as near the forward, upstream corner, and it looked out on
Calvert's Favor.

Merlin the mysterious and his two close companions were sitting under
the willow tree enjoying something liquid from tall glasses. As Rick
watched, a fourth man, evidently a servant, brought a tray on which a
silver pitcher rested. The boy could see the trickles of water cascading
down the outside, and knew they were caused by moisture condensing on
the cold metal of the pitcher. He moistened his lips. A fine pair of
dunderheads, he and Scotty were. They had come without even a canteen of
water.

"Easy shot," he whispered to Scotty. "Let's set up and take the
pictures, then get out of here. I'm getting thirsty just watching them."

Scotty adjusted the tripod, while Rick took the telescope out of its
case with reverent hands. It was a beautiful and delicate piece of
equipment, Steve's personal property, and he appreciated the trust the
agent had placed in them by allowing its use. He fitted the instrument
to the mounting screw on the tripod, then aimed it through the six-inch
window. When he squinted through the eyepiece, he saw only willow
branches, but, by keeping his eye in place and cranking the geared
tripod head, he quickly aligned the telescope with the trio under the
willow.

[Illustration: _Scotty fitted the camera to the telescope_]

The telescope had a fixed focus, and was designed for looking at stars.
Consequently, the field of vision was extremely narrow at the short
distance across the water, and Rick could only manage to get Merlin and
his small, insignificant-looking companion into the frame. What's more,
they were upside down, as is common in reflecting telescopes. The boy
knew there was an erecting prism in the case, a device that would put
the image upright, but it couldn't be used with the camera. Anyway, it
wouldn't matter, since the print could be turned over.

He studied the faces in the upside-down position. The telescope gave him
an even better close-up than at the restaurant. Again he groped for the
identity of the white-haired man, but it eluded him.

Scotty tapped him on the shoulder and motioned that the camera was
ready. Rick moved aside and his pal quickly fitted the camera to the
telescope and tightened the mounting rings. Rick nodded to indicate that
the telescope was on target, and Scotty tripped the camera.

The advantage of the Polaroid camera is that the picture can be seen
within seconds. Scotty qu