THE CAVE IN THE MOUNTAIN

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. A Strange Guide
II. Alone in the Gloom
III. Strange Experiences
IV. Sunlight and Hope
V. Mining and Countermining
VI. A Daring Exploit
VII. Fishing for a Friend
VIII. Fishing for a Prize
IX. Groping in Darkness
X. "Here We are Again!"
XI. Through the Mountains
XII. Through the Mountains--Continued
XIII. In the Nick of Time
XIV. Between Two Fires
XV. On the Defensive
XVI. Friend or Enemy?
XVII. Fortunate Diversion
XVIII. An Old Acquaintance
XIX. How it was Done
XX. Sut's Camp-Fire
XXI. Safety and Sleep
XXII. Two Old Acquaintances
XXIII. Border Chivalry
XXIV. Night Visitors
XXV. Hunting a Steed
XXVI. Lone Wolf's Tactics
XXVII. The End





CHAPTER I.

A STRANGE GUIDE.


"Well, if he doesn't beat any one I ever heard of!"

Mickey O'Rooney and Fred Munson were stretched on the Apache blanket,
carefully watching the eyes of the wild beast whenever they showed
themselves, and had been talking in guarded tones. The Irishman had been
silent for several minutes, when the lad asked him a question and received
no answer. When the thing was repeated several times, he crawled over to
his friend, and, as he expected, found him sound asleep.

This was not entirely involuntary upon the part of Mickey. He had shown
himself, on more than one occasion, to be a faithful sentinel, when
serious danger threatened; but he believed that there was nothing to be
feared on the present occasion, and, as he was sorely in need of sleep, he
concluded to indulge while the opportunity was given him.

"Sleep away, old fellow," said Fred. "You seem to want it so bad that I
won't wake you up again."

The boy's curiosity having been thoroughly aroused, all tendency to
slumber upon his part had departed, and he determined that if there was
any way by which he could profit any by that wolf, he would do it.

"He may hang around here for a day or two," he mused, as he heard the
faint tappings upon the sand, "thinking all the time that he'll get a
chance to make a meal off of us. So he will, if we don't keep a bright
look-out. It seems to me that he might be driven out."

The more he reflected upon this suggestion of his own, the more reasonable
did it become. His plan was to drive out the wolf, to compel him to show
up, as a card player might say. Considering the dread which all wild
animals have of fire, the plan was simple, and would have occurred to
anyone.