CHAPTER XXI
THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING BOY
Bob Jarvis waited a long time at the chutes for his companion, but Stevedid not return. This did not cause Bob any particular worry, as Steve nodoubt had been called to some other part of the mine. So Bob deciding towait no longer, strolled away.
At the close of the day's work, however, when Steve was not at the mouthof the shaft waiting for him, Bob began to wonder. He waited about theshaft for half an hour, then went on to his boarding place. Steve hadnot returned.
"Where's Rush?" demanded the boarding boss, knowing Steve's habit ofpunctuality.
"That is what's bothering me. I haven't seen him."
It was the business of the boarding boss to look quickly into anyabsences and report them to the superintendent or the mine captain. Hegot busy at once. Calling up the time-keeper's office, he inquired ifSteve Rush had checked in.
The information came back a moment later that Steve had not come up fromthe mine yet; or, if he had, he had failed to report himself.
"Then something has happened to him," was Jarvis' emphatic conclusion."He left word for me to meet him at seventeen, but when I got there hehad gone. I haven't seen him since."
The boarding boss agreed so strongly that he telephoned to thesuperintendent. The latter had not yet arrived home from his office, sothe mine captain was communicated with.
But Bob Jarvis already was out of the house, headed for the shaft at topspeed.
"Has Steve Rush come up yet?" he demanded of the cage-tender.
"Haven't seen him."
Bob hesitated. He realized the futility of wandering about the mine notknowing in what part of it he should look for the missing Steve. He thenhurried to the time-keeper's office, learning that nothing had been seenof the missing boy.
Bob did not know which way to turn. But by the time he had reached theshaft again Superintendent Penton was there, together with the minecaptain, preparing to go below. The cage had just come up and the menwere stepping aboard when a boy from the boarding house where the IronBoys lived came running up out of breath.
"Wait!" cried Bob. "Here comes a boy from our hashery. Maybe Steve hasgone home."
"What is it, boy?" called the superintendent.
"Boss wanted me to tell you that the telephone man who lives with ussays Mr. Rush got a telephone message from you to meet him at the lowerlevel this afternoon. He says Rush didn't come back."
"I didn't send for him to meet me anywhere," answered thesuperintendent. "We'll go to the lower level. Shoot us down as fast asis safe," he added, addressing the cage-tender.
The bottom of the car seemed to be dropping from beneath their feet, sorapid was their descent.
Bob, holding to the support rod above their heads, was thinking fast andhard.
"I knew something had happened to Steve," he said. "Something hashappened to him."
Mr. Penton had not spoken since the cage started. He, too, was thinkingdeeply. There was something about all this that he could not understand,though he was unable to clearly define what really was in his mind. Ifsomeone had called Steve Rush to come to the sub-level above the lowerlevel, and had done so in the name of the superintendent, it must havebeen done either as a joke or for some other purpose that could only besurmised.
"Why should anyone have resorted to such a subterfuge?" wondered Mr.Penton.
Very much the same thoughts were running through the mind of Bob Jarvis.So engrossed was each with his own thoughts that neither man seemed torealize the dizzy rate of speed at which they were descending. Finallythe cage began to slow down gradually, then finally came to an easystop.
There was no light in that sub-level, but the occupants of the cage knewexactly where they were. They knew the place as well as though thesub-level had been ablaze with light.
"All off," ordered the superintendent. "The cage will wait for us here."
He had given orders that the cage was to remain below until he signaledthe tender to hoist. If the latter found it necessary to raise the cagebefore that he was to ring a certain signal on the gong, each level andsub-level being provided with one.
"All hands keep their eyes open," directed the leader of the searchingparty. "I haven't much hope that we shall find him here, however."
The group moved along the sub-level, glancing about them keenly as theydid so, until they reached the turn or bend in the tunnel, where theypaused to listen. The sub-level was as silent as a tomb. They could noteven hear the rush of the water as it dashed into the lower level, someof it coming all the way from the surface.
"Shall I call out?" asked Bob.
"Yes."
"Steve!" Bob's voice did not seem to carry far. It sounded weak to him.
"Oh, Steve! Steve Rush!" shouted the superintendent.
There being no response, he repeated the call several times, but with nobetter result.
"I guess it is useless, boys. I am afraid we shall not find him here. Infact, I can't believe that he came down here at all."
"The boy said you had telephoned to Steve to come down, didn't he?"asked Jarvis.
"Yes; but I did nothing of the sort. The telephone man must have made amistake in the message--or else----" Mr. Penton checked himself sharply."We will look further, though I am sure we are wasting time. We shallprobably find that he has fallen somewhere on one of the upper levelsand hurt himself. If that is so, one of the watchmen is sure to discoverhim and report the matter at once. We will go out to the platform, thenon up to the next level. I'll have all the watchmen notified at once totake up the search."
The searchers walked out on the planking where Steve had stood a coupleof hours before. Mr. Penton peered down into the black pit, while theothers stood a little back from him.
"He is not here. It is as I thought. He has not been here, in allprobability. We shall have to go on up, boys. I----"
Bob suddenly jerked his candle from his hat, holding the light to thefloor. As he did so, he uttered a half-smothered exclamation, at thesame time grabbing something from the planking and holding it up to thelight.
"Look!" cried the lad. "Look! He hasn't been here, eh?"