Thad reached out his hand, and shook the vines violently. This action completed the demoralization of the three prospectors. Almost weaponless as they were, they seemed to lack their ordinary courage.
"Run! they's comin' out arter us, Kunnel!" cried Waffles, suiting the action to his words, by turning and dashing wildly away.
The second man followed close at his heels, just as thoroughly demoralized. Kracker might have stood it out, for Kracker gripped a firearm in his fat hand; but when he found that he was being deserted by his companions, the big prospector also started to run clumsily away, breathing out all manner of threatenings against the other two for cowards.
Thad no longer growled, but lying there on the rocky floor of the fissure, he shook all over with half-suppressed laughter.
"That's the time we saved the day with our growls, Aleck!" he whispered, when he could control himself to some extent.
The other lad felt even more exultant. The mine had been in danger, but thanks to the ready wit of the scoutmaster, the enemy had been frightened away before they learned anything. And so Aleck, feeling that he had plenty of cause for rejoicing, soon joined Thad in soft laughter.
"No danger of those fellows coming back to investigate, do you think?" he asked.
"Well, if you could judge from the hurried way they lit out, I guess we needn't dream that they'll ever want to see this cliff again," replied Thad.
"And when we want to, we can crawl out ourselves, can't we?" Aleck went on.
"Sure thing, right now is the time, because they're traveling for all they're worth, and never even looking back over their shoulders as they gallop along."