en?" asked Will.

"If they leave it to me," George replied, "two of them were train
robbers and the third was Chester's father."

"That's about the way we had it sized up," Will agreed.

"By the way, Tommy," asked Chester with a slight chuckle, "where's the
bear meat you left the camp to get for breakfast?"

"I've got it out here in the cavern!" replied Tommy.

"Is that right, George?" asked Chester.

"We sure have a lot of it out in the vestibule!" agreed George.

"Let's see," Will said, nudging George in the ribs, "you went after
Tommy to bring him back, didn't you?"

"Sure I did," answered George. "And I brought him back, didn't I?"

"You didn't bring him back to camp," Will answered.

"And you're the fellow who wig-wagged to us to come and escort the two
of you home," continued Will, addressing George with a laugh.

"Sure I wig-wagged," replied the boy.

"Then why didn't you stay there until we came up and tell us what you
wanted. You're a fine boy to wig-wag!"

"Circumstances over which I had no control intervened," replied George.
"I got pinched."

Then the story of the adventures of Tommy and George were told and Will
told of the doings of those who had left the camp in answer to the call
for help.

"Then the sheriffs and their men are not far away?" asked Will.

"Why, they must be in the cavern," answered Tommy. "When the train
robbers chucked us down into this dry sewer the sheriffs were entering
the audience chamber on the outside."

"And where did the detectives go?" asked Will.

"I don't think they've got done going yet!" replied Tommy. "The train
robbers took away their badges, and gave 'em two days in which to get
out of town. Gee!" the boy continued. "That sounds like Harrison street
station, don't it? Give 'em two days to get out of town. They make me
sick!"

"So they're all centering around this little old ex-aqueduct," George
said. "In about five minutes the two sheriffs'll be crawling into this
old drain and taking the train robbers by the scruff of the neck."

"I'd rather the sheriffs would lug the detectives out of the country,"
Chester observed. "They're the people who are looking for father."

"You want to keep mighty quiet about any one looking for your father,"
Will advised. "We are sure to bunt into these two sheriffs before long
and if they know that your father is now regarded as a fugitive from
justice, they'll get him and ship him back to Chicago, all right!"

"Th