Hank?"
grumbled the man who held Paul in his embrace. "What under the sun d'ye
suppose he's doin' in here? Come to look us up, d'ye s'pose, pardner?"

Paul had already seen that the second fellow was even worse looking than
the man named Hank, which he took to be a corruption of Henry. In fact,
if ever there was a tramp who might be sentenced on his looks alone,
this fellow could fill the bill.

"I don't know," remarked Hank, slowly, and scowling at Paul; "it doesn't
hardly seem possible, though if I thought so, I'd be tempted to choke
the young cub. Look here, what brought you up here, and who are you?"

"Yes," roared the second man, shaking Paul vigorously, "pipe up and tell
us that, 'less you want us to do somethin' you wouldn't like. What d'ye
want with us? How'd you ever git in here; and who's along with you? Say,
Hank, didn't I tell you I seen that chief of police down on the road
that comes up here from Tatum? I bet he sneaked around, thinkin' we'd
try to cut out that way, 'stead of in the direction of Stanhope. Reckon
you don't ever wanter go there agin, eh?"

"Shut up, Pim!" snapped the taller man, cutting the other short, much to
Paul's regret; for somehow he just felt that the conversation was
reaching an interesting point, and that if the tramp kept on he might
have mentioned something worth while.

Thinking that he had better be frank with his captors Paul started in to
tell of the terrible storm, and the destruction of the camp, followed by
the flight of the Banner Boy Scouts along the mountainside in search of
a safe refuge in the shape of a cave. When he told of how they had found
such a place through mere accident the two men exchanged looks as though
they believed Paul were inventing his yarn as he went along.

"What you say may be true, and again perhaps it ain't," declared the
tall man called Hank; "and I reckon we'll just have to tie you neck and
crop, so's to keep you from going back, and bringing a bunch of your
tribe down on us. We're in possession here, and we don't want any more
unwelcome guests. Pim, get a cord, and do him up!"

"Oh! please don't. What I told you was the truth, every word. I only
wanted to find out if there was another opening to this cave. Don't make
me a prisoner, mister! Please let me go!"

Paul shouted these words, and for a purpose. He wished to let his
friends know of his predicament, believing that Jack would lead a rescue
party instantly; and when three boys s