," was Jim's final
decision.

Dorothy, who knew the boy, felt that further argument would be
useless, particularly as Gerald seemed to agree with everything Jim
said.

"But you have no revolvers," protested Aurora. "It is nothing short
of suicide to venture off into the darkness unarmed."

"That's right; we didn't think to bring any fire-arms with us,"
Gerald said, turning to Jim. "But we'd have a hard time finding
anything to shoot in the dark, so I reckon we may as well get a
couple of stout clubs and see who that fellow is."

Two poles that had been found too short for the purpose of erecting
the tents lay near at hand, and searching these out, the boys bade
Ephraim not to leave the women under any circumstances and started
down the side of the mountain in the direction from whence the cries
had come.

"Help, help!" came the voice again, like a person in mortal terror.

"Hello, hello!" Jim responded, in his deep bass voice which went
echoing and re-echoing down the valley. "Where are you?"

"Here!" came the quick response. "Come to me! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Have patience and keep calling; we're moving in your direction.
We'll find you," replied Jim in an encouraging tone.

At short intervals the voice came floating up to them, getting louder
and louder, until it seemed but a few yards away. The boys realized,
however, that voices carry a great distance on a clear night, hence
knew that they had not yet achieved the object of their search.

Grasping their clubs tightly, they worked their way through the
underbrush. The trees were scattered in places, letting a few beams
of moonlight seep through, though the dark shadows were deceptive and
no objects could be distinguished beyond their bare outlines.

Soon, however, they were in close proximity to the voice, which
appeared to be that of a young boy. Then, suddenly, as Jim called out
again in an encouraging tone to know whom they were addressing, a
form came staggering toward him out of the shadows, and someone
grabbed him in frenzied madness, while great heart-rending sobs
shook his frame.

Startled at first, Jim realized that this was caused by fright, so
instead of casting the person away as his instinct seemed to bid him,
he threw his arms about the trembling form and tried to distinguish
in the darkness who and what he was.

What he felt caused a great feeling of pity to surge over him; for
his hands encountered the slight form of a young lad, not more