Tremblingly Chot Duncan paused on the stairs leading into the basement
of the lodge, one hand on the electric button, the other holding a
revolver. Bert Creighton's appealing cry was still ringing in his ears,
and he knew not what would be disclosed when the basement was flooded
with light.
Then, as he heard Tom and Pod tumbling out of bed behind him, he gave
the button a twist, and a yellow glow quickly banished the darkness.
Chot stood, amazement written on every line of his features, for the
basement was empty--there was not a sound to be heard; not a soul to be
seen.
Still holding his weapon in readiness for use, Chot advanced cautiously
down the stairs.
"What's the matter?" he heard Tom ask, as he and Pod started into the
basement.
Truem and Fleet could be heard slipping on their shoes, and Chot felt
decidedly relieved when they, also, came down the basement steps.
A thorough search was made, no one speaking a word for the space of
several moments. Then Chot broke the silence:
"I heard Bert Creighton's voice calling for help. I'd know it anywhere.
It came from the basement, but sounded at a distance, as if he might be
concealed somewhere and unable to get out."
"Then let's make a more thorough search," said Truem. "There is some
secret about Winnsocket Lodge of which we are in ignorance."
"Must be a secret room down here somewhere," said Tom. "I can offer no
other solution."
"Well, perhaps you'll be kind enough to show us where it is," said
Fleet.
"It may be worked by a spring in the wall," Tom earnestly replied. "I
know that sounds like a fairy tale, but such things exist even to-day in
some of the old colonial mansions of Canada, so why shouldn't a clever
man like this Mr. Lawrence adopt the scheme if it served his ends?"
"Well, we'll make a search, anyway," said Chot.
Then each took a section of the basement wall and the investigation
began. They felt carefully over every inch of surface, even taking the
fruit jars off the shelves and peering intently behind them. Luckily the
lights were so arranged as to be moveable to almost any part of the
basement, and shadows were quickly dispelled whenever the boys desired.
"Hello, what's this?" said Chot suddenly.
Instantly every boy stopped searching and rushed to his side, knowing
from the tone in which he spoke that he had made an important discovery.
Chot had worked his way around on his section of the wall until he was
beneath the stairs. Here, in a little nook, carefully concealed from the
eyes of any who were not making a most thorough search, was a small
metal tube projecting several inches from the wall, attached to which
was a rubber tube of the same dimensions.
"Sh!" said Chot, as the others gathered about him. "This is a speaking
tube, though where it leads I haven't the slightest idea."
He put his ear to the end of the tube, and greatly to his surprise, he
heard voices.
"Hold still, boys, and I believe our mystery will be a mystery no
longer," he said, in a low tone. "I hear people talking. Let me see if I
can catch what they say."
The voices were evidently some little distance from the other end of the
tube but as absolute silence reigned in the basement, Chot could, by
straining, catch nearly every word.
"I tell you I will get to that speaking tube," he heard Bert Creighton
say.
There were several exclamations of anger at this, and the sound of a
scuffle. Then Chot caught the magic words that unfolded to him at least
one of the many mysteries that had been perplexing the boys since their
arrival at Winnsocket Lodge.
"You think I don't know your schemes, but I do," Bert went on, "and I'm
going to inform the authorities on you the first chance I get. You know
what the government will do to smugglers."
"Smugglers!" muttered Chot. "Ah!"
"Of course, we know what they'll do if they catch us," said another
voice. "But you'll never have a chance to inform on us. It was only by
accident that you ever heard us in the basement of the lodge, and even
then, if you had been sensible enough not to investigate, you would now
be safe with your friends. As it is, you're in a pretty bad fix."
"I'll appeal to Mr. Lawrence when he returns."
"Well, what do you think he'll do? Don't you suppose he's as heavily
involved in this business as we?"
"He's involved more than we," growled another voice.
"Well you fellows see that the kid doesn't get to the speaking tube
again. His friends are probably asleep, but because they didn't hear his
first cry is no sign another wouldn't wake them. We've got trouble
enough without ever letting them know this island is inhabited."
"I don't see what the boss ever let the kids stay in the lodge for in
the first place. He's always taking desperate chances," said one of the
others.
"Well, he's never been caught yet."
"No; but he will be," came in the tones of Bert.
Then the voices moved out of range and all was still. Quickly Chot
repeated to the other boys what he had heard.
"Bert's cry," he said, "must have come through the tube. No wonder it
sounded distant."
"The mystery, then, is a mystery no longer," said Truem.
"I see you are thinking of the same thing as I," said Chot. "The
smugglers have a rendezvous on the island to the north, and that is
where they are holding Bert captive."
"Yes," said Truem, "and those are the voices I heard the other night,
and it was the smugglers' boat, very likely, which capsized my skiff."
"And it is evident from the conversation Chot heard that our friend, Mr.
Lawrence, is the leader of the band," said Tom. "That I think, is to me
the most surprising of all."
"Yet, it is no doubt true," said Chot. "You will remember reading in the
papers some time ago how different articles were mysteriously brought
across the Canadian border, and how the revenue officers were perplexed
and had failed to apprehend the smugglers. Well, the officers have
simply not had the opportunities for investigation that we have had,
that's all."
"Then the launch we heard the other night was taking smuggled articles
to the other island?" said Pod.
"No," said Chot; "the launch was either bringing smuggled articles from
the other island to the lodge, or taking them from the lodge to some
point in the United States. There's very little stuff taken from the
United States into Canada, strange to say. The contraband stuff all
comes the other way."
"There's one thing we haven't found out yet," said Fleet. "How do they
get the stuff into the lodge?"
"By some secret tunnel surely. There must be a compartment to the
basement of which we are still in ignorance, as Truem said a while ago,
in spite of the fact that we believe we have been over every inch of
space."
"Then the best thing to do, seems to me," said Tom, "is to search for an
opening of some sort on the north side of this island."
"That will be our plan," said Chot.
"And Bert's capture is not so much of a mystery now," said Truem. "He
evidently heard the smugglers rummaging in the cellar, knew he was about
to make a discovery of some sort, motioned you fellows to come, and went
to investigate. Then the smugglers captured him, and took him out
through the secret passage before any of you could reach the lodge. They
may have stayed in the tunnel until the excitement simmered down--who
knows?"
"Well, I believe we have the advantage of them now," said Chot. "We know
their secret. They do not know we know it, and we are thus better
prepared to take action to get Bert out of their clutches and hand the
smugglers over to justice."
"I wonder if Mr. Lawrence is on the other island?" said Fleet.
"If you want my opinion," said Chot, "Mr. Lawrence went off the other
night with a launch full of smuggled goods. The scraping sounds Tom and
I heard in the night were evidently caused by the removal of cases of
some sort that had been brought to the lodge from the north island, and
I believe Mr. Lawrence went with them to some secret nook where he can
safely land the goods on the New York shore."
"But why should he want to bring them to the lodge before taking them to
this other rendezvous?" Pod queried.
"There is only one way in which I can explain that," said Chot. "The
boundary line between the United States and Canada must run between
these two islands. Thus, while the island to the north is in Canada,
Winnsocket Lodge is in the United States, and once goods are brought
here they have been carried over the first and most dangerous stage of
their journey."
"What do you think they smuggle?"
"A little of everything, perhaps, but I should say mostly valuable laces
and precious stones, including diamonds, of course, brought into Canada
through Labrador or some other secluded spot."
"No wonder Mr. Lawrence told us that the money we could pay him for the
rent of the lodge would be of no use," said Fleet.
"But we're forgetting Hoki," said Truem. "I hope he hasn't deserted us
in the excitement."
They immediately went upstairs, intending to plan out a course of action
before morning, as they did not want to leave Bert in the enemy's hands
any longer than was absolutely necessary.
They found Hoki still crouching at the foot of the staircase when they
reached the first floor. The Jap's eyes were fairly bulging with terror.
At the sight of the boys he cried out to them not to hurt him.
It look Chot some time to convince the Jap that they intended him no
bodily harm, and when he finally succeeded in winning him over the boys
knew they had won a warm friend. Chot explained to Hoki that Mr.
Lawrence would eventually be apprehended by the authorities, and that
unless Hoki was prepared to ally himself with them, he would be arrested
with the other smugglers.
Once the Jap had made up his mind to do a certain thing, nothing could
turn him from it. All he asked, he told Chot, was protection from Mr.
Lawrence if he became angry, and this the boys gladly promised. Hoki
knew of the smuggling, but had been sworn to secrecy by his master. He
knew none of the details he told them, except that the men had a secret
way of getting into the lodge.
The boys did not try to sleep any more that night, fearing another
appeal for help from Bert, and they sat on the verandah until daylight
broke grayly over the islands. At sun-up Hoki served them with coffee
and cakes, and they ate ravenously, for the little Jap's cooking suited
their tastes to perfection.
During the early morning they mapped out a plan of action. It was a
certainty, they felt, that the smugglers would soon enter the lodge
again, believing the boys to be in ignorance of their secret. The tunnel
must be on the shore towards the other island, and while the boys did
not care to make a search for it in broad daylight, as the shore was in
plain view from the smugglers' retreat, they felt that they could pretty
nearly guess its location.
Truem, then was to watch the shore end of the passage every night until
the smugglers entered it, then find a means to close it behind them, so
their only mode of exit would be through the basement of the lodge. This
sounded like a big undertaking, but Truem volunteered for the task. He
was to be armed with a revolver and a good supply of cartridges.
Tom, Fleet and Pod were to keep watch in the basement of the lodge, also
heavily armed, prepared to take the smugglers by surprise should they
reveal their mode of entrance.
While this was taking place Chot and Hoki were to go in Fleet's big
canoe to the north island, there to find and liberate Bert, overpowering
his guards if need be, and returning to the lodge in time to be of
assistance to Truem or the boys in the basement, as the exigencies of
the case might demand.
Every boy was determined, knowing that if he did his share the smugglers
would be captured. Then there would be but two things left to do to make
the job complete--the notifying of the United States authorities, and
the capture of Mr. Lawrence on his return to the lodge.
What bothered the boys was the fact that Mr. Lawrence had taken them
into the lodge and left them in charge during his absence. They could
find no plausible reason for his action, but felt that this, like
everything else connected with the plans of the smugglers, would be
revealed in time.
So, with their plans thoroughly mapped out, the boys took turns sleeping
through the afternoon and early evening, and at night prepared to play
their respective parts in the little drama should the smugglers again
enter the secret passage leading to the lodge.