aiting to
snare us, they'll naturally think we've bunched our forces and are all
coming along together. Then, you see," he continued, "I'll be right in
among them before they suspect that we have a skirmish line out."

"That's an all right notion, kid!" answered Will.

"Then I'll be on my way," Jimmie replied. "And if I need help at any
time, I'll give the call of the pack!"

"But you mustn't do that unless you have to," Will cautioned, "because,
the minute the cry is heard, everybody within eighty rods would know
what's going on. Have you matches with you?"

The boy felt in the pockets of his coat and nodded.

"Well, then," he said, "if you want to signal, wet your hands and rub
the phosphorus off the matches. Turn your hands, palms in our direction,
so no one can see from the other side and wig-wag."

"That will be fine!" exclaimed Jimmie. "I've got this wig-wag system
down pat. I guess this Boy Scout training is pretty poor, ain't it, eh?
The darker it is, the better we can talk!"

Jimmie darted away, while Will and Elmer remained stationary for a short
time in order to give him an opportunity to get out of the range of
their lights. Directly they heard him whispering back and listened.

"There's another stone cairn here!" he said. "I guess I knocked it over,
for I can't tell exactly what it is. You can learn that when you come up
with your searchlights! I think there are three stones."

"All right!" Will whispered back.

When the boys came to the spot from which the voice had been heard they
found three stones lying side by side on the floor of the gangway. It
was plain that they had been placed one on top of the other, and so they
accepted them as another warning of danger.

"I wish we had some intimation of the kind of trouble we are likely to
get into," Elmer suggested, as they passed along. "I don't like this
idea of boring a hole in the darkness with a little bit of a light and
anticipating an attack at any minute."

"I don't like it a little bit myself," replied Will.

"A person so inclined might shoot us down without ever showing himself,"
declared Elmer. "In fact, the only protection we have lies in the fact
that Jimmie is on ahead, and would not be likely to pass any one lying
in wait for us. Bright little boy, that!"

"There he is now!" exclaimed Will. "He's using the phosphorus, all
right, and I can begin to understand what he's trying to say? There's a
'W', and an 'A', and an 'I', and a '