ging bullets when the cats
jumped you."

"No, I hadn't forgotten," said Stubbs in an injured tone. "But was it my
fault that I had stumbled over a stone in the darkness a moment before?"

"Well, no, possibly not," Chester admitted. "But it's funny you didn't
think to mention that stone at the time."

"If you are determined to laugh at me," said Stubbs with an air of
ruffled dignity, "I have nothing more to say. Any man is likely to fall."

"So he is, Mr. Stubbs," agreed Chester, "and I don't know but I'd fall
myself if I saw three wildcats coming for me. Yes, I would, and I'd try
to get my head just as deep in the ground as possible, like an ostrich,
and then maybe they couldn't see me."

For a moment Mr. Stubbs glared at the lad angrily and seemed about to
speak; then turned on his heel angrily and strode to the far side of the
cavern, where was the pallet which had been assigned to him.

Chester broke into a little laugh, which died suddenly as he stared down
into the angry face of Nikol, which glared up at him.

There was a deep frown on the dwarf's face and he tapped himself upon the
breast with one finger as he said:

"Any man who insults my friend, insults me. You have cast reflections
upon my friend's courage. He, being your friend, overlooks it; but I, the
man whom he worsted in fair fight, cannot. You must apologize."

Here Hal interfered. He had had such an encounter with the dwarf himself
and he understood the situation.

"Hey, Stubbs!" he called. "Come back here, quick!"

Stubbs, just about to lie down upon his pallet, hurried back. He took in
the situation at a glance and turned upon Nikol angrily.

"Here," he cried. "You keep out of my quarrels. I was big enough to
attend to you, I can do the same with the rest of them."

"But he said--" protested the dwarf, pointing a finger at Chester.

"I don't care what he said," Stubbs said. "I can fight my own battles."

Nikol, deeply offended, drew back, and without another word, walked to
the pallet that had been assigned to him. Stubbs, feeling somewhat better
now that he had been able to berate some one and thus soothe his injured
feelings, also stalked away without another word and lay down on his
pallet. A moment later he was fast asleep.

"Do you suppose there is need for one of us to stand watch, Ivan?"
asked Hal.

"I do not believe so," was the reply. "No one knows where my cavern is
and we are not likely to be disturbed."

"I vote we tu