cheme! It made
the place seem haunted."

"But where is the other opening to the cave?"

"It must be near here, though I was blindfolded when I was taken in. Mr.
Cooler was in the game. He came up suddenly a long, long time ago.
Talked with the chap who was guarding me. Said he had been forced to
dodge you chaps."

"That's when he gave us the slip," said Diamond. "I'd like to see the
little whelp again!"

"Your wish shall be gratified," said a familiar voice, and Mr. Cooler
walked into the glade, followed by three other men, all dressed in
black. "I am here!"

"It's the gang!" cried Diamond. "We'll have to fight for it, fellows!"

"Don't fight," advised the man in gray, laughing. "It isn't necessary.
We are not the gang, but we have the gang nicely corralled. You have
known me as Caleb Cooler, but I am, in fact, Dustin Douglass, of the
secret service. These gentlemen with me are deputies, and we have just
captured a gang of counterfeiters who have been making all sorts of
trouble for the government. If you think I am lying, young gentlemen, I
will show you my credentials. I managed to get in with the gang myself
by pretending to be a skillful shover of the queer, and that is why I
have been seen with some of them. Last night my deputies came onto the
island in a boat, and this morning we raked in all of the gang. We have
them nicely ironed over at the old boarding house, where one of my men
is watching over them. Among them, Mr. Merriwell, are your friends,
Hicks and Wiley. Somehow they think you were concerned in their undoing,
and they have expressed sincere regrets that they did not do you up,
instead of capturing you and stowing you here in the old cave. The chap
who was watching you came over to get his breakfast this morning, and
now he is ironed with the others. There are four in all.

"I trust you will pardon me for the deception, young gentlemen," smiled
the little secret service officer. "Had to do it, you know. Just came
over to set Mr. Merriwell at liberty, but I see you are here ahead of
me."

Bruce Browning leaned against a tree, looking tired and unnerved.

"This is too much for me!" he muttered. "I'm sure to go into brain
fever! I can't comprehend it all."

Nor could the others just then, but every word the little man had spoken
proved true. He showed them the skillfully concealed entrance to the
cave, which was sometimes used in which to hide the bogus money. They
understood how he had been