“Ha! ha!” softly laughed Little Rifle, “here is our deliverer,” and without a word of explanation the resolute lad sprung to the ascent, and, hand-over-hand like a sailor, went up the rope with great agility. Harry, with an anxiety that may well be imagined, stood peering upward in the gloom, awaiting the result of this perilous venture on the part of his friend. He held the rope grasped in both of his hands, noting, by its swaying and trembling, the progress made by the daring young trapper. By and by the swaying of the rope ceased, by which he knew that Little Rifle was at the top. Then Harry himself began the ascent, and had reached about half-way to the top, when Little Rifle called out, evidently in a subdued voice: “Hello, Harry! are you down there?” “No, I ain’t; I’m half-way up,” he answered, in an imprudently loud tone. “Come on as fast as you can; the way is clear, but there’s no telling how long it will remain so.” Spurred on by this, Harry hastened on, and was soon up to the hole. Taking him by the hand, Little Rifle dragged him from beneath the clump of bushes which served as a screen to the entrance to the cavern, and then, catching him by the arm, he compelled Harry to follow him away from the vicinity. The moon was high in the sky, and the night was clear and balmy, inspiring a delicious happiness through the hearts of the boys, as they realized that they were treading the earth again, and all present danger was past. They could hear the murmur of the river, flowing near them, and making their way toward it, found, as they had suspected, that the cavern extended a long ways underground, and had led them a goodly distance away. Fortunately they were upon the right side, and it only remained for them to get over the intervening distance between them and the cabin where old Robsart made his head-quarters. CHAPTER XIV. A STARTLING SHOT. With light hearts and buoyant spirits the lads made their way forward. Little Rifle, understanding precisely their situation, led the way without doubt or hesitation, and in the course of an hour began ascending the ridge, from which he had just made his survey of the Indian lodges and the river. By the time that they had reached the top of the ridge, the lads were thoroughly worn out, and concluded to encamp and wait for daylight. After considerable search, Little Rifle discovered a suitable hiding-place among the rocks, into which they crawled, and almost instantly dropped into a deep slumber, and when the glad sun came up over the mountains, Harry opened his eyes. As he turned his head to greet his companion, no Little Rifle was to be seen! The displaced bowlders showed that he had gone out. But whither? Crawling cautiously out from his lodgings, Harry discovered a small, bubbling spring of cool, fresh water, from which he took a refreshing draught, concluding that he had taken occasion to reconnoiter, and would shortly put in an appearance.