all!” Janet said vigorously, voicing the relief most of them felt. “I’ll be as stiff as a board tomorrow.”

“I was going to suggest that we camp all day tomorrow,” Virginia added. “It looks like a nice spot, water and everything.”

“As you say,” Tom said cheerily. “Let’s get going, Jim, down to our camp site. I want to get settled and smell something cooking over the fire.”

It took them about ten minutes to work their way down to the little stream and when they descended from their horses there was a chorus of groans. All of them were stiff from their positions in the saddle. It was worse because it was the first time most of them had ever ridden all day.

“Get the tents up first,” Virginia proposed. “You and Jim can do that, Tom, while we gather some wood for a fire.”

After Tom and Jim had unsaddled the horses they set about erecting the girls’ tents. It was not long before a fire was crackling cheerily and bacon was spitting in a frying pan over the blaze.

Directly the tents were erected and the girls’ beds made with a blanket spread over pine boughs, Valerie lay down utterly worn out. Gale brought her supper and then left her alone to fall asleep early and get as much rest as she could. The others gathered about the campfire, despite their weariness, to talk and to sing songs. Tom had his harmonica and it seemed the fire gave him inspiration for he played until the others begged for mercy.

As Gale and Phyllis lay down on their bed of boughs in the tent with Valerie, a coyote howled dismally in the distance. From afar came an answering cry.

“I’ll never get used to that noise if I stay here a hundred years,” declared Phyllis. “It will keep me awake all night.”

But five minutes after she had spoken Gale heard her regular breathing and knew she was asleep.

The next morning the girls were awakened by the aroma of coffee and by Tom banging on the frying pan.

“Wake up, sleepy-heads!” he roared.

The girls tumbled from their tents stiff and only half awake. The cold creek water, dashed in their faces, though, served to put life into them with its tingling properties. Breakfast was more delicious than they had ever remembered that meal to be. Perhaps it was the invigorating air, the exercise of the day before, or the excitement prevailing over this trip, but they all had big appetites.

“What are we going to do today?” Virginia asked.

“I am going to rest, rest, and rest some more,” Janet said loudly, as if daring someone to contradict her. “I shall never, never forget that ride yesterday.”

“I’m going to do the same,” Valerie declared. She was looking a little weary this morning, but she seemed in good spirits.

“Me likewise!” vouchsafed Carol.

“Well, I think I’d like to take a walk,” Madge said. “How about it, Virginia?”

“Just the thing,” Virginia declared.

“Jim and I are going to follow the creek a ways and see if there could possibly be any fish in it,” Tom said.

The latter two started off and Madge and Virginia started to walk along the creek in the opposite direction.

“Let’s cross the creek and see what’s over the hill on the other side,” proposed Phyllis to Gale.

The two crossed the creek on a series of stones placed just right for the purpose. From the other side they waved gayly at their remaining camp mates and started forward. Here the undergrowth was thick. In her hand Gale held the gun Mr. Wilson had given her. It was not her intention to be confronted unprepared by any more rattlesnakes. Jim had explained the working mechanism of the little gun and Gale was sure she knew enough about it not to hurt herself at least.

“Oh!” Phyllis jumped as something darted across in front of them.

“Only a jack rabbit,” Gale laughed.

“You never can tell,” Phyllis murmured, treading through the grass more warily. “I knew of a man once who tread on a snake.”

“That’s not as bad as finding one wound around your leg,” Gale declared. “Look, what’s that up there?”

Half hidden by a growth of cactus and tangled vines, yawned a dark cavernous hole.

“Let’s investigate,” proposed Phyllis. “It rather looks like a cave. I didn’t know they had caves in Arizona.”

“I know there were a lot of huge subterranean caves discovered in 1909,” Gale answered. “But I don’t know in what part of the state they were. Phyllis, look!” The last words had come with a gasp of incredulity.

They were closer to the cave now and could clearly see the man who stood in the opening. He was gazing away from them, toward the other side of the valley.

“One of the bank robbers!” Phyllis gasped.

The man, as though he had heard her, turned and looked in their direction. The next minute he had turned and disappeared into the cave.

“C’mon,” Phyllis said excitedly, “let’s see where he goes.”

The girls covered the few remaining yards to the cave in a run. Once at the cave, caution overtook them. The desperado might be lying in wait for them, and it would be well for them to proceed slowly and carefully.

As they entered the mouth of the cave, darkness, black and impenetrable, dropped on them like a cloak.

Chapter V

PURSUIT

Gale’s left hand clasped tightly in that of Phyllis and with Gale holding her gun tightly and ready for instant action should the need arise, the two walked forward. They tried to make as little noise as possible, but though they walked on tiptoe, the sound echoed back to them dully. The ground underfoot was rough and uneven. On both sides of them the earth walls were damp and cold. The air was heavy and musty and the girls shivered as they tried to walk bravely forward. From up ahead of them came a sudden sound as of a boot heel striking against stone.

“There he is!” Phyllis said in a sharp whisper. “What’ll we do?”

“Follow him and see where he is hiding,” Gale returned.

Slowly and with the utmost caution the girls crept forward. Once when they came to a turn in the passage they were unprepared for it and stumbled into the wall. Thereafter as they walked along, Phyllis kept one guiding hand against the wall. Suddenly her hand came in contact with something round and small set in a large niche in the wall.

“Hold on, I’ve found something, Gale,” she said. “I wish we had a flashlight.”

“What is it?”

“I guess it’s a candle. It is a candle, and it’s been lit recently, too, because the end is still warm and the wax isn’t hard yet.”

“Keep it, maybe we’ll find some matches,” Gale laughed.

They came to a turn in the passage and for a moment a little speck of light showed ahead of them. But suddenly it flickered and died out.

“I’ll bet it was another candle,” Phyllis whispered. “But if that was the man we are after who blew it out, he is awf’ly far away from us.”

Gale stood still and Phyllis stopped also. Over and about them was silence. As they stood there they seemed to imagine all sorts of sounds, footsteps, whispers from unseen antagonists, scurrying of mice in the passageway.

“I don’t like this,” Phyllis said nervously. “Let’s go back to camp and get Tom or Jim.”

“If you will lead the way out,” invited Gale.

“You mean to say we are lost in here?”

“Well, I haven’t the faintest knowledge in which direction the entrance