one where Nort had been
found, but not so large. And from the very centre, it appeared, of the
uneven rocky floor of the cave there spouted out a stream of water
about three inches in diameter.

Solid white was this stream of water, like a bar of glass, and it shot
out of a round hole in the floor as a stream comes from the nozzle of a
fire hose. It was inclined at an angle of about forty-five degrees,
was this strange stream of water, and whence it came and whither it
went to the boys and their friends could only guess.

It was this powerful, rushing stream, under immense head and power it
seemed, that caused the rumbling, roaring sound. It appeared to strike
against some rocky wall a long distance off, so far that the light of
the lanterns could not penetrate to it, and the searchers did not feel
like venturing beyond the point where the terrific stream issued.

That it was of awful power was evidenced a moment later, for Bud, who
had picked up one of the bars of iron, used by the conspirators to set
their sinister mine, approached the stream and, raising the bar,
brought it down with all his force on the white, spurting jet.

On an instant the heavy rod was torn from his grasp, and whirled
forward into the blackness beyond. There was a ringing, metallic sound
as it hit some distant rock, and then it came bounding back, sliding
across the rocky floor to the very feet of the searchers.

"Look at that!" murmured Bud, as he stooped and picked up the bar. It
was bent and twisted into a sort of combined S and U shape, mute
evidence of the terrific power of the stream.

"That would bore right through a man!" said Dick.

"Like making a hole in cheese!" added Old Billee. "This is a terrible
place! Let's get out!"

CHAPTER XXV

HAPPY VALLEY

Leaving behind them the roaring, rumbling jet of white water that came
from the unknown and went thitherward, the boy ranchers and their
friends made their way back to the main tunnel.

"Well, there are two things we have to settle," declared Bud, when they
had sat down on convenient rocks, near the running stream, and began to
consider matters.

"What are they?" asked "Nort.

"One is, what effect has the turning of that lever we worked on the
main stream? The other is, where is the lever that Del Pinzo and his
gang shifted to cause this second branch stream to stop running?"

"And when we find answers to those two questions," said Dick, "I think
we'll have