130 REPELATRON SKYWAY
camp, to where the river trail became fringed with dense jungle vegetation. At one point, a narrow passage had been forced through the dense undergrowth. It led to a tiny clearing in which the grass was crushed and trampled. From here another, wider path through the brush emerged from the forest. Evidently the strangers Auber had spoken of had come this way.
“Brand my runnin’ iron, you sure read the sign right,” Chow commented, squinting about.
“How do we know he didn’t come here himself?” Bud muttered.
Auber plucked something from the grass. “Didn’t notice this last night with my flashlight,” he said. “Your brand, isn’t it, Creel?”
He held out a half-smoked cigarette stub. Its paper bore the “Gold Coast”
trademark. Creel’s face turned flaming red.
“What are you trying to do, Auber-frame me?”
The hunter grinned. “I just asked a simple question.”
” ‘Gold Coast’ is the most common brand sold in this part of Africa,” Creel retorted.
“Plenty of people smoke them. For that matter, you could have planted it here.”
“Relax!” Tom broke in. “Accusing each other won’t help. The important thing now is to repair the damage that’s been done.”
As they returned to camp, Bud asked quietly, “Which one do you believe, Tom?”
“It’s a toss-up, Bud-either one could be lying.
NOCTURNAL RAIDERS 131
But it sure looks as if the saboteurs met someone from our outfit!”
The damaged repelatrons were replaced and work continued. Next day a cargo jet arrived at Imbolu from Shopton-the first of a regular series of shuttle flights to keep the work crews supplied.
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