remarked Mr. Hayward, bringing the boat to a stop.
Once more they scanned the cliff, going as close to sh.o.r.e as they could.
There appeared to be no break in the surface of the palisade.
"I guess we"ll have to try the ledge," announced Mr. Hayward. "We can go down that tree-trunk ladder, but it"s more risky than this way."
He was about to head the craft for a landing place, in order to begin the tramp through the woods, to a point whence the ledge could be reached, when the attention of all in the motorboat was attracted by something happening on sh.o.r.e. From the bushes dashed a Chinaman, his pig-tail streaming in the wind. Behind him came a man, with a revolver in his hand.
"Stop! You almond-eyed scare-crow!" he exclaimed. "I"m not going to hurt you!"
But the Chinaman only ran the faster. Suddenly the man raised his revolver and fired in the air. The Celestial stopped as though he had been shot.
"I thought that would fetch you!" shouted the man, and, a moment later, he had the handcuffs on the representative of the Flowery Kingdom.
"That"s one of the smugglers!" cried Fenn. "The police must be after them!"
"What"s the trouble?" asked Mr. Hayward, of the white man, as the boat neared sh.o.r.e.
"Chinese smugglers," was the short answer. "We got the whole crowd a while ago, just as they were landing a boat load in a secluded cove. But are you Mr. Hayward?"
"I am."
"I was told to look out for you. I understand you gave the information that led to the capture."
"I did, but these boys here told me of it. They"re to get whatever reward is coming."
"Oh, there"s a reward all right. This fellow got away when we were bagging the rest. I had a hard chase after him, and I wanted to catch him, as he"s one of the ring-leaders. But what are you doing here; on the lookout for some more of the c.h.i.n.ks?"
"No, we"re searching for a queer cave where Fenn, one of these boys here, was kept a prisoner. There have been some strange goings on in these parts, and I"d like to get at the bottom of them. I thought maybe the smugglers had a hand in it."
At the mention of the cave, concerning which Mr. Hayward gave the government officer a few details, as Fenn had related them to him, the Chinese captive seemed suddenly interested. When Mr. Hayward told how they had so far, conducted a baffling search, for the entrance, the Celestial exclaimed:
"Me show you."
"What does he mean?" asked Mr. Hayward.
"Blessed if I know," answered the officer. "What"s that, John?"
"Me show hole in glound. Me know. Clum that way," and he pointed a short distance up the lake.
"Do you suppose he knows where the entrance is?" asked Mr. Hayward.
"Shouldn"t wonder," replied the detective. "Those c.h.i.n.ks know more than they"ll tell. Probably he knows the game is up, and he may think, if he plays into our hands, he"ll get off easier."
"That"s lite!" exclaimed the Chinese with a grin. "Me turn state"s evidence. Me know. Me show you."
"I guess he"s an old hand at the game," commented the officer. "Probably it wouldn"t be a bad plan to follow his advice. Wait, I"ll summon a couple of my men, and we"ll go along. No telling what we"ll run up against."
He blew a shrill signal on a whistle he carried and soon two men emerged from the woods on the run. They did not appear surprised to see their chief with the prisoner, and at a word from him they got into the motor boat, the handcuffed Celestial meekly following.
"Now, John, which way," asked the detective, who introduced himself as Mr. Harkness.
"Up by bluushes," replied the Chinese, pointing to a clump which grew on the cliff. "Hole behind bluushes, so no can see. Smart trick. Me know."
"I believe he does," commented Mr. Harkness. "I"ll unhandcuff him, and he can show us," and he removed the irons from the almond-eyed chap.
The motor boat was put over to where the Chinaman indicated. It came to a stop at the foot of a sheer cliff, right under the clump of bushes, which grew about thirty feet up from the surface of the water.
"How in the world are we going to get up there without a ladder?" asked Fenn. "We should have brought one along."
"Here ladder!" suddenly exclaimed the Celestial, who, at a question from one of the officers gave his name as Lem Sing. "Me get ladder."
Lem Sing took hold of a stone that jutted out from the face of the cliff.
He pulled on it, and it came out in his hand. To it was attached a strong cord, extending up somewhere inside the cliff, Lem Sing gave a vigorous yank, and something surprising happened.
The clump of bushes vanished, and, in their place, was a round hole.
"That"s where I jumped from!" exclaimed Fenn.
But this was not all. Down the cliff, out of the hole in the face of it, came tumbling a strong rope ladder, being fastened somewhere inside the hole.
"That how up get!" exclaimed Lem Sing, with a grin. "Now can up-go!"
"Sure we can "up-go"!" exclaimed Mr. Harkness. "Come on, boys," and he began to ascend the ladder, which swayed rather dangerously.
CHAPTER x.x.x
THE DISCOVERY--CONCLUSION
The others followed, one at a time, leaving one of the detectives in charge of Lem Sing.
"Now, Fenn, lead the way," called Mr. Hayward.
"I guess they"ve all gone," said Fenn. "There don"t seem to be any of the miners here, now."
Hardly had he spoken when, turning a corner in the shaft, the party came upon a curious scene. In a big chamber, the same one which Fenn had viewed from the crack in the door of his small prison, there were half a score of men, working by the light of torches, digging stuff from the walls of the cave, and carrying it out in small boxes.
"Here they are!" shouted Fenn. "This is the place, and they"re at work!"
"To the shaft!" shouted some one. "They"re after us!"
There was a hurrying and scurrying to escape, and, before the detectives or Mr. Hayward could make any move to capture the men, they had all disappeared.
"Come on!" cried Mr. Harkness. "Show us the way to the shaft where the ladder is, Fenn! Maybe we can nab some of "em."