Frank Merriwell's Alarm Part 35

"We've both been in bad sc.r.a.pes before. Keep a stiff upper lip. We'll pull out all right. First, we must see if we can scale this place where we fell."

Another match was lighted, and they made an examination. It was not long before they were convinced that it was utterly useless to think of 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 buried ourselves. That's what I call hard lines."

With the aid of their matches, they made their way along slowly, both fearing they might take another fall, and that it might be fatal.

"Perhaps it would be the best thing that could happen to us," said Rattleton, dolefully. "It would be a great deal better than starving down here underground."

Frank said nothing. He saw their matches were running out, and the thought of being left there in the darkness of that great cavern, with no means of procuring a light of any sort, was overcoming him and making it impossible for him to a.s.sume an air of carelessness and merry 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 not going to use up all these matches, for there is no telling how valuable they may be later on."

So, clinging to each other, they crept along inch by inch, lost in the Stygian darkness of the great cavern of the Sierras.

CHAPTER XVII.

BROTHER AND SISTER.

"There's a light ahead, Harry!"

Frank uttered the words in an excited whisper, after they had been groping their way through the darkness of the great cavern for what seemed to be many hours.

Rattleton was greatly agitated.

"It is a light, sure!" he panted. "Frank, we're all right at last!"

For some time they had heard a strange puffing sound that seemed smothered and far away, like the panting breathing of some subterranean monster. This was accompanied by a singular buzzing roar that sounded very uncanny.

"What is it?" asked Rattleton, in awe--"what can it be?"

"Give it up," confessed Frank. "Let's find out. Come on."

They moved toward the light, and soon they found themselves looking down into a round chamber of the great cavern from a height of many feet.

What they saw filled them with inexpressible astonishment.

The place was lighted with electric lamps, and down there in the chamber was a steam engine and a small electric dynamo.

The engine was running steadily, and the dynamo hummed with a sound about which there now was nothing uncanny.

Near the engine, watching it with interest, was the girl of the golden hair.

Harry clutched Frank's arm.

"There she is!" he panted. "We have found her at last!"

They stood in silence for several moments, watching the girl, who looked very pretty beneath the light of the electric lamps.

Suddenly a cry came from Harry, and he clutched Merriwell's arm with quivering fingers, pointing with his other hand.

"Look! look!" he exclaimed. "The dwarf--there he is!"

Sure enough, the crouching figure of Apollo was seen emerging from the darkness of a black opening and advancing toward the girl with swift, catlike steps.

The girl had heard Harry's exclamation, and, startled, she looked up toward where the boys were standing.

Then the dwarf rushed upon her and clutched her with his iron hands.

A scream of terror came from the lips of the frightened girl, and rang in weird echoes through the cave.

The hand of Apollo was pressed over her mouth.

But that scream had been heard, and there was an answering shout from not very far away.

The girl struggled, but the dwarf dragged her along toward the dark opening.

"How can we get down there, Frank? We must take a hand! How can we do it? It is too far to jump!"

Rattleton was frantic.

Frank was looking for some way of getting down into the chamber.

Before either of them could discover a means of going to the a.s.sistance of the girl, Carter Morris, the strange old hermit, rushed into the cavern.

Morris sprang to the aid of the girl, but it seemed Bernard Belmont had been waiting for such a thing to happen, for he leaped out of the darkness and grappled with the hermit.

Then a savage battle took place before the eyes of the boys.

"Furies!" roared the man of the cave, writhing to break the grasp of his a.s.sailant. "Who are you?"

The girl got her mouth free from Apollo's hand and screamed:

"It is my stepfather--it is Bernard Belmont!"

It seemed that those words filled the hermit with a mad frenzy. He struggled furiously, and Belmont was forced to exert all his strength to prevent himself from being overcome, although he was the a.s.sailant.

"We must go to the rescue, Frank--we must!" palpitated Rattleton.