any way?"

"Cut that out, boys!" exclaimed Will. "If I catch one of you
attempting the ladders tonight, I'll tie you up!"

"Who said anything about going down the ladders tonight?" demanded
Tommy.





CHAPTER II

THE CALL OF THE PACK


It was somewhere near midnight when the boys sought their beds. Will
and George were soon asleep, but Tommy and Sandy had no notion of
passing their first night in the mine in slumber. Ten minutes after
the regular breathing of the two sleepers became audible, Tommy sat
up in his bed and deftly threw a pillow so as to strike Sandy in the
face.

"Cut it out!" whispered Sandy. "You don't have to do anything to wake
me up! I've been wondering for a long time whether you hadn't gone to
sleep! You looked sleepy when the light went out."

"Never was so wide awake in my life!" declared Tommy.