“Show us where!  Run as fast as you can!” exclaimed Mr. Rolfe and Mr. Pollard.  Mr. Pollard had been hunting for the last half-hour.  He knew Nate was deeply interested in “Jimmy’s play” and would not have kept away from the tent unless something unusual had happened.

Jimmy ran, followed by several men who could not possibly keep up with him.  But when they all reached the sand-bank, where were the “cave-dwellers”?  They had burrowed in the sand till completely out of sight!

“Hello!  Where are you”? screamed Jimmy.

There was no answer.  In enlarging the cave they had loosened the very dry earth, and thus caused the roof over their heads to fall in upon them, actually burying them as far as their arm-pits!  They tried to scream, but their muffled voices could not be heard.  The “cave” looked like a great pile of sand and nothing more.  Nobody would have dreamed that there was any one inside it if it had not been for Jimmy’s story.

“Courage, boys, we’re after you, we’ll soon have you out!” said the men cheerily; though how could they tell whether the boys heard or not?  Indeed, how did they know the boys were still alive?

Two men went for shovels.  The other men, not waiting for them to come back thrust their arms into the bank and scooped out the sand with their hands.  The sand was loose and they worked very fast.  Before the shovels arrived a moan was heard.  At any rate one of the boys was alive.  And before long they had unearthed both the young prisoners and dragged them out of the cave.

Not a minute too soon, Joe gasped for breath and looked wildly about; but Nate lay perfectly still; it could hardly be seen at first that he breathed.  His father and mother, the doctor and plenty of other people were ready and eager to help; but it was some time before he showed signs of life.  When at last he opened his eyes the joy of his parents was something touching to witness.

Jimmy, who had been standing about with the other children, watching and waiting, caught his mother by the sleeve and whispered:—­

“I should have been in there too, mamma, if it hadn’t been for you!”

“What do you mean, my son?  In that cave?  I never knew the boys were trying to make a cave.  I did not forbid your digging in the sand, did I?”

“No, mamma; but I knew you wouldn’t want me to do it in these clothes—­after all my actions!  And I had promised to be more careful.”

Mrs. Dunlee smiled, but there were tears in her eyes.

“How glad I am that my little boy respected his mother’s wishes,” said she, stooping to kiss his earnest face.

She dared not think what might have happened if he had disregarded her wishes!

It was a time of rejoicing.  Mr. Templeton ordered out the brass band and the Hindoo tam tam.  The horse Thistleblow seemed to think he must be wanted too, and came and danced in circles before the groups of happy people.