CHAPTER XXVII
A TIMELY RESCUE
Fenn's fear, and his fierce desire to escape from the cave, lent himspeed. Forward he went, faster than he had ever run before. Suddenlythere loomed up before him a dim, hazy light, but it was the illuminationfrom the sun, and not from an artificial source.
"It must be morning!" the boy thought. "I worked at that hole all night.But how is it that the sun shines down the shaft? I didn't believe itcould. There's something strange here!"
All these thoughts flashed through his mind while he ran on, intent ondistancing his pursuer, who was close behind him. Fenn could hear theman's footsteps. Once more the fellow shouted:
"Hey! Stop! You don't know where you're goin'!"
"I don't, eh?" thought Fenn. "Well, I guess I do. I'm going to get awayfrom you, that's where I'm going."
The dim light became plainer now. Fenn could see that it came throughan opening in the cave; an opening that was close to the ground. Clearlythen, this could not be the shaft down which he had come. He waspuzzled, but he kept on.
He threw away the lantern, for he did not need it any longer to seewhere to go. Several other voices joined in the shouts of alarm, and inurging Fenn to stop. He did not answer but kept on.
"If I can once get outside they'll not dare to carry me back," the ladreasoned. "It's only a little farther now."
He was panting from the run, for the exertion, following his illness,and the experience he had gone through, was too much for him. He feltthat he could go no farther. Yet he knew if he halted now the men wouldget him, and he feared for the consequences that might follow hisattempt to escape.
"Oh, if only some of the boys were here!" was his almost despairingthought. "If ever I needed help I do now!"
The light was so good now that Fenn could distinguish the sides of thecave. He saw that he was running along a straight tunnel, quite high andwide, but which narrowed, like a funnel, as it approached the openingtoward which he was speeding.
"I wonder if there's room for me to get out?" he thought. "And I wonderwhere I'll be when I get out?"
"Hold on! Hold on!" yelled the man back of Fenn. "You'll get hurt if yougo any farther!"
"And I'll get hurt if I go back," whispered Fenn, pantingly.
"Stop! Stop!" cried another voice which the lad recognized as Dirkfell's."Come back! I'll not harm you!"
"He's too late with that promise," Fenn thought.
A few seconds later he was at the opening of the cave. He fairly sprangthrough it, finding it large enough to give him passage standing upright.He leaped out, so glad was he to leave behind the terrors of the darkcave, and the mysterious men, who seemed so anxious to keep him aprisoner.
"Free!" Fenn almost shouted as he passed the edge of the opening. He wasabout to give an exultant cry, but it was choked on his lips.
For the opening was on the sheer edge of a cliff, without the semblanceof a foothold beyond it, and below it there sparkled the blue waters ofLake Superior!
Fenn felt himself falling. He was launched through the air by his leapfor liberty, and, a moment later, the lake had closed over his head!
Meanwhile Mr. Hayward, followed by his daughter, Frank, Bart and Ned washurrying along, bent on discovering and rescuing Fenn. True, they didnot know where he was, but Mr. Hayward had a clue he wished to follow.As he hastened along, he told the boys what it was.
"My daughter and I have been sort of living in the woods for the pastweek," he said. "We have taken auto trips as far as the machine wouldgo, and then have tramped the rest of the way. I want to see how my landis. It is some property I bought a good while ago, and which I neverthought amounted to much. But I have a chance to sell it now, and I maydispose of it.
"I was looking along the lake shore, the other day, for some of my landextends out there,--and I saw a boat, containing some Chinese and awhite man. It was being rowed up and down the shore, and I thought, atthe time, the men acted rather suspiciously. They seemed to be waitingfor something to happen. I was too busy to pay much attention to them,but I believe now that they were part of that smugglers' band you speakof."
"Why didn't you tell the police, father?" asked Ruth. "To think of poorFenn being captured by them."
"We are not sure he is captured by them, Ruth," said Mr. Hayward. "Atany rate I'm going to the point on shore near where I saw the boat. Itmay be there is a tunnel running from that place on the hill, where Fenndisappeared, right down to the lake. In that case we may find some traceof him there. This region used to be worked by some ancient race, Iunderstand, who dug deep into the earth after certain minerals and ores.There are several tunnels, shafts and queer passages through the hillsand along shore, I have heard; shafts that used to give access to themines. They have long been abandoned, but it is just possible that thesmugglers may have discovered and utilized them."
"Maybe they're hiding in a cave, somewhere, now," suggested Ned, "andperhaps they have Fenn a prisoner."
"Oh dear! Isn't it dreadful!" exclaimed Ruth, with a shudder. The otherboys could not help wishing she was as anxious about them as she wasover Fenn. It made up, in a great measure, for all he was likely tosuffer, Bart thought. He looked closely at Ruth. She seemed strangelyexcited, as though she feared some nameless terror.
"This way!" called Mr. Hayward, leading the little party of rescuersthrough a short cut, and down a sloping bank to the shore of the lake."Here we are. Now the boat, when I saw it, was right opposite thatlittle point of land," and he motioned to indicate where he meant.
At that instant Bart saw something black bobbing about on the surface ofthe lake.
"What's that?" he cried, pointing to it.
"A boat!" exclaimed Ruth. "There is the boat now, daddy!"
"It's too small for a boat," replied Mr. Hayward. "It's a man! It's someone in the lake!" he added excitedly. "And he's about done for, too!I'll swim out and get him!"
Before any of the boys could offer, or indeed make any move, to go tothe rescue, Mr. Hayward had thrown off the heaviest of his clothing andplunged in. With powerful strokes he made for the black object, which,as the others could see, was a person making feeble efforts to swimashore.
With anxious eyes the three chums and Ruth watched the rescue. They sawMr. Hayward reach the bobbing head, saw him place an arm about theexhausted swimmer, and then strike out for shore.
A few minutes later the man was able to wade. In his arms he carried analmost inert bundle.
"I got him, boys!" he called.
"Who?" asked Ruth.
"Fenn Masterson! I was just in the nick of time. He was going down forthe final plunge," and with that he laid the nearly-unconscious form ofFenn down on the sandy shore.