had to wait for things to
quiet down before I could force an entrance. I don't think I could have
got in at all if some one hadn't been ahead of me with a jimmy, or an
axe, or something of that kind."

"That must have been Ventner," suggested Will.

"Mother of Moses!" cried Elmer. "Has that fellow got into the mine
again? Does he know you're here?"

"He knew that we were here," was the answer, "but he thinks we've gone
away! He's down in the mine now, hunting for a pot of diamonds in the
refuse cast aside by the miners."

"Well you got into the mine at last," Will suggested, "what is the next
move you are thinking of making?"

"After I finish my modest supper," Elmer answered, with a nod at the
great stack of food which Tommy had piled up on his plate, "I'm going to
give you boys the surprise of your lives!"

"You've pretty near done that now!" laughed Will.

"And I'm going to begin," Elmer resumed, "by fishing two members of the
Wolf Patrol out of the mine and bringing them up here to apologize for
stealing your grub!"

"If you'll do that," replied Will, "we'll forgive you!"

CHAPTER XIV

MINE RATS READY FOR WAR

"Wait till I destroy this hen fruit," Elmer said, "and I'll go down and
bring those two foolish youngsters up with me. It's time we had an
understanding with you boys. You're here looking for something, and
we're here looking for something. Perhaps we would meet with better
success if we talked over our plans."

"What are you looking for?" demanded Tommy.

"Keep it dark," grinned Elmer. "I'm not going to tell you a thing until
I bring Jimmie and Dick up here so they can get next to the whole story!
I guess you boys can work together without scrapping, can't you?"

"When we find the boys," laughed Will, "our job will come to an end!"

"So that's what you came down here after, is it?"

"Yes, we came here to dig two boys out of a mine."

"I don't believe it!" replied Elmer.

"We came here from Chicago for that very purpose," went on Will.

"Who sent you here?" asked Elmer.

"Lawyer Horton."

"Then Lawyer Horton didn't tell you the whole story," laughed Elmer. "He
held out on you boys, just to see if you wouldn't get the story at the
mine. Of course he didn't know where we were at the time he sent you
down here, but he never sent you for the express purpose of finding us!"

"Then why did he send us?" asked Tommy.

"You just wait till I go and bring up Jimmie and Dick, and I'll