FRITZ'S DISCOVERY.
Let us return to our ventriloquist detective and his venturesome
expedition.
In heading the boat into the opening in the bluff, he had no idea how
his venture would terminate, but was urged on by a great curiosity to
explore the spot, feeling sure that it had some connection with the
smugglers' league.
The height of the aperture was insufficient to admit the passage of
the boat with him sitting up; so putting the boat under headway he lay
down and thus glided in.
In high tide, this opening, he concluded, was covered by water, while
in extreme low water the beach must be bare in front of the bluff, as
the water at this juncture now was quite shallow.
He almost immediately emerged into a cave in the heart of the bluff.
It was as large as a couple of good-sized rooms, and looked as if the
waters of many years had eaten it out.
The work of man, however, was seen in the planks overhead, which,
resting on wooden supports, held the roof in place.
The water reached about midway into the chamber, and from its edge the
pebbly ground ascended to the farther side of the cave, where a narrow
aperture branched off--evidently cut as a passageway by the hand of
man.
Grounding his boat, Fritz stepped out and took a survey of his
surroundings.
"Dis don'd look ash if id vas a healthy blace at high tide, but I
reckon dot id vas der blace vere dey run in smuggled goods," he mused.
"Dot passage probably leads to a higher und dryer place."
Holding his revolver ready for use in case of emergency, he stole
softly toward the subterranean passage, with a view to exploring it.
It was a dark, uninviting tunnel, of just sufficient width and height
to admit of a person's passage, and looked as if it might have no
connection with any other chamber, as he could see no light to
indicate its terminus.
Nothing daunted, however, he entered it and walked along softly, ready
for any surprise.
A score of steps he went, and then emerged into what he concluded was
another large subterranean chamber, but where all was of Stygian
darkness.
Luckily he had a close metal pocket-box of matches with him, and
lighting one after another he discovered a half dozen lamps in
brackets around the chamber side.
One of them he soon lit, when he proceeded to inspect his situation.
As before stated, the sides of the cavern were walled up like a
cellar; and in size it was a hundred and fifty feet square, by ten or
twelve in height.
The ceiling overhead was planked, and these supported by rude pillars
resting upon the ground floor, as in the outer cave.
Here and there, scattered about, were heaps of straw, pieces of wooden
boxes and canvas, and occasionally a bottle, or a piece of damaged
silk or lace.
At the opposite side of this chamber was a round hole in the ceiling,
similar to a well, down through which hung a rope ladder to the floor.
This seemed to indicate that either there was another chamber,
overhead, or else this was a means of access to the open air.
In the stone wall, at either side of the room, were doorways supplied
with strong, grated iron doors, which were fastened with padlocks and
chains.
"Vel, I be jiggered off dis don'd vas yoost like a regular brizon,"
Fritz ejaculated; "und dis pe der blace vere der smugglers unpack deir
goods. I t'ought I vould discoffer somet'ings, off I come here. Vonder
uff dey haff got somepody shut up mit dem cells? Dot vouldn't pe so
much off a 'sell,' neider, off I am any shudge."
Taking down the lamp, he proceeded to inspect the matter. Approaching
the right-hand dungeon, he peered in.
The place, evidently, was empty.
Crossing the cavern to the door of the other, to his surprise he saw
that this dungeon was occupied.
Upon a rude cot bed, a woman was stretched, apparently fast asleep.
As her face was turned from his view, he could not tell whether she
was young or old, pretty or ugly, but he was strangely impressed. Her
size--form--clothing, all aroused his suspicions that it really was
the Leadville man's runaway daughter--Madge Thornton, or Thurston, as
she had called herself. He was staggered a moment by the very thought.
"Hello! vake oop--who you vas?" he shouted, rattling the door.
The woman gave a violent start, and sat up on her cot, with a gasp: it
was indeed the speculator's lost daughter!
"Goot! dot vas a nest egg for me!" was the thought that flashed
through his mind, as he remembered the offered reward.
"Who are you?--what do you want?" the bride of Major Atkins demanded,
eagerly, as she arose from her bed, and stepped falteringly toward the
door.
"Vel, I am Fritz! You remember der chap Fritz, don'd you?"
"Oh! yes! yes! You are a friend to me--oh! say that you are, and that
you have come to rescue me and take me back to papa!"
"Vel, I should snicker dot dot vas apoud der size off der
circumstance," the young detective grinned. "You don'd vas like dis
hotel, den?"
"Oh! no! no! I shall die if I remain here. Open the door--take me from
this terrible place! Oh! please do this, sir, and I will always love
you."
"Nixy! You mustn't do dot," Fritz replied, with a serious expression,
"or you vil haff mine gal, Rebecca, in your vool. She's shealous, is
Rebecca, und id makes her madder ash a hornet bee, uff I even looks
sweed at a potato pug--dot ish a fact. But I vil get you oud all der
same, if I can, vich I don'd know so much apoud, ash der door vas
fastened tighter ash a brick. You see, your old dad he vas send me
down dis vay to look vor you, und I dells him I find you, yoost like a
pook. I vas a reg'lar snoozer at findin' dings vot don'd pelong to
me."
"My father sent you? Oh! joyful news! Tell me--tell me, where is my
father?" and she clasped her hands, her face and eyes aglow with
eagerness.
There was evidently nothing dazed or somnambulistic about her now.
"Vel, der last I see'd your old man, he vas at der blace vere you got
married. But he left for Long Branch to rustygate und keep a vedder
eye out for you, vile I took der rear trail, und skeer'd up der game.
You see der old man dells me off I vind you und der money vot you
stole vrom him, he vould giff me five t'ousand dollars. How vas dot?
He vas yoost der man I haff pen vantin' to meed, vor a long vile.
But, how apoud der money?"
"It is where no earthly hands but mine can find it, except I give the
directions!" the girl replied, with evident enthusiasm over the fact.
"When I left home, to come East and marry Major Atkins, I was in a
state of half insanity, or somnambulism, they called it, and took the
money, and when I came to my senses found it in my possession. It
seems, as I have learned since, that before his leaving for the East,
and at the same time when I was in my dazed state Atkins said that he
had a large roll of money in my father's safe, and that when I came, I
should bring it. And to my surprise, I have also since learned that it
was not the first somnambulistic theft I have been guilty of. Upon
discovering the large sum upon my person, I put it in a place where it
would be safe, and came on to marry Major Atkins, whom I imagined
myself to be in love with. We met--it was he who took me away from the
hotel--and we were married, as I supposed, at the time, but it has
since been proved a base deception. Almost immediately after your
departure he demanded the money of me."
"Vel, you guff it oop to him, I subbose?"
"No, I did not," she replied, with an exhibition of spirit. "I told
him I didn't have it--which was true--but he wouldn't believe that,
saying that he had learned I had the money in my possession on leaving
home. Then I got angry and told him I wouldn't give it to him, if I
did have it. This in turn enraged him, and he declared the marriage to
be a sham, and that if I didn't surrender the money he would kill me.
I defied him, and dared him to do it, whereupon he and the bogus
minister seized upon me, and searched me, but failed to find the
money. The monster, Atkins, then knocked me down, and I became
insensible. When I awoke, it was in this terrible underground place.
He has been here several times, and threatened me, and alternated the
matter by promising to make me his wife in reality, and the mistress
of a princely home if I would give up the money. But, having found out
what a villain he is, I have firmly refused."
"Dot vas right! Ve will giff him der duyfel von off dese days--or, at
least, I vil, for smuggling. I don'd know vedder I can got you oud off
here or not! I ought der haff some tools, as id don'd vas some leedle
shob preakin' iron mit a veller's hands."
"Oh! do try and release me, in some way--I do so want to get free!"
"Und I know dot. But, you see, id vas harder ash breakin' der
consditution to preak dis chain."
It was no easy job, indeed.
The chain was several feet in length, and made of short, stout welded
links. The padlock, too, was a formidable affair, such as could not
easily be broken, and Fritz did not have any keys with him.
He was stuck for once, in not knowing how to proceed, and was just
cogitating over what was best to do, when he noticed something that
caused him to start.
On glancing toward the rope-ladder, he perceived that it was moving!
Some one was descending it!
Did he remain here, discovery was inevitable, and discovery would
probably destroy all possibility of rescuing Madge.
These thoughts occurred to him like a flash.
"'Sh! some one is coming, and I must hide!" he said to Madge, in a
whisper; then he hurried softly across the chamber, into the dark
passage, where he paused at a point where he could see without being
seen.
"I'll bet dot id vas der veller whose eye I blacked," he muttered.
And, sure enough, he was right.
A moment later, Major Atkins, _alias_ young Greyville, _alias_
Griffith Gregg, came down the ladder into the cavern, his eyes yet
showing unmistakable evidence of the power of Fritz's shoulder-hits.
"What the devil's all the noise down here?" he demanded, approaching
the door of Madge's dungeon. "I thought I heard voices conversing."
"You probably heard me singing, Sir Monster!" Madge retorted,
sarcastically. "You know I am in good humor for vocalism."
"The devil take you! It wasn't singing--it was talking I heard."
"Ah! perhaps you heard me saying over threats of what I'll do, when I
get free!"
"Now, what will you do?"
"I'll claw your eyes out--then I'll tie you and give you a thrashing
with a bull-whip."
"Bah! threaten what you like. I'll guarantee you'll remain here until
I get your amiable dad's swag."
"But you will never get it!"
"Won't I? When you begin to rot in your dungeon, and your tongue
hangs out of your mouth for want of food and water, I fancy you'll
come to terms."
"But I won't, though!"
"Oh! we shall see. I won't argue with you. At the present moment I
want to find out who it was I heard you conversing with!"
And to her horror he made for the dark passage.
Fritz, too, was considerably concerned, and began to make a rapid and
stealthy retreat to the other chamber.
On arriving there, another thing startled him.
The tide had set in, and the hole in the face of the bluff was so
nearly filled as to make escape with the boat impossible.