Still, so great was the joy of the boys at the unexpected meeting, that, in spite of the general peril of the situation, they seized each other like baby bears and danced madly about.
“Where did you come from, Jimmie?” demanded Ned, still breathless.
“Oh, I was invited to this part of the country,” the boy replied, “and came in here by accident. And so, then,” he continued, “that message was a fake one after all!”
“Yes, it was a fake message, of course, because you boys never sent it,” laughed Ned, “but we mustn’t stop here to explain matters,” he continued. “Those fellows will be in here thicker than bees around honey in a short time, and we must find some way of eluding them.”
“I know the way out!” Jimmie answered. “There’s a long passage leading to a gorge on the side of the mountain, and if we can get up to that, we can slip away without any one knowing anything about it.”
“I’m afraid the outlaws know and are guarding all the entrances,” Ned answered.
“Well, if they know this one, they don’t use it,” Jimmie insisted, “because the elevator isn’t working, and there isn’t any staircase, and I came near breaking my neck tumbling down a chute from the passage into the next room. I believe we can make a sneak that way!”
“We may as well try,” Ned agreed, “for we can gain nothing by remaining inactive. Turn on your light, and we’ll make a break for the place where you got your tumble.”
“Is it safe to turn on the light?” asked Jimmie.
“It is safer now than it will be in a few minutes,” Ned answered.