greatly excited and made all possible haste to get
back to his father with the good news. The distance was not great, and
in ten minutes he had reached the hidden entrance to Crooked Arm Gulch,
and, hurriedly crawling through the narrow opening, he pushed the
concealing branches aside--and found himself looking directly into the
red face of Bill Ugger.

"God in heaven!" and Rex struck out with all the strength of his strong
right arm.

The face was not three feet away and the blow landed squarely on the
broken nose. There was a low cry, the crash of broken branches, and the
huge body of Bill Ugger plunged downward from the limb.

For an instant Rex stared blankly after the body; and then, suddenly
realizing the value of every moment, if they would not all be caught in
a trap from which there would be no escape, he whirled about and raced
back to the Cave of Gold, almost wild with the thought of what might
happen, if the gang of robbers should capture their horses and supplies
and hold them captive in Crooked Arm Gulch, as they could easily do,
once they secured possession of the Big Tree. Then there was his father.
What had happened to him? No wonder his face went white, and he risked
limb and life a dozen times in his mad scramble down the rocks and up
the gulch and into the opening of the Cave of Gold.

"Quick! Everybody, back to the Big Tree!" he shouted, as he plunged into
the cave, where our excited friends were still busily picking up the
nuggets. "The robbers! They have got dad! Quick!" and he whirled about
and rushed back.

In an instant the gold was forgotten. Every man jumped for his rifle,
which had been left near the entrance to the cave, and sprang after Rex,
leaving the startled and frightened Mrs. Dickson to follow as best she
could.

There was not one of them but understood on the instant the seriousness
of their peril. If the robbers secured their horses and supplies and
held the entrance to Crooked Arm Gulch, they would be absolutely at
their mercy; for, so far as they knew, the only way out of the gulch was
by way of the Big Tree, and half a dozen men, armed with rifles, could
hold this narrow opening against their most desperate efforts to get
out, and in a few days, could starve them into surrender, for they had
no food with them. They must at all costs, if it was not already too
late, keep the entrance to Crooked Arm Gulch from falling into the hands
of the robbers.

Hammer Jones, by despe