"Nothing to cripple me--a few bruises, and such things. How about you?" "Not saying a word, I'm so tickled to be alive. The bumps I got were just gentle taps to what I might have picked up, if only we hadn't been just on the outer edge of the slide." When once more they came in contact the grateful boys shook hands in mutual congratulation. "As near a miracle as ever I expect to run across, that's right," Lanky asserted. "And, Frank, the wind storm that started all this business going has petered out." It was indeed a fact, for no longer did the boys catch that roaring series of noises as the storm rushed over the mountains. The black clouds hid the heavens, however, and made such a pall that it was almost dark around them. "Let's try to have a look-in," suggested the once-more eager Lanky. "We'll see what sort of new stamping ground we've lit on after our run down on the avalanche." All about them great masses of rock and trees that had come down from above, were piled up in confused heaps, with strange looking gullies lying between that Lanky started to call coulees, after the Western way. "One thing's sure," said Frank, after they had climbed around for a short time, with more or less difficulty; "we're not going to get back to camp this night. As darkness comes on it would be foolish for us to keep moving about in this wilderness of upturned things." "I reckon you told the truth when you said that," admitted the other, grasping the still serious nature of their predicament. "Why, we might start another slide on the jump! Some of these boulders seem to be set on a pivot and the least shove would set 'em rolling, knocking others off their perch, and--Frank! what's that long split off there that looks as if the face of the rocks had been burst open?" "Just what happened here, Lanky; but not with this slide. It might be a thousand, or ten thousand, years ago when that big fissure was made. Let's crawl over that way and investigate." "Well, I'm going to be prepared for anything," ventured the other. "I want to say that we were some lucky not to lose our guns when coming down on that toboggan slide. Sometimes these black-looking caves are dens for wild animals." "All right," said Frank quickly. "Keep on your guard, then. But you mustn't forget we're out skirmishing for a cave; and on that account we ought to look this one over." A brief investigation convinced the two boys that it was too big an undertaking for them to handle that afternoon. "This is as good a place for us to camp in as any," suggested Frank. "If we're of the same mind in the morning, why, we'll put in some work here. I don't know just why I should feel that way, but some sort of hunch seems to tell me we'll find something worth our while if we go far enough." "Wow! but it's as black as my pocket inside there, Frank." As he said this Lanky, on hands and knees, was staring past the guardian jaws of rock into the ugly looking fissure.