"I've got him on the _outside,_ girls! He can't get in with that fire smoking his front doorway, you see." "Oh, hurry back and pile more wood on the fire!" cried Eleanor, quaking with fear. "Yes, yes, Polly! Come away and let's build more fires!" added Barbara, not knowing which one of the girls to hide behind, and looking at the horses as if pondering a refuge with them. "What! And use all of our 'safety first' before dawn! If you waste the wood now, what will you do when old grizzly comes prowling home and finds your fires dying down?" said Polly. "Well, do have one of us go and tend the fire carefully so it can't possibly die down and let him in!" added Anne. "We are almost through exploring, so we may as well finish! Then we will all go and have supper and feed the animals." The remainder of the cave proved to be a rocky wall gradually sloping down until it reached the entrance again. But, just at one side of the "thumb" was an aperture from which the wind blew in, as could be seen when Polly held her torch down to the opening. "That leads out somewhere, and that opening is big enough to let a panther creep through, or a wild-cat! I'd like to crawl through there and make sure where it comes out and if it is quite safe on the other side," suggested Polly, looking at the girls. "Oh, Polly dear! Don't do it! Suppose something should happen to you!" cried Anne. "Why, I wouldn't let it, Anne! If I creep through that tunnel, I'd shove the torch in first and keep it moving ahead of me all the way, so that nothing could grab me, you see!" said Polly, half laughingly. "I say, Polly, let well enough alone. Let's go back and get supper and rest for to-morrow!" advised Barbara. "But just s'posing a rattle-snake was coiled up inside that tunnel! A burro wouldn't smell it, and it could crawl out during the night and take a good straight bite!" teased Eleanor. Polly laughed, but Barbara thought Eleanor meant it, so she replied: "Then Polly had better go in and see if everything is safe for the night." Anne had been so rudely shocked that day at the selfishness apparent in Barbara's character, that she did not try to hide her opinion. The wonder was, that she ever could have been so completely taken in during the months in Denver, as to declare Barbara to be a splendid girl when one knew her. She now decided that it took ranch life and mountain exploits to show up genuine characteristics and thoughts. "Polly, I'll go in first!" offered Eleanor, dropping to her knees to crawl in at the opening. "Eleanor Maynard! Come back here!" cried Barbara, taking hold of her sister's feet. "Nolla, you shan't take the glory from me!" laughed Polly. Meantime Eleanor was pulled back and rolled over, laughing as heartily as if she were at a farce-comedy.