"Black or white?"
"Black hair and eyes and whiskers."
"Fat or lean?"
"Neither, just heavily built."
"Come, Smarty," Sandy laughed, "perhaps you'll be kind enough to go on
now and tell us the color of his necktie."
"He didn't wear any necktie!" answered Will. "He wore a leather hunting
shirt and leather leggings. His hands were protected from the mosquitos
by leather gloves. He wore moccasins."
"Will you be kind enough to tell us what he had for supper last night?"
asked Sandy. "Also, can you tell us which side he sleeps on nights?"
"This is no joke!" Will answered. "I really think I have a good
description of the man who abducted Bert. And I think, too, that the
description will serve to locate him."
"That's all right!" laughed George, "when Tommy comes back, we'll have
him get out his dream book and read you to sleep!"
"Yes," Will said gravely, "when Tommy comes back with the surgeon."
"It would be a rotten proposition, wouldn't it, if Tommy should get back
with the surgeon before we found Bert?"
"It certainly would," answered Will.
"Tommy can't possibly get back before some time tomorrow night," Sandy
argued, "and we ought to be able to find the boy before that time!"
"Especially as Will has a perfect description of the outlaw," said
George with a wink at Sandy.
Then the boy added with a laugh:
"Go on, Will, and tell us how you know the man's size and weight."
"Yes," Sandy broke in. "Tell us how you know he's exactly five feet six.
You weren't here to measure him!"
"The wall measured him!" replied Will.
"Oh!" exclaimed Sandy with a grin.
"Back there by the door," Will went on, "the man leaned against the wall
for some purpose. Of course, I don't know why, but I suspect that he
leaned there for a moment to get the boy well balanced in his arms
before stepping outside. At any rate, he stood there for an instant with
a broad back braced against the dusty logs. You can see where the top of
his head came, without getting up."
"That's reasonable!" replied Sandy. "Now tell us how you know he has
black hair and eyes."
"He left half a dozen hairs on the pillow at Bert's bunk," replied Will.
"Also he left coarser black hairs which evidently came from his face.
They lie there on the table."
The boys examined the hairs curiously, and then Will asked:
"What do you think of it?"
"I think," replied Sandy, "that Bert regained consciousness while he was
being lifted from the bunk
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