cool Max, assisted by Owen, who managed to light the two lanterns.

Steve pounced on the first one that was ready, true to his word.

"Come on, you slow pokes!" he exclaimed, making for the door; "why, our
poor chum might be drowning for all we know, and us wasting time here."

"Oh, I reckon it ain't so bad as that," remarked Trapper Jim. "Hard to
drown a tall boy in a three-foot deep crick. Besides, he's _up_ the wind
from here, while the water lies the other way. That's one reason none of
us heard him before."

They were all hurrying along by now. Bandy-legs, being a little timid,
and not altogether liking the looks of the dark woods, had picked up the
gun belonging to Max.

"My goodness!" he called out after the others, being in the rear of the
little procession, "there's no telling how long poor old Toby might 'a'
been letting out his whoops, and with that door shut we didn't hear him."

"Well, we can right now, all right!" called back Steve, who was running
neck and neck with the trapper, swinging his lighted lantern in such a
reckless, haphazard fashion that he was in momentary danger of smashing
the useful article against some tree.

They could all hear Toby calling very clearly now.

"Help! Oh, h-h-help!"

"One thing sure," Max remarked; "Toby hasn't tumbled down into a hollow