ed like a charm. Abe, Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker raised a
great din at the ice cave where the Foger natives were. The sound
carried to the hole where Andy and his father were digging out the
gold. Mr. Foger at once ran toward the cave, while Andy, catching up
his gun, remained on the alert.

Then came the chance of Tom and Ned. The latter coming from his
hiding-place, advanced boldly toward the bully, while Tom, making a
detour, worked his way up behind.

"Here! You keep away!" cried Andy, catching sight of Ned. "I see
what the game is, now! It's a trick!"

"You're a nice one to talk about tricks!" declared Ned, advancing
slowly.

"Keep away if you don't want to get hurt!" yelled Andy.

"Oh, you wouldn't hurt me; would you?" mocked Ned, who wanted to
give Tom time to sneak up behind the bully.

"Yes, I would! Keep back!" Andy was nervously fingering his weapon.
The next instant his gun flew from his grasp, and he went over
backward in Tom's strong grip; for the young inventor, in his
sealskin shoes had worked up in the rear without a sound. The next
moment Andy broke away and was running for his life, leaving Tom and
Ned in possession of the gold hole, and that without a shot being
fired. A little later the three men, who had hurried away from the
cave as Mr. Foger rushed up to see what caused the racket, joined
Tom and Ned, and formal possession was taken of their lucky strike.

"We'll guard it well, now," decided Tom, and later that day they
moved some supplies near the hole, and for a shelter built an igloo,
Eskimo fashion, in which work Abe had had some experience. Then they
moved the airship to another ice cave, nearer their "mine" as they
called it, and prepared to stand guard.

But there seemed to be no need, for the following day there was no
trace of the Fogers. They and their natives had disappeared.

"I guess we were too much for them," spoke Tom. But the sequel was
soon to prove differently.

It was three days after our friends had regained their mine, during
which time they had dug out considerable gold, that toward evening,
as Tom was taking the last of the output of yellow pebbles into the
cave where the airship was, he looked across the valley.

"Looks like something coming this way," observed the young inventor.
"Natives, I guess."

"It is," agreed Ned, "quite a large party, too!"

"Better tell Abe and the others," went on Tom. "I don't like the
looks of this. Maybe the sudden disappearan