Jack, still suspicious of Sandy, turned toward him with a frown.  The lad met the other’s eyes steadily.

“Do you know the way out of this?” Jack asked.

“No,” admitted the boy.  “Never was in here before.  Never knew there was such a place.”

“Well,” Jack went on, “the longer we remain here the longer we’ll be in finding our chums.  I’m going to make a break.”

“If you have a gun,” Sandy said, calmly, “I’ll go ahead with it.  If I get plugged, or anythin’ like that, you boys may be able to get away.  These Chinks are quick to run if there is danger ahead, and I think I can scare them off.  Give me the gun!”

Sandy reached out his hand, but Frank did not extend the gun he had taken from his pocket.

“You’re nervy, all right,” he said, “but you don’t have to take all the risk.  Suppose we wait until daylight and then make a rush?”

“Why daylight?” asked Jack.

“There may then be some friendly face in sight, if we are able to get to the street.”

“There’s force in that,” Jack replied, “but this is no palace car to wait in.”

“You let me go and try,” Sandy urged.

Frank shook his head gravely.

“No use,” he said.  “There are probably a score or more of Chinks around this old shack.  We’ve got to wait until morning before we try to get away.  The only question in my mind is this:  Will they let us alone until daylight?  If they don’t, then it will be a scrap.”

The boys sat down against the earth wall of the chamber and waited.  Now and then they could hear whispers in a tongue they could not understand.  Occasionally they heard a wagon creaking along the distant street.  Then they knew that the doors connecting the mud hut with the outer world were open.

“I wonder if old Chee is still asleep from the dope?” Sandy asked, after a long time had passed.

“Why did they dope her?” asked Jack.  “I don’t see any nourishment for them in that.”

“Guess they thought I’d be apt to help you boys,” Sandy replied, “and made up their minds to catch me and chuck me away somewhere.  Chee’s a nervy old lady, an’ probably scrapped when they searched for me.  I’d like to help her.”

“Why do you call her Chee?”

“Because she’s so cheerful, an’ because I don’t know her name,” was the reply.

“It must be pretty near dawn,” Jack said, after a long silence, with a prodigious yawn.

Frank looked at his watch and found that it was six o’clock.  It had been a long night.  The sun would rise shortly after six.

Five minutes later sounds of trouble of a physical nature were heard along the tunnel by which the chamber had been reached.  There were blows, grunts, and ejaculations of rage.  Then they heard a voice they knew: 

“Donner!  I make your face preak!  Come py mine punch of fives.  Oh, you loaver!”

“Hans!” cried Jack.  “How the Old Harry did he get here?”