Free Get Smart 9 - Max Smart and the Ghastly Ghost Affair by William Johnston Page B

asked.
    “Yes, Max.” She peered into the dimness. “I’m just glad we have a guide to lead us back,” she said. “I don’t think I could find my way to town again even if it is all downhill.”
    “I doubt that I could, either,” Max said. He addressed the old prospector. “Which way is it?” he asked.
    “Follow me,” the old man replied. And he raised his right arm and waved—and immediately disappeared.
    “I guess that proves it—he does have trouble with his disappearing and appearing,” Max said. “Did you see that, 99? He raised his right arm—and POOF!” He looked at his watch. “Let’s see how long it takes him to reappear.”
    “I just hope we don’t have to wait until next March,” 99 said worriedly.
    “So do I. I’d hate to miss Christmas.” He raised his arm and shook his wrist. “I think my watch has stopped,” he said. “The hands keep going around—” He put it to his ear. “—and it’s still ticking—” He shrugged, puzzled. “—but the old prospector hasn’t reappeared.”
    “Max . . . maybe we better try to find our way back ourselves.”
    “And get lost, 99? What would that accomplish?”
    “We’d be doing something. What are we accomplishing now, just standing here?”
    “99, we’re not just standing here. We’re standing here and waiting. There’s a difference. The old prospector will be back in a minute or so.”
    “The last time—”
    “I know about the last time. The last time he missed the whole winter of ’61. But this is not the last time. This is this time.” Max looked around nervously. “You’re right—we better start worrying,” he said. He peered into the darkness. “Prospector?” he called. “Are you out there?” There was no response. Max looked at the mule. “Maybe we ought to send Madame DuBarry after him,” he said.
    “Fine. But how?”
    Max faced the mule. “Parlez-vous Francais?”
    “Max, just because his name is Madame DuBarry, that doesn’t mean he speaks French.”
    “It’s just as well,” Max said. “We wouldn’t be able to converse, anyway. I speak French fluently, but, unfortunately, I don’t understand a word of it.” He addressed the mule again. “I’ll try to make this as simple as possible,” he said. “Remember the old prospector who was around here a little earlier? Sic ’em!”
    The mule stared back at Max.
    “Mules are the dumbest of all beasts,” Max said to 99. “This one is stupid in two languages, English and French.”
    “Hee-Haw!” the mule protested.
    “He’s even poor in mule,” Max said. “I didn’t understand a word of that!”
    Looking annoyed, the mule switched its tail aggitatedly—and disappeared.
    “Oh, Max!” 99 said. “Now, we’re completely alone.”
    “Take it easy, 99. Maybe Madame DuBarry went looking for the old prospector.”
    “Do you believe that, Max?”
    He shook his head. “It’s my honest opinion, 99, that we just lost the mule, too. I guess we’ll have to try to make it back to town without a guide.” He looked around. “Which way is down?”
    “That way, I think—” 99 said, pointing. “I think I remember seeing a path over in that direction.”
    “That’s not enough, 99. Was it a path going up or a path going down?”
    “Let’s try it and find out,” 99 suggested. “If it goes up, we can turn around and take it in the other direction. It won’t go up in both directions?”
    “How can we be so sure about that?” Max asked. “99—be honest with me, now—have you been up on this mountain before?”
    “Max, of course not!”
    “I hope not. When we told each other everything about our pasts before we got married, you didn’t say a word about being up here on this mountain and knowing so much about the paths.”
    “Max . . . honest! It was only a wild guess when I said the path couldn’t go up on both ends.”
    “All right.” Max got 99 by the hand and moved cautiously into the darkness. “We’ll go slowly,” he said. “It