nd. Penetrating some mountain-guarded, easily
defended valley they might have decided to settle down for a time, have
rebuilt a city, raised a government; laying low, in a sentence, waiting
for the storm to blow over.

"Why did they stay? Well, they might have found the new life more
pleasant than the old. And they might have been locked in their valley
by some accident--landslides, rockfalls sealing up the entrance. There
are a dozen reasonable possibilities."

"But those who hunted you weren't locked in," objected Drake.

"No," Ventnor grinned ruefully. "No, they certainly weren't. Maybe we
drifted into their preserves by a way they don't know. Maybe they've
found another way out. I'm sure I don't know. But I DO know what I saw."

"The noises, Martin," I said, for his description of these had been the
description of those we had heard in the blue valley. "Have you heard
them since?"

"Yes," he answered, hesitating oddly.

"And you think those--those soldiers you saw are still hunting for you?"

"Haven't a doubt of it," he replied more cheerfully. "They didn't look
like chaps who would give up a hunt easily--at least not a hunt for such
novel, interesting, and therefore desirable and delectable game as we
must have appeared to them."

"Martin," I said decisively, "where's your pony? We'll try the hollow
again, at once. There's Ruth--and we'd never be able to hold back such
numbers as you've described."

"You feel strong enough to try it?"

CHAPTER IV. METAL WITH A BRAIN

The eagerness, the relief in his voice betrayed the tension, the anxiety
which until now he had hidden so well; and hot shame burned me for my
shrinking, my dread of again passing through that haunted vale.

"I certainly DO." I was once more master of myself. "Drake--don't you
agree?"

"Sure," he replied. "Sure. I'll look after Ruth--er--I mean Miss
Ventnor."

The glint of amusement in Ventnor's eyes at this faded abruptly; his
face grew somber.

"Wait," he said. "I carried away some--some exhibits from the crevice of
the noises, Goodwin."

"What kind of exhibits?" I asked, eagerly.

"Put 'em where they'd be safe," he continued. "I've an idea they're far
more curious than our armored men--and of far more importance. At any
rate, we must take them with us.

"Go with Ruth, you and Drake, and look at them. And bring them back with
the pony. Then we'll make a start. A few minutes more probably won't
make much difference--but h