murmured Bob. “And they told Mr. Barron their telephone wasn’t working.”
Bob strained to hear the conversation that was going on, but the campsite was too far away. He could catch only an occasional word or two. After a few minutes the soldier hung the receiver back in its place and said something to his companion. They both laughed, then grew silent as they watched one of Barron’s men come along from the east, walking between the oleander hedge and the fence.
The man patrolling the fence glanced across the road at the encampment there. He paused to exchange a few words with the man who watched the gate, then he turned and started back the way he had come.
“Hey, we’d better get away from this hedge,” said Pete softly. “I bet another man will come along from the west any second now.”
The boys retreated to a nearby stand of eucalyptus trees. Sure enough, a second sentry on patrol appeared, approaching the gate from the opposite direction. After he left, a jeep drove slowly past the gate. It was headed west and it did not stop at the camp. The two men in the vehicle ignored Barron’s guard, and the guard did not even glance at them.
“The two sides sure aren’t talking to one another,” said Pete.
“I’d give a lot to know what they’re saying to each other over in that camp,” said Bob.
He looked at the fence in a calculating way, then stared up and down the road.
“I’m going over the fence,” he said suddenly.
“Huh?” Pete gaped at his friend in surprise.
“I said I’m going over the fence.” Bob pointed. “Look down there. There’s a bend in the road so that the guard at the gate won’t be able to see me and neither will the soldiers.
The sentry on this side should be out of sight by now. And the trees grow close to the fence there, so even if one of Mr. Barron’s men is up on the cliffs watching, he won’t spot me.”
Pete looked doubtful. Bob was the smallest of the Three Investigators, and he was better at research than he was at feats involving physical effort. Pete was the strong, agile one, but he hated taking unnecessary risks.
“If I can cross the road and get into the woods without being seen,” Bob said, “I can work my way behind the camp. Then I can come in close enough to hear what those guys are saying.”
“Hey, Bob, suppose they catch you spying on them?” said Pete. “They could get rough.”
“I’ll yell if they do,” promised Bob, “and then you get the guard at the gate to come across the road with his rifle and rescue me. I’ll get into trouble with Mr. Barron, but I don’t suppose he will murder me.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” said Pete.
“Jupe would spy on the camp if he were here,” said Bob. He then darted forward to the oleander hedge and, keeping low so as not to be seen from the gate, ran along behind the bushes.
When he reached the place where several eucalyptus trees crowded close to the fence, Bob stood straight and peered out over the bushes. He could not see the gate or the camp when he looked to the left. When he looked to the right, he saw only the empty road. There were no sentries in sight.
Bob slipped through the oleanders and began to scale the fence. Once he started to climb, he did not look around. He got over the fence as quickly as he could and jumped to the ground on the far side.
The road was still empty when he trotted across to take cover in the wilderness area. A little way into the scrub growth, he found a dry gully that ran almost parallel to the road.
He let himself down into this and began to move silently along on the sandy earth.
After a few minutes he paused and listened. He could hear men talking and he judged that he was almost directly behind the soldiers’ camp. He climbed cautiously out of the gully and found himself atop a small, brush-covered hill that rose behind the tent. Lying face down for a moment, he listened.
The voices of the men were still indistinct murmurs. Bob could not make out the words.
He lifted himself to his hands and knees and peeked over the