CHAPTER XVIII
GLEN AND APPLE FIND THE CAVE
As might be expected, the excitement in camp that evening was intense.Chick-chick and Brick Mason were heroes. No one could do too much forthem. Even Will Spencer was excited.
"It's a fine thing for you, Glen," he said. "I'm glad you had the chanceand that you did so well with it. Mr. Newton says the sheriff will giveyou and the deputy full credit for the capture of the two fellows thatcame down with Matt."
"I'm mighty tickled," Glen admitted. "I don't think it'll amount to sovery much, though, because there's so many will have to divide thereward."
"Brick, Brick, where did you get that head?" exclaimed Jolly Bill. "I'mnot talking about the reward. Can't you see anything better than that?"
"Why, I don't know that I do. I'm afraid I never will be smart."
"Yes, you will. You're getting too much for me already. But, don't yousee, old brick head, how much better chance this gives you to get yourdischarge from the reform school? 'Single-handed, he engaged in aterrific conflict with two desperadoes and delivered them into the handsof the officers of the law.' How does that sound? You begin to see whereyou get off?"
"Maybe so. All I did was to hold the horses, but I'll be glad of anycredit that comes to me. I expected we'd hear from the school beforenow."
"Don't you fear but what you'll hear quick enough. Your friend who washere last Sunday is looking after your interests or they'd have yankedyou back before now. I only hope they let you stay another week or twoso you'll do me some good."
"I surely hope they do," said Glen. "I'm having such a fine time I wishit would go on forever. You think you'll get along all right while I goup the Mound to-night?"
"I'll be all right. Bob and I will keep the camp from running away.Maybe it'll rain again, like it did when you tried it Sunday night.You'll be mighty glad to get back to us if it does."
"No, we're going to stick it out to-night whatever happens," said Glen."The fellows are going to take their ponchos and stay all nightwhatever the weather. Going clear to the top of Buffalo Mound. I'm goingwith Apple and he has a waterproof sleeping bag big enough for two.We're going to have a great time. I tell you, Will, this camp life withpeople like Apple and the scoutmaster and you is more like heaven thananything I ever dreamed of."
A great deal of satisfaction and joy had come into Glen Mason's life inthe last few days. He felt it in the companionship of Apple andChick-chick as they marched up Buffalo Mound together that night,carrying their firewood and blankets for the bivouac. There was a newbond of fellowship between them, a bond which Glen would have found itquite impossible to state in words but which was none the less genuineand fixed. The little service at the camp-fire meant more to him thananything he had ever experienced; he had really started his journey, hewas definitely lined up with God's people, he had enlisted for actualservice. In the few quiet minutes while he lay wrapped in his blanketwaiting for sleep to come, and meanwhile looking up at the starry vaultwhich seemed to him to represent God's heaven, he experienced thegreatest peace that had ever come into his life.
Only hardened campaigners and boys can sleep the dreamless sleep ofnature next to mother earth, with no soft mattress to pad the irregularoutlines of bony prominences, and even boys are apt to waken earlierthan common. So it is no wonder that daybreak found Glen and Apple gladto shake themselves free from their blankets and climb the few feetnecessary to get the best of the justly celebrated view from BuffaloMound. Miles and miles over the flat prairie country could they see inthe clear morning air, and with the assistance of Mr. Newton's fieldglass they could draw far away objects very near to their field ofvision. It was interesting to see the little towns, each with its two orthree church spires, its one or two large buildings and its collectionof dwellings; to see eight towns in six different counties from the samespot was an exciting experience for these boys.
But they did not get their real excitement until they turned their glassdown the west side of the Mound, and there came in the range of theirvision an Indian engaged in some mysterious occupation on the bank ofBuffalo Creek.
"He's at the Ice Box," declared Apple. "Now what do you suppose thatIndian's doing? Look at him dive."
"How can he stay under so long?" asked Glen, after they had watched twoor three minutes without seeing a head appear.
"I can't tell you. Maybe he swam under water and has come up in someother place that we can't see."
But fully ten minutes later, while they still watched in greatcuriosity, his head came into sight at about the place where he haddived in, and a moment later they saw him draw his glistening body outof the water.
"Where's he been?" said Apple. "He hasn't been under water all thattime."
"But neither did he come up anywhere that I could see," said Glen. "Iknow what's happened," he added in an excited tone. "He's been in thecave."
"I believe you," said Apple. "We guessed right. Ice Box and Deep Springsmean the same place. I don't know about any Twin Elms but that cave isthere, at the Ice Box. I don't know why we never saw it, unless becauseit's on the far bank and we always looked this side."
"Maybe its entrance is under water," suggested Glen. "That Indian dived,you see, and we didn't see a sign of him again until he came back."
"That's the way of it, Glen. And that's the same Indian told us to lookfor heap rock. I believe--" it was the romantic side of Apple nowappearing--"I believe he is the tribal guardian of the treasure and hestays around here to guard it from our search."
"Maybe so," agreed Glen. "Anyway if the treasure's there we'll soon knowit. You think you can keep in your head the exact location where hedived?"
"Yes. It's just at the bend of the Ice Box. Right opposite on the otherbank are those two old stumps--"
"Hold on," shouted Glen excitedly, seized with a great idea. "I'll betyou those are the stumps of elm trees--the Twin Elms."
"You're right, Glen. I'm sure you're right. I can hardly wait to findout."
"We don't want all the camp following us into this. When will be thebest time to hunt for it?"
"What's the matter with right now?" suggested Apple. "It's only a littleafter five. Breakfast won't be called until eight. Father won't carewhere we go so long as we get to camp in time for breakfast."
"But the Indian! What will he be doing while we explore his cave?"
"He won't be there. He hiked through the timber, and he's less likelyto be there now than he would be later on in the day."
"It's all right with me," declared Glen. "Now's as good as any time.We'll get our blankets and tell your father we will be at camp in timefor breakfast."
When a couple of boys have a great secret which they have justdiscovered they are likely to overdo the secrecy of it. Glen and Applemade a wide detour through the fields and when they at last approachedthe Ice Box it was from an entirely different angle. Taking warning fromthe exposure of the Indian they took off their clothes in the shelter ofsome bushes and made a quick rush into the water.
"Be careful, now," warned Apple. "It's cold as ice and swift as therapids. Must be some big springs around here."
But Glen was always at home in the water and needed no warning.
"Here it is, I'll bet," he cried. "Just under the ledge, you see. Theopening's only about two feet wide and the space above water to theledge isn't more than a foot and a half. That's why it's all covered upwhen the water's high. Come on. Let me go first."
Once inside this narrow passage they were indeed in a cave. For a fewfeet around the small opening daylight shone dimly in, but it was lostin impenetrable gloom above and to the rear. A mass of something denseloomed in front of them and Apple swimming boldly up declared, it to bea pile of stone.
"It's the heap stone the Indian spoke about, Brick," he shouted. "We'vesure found it. Let's go back and get some lanterns and things."
Out in the broad light of day the romance did not seem quite soabsolutely sure, and the nearer they drew to the camp the less posi
tivedid they become about their discovery.
"We wouldn't like the camp to have the laugh on us like they did onMatt," admitted Apple. "I guess we'd better make sure before we havevery much to say about it."
"I reckon we had," Glen agreed. "We can keep it to ourselves for awhilewithout anybody carrying it away. That Indian couldn't carry it very farby himself. Once we are sure, then we can tell the whole camp. Wish wecould find Chick-chick. We could tell him right now."
It was a hard thing to be discreetly silent until their opportunity forthorough search came, and fortunate that they had not long to wait. Thatvery afternoon it rained and most of the boys stayed in camp.Chick-chick was still away on some mysterious errand. Glen and Appleappeared clad in bathing suits and tennis shoes.
With the lighted lanterns they could get a better idea oftheir surroundings. Page 211]
"We don't mind the rain," Apple announced. "We are going out. Look forus when you see us."
They had already cached a couple of lanterns, a pick and two spades nearthe Ice Box and it was no trick at all to get them into the cave. Withthe lighted lanterns they could get a better idea of their surroundings.The floor of the cave was waist deep in water which seemed to rush on ina swift current and escape again into the creek through a counteropening a few feet away. The cave was quite long. It did not, as theysupposed, have its beginning at the opening where they entered, butextended some distance back into the gloom, and as the current was quiteswift back there it was evident that there were other hidden openings.The vault of the cave was high, so high that they could not see the topby the feeble light of their lanterns. But the thing that they could seeand that thrust from their minds every other subject was a solid arch ofmasonry.
"I was right!" shouted Apple. "I was right! That's no natural formation.That has been built up by men's hands years ago. It's sure to be thehiding place of the treasure. What else could it be?"
"It couldn't be anything else," agreed Glen. "We'll mighty soon see. Getup to the top and I'll hand you the things."
"I'm up," said Apple. "Are you coming too?"
"Sure thing. The way to tear this down is a stone at a time beginningat the top."
"Let me have the pick, then."
"No, you hold the lantern and let me use the pick. I'm the biggest."
Splash! The first big stone disappeared in the water. Another splash andthe second followed. But prying them loose was no easy job and they didnot follow one after the other in the rapid succession the boys wouldhave liked. In less than half an hour they decided that an enormous lotof work had been done in the effort to bury the treasure.
"We think this is pretty hard work getting these stones loose andpitching 'em down in the water," said Apple, reflectively, "but think ofcarrying all of 'em in from outside to build this."
"Perhaps there were more than two to do it," said Glen.
"Of course there were," said the more romantic Apple, his imaginationstirred by the picture. "There was a small army of them. I can imagine Isee them coming in here in a long procession each carrying his load,giving way to the next, and slipping away quietly in the gloom."
"Perhaps they didn't do that way at all," said Glen, the practical. "Ifyou swing your lantern away up you can see that this cave has highledges running away back. Perhaps they managed to get rock from some ofthose ledges."
"Perhaps they did. But it was hard work, anyway, and it's hard workbreaking it up. But if we can just manage to do this just by our twoselves, and then go back to the fellows and tell 'em we've found thetreasure--"
"Say, that will be fine," agreed Glen.
Suddenly there was a splash at the entrance. "Hush!" said Glen."Somebody's coming."
"It's the Indian!" he whispered, a sudden terror seizing him.
"Worse than that!" said Apple, as he saw the figure that minute outlinedagainst the entrance. "Worse than that!" he repeated with a severityunusual in his gentle speech. "It's Matt Burton!"