ison in the first instance
and they are bound to keep me there!"

"Who were the detectives?" asked Will.

"Katz and Cullen!" was the answer.

"I see," Will said musingly.

"But we mustn't permit father to remain here," Chester cut in. "All
these questions can be answered at another time."

"That's right," Will agreed. "And I'll go to the cavern and ask some of
the men to carry your father out."

The boy was back in five minutes with Sheriff Pete and Deputy Seth. The
sheriff looked down pityingly on the wounded man for a moment and then
took him in his arms as if he had been a child and carried him to the
cavern, where the boys and the deputies were assembled around a roaring
fire over which Tommy and George were broiling bear steaks.

"Say, that listens good to me," George exclaimed, as the wounded man was
laid down near the rear. "It appears that we're closing this case up in
jig time."

"I guess we've got it about closed up," Will answered.

"There's only one thing we've got to do now," George added, "and that is
to get rid of those two bum detectives."

"Last call for dinner in the dining car!" cried Tommy.

They all flocked to the fire, and Tommy and George presented each with a
bear steak with the explanation that more would be forthcoming. The two
train robbers looked on longingly.

"You boys suggested the bringing in of this meat," Tommy said, after a
time, "and so I'm going to cook each of you a two pound steak."

"I guess we can take care of them all right," one of the outlaws
replied. "We've been hungry for about a week."

"Say, kid," the other outlaw cut in, "I'd like to be just your age, and
be a Boy Scout, with all the medals you've got, and money enough to
travel about the world looking for trouble and meeting it like a man!"

"You had a chance once," Tommy answered rather pityingly.

"Never," was the reply. "I was reared in the slums of New York, and
became a criminal before I was six years old. There were no Boy Scout
organizations in those days, and so I never had any one ready and
willing to point out the road that would lead to a successful life."

"Well, if there were no Boy Scouts to help you along then," Tommy
replied, "there are plenty now to show the right way."

"And they are doing it, too, so far as I can see," Sheriff Pete cut in.
"They seem to be doing a lot of good in the world."

"We try to," Tommy said, and turned back to cook the steaks promised to
the outlaws. "And