Frank Merriwell's Alarm Part 34

"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 of falling stone."

"It may have been," acknowledged Apollo.

Onward they went.

Frank and Harry had stopped and were listening. Harry's hands grasped Merriwell's arm, and he was filled with excitement. He drew a breath of 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. He has wonderfully keen ears."

The pa.s.sage, in places, broadened into great chambers, while in other places it narrowed till they were forced to make their way along one at a time.

"If we lose sight of those lights we may have some trouble getting out," whispered Harry.

"That's so," confessed Merriwell. "I have seen other pa.s.sages besides the one taken by them."

The thought of being lost underground in that great cave was enough to turn them cold with fear.

And then, without the least warning, the lights in advance suddenly vanished.

"Down!" whispered Merriwell. "I believe they have discovered we are after 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 as much as I know."

"Perhaps they are laying for us."

But, although they waited a long time, not a sound could they hear save 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 run away from us. Come on."

"I'm with you."

Keeping close together, they crept forward slowly, not knowing but they might be attacked at any moment.

Of a sudden, Frank gave a gasp and cry. Harry tried to grasp his companion, and then he found himself slipping, sliding, falling.

Down they went, getting hold of each other, but being unable to stop their descent. It was impossible to see anything there in that frightful darkness, and that made their peril seem awful indeed.

Fortunately their fall was not always direct. There were times when they seemed to be sliding down a steep slope, while dust filled their eyes and mouths, and they were bruised and scratched and robbed of breath.

Finally, when it had seemed they would never cease falling, they stopped with a great thump and lay panting side by side.

"Great humping misery!" gasped Rattleton, weakly. "Are we diving or are 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 we were dead. I think we are in a bad sc.r.a.pe."

"What happened to us, anyway?"

"We fell."

"Or were we pushed?"

"There was no pus.h.i.+ng about it. We took the tumble ourselves."

"You don't suppose the chaps we were following fell down here ahead of us?"

"No."

"Then what could have become of them?"

"They must have turned off into a side pa.s.sage we did not see. That is the 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 that till he had lighted a match, as there was danger of taking another mad tumble.

Frank always carried matches in a watertight case, and he produced and struck one. By the aid of the tiny blaze they first satisfied themselves that they were not on the brink of another descent, and there was no immediate danger of falling again. Then they tried to look around.

"Murder!" gasped Harry. "We are in it--bad!"

Frank felt that Rattleton was right; without doubt they were in a very bad sc.r.a.pe. But it was Merry's policy to keep up his courage and put on a front, so he joked and laughed as if it were a matter to be made light of.

"I don't know how you do it, old man," said Harry, gloomily; "but I can't laugh while we are in this sort of a hole."