"I don't know."
"Let's open it," suggested Stacy eagerly.
Tad shook his head.
"In the first place we have no business to do anything of the sort. In the second place I don't want to stay here much longer. We had better be getting back to camp as quickly as we can. Of course we can't do anything until Captain McKay returns, but the more quickly we get away from here the better it will be for us."
"I—-I'm scared. Aren't you?" stammered the fat boy apprehensively.
"No, I am not scared, but I realize that we are in danger every minute we stay here. Those men wouldn't trifle with us, were they to catch us. Do you know what they would do to us if they caught us here, Chunky?"
"Nu—-nu—-no."
"They would fill us full of lead, that's what they would do. Light another match while I look into this niche. Then we will be making tracks for the outside."
Tad was back by Stacy's side a moment later. He motioned that they were to go back. The boys started briskly for the opening. The instant they had crawled out into the outer chamber they realized that all was not as it should be. At first they did not understand what had occurred.
Tad was the first to make the discovery of what had occurred.