dings.

"What does this mean?" asked Songbird. "That gang certainly can't be
in the burning building.

"I know what it means!" cried the detective, and there was something
like anguish in his voice. "They have abandoned the ranch and set
fire to it!"

"Abandoned the ranch?" repeated Songbird.

"Den vot of der Rofer poys?" asked the German youth.

"Don't ask me," said the detective. "They may have escaped, or else--"
He did not finish.

"Do you mean those rascals might leave them in the ranch, prisoners?"
asked Songbird.

"It's a hard thing to say, but you know as mush as I do. This knocks
my last plan endways. I must see if I can't get on the trail of the
gang that has run away," James Monday added. "Will you let me have
one of the horses?"

"Certainly. But--"

"Unless I act quickly, those men may get miles and miles away, and
then it will be next to impossible to round them up," continued the
government official. "I must go after Fred Garrison and hurry along
that extra help."

"Where shall we meet you?"

"I can't tell, exactly. We might--Hullo, what's that?"

A peculiar sound close at hand caused the detective to pause. They
heard a flat rock fall down, and then, to their amazement, saw two
dirty and begrimed persons emerge from a hole in the ground.

"Who vos dot?" gasped Hans, ready to retreat in fright.

"Hullo, Hans!" cried Tom Rover. "Don't you know Dick and me? We just
arrived by the new subway."

"Tom and Dick!" ejaculated Songbird. "Truly, I must be dreaming!"

"But you are not," came from Dick as he stepped closer. "Oh, but I'm
glad to get out of that hole!" he added. "And glad to fall among
friends once more."

"Hullo, Mr. Monday," said Tom. "So you escaped, after all? That's
good. Have any of you seen anything of Sam?"

"Sam?" asked Songbird. "Wasn't he with you?"

"He was, but the counterfeiters carried him off with them when they
left the ranch."

"Then he must still be a prisoner."

"Yes."

"When we first heard your voices, we thought we had run into some of
our enemies," said Dick. "We were mighty glad to learn otherwise.
Now, if Sam was only here--"

"We must find him!" broke in Tom. "And the sooner we get on the trail,
the better."

"I was just going away to hurry along some help," came from James
Monday. "Maybe all of you had better remain in the forest on guard
until I get back. If you spread out, you may learn something."

A little later, the government official