he
shrubbery on the sides had grown into good-sized trees, and the
whole place was covered with herbage of one sort or another. In
one corner of the excavation, which must have covered some two
acres, there was the ruin of an adobe house, while near the
center was a stone structure made of four stone pillars about
twenty feet apart and roofed over with two huge stone slabs, set
so as to form a gable roof. Except for its size, it had the
appearance of the old-fashioned well houses, which were once so
common in New England.

"It's a tough-looking place, whatever it is," was Billie's
comment. "I wish the fellows were here."

And then for the first time in more than half an hour Billie
bethought him of his companions. His strange experience with the
ape had driven all other thoughts out of his mind.

"By George!" he exclaimed aloud, "I wonder how the fight with the
bandits came out?"

Almost as in answer to his words, there appeared upon the edge of
the excavation into which he had fallen, but upon the opposite
side from that on which he had taken his slide, ten horsemen,
three of whom carried across the pommel of their saddles the
bodies of three men. They halted and surveyed the basin
critically. Then, single file, they slowly descended into the
quarry.

Billie recognized them the minute he laid eyes upon them. They
were the remnant of the bandit band, and the bodies carried
across the pommels of the saddles were three of their wounded
companions.

"This is no place for me," commented Billie as he kept himself
well hidden behind a giant cactus. "It reminds me of Ali Baba and
the forty thieves. I hope I have better luck than Ali Baba."

As though to carry out the trend of Billie's thoughts, the
horsemen halted near the ruin of the adobe house before mentioned
and two of their number dismounted and entered. A minute later
the rest of the band rode into the ruins and disappeared,
followed by the riderless horses of the two dismounted men.

Billie rubbed his eyes.

"I wonder if I'm getting dippy," he muttered. "Maybe that crack
on the side of my head has made me see things."

He sat down to think.

"If I only had some kind of a gun," he mused, "I wouldn't feel so
everlasting helpless. Confound that ape! If I ever see him again
I'll break his neck."

Then, after a moment's thought: "I don't believe the beast would
give up the chase. He's likely to show up at any minute.
Something has to be done."

The boy