He spoke with a slight American accent, and then explained easily enough that he was an American officer who had only arrived in the district the night before, and he had not to report for duty until the next day.

"I liked the look of the morning," he went on, "so I borrowed this grand chap from the farmer where I'm billeted, and thought I'd explore this funny little old country. But what are you kids doing all mixed up with the army? What's the meaning of it?" he added rather sternly to Jerry and Jake, who soon gave him the story of the noise of falling rocks that roused them in the night and of how the twins had been discovered inside the mountain.

"Are you a cowboy?" Dickie asked abruptly. "I always wanted to know one. You look like one."

The handsome stranger laughed and slipped off his horse. "Wait a minute," he said to the children and went into the cave with Jerry and Jake.

"They're whisperin'," observed Dickie gloomily. "I wonder what's goin' to happen to us now? Do you like the new one, Mary?"

"He's beautiful," breathed his twin rapturously, as the newcomer came back and put a hand across their shoulders.

"Look here," he said. "These men are on an army exercise and oughtn't to have taken care of you at all really, and they've got to get along now. Will you trust yourselves to me? I'll take you home soon, and I sure do find your adventures exciting, and I promise I'll look after you."

"If we get into a row - and we're sure to do that," Dickie said, "will you help us and tell them we couldn't really help it because of Uncle Beaver?..."

"Uncle Beaver?" asked the stranger. "Who's he?"

"Well, he's really Peter's Uncle Micah, but he's peculiar, and Mary thinks he needs looking after, and acksherly all this adventure is about him."

"You see, we want to help him not to be lonely," Mary went on, "but p'raps you'd better not say too much about him. Just tell them we've been puppets of fate!" she finished triumphantly.

"I see," the stranger said with an odd, strained look in his eyes. "Don't worry. I'll come back with you and make everything all right... And I'd like to hear some more of your adventures on the way. Will you trust me?"

"Of course," said Mary. "You understand. We like you, don't, we, Dickie?"

"Oh, yes, we like you all right, but you don't know the others, and somehow we don't think they're going to be very pleased about us and our adventure, and it's not going to be easy for the one that takes us home," Dickie replied.

Meanwhile Jerry and Jake had packed up their kit, with the exception of a few packages which they insisted upon putting into the twins' pockets.