rkness until they had found each
other.

"Listen," whispered the older one. "Do you hear him?"

In the silence and blackness there came to them the sound of retreating
footsteps, and of small stones and particles of earth falling.

"He must be climbing up," said Andy. "This cave is bigger than we
thought, and he must know the place, even in the dark.

"It _is_ as dark as a pocket," complained Frank. "I can't see
anything."

"Wait!" suddenly exclaimed Andy. "Why didn't we think of them before?
Our pocket electrics. They'll do the trick!"

"Sure enough."

An instant later two small but powerful gleams of light cut the
blackness of the cavern, and the boys were enabled to see so they could
hurry ahead. They could still hear the man retreating before them.

"We're coming!" cried Andy in reckless bravado.

"Hush! He'll hear you," cautioned his mother.

"What of it? I want him to. He'll see our lights anyhow. But I think
we have him trapped."

"If there isn't another outlet to the cave. But come on."

Forward they pressed. They could still hear the noise made by the man,
and once they were startled by his mocking laugh. So close was it that
they knew he must have doubled on his tracks returned toward them.

"There are several passages in this cave, I'm sure of it," declared
Frank. "We'll have to be careful not to get lost."

"That's right. This fellow must be at home here. But the floor is
beginning to slope upward. Say, it's damp in here, all right," Andy
added, as he stepped into a little puddle of water.

"From the rain, I guess," replied Frank.

"Hu! How could rain get in here?"

"It must have soaked in through the roof. But we can't talk and listen
for that man. Let's hurry on."

Once more they advanced, but they became confused by many windings and
turnings of the dark passages, until Frank called a halt.

"Let's consider a bit," he said to his brother. "We can't go on this
way. We've got to mark some of these passages so we'll know them again
if we come by. Otherwise we'll get all confused."

"Good idea. Make some scratches on them with your knife. That will
do."

Frank quickly did this and they pressed on. Occasionally they called
to the man, but he did not answer them now--not even by his mocking
laugh. They, however, could still hear him.

"He's leading us on a wild goose chase!" declared Frank at length.
"The first thing we know he'll get back to the entrance a