e themselves.

But after he had reentered the cave, and had covered the twenty rods
that intervened between it and the movable rock, he stopped in
astonishment and stared.

The rock was pushed wide open.

With a bound he darted forward and entered the place, but only to find
that Madge and Handsome had both disappeared. Their bonds were lying
upon the floor of the cavern, but they were no longer there themselves.

Nick did not wait to see more than that then.

He turned away on a run, and darted through the galleries with all the
speed he could summon under the circumstances--and he came out into the
valley, where the sun was shining, directly behind his two escaped
prisoners, for they had not preceded him by more than a minute,
evidently.

With one wild spring he was upon them, and as Handsome turned to defend
himself, Nick hit him with his fist, so that he sent him reeling across
the grass, where he fell senseless to the earth.

But in the meantime Madge had turned with a scream of rage, and when she
saw the real Handsome fall helpless, she broke into a run toward her own
cottage, for she had no weapon to use now, Nick having deprived them
both of their guns.

But the detective ran after her, and, just as she was about to leap upon
the porch, he succeeded in seizing her, and in pulling her back again
toward him.

She turned upon him then like a fury; but with a laugh he sprang under
her extended arms, and seized her around the waist; and then he lifted
her from her feet, and, still laughing, he ran across the grass to the
cabin in which Patsy had once been a prisoner, and in another moment he
had tossed her inside, closed the door and fastened it.

For a long time he could hear her storming in there, but he had to hurry
back to Handsome, who was still down and out when he got to him, but who
presently revived.

But he had all the fight taken out of him, and he allowed himself to be
bound again securely, after which Nick led him to Madge's cabin, and
tied him to one of the rustic chairs on the porch.

Including Black Madge and her first lieutenant, Handsome, there were one
hundred and two prisoners turned over to be dealt with by the law when
Patsy returned to the place in the hills, having piloted the officers
who were sent by special train to complete the capture.

Black Madge did not see the detective again to speak to him; but she
sent him a note, in which she said:

"I haven't done with you yet,