With the coming of day the light in the cave had grown brighter. With this, and also the lantern to aid them, the four lads set to work and examined the logs and the chains minutely. As they did this they watched the opening to the cave so that no one might notice what they were doing. But none of the gang that had made them captives appeared.
At first the case looked hopeless and the boys were filled with despair. But then Andy noticed where one of the chains seemed to have slipped down over a notch in one of the logs. This was pried up and by their united efforts the boys were finally able to move the top of one of the logs a distance of six or eight inches.
“There! I’m sure that opening is wide enough to let a fellow out,” declared Fred. “Anyhow, I am sure I could get through it.”
“We could all get through if we could get up there,” returned Jack. The widened opening between the logs was a foot or two above his head.
It was here that their gymnastic exercises stood the boys in good stead. Jack quickly managed to place himself on Randy’s shoulders and then squeezed his way through the opening between the logs. Fred and Andy followed, and then those outside gave Randy a hand up, and presently all four of the lads stood outside of what had been their prison.
“Now what shall we do—make a rush for it?” whispered Fred.
“Wait a minute. I’ll see how the land lies,” announced the young major, and while the others waited he crawled cautiously to the entrance of the cave and peered out between the bushes.
The others waited with bated breath wondering what would happen next. Half a minute passed and then Jack tiptoed his way back to his cousins.
“Tate and Jackson are out there, smoking their pipes and resting on the ground,” he announced. “Each has a gun handy. They are about fifty feet from the entrance to the cave.”
“Are they looking this way?” asked Randy.