tion."

"And now about George?" Will asked.

"Some one carried him away," Thede declared.

"That's the way I figure it out," Tommy cut in.

"He didn't walk away," Tommy added, "because there were no tracks
his size. There were plenty of other tracks, but none which could
have been made by George's shoes."

"Aw, how do you know anything about that?" demanded Sandy. "We saw
a large moccasin track there, and how do we know that some man
didn't walk behind George and step on all his tracks?"

"Or how do we know that some big chump didn't carry him away in his
arms?" Tommy admitted. "I never thought about the means that might
have been used to conceal the kid's exit. You're the only real
live Sherlock Holmes in this crowd," the boy added with a laugh.

"Then it's a cinch that some one carried him away," Will decided.

"Of course it is!" Sandy answered.

"Look here!" Tommy said after a moment's reflection. "Don't you
boys remember how mussy that cavern looked. We were all so anxious
to chase out and find George that we didn't pay much attention to
the room, but I begin to remember now that it looked as if some one
had shot wild game there and cooked meat over the fire."

"I remember something about that now!" Thede said.

"And there was more blood on the floor than ever came from the
little wound George received, according to the way you describe
it," Tommy went on.

"And I'll bet if we'd hunted around the cavern, we'd have found
bear steak and refuse hidden in some of those odd little nooks."

"I guess that's right," Thede declared.

"Now, about those moccasin tracks?" asked Will.

"Let's go out and follow 'em up!" grinned Sandy.

"Sure!" replied Tommy. "Just bite your way through these rocks and
go out and follow 'em up."

"It's only a question of time when we'll get out," Will insisted.
"That crazy half-breed can't keep us in here forever!"

"If he keeps us in much longer," Tommy declared, rubbing the
waistband of his trousers affectionately, "he'll have me starved
plumb to death!"

"Me, too!" Sandy cut in. "I'm shy a breakfast myself!"

"And I'm so hungry that I could eat snowballs!" Thede said, with a
grin. "I don't think I ever was so hungry!"

"Why don't you go outside and take a shot at that half-breed?"
Tommy asked, looking reproachfully at Will.

"Did he get your guns away from you?" asked the boy.

"You bet he did!" replied Tommy.

"How did he do it?"

"He asked us to lay t