alk on a bit, and look for
some trail out. One lucky thing, no one will take the treasure while
we're scouting."

"Where do you suppose that goes to?" said Betty, when they had been
tramping about five minutes.

She pointed to a rocky formation that led off into the side of the chasm.
It was evidently the mouth of a cave.

"I don't know, of course," admitted Bob. "But I think we had better take
a chance and follow it. It will be dark, but so will the chasm in another
half hour. I'll go first and you come after me."

It was inky black in the cave, and there was no assurance that it would
lead them anywhere and every prospect that they would have to retrace
their steps. He was careful to hint nothing of this to Betty, however,
and she, on her part, determinedly stifled any complaint of weariness
that rose to her lips.

It was an experience they both remembered all their lives--that slow,
halting groping through the winding cavern, where the rocky walls
narrowed or widened without warning and the roof rose to great heights or
dropped so low they must crawl on hands and knees. The thought of the
found treasure sustained them and gave them courage to keep on.

"I see a light!" cried Bob after what seemed to Betty hours of this.
"Betty, I do believe we've come to an opening!"

The pin-spot of light grew and broadened, and, as they approached it,
they saw it was the winter sky. The sun was setting, for the clouds had
cleared, and never was a sight half so beautiful to the anxious eyes that
rested on it. What did it matter that they were miles from the school, or
that both were wet and cold and tired to the point of collapse? Just to
get out of that awful chasm was enough.

"I'll go get your sled and pack the stuff on that," proposed Bob, "I
don't suppose it would hurt to leave it there all night, but somehow I
can't. Will you go on ahead, Betty? You're so tired."

"I'm going back with you," said Betty firmly. "I couldn't rest one
minute, knowing you were crawling through that awful cave again. Oh, yes,
I'm coming with you, Bob--you needn't shake your head like that."

Bob realized that it was useless to try to persuade her to go on to the
school alone. His common sense told him that it would be wiser to leave
the treasure where it was and come after it the next day, but common
sense does not always win out. It was actually impossible for Bob or
Betty to abandon the Macklin fortune now that they had found it.

Bob