"But there isn't, I'm sorry to say," admitted Ned. "I took the trouble to explore it through and through, and there's not the first chance to find another crack." "Have you any plan, Ned?" pleaded Jimmy, who was choking at a terrible rate and seemed half-blinded already. "Only a half-way idea," replied Ned. "Here it is for what it's worth. Three of us will surrender, by walking out and shouting that we give in. Jack must manage to hide somewhere in here and stand for it a little while longer. There's just the smallest chance going that they'll skip him; and, if it happens, he can hang around and help us out later." "I'm afraid it won't work, Ned; because they must have seen that there were just four in our bunch, all told; and they'll never be happy till they root me out," was the opinion Jack expressed. "All the same it may be worth trying," Ned declared; "and even if you're found out we can be no worse off than if we all gave up. This is a case that needs quick action." "Then just as you say, Ned, we'll try it," Jack agreed. "I'll see if I can stand this rank smell a little while longer. Perhaps it may seem so bad that none of the rustlers'll care to crawl in and look around. You can kind of give them to understand that one of your crowd has keeled over earlier in the fight. There's just a little hope it may pan out. Now, for goodness' sake get a move on as soon as you can. I'll find a place behind some loose stones to lie down and play dead. Hope when the time comes for me to crawl out I won't be too weak to move." Each of the other scouts squeezed Jack's hand. He was a prime favorite in the troop, and they disliked leaving him behind more than they could tell; but there seemed little choice and Jack was always so willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others. Ned took the lead. "Keep close behind me," he told Harry and Jimmy, as they started to crawl over to where they knew the exit must be; for the smoke was now getting so dense that even the faint light was shut out. Reaching this place Ned shouted, though he found himself so hoarse that he hardly knew his own voice; and several times choked, as though he was close to the border of having a fit. "Hello! hello out there! we want to surrender! We're choking, and can't stand it any longer. Don't fire on us, and we'll come out! Hello! hello!" There came an answering hail, close at hand. "All right, come along, but be sure and hold your hands up over yer heads, or you might get hurt! understand that, kids?" "Yes we're nearly all in! Here we come!" With that Ned led the way, and staggering weakly, the three scouts groped their passage through the haze of bitter smoke toward the faint gleam of daylight that they could begin to see through the pall.