CHAPTER XXIX

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.