CHAPTER X.
A NEW MEXICAN STYX.
"The subterranean river!"
The words echoed back weirdly from the vault-like chamber into whichthey had now penetrated, and at the bottom of which the stream, uponwhich the light of the match had glistened, flowed rapidly. Withinthis spacious place the noise was not nearly so loud as it had beenwhen confined in the narrow tunnel, which, in fact, acted much as aspeaking-tube would have done.
"It can't be!" gasped Ralph, unwilling to believe his own eyes.
"But it is," cried Jack, as, all thoughts of their predicamentforgotten in this strange discovery, they made lavish use of theirmatches on gaining the edge of the stream. The river was about twentyfeet in width, and they speedily saw that the roaring sound they hadheard during their progress through the tunnel was produced by awaterfall some distance above, over which the river plunged into a sortof basin at their feet.
But this was not the most astonishing thing they found in that firstbrief but comprehensive inspection. Affixed to the rocky wall at oneside of the chamber was a large, bronze lamp. An eager overhauling ofthe utensil showed it to be filled with oil, and apparently it was notso very long since it had been lighted.
Hastily applying a match, Jack soon had the rocky chamber lighted, andthey could now survey the place into which they had blundered, at theirease. In size it was about the same dimensions as the Council Hall ofthe mesa, which lay, they knew not how many feet, above them. Theriver roared down along one side of it, forming a deep, turbid pooljust beneath the waterfall, by which it entered the place.
To their astonishment, the boys now spied in one corner of the chamberseveral empty boxes piled up. Remains of excelsior and sacking werewithin them, and they bore the stencilled marks, "AgriculturalMachinery, With Care."
Instantly what Pete had related to him concerning the conversation ofthe men accompanying Black Ramon flashed into Jack's mind. Could it bepossible that they had stumbled upon the place utilized by thegun-runners to convey their ammunition across the border? At thisinstant, there came a shout from Ralph, who had been peering about theplace.
"A boat!"
"A what?" The incredulous cry burst from both Jack and Walt.
"It is a kind of a boat, anyhow. Come here, and look for yourselves."
Ralph was bending over the rocky marge of the subterranean river at apart of the chamber farthest removed from the waterfall. The waterhere flowed comparatively slowly, most of its force having beenexpended in the pool beneath the fall. Sure enough, Ralph had beenright. Moored to the bank by two stout ropes attached to iron barsdriven into the rock, was a boat--if such a name can be given to theflat-bottomed, floating appliance, upon which the thunderstruck boysgazed.
The boat, or rather float, was about twenty feet in length and somefive feet in beam. It was not unlike, in fact, one of those shallowcraft used by duck hunters, only it was square at each end. Evidentlyit would hold a considerable quantity of freight. More excelsior andburlap litter in the bottom of it showed that whatever had been thecontents of the boxes, it had apparently been used to transport them.
"Boys, we've tumbled over the discovery of the age!" exclaimed Jack, inwhat was for him, a strangely excited voice.
The others were not less moved. Their eyes were round and their jawsdropped in incredulous wonderment, as they gazed before them.
"Will somebody please pinch me?"
It was Ralph who spoke, turning a countenance solemn and startled uponhis comrades.
"No need to do that, Ralph. You're wide-awake; make no mistake aboutthat."
"But--but I don't understand," began Walt in a puzzled tone. "What isthis place, what----"
"What is it?" echoed Jack. "It's the gun-runners' undergroundrailroad. Can't you see it? This river, so the old Indian legendsays, emerges across the border. In some way these Mexicans heard ofit, and learned the secret of the hollow altar. No wonder thegovernment has not been able to find out how the rebels got their armsacross the border."
"Well, what are we going to do, now we've found it?"
Walt, the practical, propounded the query, as they stood there,half-stunned by the rapidity with which unheard-of events had happenedwithin the last half-hour.
"Why, I--upon my word, I don't know," laughed Jack, brought up with around turn by the hard-headed Walt.
"I do," rejoined Walt.
"What then?"
"Escape to the open air."
"You mean it?" Somehow, in his excitement, Jack had not gone as far asthis daring suggestion. And yet it was, after all, the only thing todo. But suddenly another thought occurred to the boy.
"The professor and Coyote Pete, how can we leave them?"
"Well, we can't do them any good by remaining buried here, that'scertain," replied Walt, in his sensible way.
Jack and Ralph nodded agreement.
"On the other hand, if this river really leads out into Mexico, we cantake the subway to freedom and then, when we emerge, find out the bestthing to do. Maybe we can fall in with some government troops orauthorities of some kind."
"But suppose the insurrectos are in power wherever this river comesout?"
The question came from Ralph.
"We'll have to take chances on that, I suppose."
"Hark!" came suddenly from Jack.
Far back somewhere in the tunnels they had threaded they could hearloud shouts and cries. The sound of the pursuit boomed out even abovethe noise of the waterfall.
"They're after us!" exclaimed Jack.
"Shall we take the boat?" Walt's usually calm voice shook a little ashe asked the question.
"It's our only chance. Come on, in with you, Ralph."
Ralph hesitated no longer, but jumped into the little contrivance. Asort of oar lay in the bottom. He thrust it over the side.
"The water's only about three feet deep," he announced.
"So much the less chance of our being drowned," rejoined Jack.
The lad had his knife out--a heavy-bladed hunting weapon. As soon asall was ready he would cut the ropes and set the boat free on theturbulent current.
"All right!" cried Walt, as he clambered in and took his place by Ralph.
Jack gave a hasty look around, and the next instant made a flying leapinto the little craft. So fast had Black Ramon and his followers takenup the trail after they had discovered that the boys had found thesecret of the hollow altar, that they were already entering the chamber.
Ramon was in the lead. The glare of the lamp fell full on hisparchment-like features, as with a roar of recognition, he sighted theboys.
Ping!
Something whizzed past Jack's ear, and, chipping the rock above,showered the occupants of the boat with fragments. The sharp report ofthe Mexican's revolver filled the place. With a quick movement, Jackslashed the rope nearest him. If he had not been in such a hurry, hewould have seen that the other should have been severed first. As itwas, he had cut the one that held the boat's bow to the stream.Instantly the flat-bottomed craft swung dizzily around, and still heldby her stern mooring, dashed against the bank.
For a minute the boys feared she was stove in, but there was no time towaste on an examination.
Slash!
One stroke of the knife severed the remaining rope, already drawn astaut as a piano wire. But, as Jack's knife fell, the place becamefilled with shouts and confusion.
Ramon had been a little in advance of his men, and now they were all inthe place. A second's glance showed them what had happened. Not onlywere the boys about to escape, but if they did not stop them the secretof their underground route across the border would be discovered, andits usefulness at an end.
No wonder they strained every nerve to reach the boys. Ramon himselfhad bounded to the side of the subterranean river as the boat swunground. As her gunwale had struck the bank, he had leaped aboard. Butbefore he could use his revolver, Walt's powerful arm knocked theweapon out of his hand, and it f
ell on the bottom of the boat. With asnarl of rage, Ramon flashed round on the boy. But whatever theMexican might have been able to do with knife or pistol, he was nomatch for the muscles of the American lad.
Walt fairly picked the lithe form of the gun-runner from the floor ofthe boat as Jack's knife fell across the remaining rope. With a splashand a loud cry, Ramon pitched overside into the stream. As he fell,though, he managed to clutch the side of the craft and he hung on,desperately endeavoring to draw himself up into the boat.
His followers, seeing what had happened, rushed down on them. Atempest of bullets rattled about the boys' heads as they felt the ropepart. It was no moment for sentimental hesitation. Walt raised hisfoot, and the next instant brought his heavy boot down with crushingforce on Ramon's clinging fingers.
With a yelp of pain, the fellow let go and was rolled over and over inthe river, while half a dozen of his men waded in to rescue him.
"Yip-ee-ee-ee! We're off!" yelled Jack, with a true cowboy yell. Thelad was carried away by the excitement and thrill of the adventure.
With a lurch and a bump, the frail craft carrying our three youngfriends shot forward. The lamp-lit panorama as Ramon, dripping andcursing, was hauled out of the water by his band, flashed before theireyes for a brief moment. The next instant dense darkness fell aboutthem.
At what seemed to be a mile-a-minute pace they were hurried forwardinto the unknown.
Border Boys Across the Frontier Page 10