ERY OF M

ctically destitute of clothing, he decided to put as great a distance as possible between himself and the Russians

ly throughout the night that he did not realize the drifting snow was burying him. He had awakened to struggle against the weight of snow but could not free himself. Months later, when the spring thaw had come, his bones had been found picked clean by his wolf-hounds. A

the yelp of the hounds came more distinctly to him. Now he cou

and left of him. A cutbank presented a steep perpendicular surface against which he

's the use? I'll be frozen stiff be

he ran, then, t

p to form themselves into a circle, seven gaun

t only grinned back, but laughed outright, laughed l

cal, why didn't you

e, they had recognized the stride of their master and

old air made Johnny's skin crinkle like parchment. His

y tore off of them and having broken the bindings, wound them in

he took up the fifteen miles of homeward

ld, dirty and too small, but he crowded into it gratefully. Then with knees exposed and arms swinging bare to the elbows h

when, with a sudden gasp, he stopped and stared. Coming apparently out of the very heart of the

what had been happening at camp, and what Pant had

Pant discovered at once. The rest he left to the s

inder of the inner contents of the ball was nothing but blank paper with never a scratch of writing upon it. When Pant had examined each scrap carefully, he held the f

angle then another, mirroring them on the retina of his eye until nothing could efface them. Then, h

seemed to fairly shake the rocks loose about him. One pebble did rattle to the floor. The next instant there came the clang of rocks on metal. A light flashed. It was in Pant's hand. In the gleaming circle of light from his elec

o the mess-room where the men were

ifles, automatics, anything

had gone mad, stood staring

an infernal machine for cutting out the pay dirt in blocks. They've looted Mine No. 1 while we

to the bunkroom and clubroom, to appear a moment

of Mine No. 1, Pant hel

r left hand on the shoulder of t

shuffling tread they followed, like a chain gang entering a dungeon. They took fif

ed involuntary ejaculations. A hole some eightee

as so complete that the ticking of a watc

," whispered

e instant, the next he was gone. He had crawled through the hole. There was nothing to do but follow. One by one, thru

Ow does 'e know 'ow 'e should go? Can 'e see in

you know. He claimed Pant could see in the dark and began calling him 'Panther E

Jarvis, as he fumbled his wa

whisper of Pant. "As yo

oved forward, Dave Tower felt his shoulder brush some unseen object. Each time he shivered and shrank back. He expected at any moment to hear the roar of rifle

painful ensued. No sound came. They marched solem

own low," came whisper

r. Twice Dave lost his footing, and once came near sending his rifle crashing to the frozen e

ere in a veritable flood of light. And yet, as they glanced rapidly to right and left, they saw w

ard the opening, they expressed thei

oon! A

e whole side of the mountain had burst open and allowed

it to the place of the gold deposit. They had reached the point by balloon. Having deflated it, they had stowed it away in the cave and had blocked the entrance of the cave with

one!" excl

w much gold they took wi

a machine gun on it. We'll halt them yet. I better go with you. Some of t

age" in the sky, turned to assist the others in the exploration of the looted mine. He had lit

s way to the front: "How had