The men looked into each other's faces in dismay.
"Come, we must find him," cried Frank, his face narrowing down until the lines of it laid up in projecting, stern wrinkles.
"Mebbe Big Bear git um Jess Jame," vouchsafed the girl stoically.
"What's that?" demanded Frank suddenly turning on her.
"Soldiers. No, they're miles away to the north of us by now. We headed them toward the fort hours ago."
"Me see um, Me see injuns. Injuns he look for Jess Jame."
"The girl is right," roared Frank. "Out of this devilish hole. They've got him. What can one man do against a company of infantry and a whole village of redskins. Come!"
The bandit strode toward the opening whence they had first entered, then stopped short.
"The explosion has blocked our entrance. We're caught like rats in a trap."
Hoarse curses and muttered imprecations were passed from lip to lip as the enraged desperadoes ran from point to point seeking in vain for some means of egress from their rocky tomb.
"We're done for," snarled Tony, his hand slipping instinctively to his pistol holster.
"Jess will get us out somehow," soothed Harry.
"No. Jess is probably in a worse fix than we are at this very minute," exploded Frank, "and--"
A timid pressure on his arm caused him to look suddenly down.
"Well, what is it?" he demanded shortly. "Haven't you got us into enough trouble already? What do you want now? Say it and say it quick."
"Want to? Holy snakes, hear the girl," laughed Tony harshly. "I calkerlate it don't make a mighty sight of difference whether we want to or not. We don't."
"Pale face want go--Dew Drop want go. Um show pale face."
So astounded were the outlaws at her amazing confidence in her ability to pilot them to freedom, that for a moment no one answered, and by the time they had gathered their wits again, Dew Drop was tripping on velvet feet to the chamber they had just left.
They sprang after her eagerly, but just in time to see the girl disappear behind a pyramid of rock and which they now discovered for the first time, led into another passage.
"Hold on," called Tony, "you're taking us further into this infernal hole."
Her confident manner brought hope to the bandit's hearts almost in spite of their determination not to be trapped at any cost.