  Sitting there in the murky dimness of the old mine, Dick Somers struggled manfully against the anxiety which was making his heart throb painfully. Ned Blake was pal and leader of the other boys, but to Dick he was all this and much more. Not until this moment of terrible suspense did Dick fully realize the depth of his feeling for his friend and the shock of it brought a dry sob to his throat. “Don’t take it so hard, Dick,” consoled Charlie Rogers in a voice that was husky in spite of his effort to control it. “Shucks! Ned’s all right. He’s a regular fish in the water! He can swim a couple of miles without half trying, and when it comes to doing under-water stunts—why he can beat a muskrat!” “The only thing I was really worrying about was that the car might jump the track,” declared Tommy Beals in a cheerful tone, which was, however, belied by the solemn expression of his plump countenance. “I know by the way the cable acted that the old dump-wagon stayed on the rails and it’s dollars to doughnuts she made the end of the tunnel right side up!” “Sure she did!” Rogers exclaimed confidently, “and the instant Ned saw light through the hole above him, why he started up. He thinks under water—take it from me!” Thus the talk went on, hope contending with fear, and as the minutes ticked away, Dave Wilbur kept an anxious eye upon his watch. “The fifteen minutes are up,” he announced after what had seemed an endless wait. “Ned said it would take him that long, at least.” Yet another full minute passed. Then there came a scraping sound on the farther side of the door, which quickly swung open, disclosing the dripping form of Ned Blake. The shout of relief and joy that burst from four throats was promptly checked by Ned’s warning gesture. “Keep quiet!” he cried. “Tumble up here! Quick! Bring my clothes!” The boys obeyed without question, and as they passed through the door, Ned closed it, replaced the heavy beam which had held it shut, and hurried his companions to a hiding-place behind a pile of barrels. “There’s no chance to get out yet,” he chattered, as he struggled into his garments. “I had a narrow squeak of it. Latrobe and Slade were coming through the gate in Dave’s flivver, just as I turned the corner of the house. There was a truck right behind them. They’ll be here in a minute. Lie low and don’t breathe!” Tommy Beals had brought one of the lanterns, which was quickly extinguished, and the boys had barely time to settle themselves in their places of concealment when the stone slab in the foundation wall swung back and the swarthy face of Latrobe appeared in the opening. A moment he paused to listen intently, then crept into the cellar, followed by Slugger Slade and the red-faced man whom Ned had recognized as Miller. “They took both lanterns,” growled the leader, as he shot the rays of a flashlight into the niche where lay the canvas and the coil of rope. “Yeah, they had both lights burning when I was watching ’em monkeying with the dump-car,” replied Slade. “They were too busy to notice me, so I just swung the door on ’em and propped that beam against it,” and Slade pointed to the heavy timber which still held the door shut. “Well, maybe that was as good as you could have done,” was the grudging reply. “The game’s up, but we’ll load what we’ve got and make our get-away before anybody else comes snoopin’ around.” “What’ll we do with these smart kids that butted in on our game and ruined it?” snarled Miller. “Leave ’em shut in the mine till somebody who wants ’em starts looking for ’em,” was the cool answer. “They know too much about us and our business, and the longer they stay shut up, why the more time we’ll have to cover our tracks.” “Their folks will probably start hunting for ’em today, but it may be a week or more before anybody suspects where they are and finds how to get ’em out,” ventured Slade, uneasily. “They’d pretty near starve by that time.” “Let ’em starve,” snapped Latrobe. “It’ll learn ’em to mind their own business and not gum up somebody else’s game. All right, Miller,” he continued, “let’s get going.” “Are you going to put out the bridge?” asked Slade. “Sure,” answered Latrobe. “There’s no good leaving any more tracks than we can help. Let ’em guess how we did the trick. Come on, Miller; you and Slade get it out. We’ve no time to lose.” From its place in the niche, the roll of dingy canvas was dragged to the opening in the foundation wall and pushed outside. Latrobe and Miller held one end of the cloth on the ground while Slade stepped onto it and walked slowly forward kicking the roll ahead of him. In a very short time he had laid a canvas walk, four feet wide, extending from the wall of the house to the fringe of bushes, among which the truck could be seen backing into position. “That’s what Fatty and I heard flapping in the wind that night!” gasped Charlie Rogers, as he watched the canvas rise and fall in the breeze. “Yes, and that big misshapen thing we saw must have been a man walking along that canvas with a case of bottles on his shoulder!” added Tommy. “No wonder we never could find any foot tracks!” “Nor wheel tracks either!” wheezed Dave. “They worked the same kind of stunt for the truck at the entrance to the old road!” “Sh! Keep still! They’re coming in again!” warned Ned. The two men and Slade again crept through the opening into the cellar and approached the door leading down to the mine. “You say there’s five of ’em inside,” remarked Latrobe. “Are any of ’em scrappers?” “Huh!” grunted Slade. “That fellow Blake is pretty strong and plenty handy with his football stuff, and there’s a fat guy that might knock you cold, if he jumped on you like he did me. The rest ain’t heavy-weights, but I guess maybe they’d fight if you got ’em cornered.” “Well, you go out and tell Casey to come down as soon as he gets the truck in place,” decided Latrobe. “There’s no good taking chances of one of ’em getting past us.” Slade left the cellar and soon returned, accompanied by a burly individual who carried a short cudgel in his hand. “What’s the matter?” demanded the newcomer. “Can’t the three of you handle five boys? Open that door,” he continued savagely. “Let me at ’em!” “Easy there, Casey,” warned Latrobe. “I’m running this show. We don’t want any broken heads unless it’s necessary, but if they try to rush us—well, don’t let any of ’em get past, that’s all.” As Slade removed the timber and opened the door a cautious crack, Latrobe, with Miller and Casey at his elbow, peered through it into the mine below. For a moment the growl of low-voiced talk came to the ears of the boys where they crouched in their hiding-places; then Latrobe flung the door wide and stepped through it onto the stairs. “Come on out of there now!” he shouted. “Let’s have a look at you!” His shout went echoing down the tunnel, but no other sound broke the stillness. “They’re here all right,” declared Miller. “Look at that lantern burning. They probably took the other light and went down into the tunnel.” “The dump-car is gone,” announced Slade. “Look how they hammered this door trying to break it down!” Latrobe directed his flashlight upon the battered door and examined it carefully; then turning, he played the rays along the pile of boxes and barrels that littered the cellar. Caution was one of Latrobe’s habits, and to the frightened watchers it seemed that their very breathing must be audible to his keen ears; but after a long moment of heart-breaking suspense, he again turned and went clumping down the stairs followed by the other three. As the last form disappeared through the low doorway, Ned Blake crept silently from his place behind the barrels. Dick Somers was at his elbow and together they stole softly forward. A glance through the door showed Latrobe, Miller, and Slade grouped at the foot of the stairs watching Casey, who club in hand, strode down into the black mouth of the tunnel. “That’s far enough, Casey,” commanded Latrobe. “Don’t let anybody get past you while we’re lugging out the stuff.” “Swing the door easy. I’ll handle the timber,” whispered Ned. “Careful. Don’t make a sound!” Inch by inch the door moved on its noiseless hinges, and when at last it came to a stop, Ned dropped the heavy beam into place without a sound. “Whew!” gasped Dick, who, now that the crisis was passed, had turned suddenly weak and faint. “Let’s get out of here, Ned! I’m scared plumb to death!” Dick was not the only victim of this nervous reaction, amounting almost to panic, that came with the sudden breaking of the strain to which the boys had been subjected; and it was a pale-faced group that was revealed, when Tommy Beals had, with trembling fingers, succeeded in relighting his lantern. Following its gleam, the boys made their way to the opening in the wall and emerged into the blinding sunlight of the quiet morning. |
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