ey did not make sure, so Paul, before Chip
had time to remonstrate, struck one of his own matches. By this light the
two bent closely, the light flaring out into the night air. At last, as
the match went out Chip declared:

"The chambers are all empty except one, and I can't see--hold on!"

Forgetting his previous caution, Chip himself struck another match.
While they bent again to see if the cartridge was a full one they were
appalled when a deep, rough voice from out the apparent wall of rock
behind struck on their boyish ears like a knell of coming destruction.

They turned, Paul grasping the dubious pistol, while Murky, still wet,
covered with mud and doubly forbidding by reason of this, seized Chip
Slider in one hand and reached for Paul with the other.

Where had Murky come from? How did he suddenly appear apparently out
of what the boys supposed to be a solid wall of rock? But at any rate
there he was with Chip squirming in his grasp while Paul, darting to one
side, barely eluded his left-handed clutch. Altogether it was a ticklish
situation.

But Paul was plucky. In a trice, remembering the one cartridge, he
levelled the pistol and began pulling the trigger.

"Let go that boy!" his almost childish treble rang out. "Leggo, I say!"

Click--click--click went the hammer as he pulled the trigger, at the
same time jumping back further from Murky's gripping hand. Meantime Chip
managed to loose himself. Murky, hearing the empty sound of the striking
hammer, growled:

"Huh-h! She's empty, blame ye--"

Just then--crack! came the sound of the full cartridge; but Paul's aim
being unsteady, the ball just clipped Murky's left ear.

It maddened him more than anything else. With a yell of rage and pain he
sprang at Paul, catching the lad as the latter tried to spring backward,
but stumbling in the mud, while the pistol flew from his hand. By this
time the light of Murky's fire was blotted out by some passing object that
darted swiftly out of the obscurity whence Murky had sprung. At the same
time Chip, now free, leaped pluckily to the assistance of his friend.

But on the instant the unknown object, emitting a Swedish howl of rage,
burst through, striking Murky with an impact that sent him headlong out
into the night. With this collision back came the light that had been
momentarily blotted from view by the last welcome intruder.

When this last stood revealed, big, heavy, yet strangely hampered by
his half useless