e corridor of the cave--for it was his object to find that
hiding place to which Turner had directed him in case he found it
necessary to hide.

"Keep to the right always in that cave, no matter which way you are
going," Turner had told him with emphasis, and remembering that now,
while he wondered if, after all, there were two corridors to the cavern,
he followed the rule, and almost on a run--for the passage was quite
smooth before them--he led the way through.

They came at last to the bowlder to which Turner had referred, and Nick
removed the small stone from beneath it. And then he pushed upon it as
Turner had directed, with the result that the rock swung open before
them, leaving an aperture through which they could easily pass.

But Nick did not enter. Instead he thrust a candle and a box of matches
into Patsy's grasp, and said to him:

"Remain here until I come for you, even if you get hungry. I don't know
any more about what is ahead of you than you do. I only know that you
will be safe there. We have no time to talk now. I will shut this rock
behind you."

Then he turned and sped away.

CHAPTER XV.

NICK'S CLEVEREST CAPTURE.

Nick Carter made his way as rapidly back through the cavern as he had
gone through it with Patsy; but when he arrived at the entrance he came
to a stop, and then went ahead again very slowly.

He had no idea how long a time he had been gone, nor what might have
happened during his absence. But when he peered out upon the valley,
everything was apparently in the condition in which he had left it. If
there had been any change at all, it was only that fewer of the men were
gathered around the fires. Otherwise everything was the same.

And so, with all the swiftness he could muster, he crawled to the cabin
which Handsome had given him to occupy, entered it cautiously, and,
finding it empty, crawled into the bunk that had been allotted to
him--tired, but rejoiced to think that he had succeeded so well where
there had been such small chance of success.

And it so happened that he had barely laid himself down and composed
himself to wait for developments, when a great cry went up, which was
immediately followed by other shouts and loud curses--and Nick knew that
the escape of Patsy had been discovered, and that he had returned just
in time to avoid the consequences.

Almost immediately following upon the utterance of the shouts, the door
of the cabin flew open, and Handsom