“Somebody is coming,” whispered Tad.  “Stand perfectly still until I tell you to move.”

“They can’t see us at once.  Don’t make a sound on your life.”

“Wha—–­what are you going to do?” whispered Stacy, his teeth chattering audibly.

“Duck, if I get half a chance.  But I don’t think I shall.  There it goes!”

The great mass of roots rose clear of the ground, exposing the full height of the opening, and the eyes of the two Pony Rider Boys grew large at what they beheld there in the framed circle of light,

CHAPTER XXIII

IN A PERILOUS POSITION

As root mass swung upward, a man with a vicious slap on the animal’s thigh, sent a horse bounding in.  He followed the horse.  Then after him came five other men, crowding in with every appearance of haste.  Not a word had been spoken up to this time.

“Now run for your life!” whispered Tad in the ear of his companion.  “No, this way.  Stoop low.  I don’t want to get pinned in that other place.”

Tad had been using his eyes while glancing about the compartment, and using them to good purpose.  He had espied a heap of blankets, either discarded ones or some that had been used for the ponies.  He was inclined to the former opinion.  He was quite sure that blankets would not be used for the animals at this time of the year.  At any rate there was now no time for reflection.  It was a time for quick action.

Leading Chunky to the heap, which lay under a projecting ledge of rock some four feet from the floor, Tad forced his companion over behind the pile, then himself crawled in, puffing the blankets over them.

Stacy’s teeth were still chattering.

“Stop it!” commanded Tad, giving the fat boy a violent pinch.

This time Chunky did say “ouch!” But before the word was out of his mouth Tad had clapped a blanket over the offending mouth.

“Do you want to be killed?”

“N—–­n—–­no.”

“Then keep still!”

“Wha—–­what are they doing?”

“That is what I want to find out if you will lie quiet and not give me any further trouble.  They are staking their horses.  This must be the stable.  The men, as I thought, will go back further.  I hope we can hear what they say.”

“I don’t care what they say.  I want to get out of here.”

“You never will if you don’t muzzle yourself.  Now do try to keep quiet while I listen.”

Tad raised his head cautiously, but quickly drew it back.  What he had seen was the face of the man who had passed himself off as captain of the Rangers when visiting the camp of the Pony Rider Boys a few days before that.  This was Willie Jones, the man for whom every Ranger in the state was searching at that moment.  And then—–­Tad shivered in spite of himself when he made the discovery—–­stepping up to the leader to ask him a question was Dunk Tucker,