ugger Brown, his ankle tied up in a rude bandage. In
front of the fire sat Nappy Martell with the old lumberman's treasure
box on his lap. Nappy had a knife in one hand, and, with the file blade,
was trying to file apart the padlock to the box.

CHAPTER XXX

SETTLING ACCOUNTS--CONCLUSION

"How are you making out?" those outside the cabin heard Slugger Brown
ask.

"It's slow work with such a small file," grumbled Nappy Martell. "If I
had a big file I could get the padlock off in no time."

"What's the matter with smashing it off with a rock?" growled the bully.
He arose to his feet and hobbled to where his crony sat. "Give it to
me--I'll soon have it off!"

"Come on," whispered Jack to his cousins and Mr. Powell. "They are in
there and trying to open the treasure box!"

It took the party but a few seconds to reach the door of the cabin. Jack
pushed upon it, to find the barrier locked in some manner from the
inside.

"Hello! who's there?" shouted Slugger.

"Maybe it's your father and Professor Lemm come back," added Nappy.

The bully came to the door and threw it open. When he found himself
confronted by the Rovers and a strange man, he fell back in
consternation.

"You!" he gasped. "How--er--did you get here?"

"You let us alone!" cried Nappy, in alarm; and, leaping to his feet, he
tried to hide the precious box behind him.

"So we've got you, have we?" exclaimed Jack. "Nappy, you hand over that
box."

"I--I don't know what you mean," stammered the lad addressed.

"See here! you haven't any right to come in here in this fashion,"
blustered Slugger, recovering somewhat from his surprise.

"Haven't we though!" broke out Randy.

"We've caught you, and we intend to make you suffer for what you've
done," said Andy.

As lame as he was, Slugger attempted to edge his way toward the door,
thinking he might get a chance to run away. But Jack caught him by the
arm and sent him flying backward into a corner of the cabin.

"You'll stay right where you are, Slugger Brown!" declared the oldest
Rover boy. "Don't you dare to run away!"

By this time Randy and Fred had approached Nappy, and suddenly the
youngest Rover darted behind the youth and snatched the blue tin box
from his grasp.

"Hi! you give me that box!" stormed Nappy. "You've no right to take it
from me!" and then he, too, tried to run from the cabin. He got as far
as the doorway when Andy put out his foot and sent him headlong into the
sno