“Is that you, Hal, Chester?” came Stubbs’ voice again.

“Yes,” Hal shouted back.

They rode forward.

Anthony Stubbs, now that he had found his friends again, came forward as fast as his queer stature would permit.  He was puffing and blowing so hard by the time he reached them that he could hardly talk.  Of Nikol, who stuck close to his side, eyeing him admiringly, he took no notice.

“By George!  It’s good to see you fellows again,” declared Stubbs.  “I thought my days were numbered when that gang of ruffians set upon me.  I didn’t want to fight, but I had to.  It seems to me I got seven or eight of them.”

“Well, how do you happen to be here, anyhow?” demanded Chester.

“My horse threw me and went away by himself,” said Stubbs mournfully.  “If I ever see him again I’ll tell him about it.  He might have got me killed.”

Nikol now forced himself in front of Stubbs and extended a hand.

“Mr. Stubbs,” he said quietly, “you are a brave and gallant man.”

Stubbs was pleased.  He made as though to take the hand; then thought better of it.  He remembered the grip of those powerful fingers.

He shuddered.

“I know it, Nikol,” he said gravely.

He put out his hand and patted the dwarf on the head.

CHAPTER XV.

Mr. Stubbs eases his mind.

The remainder of the journey to Cettinje was without incident.  After the defeat of the mountaineers the lads felt safe, for they were once more within the borders of Montenegro and were unlikely, they knew, to encounter other enemies.

Stubbs, when informed of the death of Colonel Edwards, was greatly grieved.

“Poor fellow,” he said, and added after a pause:  “There is no use talking, Hal, this is no life for any one.  He’s likely to be snuffed out at a moment’s notice.  I’m going to be careful where I go in the future.”

Besides the three bags of gold he had carried when he left the Albanian mountains, Hal now had the two he had taken from the body of Colonel Edwards.  The two Nicolas had carried had been left with him, for there had been no time to get them.  Stubbs had held on to the two entrusted to him, and Ivan, wherever he was, had two more.

It was while speaking of the gold that Hal’s thoughts turned to Ivan.

“I wonder what can have happened to him?” he said.

Chester shrugged his shoulders.

“No telling,” he replied.  “However, I guess he’ll turn up sooner or later.”

And the lad was right.

It was dark when the little party came again within the first line of Montenegrin troops.  Colonel Anderson announced that he would seek an audience of King Nicholas immediately.  He made his wants known to the officer of the guard, and after he had explained the situation, the officer departed to learn whether the king would see the returned travelers.  He returned fifteen minutes later with the announcement that the king would receive them in his field quarters immediately.