told him what had happened and
asked him to go back and get their horses.

"It's getting pretty dark now, you know," she reminded him, when he
seemed inclined to linger and ask questions. "Soon you won't be able to
see what you're doing. Won't you please hurry?"

"Surest thing you know," responded the boy quickly, his nice eyes full
of sympathy for them. "Some of the boys will see you home--your folks
are getting awfully worried about you, you know--and the rest of us will
go on and dig out the poor bronchos. So long. We'll be back pronto."

"And now home," sighed Betty, as she looked at the ranch house just
visible in the distance. "And a bath--and something to eat. What does
that sound like, girls?"

"Heaven!" they answered.

CHAPTER XIII

THE LURE OF GOLD

The task of releasing the imprisoned horses was not such an easy task as
the girls and even Andy Rawlinson had thought it would be.

In the first place, it took Andy and his company some time to discover
the place along the trail where the landslide had occurred, for Betty's
account had been hasty and excited and she had overlooked several
details that might have helped them in their work.

And when they did reach the scene of what might have been a tragedy the
ranch hands were appalled by the immensity of the landslide. There had
been several small ones in that vicinity, but this was what Andy termed
a "humdinger."

There was a stamping and snorting from inside that dirt-choked cavern
that, there in that lonely spot on the very edge of night, seemed
positively uncanny to the men who stood and listened.

"Better get busy, boys," said Andy suddenly. "Those hosses ain't goin'
to get any easier in they minds an' it's about time we dug 'em out of
there. Back to Gold Run as fast as we can get there for the right kind
of tools from the miners. We may need some more men, too. Gosh, but I
didn't know it was as bad as that," he added with a glance over his
shoulder as he turned his pony and dashed back down the trail in the
direction of Gold Run. "Reckon 'twas just plain grit that got those
girls out."

Back in Gold Run they found several miners who were willing to offer
both themselves and their tools toward the work of liberation, and soon
the cowboys returned, accompanied by men with lanterns, and fell to work
with a will.

Two hours later, Andy Rawlinson ventured into the blackness of the cave,
swinging his lantern before him, and led forth the