the side of
Ham.

At this moment the robbers broke from the rocks and ran swiftly out into
the open toward the Big Tree.

"Ready, everybody ready!" whispered Mr. Conroyal.

On came the robbers, until they were within seventy-five feet of the
rocks behind which our friends were hiding.

"Now!" yelled Mr. Conroyal, and leaped to his feet, and leveled his
rifle. "Hands UP!" he commanded.

And almost at the same moment all the others,--even Mrs. Dickson--leaped
to their feet, and leveled their rifles, and yelled: "Hands UP!"

The robbers stopped, as if they had suddenly run into a stone wall,
turned their startled eyes on the leveled rifles and the stern-faced men
back of them--and then, every hand went up, as if worked by one shaft of
machinery, every hand except the hands of Pockface, who, doubtless
thinking that his capture would mean death anyway, whirled about
suddenly and leaped toward the rocks behind him.

At the same instant Ham's rifle cracked; and the legs of Pockface
doubled up under him, and he went down, like a shot rabbit.

That was enough for the rest of the men.

"Don't shoot. We surrender," they all yelled, holding their hands as
high as they could above their heads.

"Rex, you and Dill get their guns and knives. The rest of you keep them
covered with your rifles," commanded Mr. Conroyal.

Rex and Dill, with broad grins on their faces, instantly stepped forth,
and soon had all the weapons of the robbers safely confiscated.

Fifteen minutes later, every robber lay on his back under the Big Tree,
his hands and feet firmly bound with strong ropes. There were twenty-one
of them; and our friends were too wise to take any needless chances.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE CATASTROPHE

"Now, the question is, what shall we do with our captives?" and Mr.
Conroyal glanced a little anxiously around the circle of faces that had
gathered about him, a short time after all the robbers had been safely
bound. "We cannot hang them, as they deserve, and we have not food
enough to keep them, and it will be hardly safe to turn them loose. What
do you think we had better do, Ham?" and he turned to Hammer Jones.

"First off," answered Ham, "we'd better make a raid on their camp an'
git all their hosses an' supplies. Maybe that'll answer th' food
question; for, I reckon, they must have come well supplied, seein' that
Ugger an' Quinley would have plenty of gold-dust tew buy with."

"Good," promptly declared Mr. Con