"Are you sure?" asked both of the others, in a breath.

"Almost positive."

Dick had scarcely spoken the last words when down into the hole came a
shower of dirt and stones, shoved over the edge above. The boys were
struck by the stones and got some of the dirt in their eyes. Then down
came a second mass of the same sort.

"Sto--stop that!" spluttered Tom, when he could speak. "Do you want to
kill us?"

There was no answer, but down came more dirt and stones, until the boys
were almost covered. What to do they did not know, until Dick suggested
they drop from the ledge and seek safety in the cave. As they went down,
a fair-sized rock followed, scraping Tom's shoulder and causing him to
utter a sharp cry of pain.

"Are you hurt, Tom?" asked his two brothers.

"Oh, it isn't much," panted Tom. "But I wish I could get my hands on
that rascal, that's all!"

"I am sure now that it must be Dangler," said Dick. "Nobody else around
here would try to injure us. He is mad because we have exposed him. He
must know the officers of the law are looking for him."

"I wish we could catch the rascal," muttered Tom.

"Supposing we climb the mountain from the outside?" suggested Sam. "It
is a perfectly clear day and is early yet. We'll know enough to look out
for pitfalls. If we can catch this Dangler the three of us ought to be
able to manage him."

"If we are going to try anything like that we want to hurry," returned
Dick. "He won't remain in this locality long--now he knows he is
discovered."

"Maybe he thinks we didn't see him," came from Tom.

"Well, that will be in our favor. But he'll know somebody will be after
him, for throwing down the dirt and stones."

Having eaten a hasty lunch and washed it down with water from a nearby
spring, the three lads began the ascent of the mountain. This was hard
work and caused them to perspire freely.

"I'm glad I'm not fat," said Tom. "If I was I'd be winded sure."

"I think we'd better keep quiet as soon as we reach the vicinity of the
holes," cautioned Dick.

Half an hour of hard climbing brought the boys to the vicinity where
they had first fallen into the holes leading to the cave, and then they
advanced cautiously and in almost absolute silence. They stopped to
listen several times, but heard nothing but the calls of some birds and
the trickling of water over the rocks.

Arriving at the top of the hole from where the dirt and stones had been
thrown, they gazed around