CHAPTER XXVII WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CAVE
The man ahead hurried along over the rocks so quickly that the Rovers andLarry Dixon had difficulty in keeping up with him.
"He's a bird for moving," was the old sailor's comment. "Splice my mainbrace! but I wish he'd put a reef or two in his legs!"
The man ahead suddenly made a turn around some rocks. The boys and thetar followed cautiously, so as not to be surprised.
"Wait here, I'll look ahead and investigate," said Dick. And he shovedsome bushes aside.
A surprise awaited him--but not of the sort he had anticipated. The manhad disappeared!
Vainly did Dick look in all directions for him. He was as completely goneas if the earth had opened and swallowed him up.
"Can he have entered some opening in the rocks?" the youth asked himself.
With added caution he moved forward a few steps further. Then, betweensome dense bushes, he saw a slit in some high rocks. The slit wasirregular in shape but not over a foot wide in any one place.
"What do you see?" asked Tom, who, growing impatient, had followed hisbig brother.
"He seems to have disappeared, Tom," was the low reply.
"Did he go in there?"
"That is just what I was wondering."
Dick looked into the slit. It was of uncertain depth and looked dark anduninviting. Then the whole crowd searched the neighborhood. Not a traceof the stranger was discernable anywhere.
"Well, he didn't fly up in the air," said Sam. "He must have gonesomewhere. Why not look into that opening, Dick?"
"You look out that you don't get shot!" warned Tom. "That fellow, if heis one of the old freight thieves and the rascal who robbed Mrs. Stanhopeof the valise with the fortune, must be a desperate character."
"If I go in, it will be pistol first," answered Dick, grimly.
He drew the weapon Captain Wells had loaned him, and slowly butcautiously wormed his way between the rocks. It was so dark he had tofeel his way along, and, fearing that he might fall into some hole, hedid not advance a step until he was sure of his footing.
"Shall we come?" called Tom, softly.
"Not yet," answered Dick.
He passed along a distance of fifteen or twenty feet. Then the passagewaywidened, and he found himself standing on a rocky flooring that wascomparatively smooth.
"Gracious! can this be one of the entrances to the smugglers' cave theytold about?" he mused.
He continued to advance, and presently caught sight of a flicker oflight, playing over the uneven rocks that formed the roof of the cavern.
"That must come from a campfire!" he murmured. "And if it does. I musthave struck the right spot. Maybe this is where they are holding Dora'smother a prisoner!"
He continued to go forward, and the light of the fire grew brighter. Thenof a sudden, he heard a step behind him.
"Will spy on me, will you!" cried a voice, vindictively, and in a tricehe was struck a blow on the back of the head. He went down in a heap, anda man leaped on top of him and held him fast. Then commenced a fiercestruggle, in the midst of which Dick's pistol went off, making atremendous report in that confined space. The bullet struck the rocks,doing no damage.
The pistol had been close to Dick's head and the discharge caused thesmoke to get into his face, choking and blinding him. Then he receivedanother blow, and for a minute or two knew no more.
"Listen!" cried Tom, as the pistol went off. "Dick must be in trouble!Come on, Sam!"
"Yes, but be careful," was the answer.
"Want me?" asked the old tar, anxiously.
"You had better stay on guard here, for the present," replied Tom.
"Just as you say, messmate."
Tom wormed his way between the rocks and Sam followed. The pistol shotwas followed by silence, and the two Rover boys did not know what to makeof it.
"Shall I call?" asked Sam.
"Might as well," was Tom's reply, and both called Dick's name as loudlyas they could.
"Help! help!" came back faintly.
"We are coming!" yelled Tom, rushing forward. "Where are you?"
"I am her----" was the answer, and then of a sudden all became quietagain, as a hand was placed over Dick's mouth.
With their weapons ready for use, Tom and Sam ran through the cavern. Butall was silent, and the flickering rays from the campfire beyond were toofaint for them to see much.
"Dick! Dick! Where are you?" called out Tom.
"To the left!" was the faint reply. "Turn to the left!"
The voice sounded muffled, as if the speaker was being strangled, andwith their hearts in their throats, Tom and Sam advanced and at a breakin the rocky wall, turned to the left. Hardly had they gone a dozen stepswhen they plunged downward into space.
"Oh!" came from both, and then followed a mighty splash, as the pairstruck the water. Each went down over his head, and on coming up had tostrike out to keep from drowning.
"Sam! Sam!" cried Tom.
"I'm here!" was the spluttered-out reply. "Are you hurt?"
"Not much, but I went over my head in water!"
"So did I."
"Where is Dick?"
"I don't know."
"Can he be drowned?"
"Oh, don't say that!"
It was pitch dark, and only by calling to each other did the two ladsmanage to get together. Both swam around until their feet touched a rockand on this they stood to catch their breath. The water was all aroundthem.
"Which way did we come, Tom?" asked Sam, after a moment of silence,during which both did what they could to get back their breath.
"I don't know. I can't see a thing, can you?"
"No."
"I don't believe Dick is here."
"Neither do I, Tom. I believe somebody fooled us."
"That's it! And we fell right into the trap!"
"But where can Dick be?"
"Most likely a prisoner of our enemies," muttered Tom, bitterly.
Tom's surmise was correct, Dick was indeed a prisoner of their enemies.He had his hands and his feet bound tightly, and he had been dragged, byTad Sobber towards the campfire that was burning at the further end ofthe big cave. In the meantime the fellow who had been followed by Dickwent off to make sure that Tom and Sam would turn to the left and fallinto the water.
"Well, Dick Rover, this is what you get for following us!" cried TadSobber, in tones of triumph. "Perhaps, some day, you'll learn enough tokeep your hands out of my affairs."
"Sobber, tell me, what have you done with Mrs. Stanhope?" asked Dick,quickly. Even though he felt bruised and shook up, the welfare of Dora'smother was uppermost in his mind.
"I am not here to answer your questions."
"You won't tell me?"
"Not a word."
"Do you realize that you and Josiah Crabtree have committed a big crime?"
"We have done nothing wrong."
"Don't you call stealing and abducting wrong?"
"I haven't stolen anything. The fortune from Treasure Isle belonged to myuncle and me--the Stanhopes had no right to it whatsoever."
"I think otherwise--and so did the courts."
"Bah! Your side didn't treat me fairly, you bought up the judges! I knowyou!" stormed Tab Sobber. "The fortune was ours! Now I've got it--and Imean to keep it!"
"And what of Mrs. Stanhope?"
"Mrs. Stanhope has acted like a sensible woman."
"Acted like a sensible woman? What do you mean?"
"She has done what she should have done years ago--she has given herheart to the man who loves her."
"Sobber, you don't mean----" Dick could not go on, for the lump that cameinto his throat.
"I do mean it."
"What?"
"I mean that she has become the wife of Mr. Josiah Crabtree!" cried TadSobber. "So if you ever marry Dora Stanhope you'll have Mr. Crabtree foryour father-in-law."