try, anyway!"

"I'm pretty certain that it connects with Tunnel Six," replied the
caretaker. "But you mustn't show your light when you approach the old
shaft," he went on, "because if it does connect with the chamber we
seek, and the chamber in turn connects with the north passage, the
robbers will see what we're doing."

"That's a valuable suggestion!" replied Will.

"I'll go on ahead," Canfield continued, "and find the old shaft. Then
you can follow on with the rope, and one of you boys can drop down and
see what can be discovered."

"It's dollars to apples," chuckled Dick, as the boys trailed along after
the caretaker, "that we find the three kids trussed up like a lot of
hens ready for the market in the chamber where you came so near getting
wet. I hope we do, at any rate!"

"There's one thing we overlooked," Will said as Canfield whispered to
them that he had found the deserted shaft, "and that is this: We should
have directed the boys in the gangway to have attracted the attention of
the outlaws by a little pistol practice while we are communicating with
our friends. They may be all packed away in the chamber together."

"Yes, we should have attended to that," replied Dick. "Perhaps I'd
better go back now and tell them to get busy with their automatics."

"We may as well investigate the situation here first," the other
answered.

The boys heard the caretaker creeping about in the darkness, and
presently a piece of shale or coal was heard rattling down the old
shaft.

"We'll have to get that blundering caretaker away from there," whispered
Will. "If we don't, he'll notify the hold-up men that we're getting
ready to do something! I've heard that about three-fourths of the people
in the world object to doing anything unless they can take a brass band
along, and I guess it's true."

"Say," Canfield whispered, calling back to the lads, "when that stone
dropped down, I heard something that sounded like a paddle slapping down
on the water. That room can't be wet yet, can it?"

"The Beaver call!" whispered Will.

"Right you are!" replied Dick. "The boys are there, all right!"

"Now the next thing to do is to find out if those highwaymen are
watching them," declared Will.

"I'll tell you that in a minute," Dick whispered.

As the boy spoke, he passed one end of the rope to Canfield.

"Hang on to it, whatever takes place!" he whispered, "and I'll drop down
and see what's going on."

"You must be very