fort the human chain drew the half-drowned boy to the little platform
of logs and brush upon which the doctor stood.

Sam lay there for a moment panting and shivering, and then sprang to his
feet. The north wall was still to climb.

The slope here was more gradual and all four soon found themselves at
the top of the chasm, wet and cold, but on the side where the Boy Scout
signal had shown.

"We ought to tell the boys we are coming, hadn't we?" asked Tommy.

He drew his automatic from his pocket as he spoke and pressed the
trigger, but there was no explosion.

"Try mine!" advised Doctor Pelton. "I guess I'm the only person who
didn't get wet."

As he spoke the doctor fired three quick shots.

"I wonder if they'll answer?" asked Tommy.

"They will if they can," replied Sam. "I don't know your chums, of
course, but when a Boy Scout sends up a signal for help and shots are
fired, it is only good manners to acknowledge the courtesy."

No answering shots came for a moment, however, for Will and Ed were at
that moment some distance away from the place where their automatics had
been thrown after having been taken from Cameron and Fenton.

The shots came before long, however, and the party of wet and shivering
boys pressed on.

"I'd like to know what the boys are doing so far away from the cabin,"
Tommy grumbled. "They ought to have sense enough to stay put!"

The party was met just beyond the illumination of the fire by Will and
Ed, who greeted their chums with such cordiality that a rather perilous
situation was at once suspected.

"What are you boys doing out here in the scenery, anyhow?" demanded
Tommy. "You ought to be at home in the cabin with a hot supper ready for
us! You always go wrong when I go away!" he added with a grin.

"There's no time to tell long stories now," Will hastened to say. "The
thing we've got to do is to pry open that mountain and dig George, Sandy
and Bert out."

"Are they dead?" asked Tommy, turning very white.

"There's some one alive in there," replied Will. "We hear something
which sounds like the human voice but we can't distinguish any words."

"Earthquake?" asked Tommy.

"Earthquake!" replied Will.

"But how----"

Will cut Frank off with a gesture and pointed to the cliff.

"We've got to get to work!" he said.

Just then a low groan reached the ears of the members of the group and
Doctor Pelton sprang toward the place where Cameron and Fenton lay.

Tommy dashed af