Pressing on, slowly, cautiously, their weapons within easy reach, the
boys finally turned a little angle of rock and came within sight of a
camp-fire not far away.

"There!" Jimmie whispered. "I had a notion that we should find more
than one here. Why did the Scout wig-wag for help when there were
three husky men with him?"

Teddy opened his eyes wider, but attempted no solution of the puzzle.

"There's a little chap sitting alone by the fire," Jimmie went on,
peering through his field-glass, "and there are three men gathered in
a huddle on the other side of the fire. They all look like they were
listening for something."

"I don't wonder--the way we came down the slope!" The other grinned.

While the boys watched one of the men strode over to where the boy
was sitting and, evidently, began questioning him. The watchers were
too far away to hear any conversation between the two. Presently the
boy sprang up and started to run.

In a moment the heavy hand of the man was on his shoulder and he was
dragged back to the fire and dumped down like a sack of grain. He lay
quite still for a moment.

"I'd like to know what that means!" Teddy whispered. "That's brutal!"

"That gives me faith in the boy!" exclaimed Jimmie.