Those trees along the edge of the gully would screen it from the ridge!"
The boys halted to discuss the next step in their search.
"The mine tunnel must be somewhere in the mountainside," Frank reasoned. "And it must be on this side of the valley. The other side"s miles away-Dawson couldn"t have carried the gold that far."
"Which still gives us a lot of ground to cover," Joe said.
The two boys rode toward the edge of the valley where the ground began to slope steeply upward.
"Dawson probably wasn"t in shape to climb very far after the crash," Frank said. "So let"s concentrate along the lower slopes."
The boys decided to turn left and skirt the mountainside for at least two miles. If their efforts proved fruitless, they would then retrace their steps and try the other direction.
Deep drifts and tangled underbrush made the going difficult. Several times the Hardys were disappointed.
What looked like a hole in the mountainside proved to be only the shadow of trees or some rocky outcropping.
But suddenly Frank gave a cry of excitement and pointed. "There"s an opening for sure, Joe."
The dark recess was only partly screened by a clump of underbrush. The two boys dismounted, ground-hitched their horses, and scrambled up the slope. They pulled aside the snow-laden brush and Frank shone his flashlight into the hole.
As the yellow beam stabbed through the darkness, Joe murmured, "This looks more like an ordinary cave than a mine tunnel."
"But there is a tunnel back there," Frank replied.
In the rear wall of the cavern, about fifty feet or more from the entrance, they could make out another hole which evidently led deep into the mountainside.
"Okay, let"s take a look," Joe urged.
The boys entered the cave cautiously and walked toward the inner pa.s.sage. Frank stopped as he heard a faint rustling noise to their left.
"Hold it, Joe."
His brother turned quickly. A pair of glowing eyes glinted at them from the darkness.
Frank"s flashlight revealed an enormous gray wolf! Standing stiffly, the animal glared at the intruders, baring its teeth in a low growl.
Other noises reached the boys" ears. Frank swung his flashlight around and a dozen pairs of wolves" eyes shone in the glow like burning coals.
"Good grief!" Frank"s voice was a hoa.r.s.e whisper. "We"ve walked straight into a den of wolves!"
CHAPTER XIX.
Wolf Prey FOR a moment the Hardys were paralyzed with fright.
Joe swallowed hard and whispered, "Can we make a break for freedom?"
"We can try."
At the first step, however, the huge timber wolf nearest them gave a savage snarl. The fur on its back bristled stiffly.
Frank muttered, "One false move and that lobo will go for us. This pack acts hungry."
There was a patter of feet in the darkness. The glowing eyes from the dim recesses circled closer. The wolves were gathering around the boys, cutting off escape through the cave entrance!
Frank could feel drops of cold perspiration trickling down his skin. "Snap on your flashlight, too, Joe.
That may help hold them back."
Joe played the beam slowly back and forth, while Frank used his.
The wolves slunk restlessly to and fro. Their lolling tongues gave them a wickedly grinning appearance, but they were wary of the lights. Now and then, as a gaunt gray form was caught in the full radiance of a beam, the animal would leap back into the shadows.
It was clear that the flashlights could not hold the beasts at bay for long. As the wolves paced back and forth, the circle was being drawn gradually tighter.
"Watch it!" Joe exclaimed suddenly.
The leader of the pack was advancing straight toward Frank, who stabbed his light full into the wolf"s greenish eyes. The brute shrank back, its ears laid flat to its head. A vicious growl issued from its throat.
Instinctively the Hardys moved a step backward. The pack seemed to sense the boys" fear and pressed its advantage, forcing the Hardys to retreat still farther.
"Into the tunnel!" Frank told his brother.
"It may be a blind alley," Joe warned.
"We"ll have to risk it-there"s no other way out."
Inch by inch, the boys backed toward the tunnel opening.
"It"s not wide enough for both of us," Joe said tensely, flashing his light quickly behind them.
"Then you go first," Frank ordered.
They were only a few yards from the tunnel now. Joe began working his way into position behind his brother. The wolves edged closer still, growing bolder, as if they sensed that their victims were trying to escape.
Suddenly the leader gave a vicious snarl and shortened his distance from the boys with a quick leap forward. Again Frank focused his flashlight squarely into the huge beast"s eyes-but this time the wolf refused to shrink back. Frank"s heart hammered as he saw the bared fangs and slavering jaws. Any instant it would leap in for the kill!
"Quick! A rock!" Frank gasped.
Joe looked around desperately and s.n.a.t.c.hed up a heavy, jagged stone. He hurled it with all his might at the wolf. The rock hit the beast squarely in the head and the wolf collapsed, with blood oozing from the wound.
A chorus of low growls rose from the pack. The wolves seemed cowed by their leader"s downfall, but their nostrils had caught the scent of blood.
"Run for it!" Frank yelled.
Joe turned and plunged into the narrow pa.s.sageway. Frank followed but more slowly, keeping his light aimed back at the wolves. The pack was gathering around its downed leader, sniffing and growling at the carca.s.s.
Suddenly Frank heard a cry from Joe. It faded abruptly somewhere in the distance.
"Joe! Are you all right?" Frank glanced around hastily but saw only darkness.
A loud snarl drew his attention back toward the main cave. Glowing eyes were peering into the pa.s.sage as if the wolves were nerving themselves for a renewed attack. Frank backed away fast, hoping to keep them dazzled with the flashlight beam.
Suddenly the ground seemed to end. His foot encountered only empty s.p.a.ce!
The next instant Frank was plunging downward through a narrow hole. Instinctively he doubled up and a moment later landed hard amid dirt and rubble.
Frank was breathless from the jolting shock. Luckily he was still clutching the flashlight. He rolled quickly to his feet and played the beam around. A surge of relief swept over him.
Joe was lying on the ground only a few feet away. He, too, had fallen through the hole, but apparently had retained enough presence of mind to roll clear before Frank fell on him.
"Whew!" Joe was struggling for breath. "Had the wind knocked out of me!" As Frank helped him to his feet, he asked, "What about those wolves?"
"Guess they won"t bother us down here," Frank replied. He shone his flashlight up the hole, which seemed to be a natural chimney in the rock, but he could see nothing.
Meanwhile, Joe was examining the area into which they had fallen. This too appeared to be a pa.s.sageway, but larger than the one they had ducked into while escaping from the wolves. "Frank-look!"
Joe exclaimed. "What"s the matter?"
"Timbering!" Joe"s beam picked out a few moldy uprights and crossbeams, still in position at intervals along the pa.s.sage despite years of disuse. "This place is a mine tunnel!"
"You"re right!" Frank"s voice quivered with excitement. "This must be the tunnel of the Lone Tree diggings that Dawson told us about!"
"Feels like cold air coming from over there," Joe said, glancing toward his right. A curve of the tunnel prevented them from seeing more than ten yards in that direction, but Joe reasoned, "The entrance must be at that end."
Frank agreed and added, "So the chamber with the bluish dirt walls would be the other way. Come on.
Let"s find out!"
Shining their flashlights ahead, the Hardys plodded on. The tunnel was wide enough for them to proceed side by side, but at times they had to duck their heads to avoid b.u.mping them on a crossbeam or a low-hanging clump of rock. Presently the boys" excitement grew as they noticed blue-gray streaks appearing in the earth of the tunnel walls.
"There it is!" Frank cried suddenly.
Far ahead, dimly revealed by the glow of their flashlights, the tunnel opened out into a wider cavern. The boys sprinted forward eagerly. As they burst into the underground chamber, Joe gave a low shout of triumph.
The walls of the cavern were veined with bluish clay!
"This is the place, all right!" Joe exclaimed.
The Hardys excitedly shone their flashlights around the chamber. Several rusty picks and shovels lay scattered about, abandoned by the miners who had worked there many, many years before. The floor of the cavern was hard-packed, but in a few moments Frank and Joe discovered a heap of earth which looked as though at some time it had been dug up, then replaced.
"Grab a shovel, Joe!" Frank said. "Ill bet this is where Dawson buried the gold! Let"s see if it"s still here!"
Both boys set to work. Though the spot was not rocky, the digging was difficult. Frank exchanged his shovel for a pick and began loosening the earth. Then he switched to a shovel again and helped Joe scoop out the dislodged dirt and gravel. After several minutes the Hardys were streaming with perspiration from the exhausting job.
"Boy! No wonder miners use dynamite!" Joe took off his heavy jacket. Frank, too, removed his and the boys returned to the digging. Their flashlights had been propped nearby to illuminate the spot.
Suddenly a yellowish-brown patch showed beneath the dirt. The boys frantically sc.r.a.ped and shoveled away the earth in a frenzy of antic.i.p.ation.
A moment later they could make out four bulging leather pokes buried in the hole. As Frank beamed his flashlight into it, Joe tipped up a bag. Suddenly one side of the rotting leather burst open and gleaming yellow coins poured from it! The other bags held nuggets.
"Dawson"s and Onslow"s gold!" Frank cried out.
The boys dropped to their knees, tense with excitement.
"Wow! Imagine how Mike Onslow will feel when he gets the news!" Joe exclaimed.
"He never will!" said a harsh voice directly behind the Hardys.
Frank swung the flashlight around. Not ten feet away stood a glowering man.
"Big Al!"Joe gasped.
"That"s right." The gang leader gave an ugly laugh. "Thanks for finding the gold, kids. Too bad you"ll never live to enjoy it!"
CHAPTER XX.
Windy Peak Prisoner "WHAT do you intend to do?" Frank demanded.
"What do you think?" Big Al rasped. "I"m going to get rid of you brats for keeps."
"You"ve tried before," Joe said defiantly.
"I sure have." Big Al"s face was hard. "Since your pa"s a big detective, I tried to fix you so it would look like an accident. Then I made out like I"d gone over the cliff and got killed. But you punks were still camping there next morning-so I swiped your horses, figuring you"d wind up starved or frozen, and nothing could be pinned on me. That didn"t work either."
Frank regarded the outlaw coolly. "So?"
"So now, I"ve got the gold and that"s all that matters. You kids"ll never leave here alive." The outlaw"s hand went to the holster he was wearing.
"Click off your light, Joe!" Frank said in a whisper, snapping off his own.
As Big Al snaked out his gun, the cavern was plunged into darkness. Frank and Joe dived clear of his line of fire and clawed for their shovels.
The outlaw"s gun thundered as both boys hurled their shovels toward the spurt of flame. There was a thud and a cry of pain. At least one of the shovels had found its target!
The boys closed in on Big Al. Frank found the outlaw"s gun arm and levered it backward with both hands. Joe was busy on the other side.