“According to my idea those fellows must have fallen into a hole in the ground about where that tree is down,” declared Stacy wisely.

“That is my idea too,” answered Tad.  “I can’t understand how they could have slipped by us as easily as they did.”

“Maybe they didn’t.”

“They must have done so.  There is no hole in the ground over there, as you can see for yourself.  Even if there were, what good would it have done the men?  Let’s go over and see if we can pick up a trail of some sort.”

“I’m with you.  Where shall we begin?”

“You go to the left and I’ll go to the right.  We will meet somewhere near the fallen tree unless we get side-tracked.”

The tree referred to was a huge one.  It lay at the base of a great pile of rocks, from which it evidently had slipped.  In falling it had carried its roots with it.  These roots, massed with dirt and stone, stood up in the air all of fifteen feet.  The top of the tree was a hundred feet further out.  It must have been a magnificent tree when it stood towering from the top of the rocks there and no doubt was a landmark for all that part of the Guadalupe Range.  The trunk at the top stood free of the ground several feet, the trunk nearer the roots resting on an almost knife-like edge of rock that had cut deeply into the trunk when the tree fell.

Stacy gazed at the tree and decided that it would make an excellent thing to climb.  He stepped up on the trunk at the roots, walking out toward the top.

“Come on up.  The walking’s great, Tad,” he cried.

“I’ll be there pretty soon.”

After looking about for several minutes Butler followed his companion.  But Tad paused before climbing up.  He eyed that towering mass of roots, dirt and stones with interest.

“See anything funny?” called Stacy.

“No, nothing particularly funny.  I do see the print of a horseshoe here on the rocks where some dirt has stuck to the shoe and been left on the stone.  It isn’t any of our stock as nearly as I can determine.  I guess it must have been some of those fellows last night.  They evidently were shooting from behind the tree here.”

“They weren’t shooting from behind much of anything, as well as I could judge,” answered the fat boy.

Tad climbed up and made his way slowly along the tree trunk.  As he neared his companion, he felt the tree settle a little.  This at the moment did not make any particular impression on the Pony Rider Boy.  Their combined weight might cause the outer end to give a little.  Then all at once a howl from Chunky caused Tad to grasp a branch to save himself.

The tree top was settling slowly.

“Look, look!” cried the fat boy.

Tad turned, amazement growing on his face.  The roots of the tree had slowly risen several feet into the air, disclosing a hole in the rocks.

Chunky was so excited that he fell off before Tad could say a word.  The tree settled back, closing the hole in the rocks.