"
"Oh! you're thinking now of that demon Joe told about, eh, Frank?"
"Perhaps. If it jumps out at us give a center shot, if you can," the
saddle boy advised, as he led the way forward toward the black spot
which they had guessed must be the cave entrance spoken of by Spanish
Joe.
They were quickly at the wall, and had no difficulty in learning that,
just as they had guessed, the yawning hole was there. Frank, without
the slightest hesitation, stepped through the opening. Bob did
likewise, holding his gun in readiness for immediate use.
The light of the blazing torch lighted up the interior. They could see
that, so far, there was nothing remarkable about the cave, save that it
seemed to stretch away into dim distance, with various twists and
curves.
"What are you sniffing about, Frank?" demanded Bob, who, in the
silence, heard what his comrade was doing.
"I think I scent something, that's all," replied the other.
"Not brimstone and sulphur, I hope?" cried Bob.
"Well, hardly," chuckled the other. "In fact, it seemed to me that it
was only such an odor as you can always detect around the den of a wild
beast!"
"Glory! then Joe didn't dream it, after all; and there may be an old
grizzly in this cave!" ejaculated Bob.
"Not a grizzly," declared Frank, quickly. "If anything, I think it
must be a panther. But he may have left after attacking Joe, so that
we'll have no trouble with the beast.
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