<h4>IN THE HOME OF THE CAVE DWELLERS</h4>
<p>Ned Rector sat up just in time to meet the wreck of the
descending table. Down he went again with Stacy's howls ringing
in his ears.</p>
<p>A firm hand jerked Rector free of the debris as Kris Kringle
laughing heartily hauled Ned to his feet. At the same moment
Professor Zepplin had laid more violent hands on the fat boy,
whom he shook until Stacy's howls lost much of their mirth. About
this time Tad and Walter rode in, having hurried along upon
hearing the disturbance in camp.</p>
<p>"Stacy Brown, are you responsible for this?" demanded the
Professor sternly.</p>
<p>"I'm more to blame than he is," interposed Ned.</p>
<p>"No, I—I had an idea," chuckled Stacy, threatening to
break out into another howl of mirth.</p>
<p>"Next time you have one, then, you will be good enough to let
me know. We will tie you up until the impulse to make trouble has
passed."</p>
<p>Tad and Walter could not resist a shout of laughter. Kris
Kringle was not slow to follow the example set by them, and all
at once Professor Zepplin forgot his dignity, sitting right down
amid the wreck and laughing immoderately.</p>
<p>Ned washed his face, and when, upon facing them, he exhibited
a peeled nose and a black eye, the merriment was renewed
again.</p>
<p>Supper was a success, in spite of the fact that many of their
dishes were utterly ruined, as well as some of the provisions.
But the lads gathered up the pieces and made the best of a bad
job. Fortunately they carried another folding table that they had
had made for their trip, and this was soon spread and a fresh
meal prepared.</p>
<p>"Well, have you two been getting into difficulties also?"
questioned the Professor, after they sat down to supper.</p>
<p>"No; we've been exploring, Walter and I," answered Tad.</p>
<p>"Exploring?"</p>
<p>"Yes. We discovered something that I should like to know more
about."</p>
<p>"What is that?" asked Kris Kringle, looking up
interestedly.</p>
<p>"We were over yonder, close to the mountains, which are
straight up and down, and half way to the top, we saw three or
four queerly-shaped rocks that looked like houses or huts. Did
you ever see them, Mr. Kringle?"</p>
<p>"No; but I think I know what you mean. They must be some of
the cave dwellings of the ancient Pueblos, or perhaps as far back
as the Toltecs. They built their homes in caves on the steep
rocks for better protection against their enemies."</p>
<p>"And nobody ever discovered these before?" questioned. Walter.
"How queer!"</p>
<p>"Perhaps these dwellings, if such they are, have been seen by
many a traveler, none of whom had interest enough in the matter
to investigate. Then again, they may have been fully explored.
There's not much in this part of the country that prospectors
have not looked over."</p>
<p>"May we explore these caves, Professor?" asked Tad.</p>
<p>"Please let us?" urged Walter.</p>
<p>"I see no objection if Mr. Kringle will be responsible for
you. I rather think I'll look into them myself. I'll confess the
idea interests me. Are they easy to get at?"</p>
<p>"I'm afraid not," answered Tad.</p>
<p>"Santa Claus will show us the way," interrupted Stacy
enthusiastically.</p>
<p>He was frowned down by the Professor.</p>
<p>"Why not start now?" urged Tad.</p>
<p>The guide consulted the sun.</p>
<p>"We might. It lacks all of three hours to dark."</p>
<p>There was much enthusiasm in camp. The idea that they were to
visit some unexplored caves, dwellings of an ancient people,
filled the lads with pleasant expectancy.</p>
<p>Before starting, Mr. Kringle sorted out some strong manila
rope and several tent stakes all of which he did up into two
bundles. Then he filled the magazine of his rifle, throwing this
over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"What's that for?" questioned Ned.</p>
<p>"The gun?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"Can't tell what we may run into in a cave, you know."</p>
<p>After a final look at the camp all hands set out for the place
indicated by Tad. It was only a short distance, so they decided
to walk.</p>
<p>Reaching the base of the mountain they gazed up.</p>
<p>"Yes, those are cave dwellings," declared Kris Kringle. "And
they are still closed. Probably they haven't been opened in two
hundred years."</p>
<p>"I'd hate to live there and have to go home in a dark night,"
mused Chunky.</p>
<p>"Yes, how did they get to their houses?" wondered the other
boys.</p>
<p>"The question is, how are we going to get near enough to
explore them? How shall we get up there, Mr. Guide?" asked the
Professor.</p>
<p>"We'll find a way. We shall have to climb the mountain,
first."</p>
<p>All hands began clambering up the rocks. To do so they were
obliged to follow along the base of the mountain for some
distance before they found a place that they could climb.</p>
<p>Reaching the top, the guide examined their surroundings
carefully.</p>
<p>"See those little projections of rock slanting down toward the
shelf?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"Well, in the old days they probably felled a tree so it would
fall on them. The occupants of the cave probably cut steps in the
tree trunk over which to travel up and down. The tree has rotted
away many years since."</p>
<p>"And we can't get down, then?"</p>
<p>"We'll find a way, Master Walter. I thought I should be able
to make a rope ladder that would work, but I see it is not
practicable."</p>
<p>"How shall we do it?"</p>
<p>"Try the old way, I guess, Master Tad."</p>
<p>"What's that?"</p>
<p>"The tree."</p>
<p>"But there are no trees near here?"</p>
<p>"Yes, there are, a few rods back. We are all strong and I
guess we shall be able to make a pretty fair pair of steps."</p>
<p>Kris Kringle had brought an axe with him. With this he cut
some long, straight poles which, he explained, were intended for
pike poles such as woodsmen use to roll logs. This done, he began
industriously chopping at the tree after deciding upon the exact
position in which he desired it to fall.</p>
<p>"It won't reach," declared Chunky, who, with hands in pockets,
legs spread wide apart, stood looking up at the flaring top of
the great tree.</p>
<p>The guide stopped chopping long enough to squint at the fat
boy.</p>
<p>"It'll reach you all right, if you stay where you are," he
said, then resumed his vigorous blows.</p>
<p>Stacy promptly took the hint and moved a safe distance
away.</p>
<p>"Get from under!" shouted the guide finally. One more blow
would send the tree crashing downward.</p>
<p>All hands scrambled for safety. One powerful blow from the
axe, and with a crashing and rending, the great tree began its
descent. When it struck the onlookers fully expected to see it
broken into many pieces, but the bushy top, hitting the rocks
first, broke the blow, and the body of the tree settled down
gently without even breaking its bark.</p>
<p>"Fine! Hurrah!" shouted the boys.</p>
<p>"It won't reach to the edge. Going to pull it over?"
questioned Stacy.</p>
<p>"Not exactly, but we're going to get it there. Perhaps we
shall not have it in place in time to explore the caves to-night,
but we shall be ready to do so early in the morning. It took our
friends longer to do this job, two hundred years or more ago,
than it will take us. We have better tools to work with."</p>
<p>"And better bosses," suggested Stacy.</p>
<p>Some little time was consumed in chopping the tree loose from
its stump, after which the guide worked the pike poles under the
trunk at intervals near the base. The others watched these
operations with interest.</p>
<p>"Now here is where you young gentlemen will have a chance to
show how strong you are. Each one grab a pike pole," Kringle
directed.</p>
<p>"Shan't I go hold the top down?" asked Stacy.</p>
<p>"You just grab a pike pole and get busy!" laughed Mr.
Kringle.</p>
<p>"Can't get out of work quite so easy as you thought," scoffed
Ned. "This is where we make you earn your supper."</p>
<p>"I don't have to earn it. Had it already."</p>
<p>"There are other meals coming," smiled the Professor.</p>
<p>"Now, heo—he!"</p>
<p>All raised on the pike poles at the same time with the result
that the tree was forced down the gentle incline several feet.
This was repeated again and again, the boys pausing to cheer
after every lift.</p>
<p>The tree being now perilously near the edge of the cliff Kris
Kringle called a halt. Next he fastened a rope around the top and
another around the base, taking a turn around a rock with each.
One boy was placed on each rope, the others at the pike poles,
while the guide stood at the edge giving directions.</p>
<p>The tree trunk gently slipped over under his guidance and a
few minutes later rested on the projecting rocks, that were just
high enough to hold it in place.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't take much to send it over, but I guess it will be
perfectly safe," he mused.</p>
<p>"May we go down now?" cried the boys.</p>
<p>"No; I'll make some steps first."</p>
<p>He did so with the axe, chopping out scoop-shaped places for
steps, until finally he had reached the rock in front of the cave
dwellings.</p>
<p>The tree lay at an easy slope, its bushy top partly resting on
the ledge, the latter being some eight feet deep by ten feet
wide.</p>
<p>Running up the log Mr. Kringle made another rope fast at the
top, throwing the free end over.</p>
<p>"Hold on to the rope while you are going down and you'll be in
no danger of falling," he warned.</p>
<p>The boys scrambled down the tree like so many squirrels, the
Professor following somewhat more cautiously.</p>
<p>The explorers found themselves not more than twenty feet from
the ground.</p>
<p>"Not much of a door yard. Where's the garden?" wondered Stacy,
looking about him curiously.</p>
<p>The entrance to the cave dwelling was blocked by a huge
boulder, that completely filled the opening. How it had been
gotten there none could say. The only possible explanation was
that the boulder had been found on the shelf and applied to the
purpose of protecting the cave dwellers' home.</p>
<p>"Now we're here, we can't get in," grumbled Ned.</p>
<p>"Nothing is impossible," answered Kris Kringle.</p>
<p>"Except one thing."</p>
<p>"What's that, Master Ned?"</p>
<p>"To hammer the least little bit of sense into the head of my
friend, Chunky Brown."</p>
<p>"You don't have to, that's why," retorted Stacy quickly. "It
has all the sense it'll hold, now."</p>
<p>"I guess that will be about all for you, Ned," laughed Walter.
"At least, Chunky didn't foul the dinner table when he jumped
it."</p>
<p>The guide, in the meantime, was experimenting with the
boulder, inserting a pike pole here and there in an effort to
move the big stone. It remained in place as solidly as if it had
grown there.</p>
<p>"There's some trick about the thing, I know, but what it is
gets me. Better stand back, all of you, in case it comes out all
of a sudden," Mr. Kringle warned them.</p>
<p>All at once the boulder did come out, and it kept on
coming.</p>
<p>"Look out!" bellowed the guide.</p>
<p>"Low bridge!" howled Stacy, hopping to one side and crouching
against the rocks.</p>
<p>The guide had sprung nimbly to one side as well. The big rock
had popped out like a pea from a pod. Instead of stopping,
however, it continued to roll on toward the edge.</p>
<p>"Hug the rocks! She's going down!" shouted the guide.</p>
<p>Go down it did, with a crash that seemed to shake the
mountain. Rolling to the edge of the shelf, it had toppled over,
taking a large strip of shelving rock with it.</p>
<p>"Wow!" howled Chunky;</p>
<p>The other boys uttered no sound, though their faces were a
little more pale than usual.</p>
<p>Kris Kringle stepped to the edge, peering over.</p>
<p>"No one will get that up here again, right away," he said.</p>
<p>"The cave, the cave!" shouted Walter.</p>
<p>Everyone turned, gazing half in awe at the dark opening that
the removal of the stone had revealed—an opening that had
been closed for probably more than two centuries.</p>
<h3>CHAPTER XVIII</h3>
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