"I guess I'll have a fight on my hands," muttered Dick. "Well, serves me right for butting in," he added philosophically.
"Let's go up and see who it is?" said Eph. "He must be in the cave."
"You go first," said Sam Higgins, who was not over-brave, "it might be a bad man or an Indian."
"Pshaw, I'm not afraid!" said Masterson. "Give me your pistol, Sam, if you're scared."
"I'm not scared, but there's no use running into trouble," said Sam. "Besides I'm kind of lame. I think I—er—wrenched my ankle getting out of the boat."
"I guess you wrenched your nerve," sneered Eph.
Then, headed by Masterson, with the pistol in his grasp, they began to ascend the pathway. Dick was in a quandary. But he decided that the only way to tackle the problem was to take the bull by the horns. As Masterson reached the mouth of the cave the boy dashed out like a redheaded thunderbolt.
Taken utterly by surprise, Masterson stepped back.
Bang!
The pistol went off in the air and the next instant Masterson, despite his efforts to save himself, toppled off the narrow path and went rolling down the bank into the river. Luckily for him, he was a good swimmer, and struck out lustily as he came to the surface.