"
Fremont heard the words dimly, for as the door of the hut slammed
behind the drenched guard and his voice was heard in the outer room,
the howl of a wolf came from the darkness just outside the window.
"Confound the wolves!" the renegade snarled. "They are becoming dangerous!"
"What you say may be true, so far as you are concerned!" Fremont replied, grimly.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE CALL IN THE RAIN.
There was a sudden splash, heard above the downpour of the
rain, followed by an exclamation of surprise, and then
Jimmie's voice called out:
"Say, you fellers, throw me that life preserver!"
Nestor turned the flame on the electric flashlight and
directed it toward the spot from which the voice had
come. Jimmie, who had been feeling his way cautiously
a few paces in advance of the party, was seen floundering
about in a pool of water.
"Come on in!" the boy cried out. "The water is fine!"
"What you doing in there?" demanded Frank, nearly choking
with laughter at the odd plight of the little fellow.
"I came in to get measured for a suit of clothes!" replied
Jimmie. "Say, you fellows, give me a hand and I'll climb out."
The pool was neither wide nor deep, and the boy was soon on
solid earth again. The storm had filled one of the
depressions in the canyon the boys were following, with
muddy water, and in the darkness Jimmie had tumbled into it.
"You're a sight!" Nestor said, turning the light on the boy,
whose clothes were now a mixture of mud and briars acquired
while descending the mountain slope above.
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