"It"s a good thing we took the right-hand side," said Billee, as he and the others saw what it was that had caused the water to rush almost to their feet and then branch off. "I mean it"s a good thing, for it may help us to solve the mystery. But as for poor Nort----"
He did not finish, but d.i.c.k sent up a despairing cry:
"Nort! Oh, Nort! Where are you?"
And only the vaulty echoes answered.
"What are we going to do?" asked Snake, who seemed unable to suggest anything.
"Everybody come here with their lanterns," directed Bud. "And light that spare one, Billee."
Thus was replaced the one he had dropped in the effort to save himself from falling into the same torrent that had engulfed his cousin.
And in the light of the lanterns, the one Nort had carried being forever lost, it seemed they all could see the explanation for the apparently mysterious action of the underground stream; or, rather, it was an explanation of part of the mystery; for this was only the beginning.
Beyond where they stood, in the direction of Pocut River, there flowed through the ancient channel a body of water larger than that which usually filled the underground course. This was accounted for, likely, by the fact that it had been stopped, or dammed, by some natural or artificial means, and had suddenly been released. Thus the channel was more fully filled than usual.
But, as I have said, the water came up to the point where the members of the expedition then stood. From there it made a sudden turn to their right, as they stood facing the river end of the tunnel. And it was this sudden turn--this shift in the course of the underground stream--which prevented it from engulfing our friends.
But it had engulfed Nort.
"I see what happened--or, at least, part of it," spoke Bud while the others listened. "The waters were suddenly turned on again, or turned themselves on, and shot this way. Nort heard them and ran down here to jump across the stream-bed, which was then dry. But he must have fallen over the edge of this traverse ledge, or channel, as I nearly did, and down he went!"
They looked, and agreed that this was very likely how it had taken place.
"But can"t we save him?" pleaded d.i.c.k. "I"m a good swimmer. Let me try to get him! Maybe he"s lying down there--on the bottom!"
He made as if to take off his coat, but Old Billee grabbed him by the arm.
"You"d only go t" your death, boy!" said the old ranchman hoa.r.s.ely.
"It"s bad enough--as it is!"
"But what happened to Nort?" asked d.i.c.k, and there was a sob in his voice.
"He must have been carried away--down that stream--wherever it goes,"
a.s.serted Snake Purdee.
"That"s just the point, where does it go?" d.i.c.k asked.
"Wait a minute," counseled Bud. "Let"s see if we can reason this out."
He paused to give it thought. "The way this stream is running now," he resumed, "wouldn"t put any water into our reservoir, would it?"
"No," answered Yellin" Kid, and for once his voice was softened. "Th"
water is all being shunted down this pa.s.sage--where Nort fell."
"But," resumed Bud, "this pa.s.sage has always been here. We didn"t see it before, as we walked on the other side of the main channel. Then if this side channel has always been here, and we managed to get water through our pipe when it was here, it stands to reason that it must fill in time, enabling the water to run along here," and he indicated the regular channel that extended back of them out toward Flume Valley.
"That"s so!" cried Old Billee. "There"s an end, or a bottom, t" this channel somewhere, and poor Nort can"t be carried all the way through th" earth."
"But--but," faltered d.i.c.k. "It may be too late to save him when this side pa.s.sage fills up."
"What I was going to propose," went on Bud, "is that we see if we can"t follow along this newly-discovered side pa.s.sage, as we have been following the main bed of the underground river."
He paused to let his companions visualize this suggestion.
"Do you think that would be safe?" asked Old Billee. "I mean," he added quickly, "will that be th" safest way t" try an" save Nort? I won"t back down on anything--I guess you know that--but I was just wondering if there was some other way."
"There might be," said Bud. "We could go along on the left side of the stream, and see if there is a crossing place farther on. We saw some narrow places when we were here before, but it"s a question how much water they"d have in them now."
"Oh, but can"t we do something?" cried d.i.c.k, now almost sobbing, though he was making a brave effort to conquer himself. "Oh, Nort! Nort!
Where are you?" he cried frenziedly.
But again only the echoes answered.
"Come on!" cried Old Billee suddenly. "We"ll try this way. We"ve got t" do something!"
"Leave our packs here," suggested Yellin" Kid, and again his voice was low, as if in deference to d.i.c.k"s feelings. "We can put "em up on that ledge," he added, indicating a small one on their side of the underground stream. "The water doesn"t appear to have been up there in years. If we leave our things here we"ll be better able to help Nort--if we find him," he added in a voice so low that only Old Billee heard.
"Take our lanterns," suggested Snake Purdee.
"And ropes," went on Bud. "We may need "em!"
Accordingly the food and other supplies, which the searchers after the secret of the underground water course had brought with them, were put up on the ledge, and then they started down the black pa.s.sage through which the stream appeared to have branched, carrying Nort with it.
There was room but for one to walk at a time on this "bank," as it might be called, of the hidden stream, and they had to proceed in single file.
"I"d like to see a map of this place, so we"d know where we were going," spoke Old Billee, as he swung his lantern from side to side in an endeavor to disclose the hidden secrets of the place.
"I have an idea that the underground stream is shaped like the letter T," spoke Bud. "The top, or cross stem, is the part that extends from the river to our reservoir. We are now walking along the upright piece."
"But if the main part of the T is also a stream, and the water is running down that, as it is, instead of along the main stem, it becomes for the time being a letter L, doesn"t it?" asked Snake.
"Yes," a.s.sented Bud. "And as long as the water turns at right angles, as it does at the place where Nort fell in, and as long as the water runs along this same side pa.s.sage, we don"t get any at Flume Valley.
The letter T is in our favor, and L is against us."
"But we didn"t see anything like this when we were here before,"
remarked d.i.c.k.
"Because we weren"t on this side," Bud answered. "And I have an idea that, in time, this second pa.s.sage finally fills with water completely, and when it does the stream again flows along the cross stem of the T and we get it."
"Mebby you"re right," Old Billee agreed. "But this isn"t finding Nort."
"Will we--will we ever find him?" faltered d.i.c.k.
"Sure!" declared Bud, as heartily as he could.
But as they progressed in the darkness, stopping now and then to look about by means of the light, calling again and again, and as no reply came, even the heart of the stoutest of them sank in despair.
All they could see was black, rushing water, flowing in a channel it appeared to have cut, after countless years, in the solid rock. There was a narrow footpath, so to speak, on either side of this stream, and it was along this the searchers were walking.