Now heavy footsteps sounded behind him and Ivan’s voice roared: 

“Where are you going?”

“It is Chester—­my friend who was with me when Alexis died,” returned Hal.  “I heard his voice.  He must be near some place and in trouble.”

“Ho!” said Ivan.  “He will be one of my prisoners, I expect.  I remember that one was rather young.”

“Well, let him out, will you?” exclaimed Hal.

“Certainly,” returned Ivan.

He passed Hal and led the way down the dark passage.  Presently Hal heard a huge rock move and then footsteps came toward him.

“Who is it?” he asked.

There came a cry of surprise.

“That you, Hal?” came in Chester’s voice.  “How on earth did you get here?”

“That’s rather a long story,” replied Hal, “but it seems that it’s a good thing I did get here.  I thought a heard a sound awhile back.  It must have been you.”

“Anderson and I have been yelling for the last week, it seems,” said Chester ruefully.  “We didn’t hope to be fortunate enough to raise you, but we thought some one might hear us.”

“Well, come on out here to the fire—­and you, too, Colonel,” his last to Colonel Anderson, who now came forward, closely followed by Ivan.

They needed no urging, for they had been shut up in the cold so long that they were almost frozen.  Introductions now followed all around and Ivan seemed genuinely pleased to meet Chester.  He was profuse in his apologies for his rough treatment, while Chester was dumbfounded to learn that his captor was the brother of his old friend Alexis.  They shook hands heartily.

“If you had not pestered me with so many questions, I would not have bothered you,” Ivan explained.  “To tell the truth, I took you for a couple of Austrian spies.”

“Tell us, Chester,” said Hal, “what have you learned?”

“Learned?” echoed Chester.  “We haven’t learned anything, except that it is awfully cold in these mountains.  I’m going to tell you right now, it’s no fun being locked up in an icebox.”

“It is not,” Colonel Anderson agreed dryly, stretching his feet out to the fire.

“I’ll tell you how it came about,” said Chester, smiling at Ivan.  “Colonel Anderson and I had just completed a most terrible climb.  Coming once again to a level spot we sat down to rest.  We saw a man coming along—­a big man, none other than Ivan here.  I suggested that we ask him a few questions.”

“You asked them, all right,” said Ivan.

“Well,” Chester continued, “he didn’t tell us much.  In fact, he was as mum as an oyster.  Colonel Anderson took a hand with no better luck.  It seems that between us we talked too much.  Ivan here didn’t like it.  He said he guessed he’d have to take us along with him.  We said we were satisfied to stay where we were.  This didn’t suit Ivan.  He reached for me and I dodged; but with his other hand he grabbed Anderson and held him helpless.