Part 28 (1/2)

Instantly every boy stopped searching and rushed to his side, knowing from the tone in which he spoke that he had made an important discovery.

Chot had worked his way around on his section of the wall until he was beneath the stairs. Here, in a little nook, carefully concealed from the eyes of any who were not making a most thorough search, was a small metal tube projecting several inches from the wall, attached to which was a rubber tube of the same dimensions.

”s.h.!.+” said Chot, as the others gathered about him. ”This is a speaking tube, though where it leads I haven't the slightest idea.”

He put his ear to the end of the tube, and greatly to his surprise, he heard voices.

”Hold still, boys, and I believe our mystery will be a mystery no longer,” he said, in a low tone. ”I hear people talking. Let me see if I can catch what they say.”

The voices were evidently some little distance from the other end of the tube but as absolute silence reigned in the bas.e.m.e.nt, Chot could, by straining, catch nearly every word.

”I tell you I will get to that speaking tube,” he heard Bert Creighton say.

There were several exclamations of anger at this, and the sound of a scuffle. Then Chot caught the magic words that unfolded to him at least one of the many mysteries that had been perplexing the boys since their arrival at Winnsocket Lodge.

”You think I don't know your schemes, but I do,” Bert went on, ”and I'm going to inform the authorities on you the first chance I get. You know what the government will do to smugglers.”

”Smugglers!” muttered Chot. ”Ah!”

”Of course, we know what they'll do if they catch us,” said another voice. ”But you'll never have a chance to inform on us. It was only by accident that you ever heard us in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the lodge, and even then, if you had been sensible enough not to investigate, you would now be safe with your friends. As it is, you're in a pretty bad fix.”

”I'll appeal to Mr. Lawrence when he returns.”

”Well, what do you think he'll do? Don't you suppose he's as heavily involved in this business as we?”

”He's involved more than we,” growled another voice.

”Well you fellows see that the kid doesn't get to the speaking tube again. His friends are probably asleep, but because they didn't hear his first cry is no sign another wouldn't wake them. We've got trouble enough without ever letting them know this island is inhabited.”

”I don't see what the boss ever let the kids stay in the lodge for in the first place. He's always taking desperate chances,” said one of the others.

”Well, he's never been caught yet.”

”No; but he will be,” came in the tones of Bert.

Then the voices moved out of range and all was still. Quickly Chot repeated to the other boys what he had heard.

”Bert's cry,” he said, ”must have come through the tube. No wonder it sounded distant.”

”The mystery, then, is a mystery no longer,” said Truem.

”I see you are thinking of the same thing as I,” said Chot. ”The smugglers have a rendezvous on the island to the north, and that is where they are holding Bert captive.”

”Yes,” said Truem, ”and those are the voices I heard the other night, and it was the smugglers' boat, very likely, which capsized my skiff.”

”And it is evident from the conversation Chot heard that our friend, Mr.

Lawrence, is the leader of the band,” said Tom. ”That I think, is to me the most surprising of all.”

”Yet, it is no doubt true,” said Chot. ”You will remember reading in the papers some time ago how different articles were mysteriously brought across the Canadian border, and how the revenue officers were perplexed and had failed to apprehend the smugglers. Well, the officers have simply not had the opportunities for investigation that we have had, that's all.”

”Then the launch we heard the other night was taking smuggled articles to the other island?” said Pod.