ully upon the floor of the room in which they stood. Suddenly a
faint light spread throughout the room and a hoarse, raucous voice
whispered:

"Have you got her?"

"Get out of the way--we're near froze," responded Davy gruffly.

"Get down there, Bill, and take her; I'm tired carryin' this hundred and
twenty pounder," growled Sam.

The next instant Rosalie was conscious of being lowered through a trap
door in the floor, and then of being borne rapidly through a long,
narrow passage, lighted fitfully by the rays of a lantern in the hands
of a fourth and as yet unseen member of the band.

"There!" said Bill, impolitely dropping his burden upon a pile of straw
in the corner of the rather extensive cave at the end of the passage;
"wonder if the little fool is dead. She ought to be coming to by this
time."

"She's got her eyes wide open," uttered the raucous voice on the
opposite side; and Rosalie turned her eyes in that direction. She looked
for a full minute as if spellbound with terror, her gaze centred at the
most repulsive human face she ever had seen--the face of Davy's mother.

The woman was a giantess, a huge, hideous creature with the face of a
man, hairy and bloated. Her unkempt hair was grey almost to whiteness,
her teeth were snags, and her eyes were almost hidden beneath the shaggy
brow. There was a glare of brutal satisfaction in them that appalled the
girl.

For the first time since the adventure began her heart failed her, and
she shuddered perceptibly as her lids fell.

"What the h---- are you skeering her fer like that, ma," growled Davy.
"Don't look at her like that, or--"

"See here, my boy, don't talk like that to me if you don't want me to
kick your head off right where you stand. I'm your mother, Davy, an'--"

"That'll do. This ain't no time to chew the rag," muttered Sam. "We're
done fer. Get us something to eat an' something to drink, old woman;
give the girl a nifter, too. She's fainted, I reckon. Hurry up; I want
to turn in."

"Better untie her hands--see if she's froze," added Bill savagely.

Roughly the old woman slashed the bonds from the girl's hands and feet
and then looked askance at Sam, who stood warming his hands over a
kerosene stove not far away. He nodded his head, and she instantly
untied the cloth that covered Rosalie's mouth.

"It won't do no good to scream, girl. Nobody'll hear ye but us--and
we're your friends," snarled the old woman.

"Let her yell if she wants t