His face looked unusually white, and bore an expression of acute pain, which, however, he manfully tried from time to time to dismiss by a ghastly grin, altogether assumed, since he certainly was in no mood for laughing.
They could see that his left leg was bandaged in some manner, as though he might have broken the bones, and someone had tried to bind up the limb.

Even with that superficial glance Hugh marked the fact that this had been done in a fashion indicating considerable previous experience along such lines.
And then they turned their attention upon the other party, the mysterious one who doubtless had found poor K.K.helpless on the ground and borne him to this cavern in the quarry.

He was indeed a wild-looking party, with long, unkempt hair and a sunburnt face in which his glowing eyes were deep-seated.

There was that about him to convince Hugh instantly he must be deranged, although just then the man bent over poor K.K.solicitously, and seemed to be tenderly doing something calculated to ease his pain.
Hugh coughed, meaning to draw attention to the fact of their arrival.
The man immediately stood up and bent a searching look upon the five lads.

Perhaps he had been hearing K.K.tell how some of his chums would certainly be coming to search for him, and, therefore, even though he might wish to remain in his hidden retreat undisturbed, he manifested no hostility toward them, simply folded his arms and, stepping back, watched their approach.
Hugh made gestures to indicate that they were peacefully disposed.
In doing so he purposely used the signal code and spelled out the one word, "friend." He saw the wildman's thin face take on a sudden gleam of awakened interest, and he nodded his head in the affirmative, as if to reassure Hugh that they were not unwelcome.
From this the boy knew the stranger must at some time have been in the army, and that even while his brain was resting under a cloud he could still send and receive messages such as had been at one time his daily avocation.
They reached the side of their unfortunate companion.