A BAFFLING SEARCH
Fenn sat down rather suddenly on hearing Ruth make that announcement. He
grew calm.
"All right," he said, good-naturedly, "there's no use alarming you. I'm
not delirious. I never felt better in my life. That sleep I had was
fine. My fever is all gone. But, go ahead, if you want to. Send for the
doctor. I don't mind. I know what he'll say, and then I can go and hunt
for that cave."
"Oh, Fenn, are you sure you're all right?" asked Ruth, much reassured by
the cool manner in which the boy spoke.
"Sure. Here, feel of my pulse. It's as slow as yours."
Ruth did so, and, having had some experience in cases of illness, she
realized that Fenn's fever had gone down.
"You do seem better," she acknowledged. "However, I think it would be a
good thing for the doctor to see you. I don't want you to run any
chances."
"All right," agreed Fenn.
The physician came again and said that, much to his surprise, Fenn's
illness was not as alarming as had at first appeared.
"Can't I go out?" asked the lad, not telling what for.
"Hum--ah--er--um--well, it's a little risky, but then--well, I guess you
can," and, after much humming and hawing the medical man gave his
consent and left, shaking his head over the perverseness of those who
were always in a hurry.
"Now send up my clothes, please," begged Fenn, when the doctor was
safely away. "We'll solve the mystery of that cave in jig style."
"Hadn't we better wait for the other boys?" suggested Ruth. "Besides it's
nearly dinner time, and you ought to eat something."
"Good idea," declared Fenn, but, whether it was the one about eating, or
waiting for the boys he did not say.
Frank, Bart and Ned were rather late getting back from the motor boat
ride, but they had such a good time that no one blamed them. Mr. Hayward
also returned, and it was quite a merry party that gathered about the
table. That is all except Mr. Hayward. He seemed to be rather worried
over something, and, at times, was rather distracted, his thoughts
evidently being elsewhere.
"What's worrying you, daddy?" asked Ruth, after a while.
"Nothing, my dear. Why?"
"You're not eating at all."
"I'm not very hungry. But come, we must go with Fenn and see if we can't
help him locate that cave. I don't imagine we shall find anything of any
account. Most likely the men were engaged in working an abandoned mine
from which the prehistoric inhabitants took everything of value. Perhaps
the men were those Chinese smugglers. I have telephoned word to the
Government authorities about them, and some detectives may arrive any
minute."
"Those men were not smugglers," declared Fenn. "They were taking
something valuable from that mine, and they were so secretive about
it that I'm sure they had no right to the stuff."
"Well, we'll soon see," declared Mr. Hayward.
"Where are we going to begin?" asked Bart.
"Let's go up to that hole, where we found Fenn's hat, and work down,"
suggested Ned.
"That's no good," declared the lad who had made the queer passage. "That
chute only comes out on the ledge, where the main shaft begins. If we
could get to the ledge we'd be all right."
"I think we can get there without crawling or sliding down that dark,
roped passage," said Mr. Hayward. "But I was going to suggest that we
take the motor boat and cruise along near where we picked Fenn up. If we
found the opening in the cliff, from where he jumped, it would be easier.
It is rather difficult to get to the ledge."
"I think that's the best idea," remarked Frank.
"May I go with you, daddy?" asked Ruth, a bright flush of excitement
coming into her cheeks.
"Maybe I can find the--" She stopped suddenly.
"I'm afraid not. There might be danger," said her father, not noticing
her last remark.
"I'm not afraid."
"I wouldn't," said Fenn quickly. "Those men that I saw, didn't have any
weapons, but they might be ugly customers, just the same."
"I think you had better remain at home, my dear," decided the girl's
father, and, somewhat against her will, she consented, after a whispered
conference with Fenn.
The others were soon in the motor launch, and were cruising along the
lake shore, as near as possible to where Fenn had leaped into the water.
Narrowly they scanned the face of the cliff, for a sight of the opening
from which Fenn had jumped. They went up and down for half a mile, in
either direction, but there was no sign of it.
"Are you sure you jumped out of a hole, Stumpy?" asked Bart.
"Sure. I remember catching just a glimpse of that point of land before I
went under water."
"Then the opening into the cave ought to be somewhere near here,"
remarked Mr. Hayward, bringing the boat to a stop.
Once more they scanned the cliff, going as close to shore as they could.
There appeared to be no break in the surface of the palisade.
"I guess we'll have to try the ledge," announced Mr. Hayward. "We can go
down that tree-trunk ladder, but it's more risky than this way."
He was about to head the craft for a landing place, in order to begin
the tramp through the woods, to a point whence the ledge could be
reached, when the attention of all in the motorboat was attracted by
something happening on shore. From the bushes dashed a Chinaman, his
pig-tail streaming in the wind. Behind him came a man, with a revolver
in his hand.
"Stop! You almond-eyed scare-crow!" he exclaimed. "I'm not going to hurt
you!"
But the Chinaman only ran the faster. Suddenly the man raised his
revolver and fired in the air. The Celestial stopped as though he had
been shot.
"I thought that would fetch you!" shouted the man, and, a moment later,
he had the handcuffs on the representative of the Flowery Kingdom.
"That's one of the smugglers!" cried Fenn. "The police must be after
them!"
"What's the trouble?" asked Mr. Hayward, of the white man, as the boat
neared shore.
"Chinese smugglers," was the short answer. "We got the whole crowd a
while ago, just as they were landing a boat load in a secluded cove. But
are you Mr. Hayward?"
"I am."
"I was told to look out for you. I understand you gave the information
that led to the capture."
"I did, but these boys here told me of it. They're to get whatever
reward is coming."
"Oh, there's a reward all right. This fellow got away when we were
bagging the rest. I had a hard chase after him, and I wanted to catch
him, as he's one of the ring-leaders. But what are you doing here; on
the lookout for some more of the Chinks?"
"No, we're searching for a queer cave where Fenn, one of these boys
here, was kept a prisoner. There have been some strange goings on in
these parts, and I'd like to get at the bottom of them. I thought maybe
the smugglers had a hand in it."
At the mention of the cave, concerning which Mr. Hayward gave the
government officer a few details, as Fenn had related them to him, the
Chinese captive seemed suddenly interested. When Mr. Hayward told how
they had so far, conducted a baffling search, for the entrance, the
Celestial exclaimed:
"Me show you."
"What does he mean?" asked Mr. Hayward.
"Blessed if I know," answered the officer. "What's that, John?"
"Me show hole in glound. Me know. Clum that way," and he pointed a short
distance up the lake.
"Do you suppose he knows where the entrance is?" asked Mr. Hayward.
"Shouldn't wonder," replied the detective. "Those Chinks know more than
they'll tell. Probably he knows the game is up, and he may think, if he
plays into our hands, he'll get off easier."
"That's lite!" exclaimed the Chinese with a grin. "Me turn state's
evidence. Me know. Me show you."
"I guess he's an old hand at the game," commented the officer. "Probably
it wouldn't be a bad plan to follow his advice. Wait, I'll summon a
couple of my men, and we'll go along. No telling what we'll run up
against."
He blew a shrill signal on a whistle he carried and soon two men emerged
from the woods on the run. They did not appear surprised to see their
chief with the prisoner, and at a word from him they got into the motor
boat, the handcuffed Celestial meekly following.
"Now, John, which way," asked the detective, who introduced himself as
Mr. Harkness.
"Up by bluushes," replied the Chinese, pointing to a clump which grew on
the cliff. "Hole behind bluushes, so no can see. Smart trick. Me know."
"I believe he does," commented Mr. Harkness. "I'll unhandcuff him, and
he can show us," and he removed the irons from the almond-eyed chap.
The motor boat was put over to where the Chinaman indicated. It came to
a stop at the foot of a sheer cliff, right under the clump of bushes,
which grew about thirty feet up from the surface of the water.
"How in the world are we going to get up there without a ladder?" asked
Fenn. "We should have brought one along."
"Here ladder!" suddenly exclaimed the Celestial, who, at a question from
one of the officers gave his name as Lem Sing. "Me get ladder."
Lem Sing took hold of a stone that jutted out from the face of the cliff.
He pulled on it, and it came out in his hand. To it was attached a strong
cord, extending up somewhere inside the cliff, Lem Sing gave a vigorous
yank, and something surprising happened.
The clump of bushes vanished, and, in their place, was a round hole.
"That's where I jumped from!" exclaimed Fenn.
But this was not all. Down the cliff, out of the hole in the face of it,
came tumbling a strong rope ladder, being fastened somewhere inside the
hole.
"That how up get!" exclaimed Lem Sing, with a grin. "Now can up-go!"
"Sure we can 'up-go'!" exclaimed Mr. Harkness. "Come on, boys," and he
began to ascend the ladder, which swayed rather dangerously.