et," said the man. "They won't hurt
you. They're only after the treasure."

"But that's in the car ahead," protested Bet.

"You'd better yell it loud enough for them to hear," suggested Enid
from the depths of the tonneau.

Matt once more warned them to be quiet. "Put up your hands if they
tell you to. Don't take any chances. Don't speak unless they ask you
a question. I'll do the talking."

With a gun pointed in their direction, they lost no time in putting up
their hands. Bet hesitated, her defiant nature rebelled at the idea of
such surrender. But a second command from Matt, brought the girl's
hands toward her head.

"The chest! Off with it!" commanded Ramon Salazar to the man by his
side. "And here, Jake, you hold the gun on them!"

"Not that chest, Ramon," cried Bet. "You can't have that chest!"

"What's to stop us," sneered the Mexican with an ugly scowl.

"My ore samples! My birds' nests. They're in that chest."

"Ha, ha, that's a good joke. Birds' nests!"

"Keep quiet, Bet, not another word!" Matt Larkin spoke with decision.
And Bet slumped down in the seat, her arms still extended above her
head.

Ramon did not wait to untie the rope that held the huge trunk. He
slashed the strings with his knife. Then bringing his gun once more
toward the car, he ordered:

"Now get along out of here as fast as you can. You are covered until
you are out of sight." As Matt started his car the Mexican called.
"Kie Wicks sends his compliments!"

As the car got under way, Bet suddenly began to scream. It was
something between a laugh and a cry. The girls looked at her in
astonishment. Bet hysterical! They could hardly believe it.

When a safe distance was reached Bet tried to speak. "That old trunk!
They think it's the treasure chest! And they've stolen my riding shoes
and my birds nests and some copper ore. Oh, girls, isn't it funny?"
And Bet was once more convulsed with laughter.

"To think of Bet getting hysterical!" exclaimed Enid.

"I wasn't hysterical. I just had to laugh, and I thought they'd catch
on so I screamed."

"That explains everything, Bet," came Joy's voice from the floor of the
car. "I'll remember that excuse myself and use it sometime."

Bet glared but said nothing. Then she started to laugh once more:

"What wouldn't I give to see Kie Wicks' face when he opens that chest?"

Back in the ravine, the men had carried the trunk to a cave and Kie
grabbed it.

"Fi