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  CHAPTER XXX

  THE UNDERGROUND REFUGE

  "Jack! oh! Jack!" called the patrol leader, filled with dismay over themysterious disappearance of his best friend.

  "Hello! Paul!"

  That was surely Jack answering him, but where could he be? The soundseemed to come from underground, which fact gave Paul a suspicionregarding the truth.

  "Where are you?" he shouted, as he flattened himself out close to theground.

  "Down in a hole! Look out, or you'll come in too. Tell Mr. Gordon I'vefound a cave!" came back to his ears.

  So, after all, it was Paul who sent forth the signal agreed on,announcing the welcome fact that a refuge had been discovered. The restof the boys came crawling to the spot by twos, eager and curious.

  "Take care!" Paul cried out, as he heard them arriving on either side,"Jack fell down a hole right about here. We must find where it is, orelse some more of us may follow suit!"

  Paul believed that his chum could not have been seriously injured by hissudden and unexpected descent. Had this been the case he would not havecalled quite so cheerily as he did.

  Searching in the quarter where he last remembered seeing Jack, hepresently discovered that the trailing vines hid the mouth of a cave. Itwas not more than four feet across, but would answer their purpose, nodoubt.

  And even as he looked he saw a match flame out below, and caught sightof Jack on his knees, peering eagerly upward. Luckily he, as well asevery other scout, had learned to always carry matches in a waterproofcase while in camp, since there could be no telling when they might needsuch valuable little articles.

  Paul quickly found a way to clamber down the side of the opening, andjoin his chum.

  "Well, this is something like," he observed, relieved to find that hecould now speak without shouting, as the sound of the gale was deadenedunderground. "Were you hurt by that tumble, Jack?"

  "Oh! not worth mentioning," replied the one addressed, as he rubbed hisknee, and then struck another match, so that the others might see how toget down.

  Some were fortunate enough to make the descent safely. A few camesprawling, and sat there rubbing their bruises and grunting. PresentlyMr. Gordon, counting noses, announced that the entire troop had beensafely housed.

  Wallace being one of the first to arrive, had busied himself lookingaround while the balance of his comrades were making the descent.

  Finding some bits of dry wood handy he started a little blaze. Thisserved two purposes, for while it dissipated the dense darkness thatsurrounded them, at the same time it seemed to give the drenched andshivering lads a trifle of new courage.

  "See if you can find more wood, fellows," Wallace observed, knowing thatif thus employed the scouts were less apt to grow despondent over theirdiscouraging condition.

  As the boy scouts began to feel more comfortable, their spiritscommenced to go upward again, just as the mercury in a thermometer riseswith the coming of heat.

  "We're a lucky lot, I tell you, fellows, to stumble on such a fine snughole in the nick of time!" declared Tom Betts, as he rubbed his handstogether, before giving his place in the front rank to another scoutless favored, and still shivering.

  Some of the scouts were so utterly exhausted that presently, when theybegan to feel more comfortable, as their clothes dried in a measure,they gave evidence of drowsiness.

  Mr. Gordon made these fellows lie down in a heap, and try to sleep. Theywould secure a certain degree of warmth by contact with their mates.

  But there were others of just a contrary mind, who had never been morewideawake in their lives than just then. Sleep was the last thing theythought about.

  "I wonder where this cave leads to?" remarked Bobolink, after more thanan hour had elapsed.

  Paul was interested, of course. Anything that bordered on mystery atall, always had a peculiar fascination for him. And Jack was pretty muchof the same mind.

  "If we could only get a few torches together," the former observed inanswer to Bobolink's remark, "I'd just like to take a little triparound, and see what lies back there. Some of us have gone fifty feetand more, looking for more wood; and there was no back wall to theplace. Perhaps it might have another entrance; and I'd just like to knowwhether any other fellows ever did camp in here. If we found the ashesof a fire we'd know for certain."

  "Let's go!" suggested Bobolink, ready for any lark.

  "But how about the torches?" continued the cautious Jack; "I wouldn'tlike to get lost in such a twisting hole in the ground. That might turnout to be worse than lying out there in the storm."

  "Oh! we can get enough wood to keep us going," replied Bobolink; "andbesides, it seems to be lying all along the passage, as if some fellerhad dropped pieces every time he went in with a load. Come on, say yes,Paul."

  "All right, then," said the patrol leader, ready to give way toargument; "but we must be careful. I've got a scheme boys, to keep fromgetting lost in this place."

  "Tell us how, then!" demanded both the others; and Joe Clausin, who hadbeen hovering near by, came closer to catch what was being said.

  "I've got a piece of red chalk in my pocket; and we can mark the way aswe go," Paul continued; "and when we get tired of prowling around sothat we want to come back here, all we have to do is to follow the redmarks of the arrows."

  "That's what I call a bully scheme, Paul. Now come along," criedBobolink.

  "Count me in too, fellows," said a voice just then.

  "Why, hello! Joe, is that you?" exclaimed Paul, turning to look into theeager face of the Clausin boy. "Why sure, if you want to go along, andfeel able to keep on your feet. Start up one of your torches, Bobolink;and every one keep his eyes on the lookout for more tinder as we goalong."

  Paul could not help noticing that Joe had an unusually eager look on hisface at the time he asked to accompany them. He could read between thelines, and guessed what was in the other's mind. Perhaps Joe allowedhimself to imagine, or even hope, that luck might enable them to runacross the man who had passed up into this region, and who looked solike some one he believed must be at the other side of the world.

  Paul took the lead as the four boys moved away. Mr. Gordon looked afterthem; but having the utmost confidence in the young patrol leader, hedid not ask them what their intentions were. And none of them imaginedthey would be gone any great length of time.

  Presently they had passed the line that marked the boundary of anyformer search for fuel. And Paul noticed as he walked on, holding therude torch above his head, that the winding passage seemed to beconstantly getting larger. This gave him the idea that they must havefallen into one of its extreme branches; and that perhaps, after all,their exploration might reveal wonders of which none of them had so muchas dreamed.