fore you yanked it."

"Maybe not," admitted Bud. "Well, let's take a chance. If worst comes
to worst we can swim back, and I'd like to solve this mystery. I feel
that we're getting at it now!"

"That's right," said Nort, who was feeling stronger every moment.
"When I fell in, and was carried away," he said, "I had a wild notion
that this might lead to the discovery of something. I managed to keep
my head out of water as I was swept along, until I got a knock on the
noodle, and that put me partly to sleep. That may have been a good
thing, too, for they say a partly unconscious person doesn't breathe
much, and that's why I didn't swallow any water to speak of.

"I was dazed when I must have been swept, or floated, past that rock
but I came to in time to save myself. Gosh! but I was glad to hear you
yell though, Dick!" he said.

"Well, let's get over there an' start pryin' out this secret,"
suggested Old Billee. "This is gettin' mighty interestin'!"

It seemed reasonable to suppose that the water would rise to no greater
height than it had when the searchers had discovered Nort on the rock.
And as this boulder was well out of water, and large enough for them
all to stand on, they would run no risk, even if the flood should start
to return when they were in the middle of the pool, which, however, was
a pool no longer, but merely a wet reservoir, so to speak.

"But I don't believe the water will flow back here until you shift that
lever again, Bud," declared the old ranchman. "And I'm going to have a
try at it!"

"Isn't it takin' a chance?" asked Snake.

"You got t' take chances in this world!" declared Old Billee.

"Well, let's go!" suggested Bud.

"I think I'll stay here," spoke Nort. "I don't feel quite up to
walking over those rocks. And you may need some one on this side who
can throw a rope," he added, as he looked at the lariats.

"All right," assented Bud. "You stay here, Nort."

They left him on the shore, as I call the rocky edge of the pool, with
a lantern, and, taking other lanterns with them, the little party set
out. It took them only about three minutes to walk across to the great
rock, which stood upright in the middle of the cavern floor.

Rising up in almost the very centre was the heavy, copper lever. By
the light of the lanterns it was examined, and seen to extend down
through the rock, whither no one knew.

"It works a water gate all right," declared Old Billee. "Let's pull