"It's not so bad. He hasn't got in yet."

But Rose ran to the door, and then she made another discovery that
added to her fright. The door could not be opened! The spring lock on
the outside had snapped and there was no way of springing the bolt from
inside the shack.

"Now see what we've done!" she wailed. "Russ Bunker! we are shut into
the place, and can't get out, and that thing will come down and claw us
all to pieces."

With this Rose cast herself upon the ground and could not be comforted.
In fact, at the moment, Russ could not think of a word to say that would
comfort his sister. He was just as much frightened as Rose was.

CHAPTER XXV

THAT PIGEON WING

Greatly as the two little Bunkers were alarmed, and as much as their
father and Mr. Armatage worried about their safety, they really were not
so very badly off. Not only were the roof boards of the hut in which
Russ and Rose had taken refuge sound, but soon the panther stopped
clawing at the boards.

It heard the crowd of men coming and the baying of the hounds. It stood
up, stretched its neck as it listened, snarled a defiance at Bobo and
his mates, and then leaped into the nearest tree and so away, from tree
to tree, into the deeper fastnesses of the wood.

The dogs might follow the scent of the panther on the ground to the
clearing where the hut stood; but beyond that place they could not
follow, for the wary cat had left no trail upon the ground.

At first, when the dogs came baying to the spot, Russ and Rose were
even more frightened than before. The dogs' voices sounded very savage.
But soon Bobo smelled the children out and leaped, whining, against the
door of the cabin. He was doing that when Daddy Bunker and Mr. Armatage
and the negroes reached the clearing.

"The creature is in that hut," said Daddy Bunker.

"Not much!" returned his friend. "Bobo would not make those sounds if it
was a panther. Mr. Panther has beat it through the trees. It is
something else in the charcoal burner's hut. Come on!"

He strode over to the door, snapped back the lock, and threw the door
open. The torchlight flooded the interior of the place and revealed Russ
and Rose Bunker, still fearful, clinging to each other as they crouched
in a corner of the hut.

"Well!" exclaimed Daddy Bunker. "Of all the children that ever were
born, you two manage to get into the greatest adventures! What are you
doing here?"

"A big cat chased us in here, Daddy," said R