CHAPTER XVI.
LOST UNDERGROUND.
The boys followed Belmont and Apollo, being aided in doing so withoutdanger of discovery by the gathering darkness; but they knew very wellthat, in a short time it would become so dark that they might losetrack of the two.
Apollo seemed to be guiding his master to some spot, and theyclambered over the rocks with haste that indicated a desire to reachthe place without delay.
At last the dwarf paused and swept aside some matted vines from theface of what seemed to be a cliff of solid stone.
A black opening, large enough to admit a man in a stooping posture,was revealed.
Apollo urged Belmont to follow, and then they disappeared beyond thevines, which fell down and hid the opening again.
"It's a cave, Merry!" whispered Rattleton.
"Yes," nodded Frank; "it may be one of the many entrances to the greatcavern of the 'queer' makers. This may lead into the cave occupied byCarter Morris!"
"Then let's get in there quick!" exclaimed Harry, eagerly. "If wedon't, we may lose track of those men."
"We must use something like caution, my boy. If we were to rush inafter them, it might do us up, for they may be laying for us."
So the mouth of the cave was approached with caution.
When they had reached it, Frank listened.
From a distance inside he could hear voices, and, peering through thevines, he caught the glimmer of a light.
"Come in quickly after me, Harry," he directed. "Be ready to fight foryour life if attacked."
Rattleton's heart was in his throat, and he felt that they wereplunging into unknown and terrible danger, but he said:
"Go ahead. I am with you to the end."
Gently and swiftly Frank made the opening in the vines larger, andthen he quickly stepped through, holding them aside for his friend tofollow.
The vines fell back into place, and the lad crouched close to theground.
"There," said Frank, "see that light? It is not a torch."
"No. It seems to be some sort of lamp."
"It is a miner's lamp. Look--another is being lighted."
A match flared up, and its bright glow revealed the pale and terribleface of the gorilla man, who was lighting the lamp.
The lamps were arranged to be placed in the hats of those who carriedthem, and this was what the two men did with them.
When everything was arranged to their satisfaction, Belmont and thedwarf started onward into the cave.
"We'll follow them, Harry," said Frank.
The light from the lamps made it a comparatively easy task for theboys to accomplish their purpose.
Deeper and deeper into the great cave went the two men. Once or twicethey stopped and listened. Once the boys distinctly heard Apollo say:
"Master, I think I heard a step."
"Nonsense!" returned the man, sharply. "You heard nothing."
"I am sure I heard something," the dwarf insisted.
"Then it was a rat, or, if there are no rats here, it was a piece offalling stone."
"It may have been," acknowledged Apollo.
Onward they went.
Frank and Harry had stopped and were listening. Harry's hands graspedMerriwell's arm, and he was filled with excitement. He drew a breathof relief when the men moved on.
"Jy bove--no, by Jove!" he gasped. "I thought the trick was up then!"
"Still!" cautioned Frank. "We must not alarm that dwarf too much. Hehas wonderfully keen ears."
The passage, in places, broadened into great chambers, while in otherplaces it narrowed till they were forced to make their way along oneat a time.
"If we lose sight of those lights we may have some trouble gettingout," whispered Harry.
"That's so," confessed Merriwell. "I have seen other passages besidesthe one taken by them."
The thought of being lost underground in that great cave was enough toturn them cold with fear.
And then, without the least warning, the lights in advance suddenlyvanished.
"Down!" whispered Merriwell. "I believe they have discovered we areafter them. Close to the ground and listen!"
Down they crouched, their hearts beating riotously in their bosoms.
Not a sound seemed to break the deathlike stillness of the cave.
"What's happened?" whispered Harry. "Where have they gone?"
"Give it up," answered Frank. "They have disappeared, but that is asmuch as I know."
"Perhaps they are laying for us."
But, although they waited a long time, not a sound could they hearsave those sounds made by themselves.
"I am going ahead," declared Merriwell.
"We may run into them."
"Got to chance it, old man. That might be better than to have them runaway from us. Come on."
"I'm with you."
Keeping close together, they crept forward slowly, not knowing butthey might be attacked at any moment.
Of a sudden, Frank gave a gasp and cry. Harry tried to grasp hiscompanion, and then he found himself slipping, sliding, falling.
Down they went, getting hold of each other, but being unable to stoptheir descent. It was impossible to see anything there in thatfrightful darkness, and that made their peril seem awful indeed.
Fortunately their fall was not always direct. There were times whenthey seemed to be sliding down a steep slope, while dust filled theireyes and mouths, and they were bruised and scratched and robbed ofbreath.
Finally, when it had seemed they would never cease falling, theystopped with a great thump and lay panting side by side.
"Great humping misery!" gasped Rattleton, weakly. "Are we diving orare we lead--I mean are we living or are we dead?"
"We seem to be living," said Frank, "but we might be better off if wewere dead. I think we are in a bad scrape."
"What happened to us, anyway?"
"We fell."
"Or were we pushed?"
"There was no pushing about it. We took the tumble ourselves."
"You don't suppose the chaps we were following fell down here ahead ofus?"
"No."
"Then what could have become of them?"
"They must have turned off into a side passage we did not see. That isthe only way I can explain it."
"Well, we may not be able to get out of this."
"We'll have to get out."
"What if we can't?"
"We mustn't think of that."
"All right; but I can't help it."
They sat up and felt of themselves, finding no bones were broken,although they had been bruised somewhat.
Harry was about to get on his feet, but Frank would not allow thattill he had lighted a match, as there was danger of taking another madtumble.
Frank always carried matches in a watertight case, and he produced andstruck one. By the aid of the tiny blaze they first satisfiedthemselves that they were not on the brink of another descent, andthere was no immediate danger of falling again. Then they tried tolook around.
"Murder!" gasped Harry. "We are in it--bad!"
Frank felt that Rattleton was right; without doubt they were in a verybad scrape. But it was Merry's policy to keep up his courage and puton a front, so he joked and laughed as if it were a matter to be madelight of.
"I don't know how you do it, old man," said Harry, gloomily; "but Ican't laugh while we are in this sort of a hole."
"We've both been in bad scrapes before. Keep a stiff upper lip. We'llpull out all right. First, we must see if we can scale this placewhere we fell."
Another match was lighted, and they made an examination. It was notlong before they were convinced that it was utterly useless to thinkof trying to get out that way.
"Can't be done!" groaned Harry.
"Not that way," admitted Frank. "But we'll find a way."
"We came here to find the buried heiress, and now we are buriedourselves. That's what I call hard lines."
With the aid of their matches, they made t
heir way along slowly, bothfearing they might take another fall, and that it might be fatal.
"Perhaps it would be the best thing that could happen to us," saidRattleton, dolefully. "It would be a great deal better than starvingdown here underground."
Frank said nothing. He saw their matches were running out, and thethought of being left there in the darkness of that great cavern, withno means of procuring a light of any sort, was overcoming him andmaking it impossible for him to assume an air of carelessness andmerry spirits.
Finally, when there were but a few matches left, Frank said:
"We'll have to feel our way along and take chances, Harry. I am notgoing to use up all these matches, for there is no telling howvaluable they may be later on."
So, clinging to each other, they crept along inch by inch, lost in theStygian darkness of the great cavern of the Sierras.