STRANGE DISCOVERIES.
On the day of the examination of Carlos, strange things happened in and
near Leonard Lester’s subterranean prison.
Leonard awoke early in the morning, after a night of fitful sleep. His
first thoughts were, of course, of Carlos, and of the message he had
sent him. He wondered whether it would reach him in time, and, if it
did, whether the important words in German would catch his attention.
There were some remnants of his previous evening’s supper remaining,
and also a portion of the wine. On these he made a breakfast, and
afterward walked about, impatiently awaiting whatever might ensue.
It might have been nine o’clock when the door was opened with
considerable haste and noise. Snags stepped in hurriedly, threw down
a newspaper and a loaf of bread, and immediately rushed out again.
The door was closed with a bang, and Leonard was left alone, somewhat
astonished at the hurried action of Snags, who had not spoken a word.
In a moment afterward he was startled by a new and strange noise. He
had thought that any noise would be welcome in that silent place, but
this was of such a peculiar and unusual character that he listened in
alarm.
It was like the sound of rushing water, as if a torrent had broken
loose, or a cascade suddenly sprung into existence, very near him. Yet
he could see nothing.
Had some underground stream burst its confines and made its way to
the rocky cavern? Was some convulsion of nature about to precipitate
destruction upon him?
It was natural that such questions should cross his mind, for the noise
continued, and its volume of tone in nowise diminished.
He stepped to the door of his apartment. The torrent seemed to be just
outside and very near, and little streams of water ran along on the
ground at his feet.
He shouted, but there was no response.
Was he to be ingulfed by the water and drowned in that dismal cave,
with no one in the outside world the wiser for it?
The thought was enough to fill one with dismay. He walked from side
to side of his prison, with the faint hope that there was some means
of escape that had hitherto escaped his attention. His search was
fruitless.
He stood still and listened again. The sound had not abated. He scanned
the rocky floor. The water was not running in to any great extent,
there being only two or three small trickling streams.
Perhaps there was no danger, after all. At any rate, he had no choice
but to wait and see.
The sound of the torrent continued with dull monotony all day, but no
harm came to Leonard. He was puzzled beyond measure.
At nightfall it ceased as suddenly as it had begun.
In a moment after Snags entered.
“What on earth has been going on out there?” cried Leonard.
“Why?” asked Snags.
“I should judge that Satan had been taking a shower-bath.”
Snags laughed.
“Oh, that’s one of the tricks of our trade. Visitors have been around
to-day.”
“Visitors?”
“Yes; they come occasionally. The cave is quite a curiosity in its way,
and once in a while somebody takes it into his head to explore it. That
was the case to-day, and so we let the water on.”
“Let the water on?”
“Yes; the existence of this room is a secret, known only to us. There
is an underground stream which empties over the rocks by the sea, and
we have a sort of dam or gate by which we can turn the water over the
door here. It’s a very simple arrangement, but it prevents discovery.”
“Discovery of this room, you mean? Why do you wish to keep its
existence a secret?”
“Well, there’s a very good reason just now――you’re here.”
“Yes, I know; but at other times?”
“That I mustn’t tell you.”
“No? Well, it is very strange. I should think you would have to keep a
pretty sharp lookout for visitors.”
“Yes, we do,” replied Snags, with a smile.
“What has become of those other fellows that were here the night you
captured me? You sent them in pursuit of me when I tried to escape with
the boat.”
“Oh, they’re gone. They don’t stay here much of the time. They only
happened to be at hand that night. It was lucky, too.”
“Who are they, and what is their business?”
“Now you are asking too many questions again,” said Snags. “I can’t
answer.”
“I presumed not. What of my cousin?”
“The examination is going on. Your note was put in the post-office
early this morning.”
“Thank you again for that.”
“Oh, never mind. I don’t know whether I am sorry or glad that I did it.
But no matter, it’s done.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Snags said:
“I’ve brought you another bottle of wine. I thought your nerves might
need bracing up after hearing the din of that waterfall all day.”
“Thank you,” replied Leonard; “but I guess my nerves are all right.
Besides, the other bottle is not empty yet.”
“Oh, isn’t it? This is a better article, though. Just try it. I’ll take
the other bottle away.”
There was something peculiar in Snags’ manner. He seemed awkward and
ill at ease. He ♦alternately regarded Leonard intently and dropped his
eyes to the ground.
“What’s up?” thought Leonard. “This man is playing some game, and he’s
not very good at it, either. However, I must not betray any suspicion.
But it is plain that he has some object here other than bringing the
wine.”
He took a swallow from the bottle Snags had brought.
“Excellent!” he exclaimed. “It _is_ better than the other.”
A look of satisfaction instantly overspread the face of Snags. He
picked up the first bottle he had left, now half-emptied, and started
for the door.
“Take a good drink,” he exclaimed, “it will do you good. Good-night!”
And he left precipitately, without giving Leonard a chance to speak
another word.
The latter stared at the closed door, and stood for a moment in
meditation.
“I wonder what Snags was driving at,” he murmured.
He took another sip of the wine and smacked his lips as if to test its
flavor.
“It has a peculiar taste,” he muttered to himself. “I wonder if it’s
drugged. Perhaps they want to poison me. I wonder if I have already
taken enough to harm me.”
He resolved to wait and see if it produced any effect on him, first
taking the precaution to pour a considerable quantity of it in a
crevice in the rocky floor, so that if they should examine the bottle
it would appear that he had drank freely of it.
The effect of the small portion he had taken soon manifested itself
in a feeling of drowsiness which took possession of him. It was not a
natural fatigue, but rather a numbness such as might have been produced
by a powerful opiate.
“I don’t believe I have taken enough to cause serious results,” he
reflected. “I will take a little exercise and see if I cannot work it
off.”
He walked rapidly to and fro in his apartment, first taking the
precaution to remove his boots so that his footsteps might not be heard.
He soon had the satisfaction of feeling wide-awake and clear-headed.
Indeed he was keener and more alert than ever, for his suspicions had
made him watchful and nervous.
In order to arrive at a complete solution of his captors’ plans,
however, he lay down with the bottle near him, and prepared to feign
deep sleep on the approach of either Snags or Roake. It was some hours
before he was disturbed, and he improved the time to take occasional
exercise, so as to make sure that sleep should not overtake him.
About midnight his quick ear detected a movement on the other side of
the door. He immediately composed himself in a reclining position, with
one arm thrown partially over his eyes.
When the door was opened he was breathing heavily.
Snags advanced stealthily into the room and scrutinized him attentively.
He lifted the bottle and examined it.
The voice of Roake came in a hoarse whisper from the half-open door.
“Has he drank the wine?”
“Yes,” replied Snags, laying the bottle down again, “enough to keep him
quiet till morning.”
“Good!”
Both men withdrew and soon returned, bearing a ladder. They hoisted
it toward the ceiling, and with the end of it pushed aside a small
trap-door, painted to represent the rocks so exactly that the closest
observer would fail to detect its presence. They then planted the
ladder on the floor, with its upper end projecting into the opening
thus made. There was evidently an apartment above, to which access was
gained in this way.
They took another look at Leonard, and, apparently satisfied that he
still slept, ascended the ladder. One of them carried a small lantern.
They both disappeared through the opening, and then Leonard could hear
them moving about and talking in low tones.
Soon a rope was lowered, and directly afterward Snags descended. He
stepped to the door and blew a peculiar whistle. A faint reply was
heard from without, and Snags immediately reascended the ladder.
In a few minutes a man entered, bearing a bundle on his shoulder. It
was enveloped in brown sacking, and had a compact look. There were
strange-looking foreign marks on the outside. The man attached the
bundle to the rope, and it was drawn above. Soon another man entered
bearing another bundle, and then a third one came, similarly laden. All
of the packages were disposed of as the first one had been.
Then these three men journeyed back and forth, bringing boxes, and
bales, and bundles, some of which were light and easy to carry, and
others of which required the united efforts of the three to handle.
Leonard was at first astonished. The proceeding was inexplicable to him.
But he soon arrived at a solution of the mystery. He concluded that his
captors must be smugglers. The rocky cave, its secret apartments, its
proximity to the sea-shore, its retired location, were all favorable
to the carrying on of the unlawful business. He was excited by the
discovery, yet he remained quiet, for to expose his wakefulness would
be instant death, he felt. Occasionally one of the men would step near
him and scan his face, but he was always on his guard, and kept up the
semblance of deep sleep.
For two hours or more the smugglers continued their labors, and at
the end of this time their work seemed to be finished. They stood
about, wiping the perspiration from their brows, and brought in no
more packages.
“Is that all?” inquired Snags from above.
“Yes,” replied one of them.
“Is he still sleeping?”
“Sound as a log.”
“All right. Come up here, all of you.”
They ascended the ladder, and the five men above occupied themselves,
as Leonard judged, in arranging in order the articles that had been
hastily drawn up.
Leonard was alone, and believed to be unconscious. Here was a tempting
opportunity. The door was ajar, and why could he not escape?
He resolved to make the attempt.
He rose softly, taking his boots in one hand and the wine-bottle in the
other, to be used as a weapon in case his progress was opposed.
He stole silently across the room, and into the outer passage. Here he
paused and listened. The voice of Roake said:
“Did you close the door?”
“No,” replied one of the men.
“You had better go down and do it.”
“All right. Wait till I get the box rolled over here.”
Leonard hastened on. The passage was dimly illumined, as before, by a
lamp hanging from the ceiling. He remembered the route perfectly, and,
making his way as rapidly as possible, he was soon in the open air by
the sea-shore.
Here he paused for an instant in utter amazement. He recognized the
place as Rocky Beach. It was here that he had come on a fishing jaunt,
the day before the murder. The bright starlight revealed the place and
its surroundings to him. There could be no mistake.
But he must not linger. His captors might be upon him in a moment.
Two yachts were moored near the beach with sails ready to hoist. One of
them was small enough for one man to manage. A fresh breeze was blowing,
and, as Leonard was an experienced yachtman, his course was decided
upon immediately.
Springing into one of the boats, he pushed it from the shore and
hoisted the sail. It caught the wind, and was soon cutting through the
water.
He looked back. There was as yet no movement on the shore. He had a
good start, and believed he could not be overtaken, even if his flight
were made known at that moment.
Heading the yacht toward the open sea, he now had leisure, as it sped
along rapidly, to consider his situation and to form his plans.