andy said. "You've come to the right shop for
fighting men. I can see those two fellows fading away at my
approach!"

"Then you go in ahead," advised Tommy. "They seem to be well armed
and may shoot, if you don't scare them into fits with one of your
fierce glances! They're bold, bad men!"

"How do you know they haven't disappeared while you've been making
signals?" asked Sandy. "They've had time enough to be five miles
away!"

"We nailed 'em in with a couple of boulders!" grinned Tommy.

"You followed Pierre's example, did you?"

"Yes, we just blocked 'em in."

"Well, I think we'd better be getting them out, then!" Sandy urged.
"And also be moving toward the cabin. George'll think we've got
killed or something."

"Come on, then," Will exclaimed. "I'll show you where they are!"

The boy led the way down the slope for some distance and then
paused at a boulder which blocked the entrance to what seemed to be
a cavern of good size. They listened for a moment, but could hear
no sounds coming from the interior.

"How're you going to get them out?" asked Thede.

"We ain't going to get 'em out!" replied Will. "What do you think
we brought you boys here for? We know they can't get out, so we're
just going to sit down here and wait for them to get good and
hungry."

"All right!" Sandy answered. "Two can watch and two can go back to
the cabin! George will be good and anxious by this time."

"I was thinking of asking Oje to watch a short time," Will said.
"It's a good thing the Indian came along with you."

Oje was called down to the barricaded entrance and the situation
briefly explained to him. The Indian stepped close to the boulder
and listened for a long time for sounds from the inside.

Then he turned to, the boys and shook his head gravely.

"Don't you ever tell me they've gone and got away!" exclaimed
Tommy. "Why, they couldn't get away unless they walked through
forty feet of solid rock! And they couldn't do that!"

"I'm going to find out!" declared Will.

The lads pried the boulder away, blocking it so that it could not
crash down the slope and so warn the men inside of the approach of
the boys. Then Will crept cautiously into the dark passage.

The others were at his heels in a moment. On the previous visit of
Will and Tommy, there had been the light of a torch in the cavern,
but there was no illumination of any kind now.

"I guess they've gone, all right!" Tommy, whispered.