capture the escaped convict himself by lingering around the cavern where
the fire had been so mysteriously kindled.

While the two discussed, not without some show of anger, the situation,
the two boys kept their eyes fixed on the opposite cavern. George knew
positively that it was the one which had been occupied by the escaped
convict and his son, and he believed that in time the father would
return to it. It seemed to him that Cullen was clinging to an opinion
which might cause himself and friends serious trouble.

"Gee!" he whispered to Tommy, "I wish we could get these flatties to
follow the cowboys! I'm afraid they'll catch Wagner if they hang around
that cave over there!"

"I'm afraid they will!" replied Tommy. "There's some one been there this
morning, and it wasn't the cowboys or the detectives, either. It was
either Wagner or the train robbers."

"Just as sure as you're a foot high," exclaimed George, "there's some
one moving about in the entrance to that cavern now! I can see something
moving, but I can't see any features."

"Well, don't look that way too steadily," Tommy cried. "If Wagner is
over there we don't want to put these detectives wise to the fact. He's
the man they're in here after, you remember!"

"Well, there's some one there, all right!" exclaimed George. "While you
were talking, I saw a chalk-white face appear for a second at the
entrance. I'll bet he's been hiding there ever since last night."

"He was with the train robbers last night," suggested Tommy. "At least
we think he was, for there are only two robbers and we saw three men."

"He may be with the train robbers, now for all we know," George put in.

"Yes, they may be hiding over there," Tommy admitted. "If I thought they
were, I'd steer these bum detectives up against them!"

"We'd better not take any chances!" advised George. "If Wagner is over
there, he may be alone. In that case, these cheap flatties would geezle
him and make for the Union Pacific railroad without stopping to say
good-by to the hills. And once they get to the railroad, it's all off
with the young man in Chicago who is soon to be tried for murder."

While the boys discussed the situation, Katz caught sight of the moving
figure in the entrance to the cavern. The boys saw him pointing in that
direction and about abandoned hope.

"There's some one over there," the boys heard Katz saying, "and we may
as well go and see who it is. Have you got a pair of handcuff