"That ink spot
wasn't there when I had th' map, a few hours ago."
"What ink spot?" asked Tom, anxiously.
"That one," and the miner indicated a small one near the edge of the
map. "That was never there!"
"It looks as if it was recently made," added Mr. Swift, who was
something of a chemist.
"An ink spot-freshly made," murmured Tom, "Dad--Abe, I can guess
what's happened!"
"What?" demanded the miner.
"Andy Foger made a copy of this map while it was in his possession,
and now he knows where the valley of gold is as well as we do! He
may get there ahead of us!"
CHAPTER V
GRAVE SUSPICION'S
Tom's announcement took them all by surprise. For a moment no one
knew what to say, while the young inventor looked more closely at
the parchment map.
"Do you really think he has dared to make a copy of it?" asked Mr.
Swift.
"I do," answered his son. "That ink spot wasn't there when Abe gave
him the map; was it?"
"No," replied the miner.
"And it couldn't get on in Andy's pocket," went on Tom. "So he must
have had it open near where there was ink."
"His fountain pen might have leaked," suggested Mr. Jackson.
"In that case the ink spot would be on the outside of the map, and
not on the inside," declared Tom, with the instinct of a detective.
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