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in.”
    As he spoke, a menacing snarl pierced the silence of the mountain. Crouched above the cave in readiness to spring down on the Hardys was a huge wildcat!

CHAPTER IX
    The Dust Devil
    THE big cat looked at the Hardys out of yellow eyes. Its tail flicked in anger. Powerful muscles quivered along the tawny flank.
    â€œRun!” Frank yelled.
    Whirling, he made it back down the steep hill-side in half a dozen leaps. Joe followed. Grabbing the tools the brothers had left at the bottom, the boys spun around to defend themselves.
    The commotion had wakened Chet who jumped to his feet with a “Good—night!” and dashed off.
    But the big wildcat did not follow the boys. Apparently satisfied that its snarl had frightened her enemies away, the animal leaped down from the ledge and entered the cave.
    â€œThat’s probably a female who has young ones inside the cave,” Frank said. “No wonder she was so angry.”
    â€œWe found out what we wanted to know, anyhow,” said Joe. “Nobody’s been hiding in there.”
    The three boys trekked through the woods, keeping their eyes open for any kind of clue to the missing men. They came to a tumble-down shack and searched it thoroughly. They found nothing suspicious.
    By this time Chet had had enough sleuthing for the day. To convince his chums of this, he said, “We’ve been out of sight of the plane more than two hours.”
    â€œIt’s locked,” Frank said as he tramped on ahead.
    Next, Chet tried the power of suggestion. “This may be a wooded area, but it’s sure hot in here.” He sighed. “Picture yourselves in a nice, air-conditioned drugstore right now—with a tall frosted milk shake. And then a nice, cool swim!”
    Doggedly Frank and Joe pushed on. Suddenly the resourceful Chet thought of a new tactic. “Suppose somebody breaks into our plane and steals it while we waste our time in here?”
    As if in answer to this suggestion, the drone of a single-engine airplane was heard in the sky above them. Frantic, the boys raced down to the edge of the forest and peered skyward.
    â€œIt’s ours!” Chet cried out.
    At that instant the craft disappeared, swallowed up by a cloud. When the plane reappeared in the distance, they could hardly see it.
    â€œNo—it’s not ours,” Frank reassured the others at last. “I don’t like it, though. What’s he circling us for? Could be a spy!”
    He hastily pulled out a pencil and jotted down the registration number which was printed in large figures on the underside of the plane’s wing.
    â€œYou win, Chet,” Frank conceded. “Let’s get back to our own ship—fast.”
    Less than half an hour of brisk hiking brought the boys back within sight of their plane. At the same time, they saw a weird and frightening sight. A huge spiral-shaped cone of sand-filled air was blowing across the desert at great speed. It was headed in their direction.
    â€œWh-what’s that?” Chet cried out.
    â€œA dust devil,” Frank answered grimly. “And it’s a devil all right—more like a young tornado. It’ll turn our plane over and smash the wings! Come on! We’ve got to push the plane out of the way!”
    The boys dropped their tools and made a wild dash out into the desert. Could they reach the spot ahead of the dust devil, and if they did, would they succeed in moving the plane to safety?
    â€œFaster!” Joe yelled.
    When the boys reached the plane, the dust devil was still a hundred yards away, but advancing rapidly. Frank and Joe grabbed the wing struts on either side of the fuselage while Chet stationed himself at the tail.
    â€œNow! Push!” Frank cried out.
    They shoved with all their strength. The combined effort started the plane rolling. It gathered momentum. When the craft was fifty feet from its starting point, the dust devil whirled by, just missing the boys and