"Very clever," Joe remarked. "Whenever any one leaves the cave and closes the door, the boxes swing
in with the platform and it looks as though they were piled up on the floor."
"Right. Well, let's see where the door leads," Frank proposed.
He snapped off his light and with utmost caution opened the door. It made no sound. Again there was
darkness ahead.
"What a maze!" Frank whispered as he turned on his flash and beamed the light ahead.
Another stone-lined passage with a flight of steps at the end!
Suddenly Frank stiffened and laid a warning hand on his brother's arm. "Voices!" he said in a low tone
and snapped off his light.
The boys listened intently. They could hear a man's voice in the distance. Neither could distinguish what
he was saying, for he was still too far away, but gradually the tones grew louder. Then, to the brothers'
alarm, they heard footsteps. Hastily they retreated into the secret cave.
"Quick! The door!" Frank urged.
They closed it quietly.
"Now the boxes. If those men come in here they'll notice that the boxes have been moved!" He turned on
the light but shielded it with his hand.
Swiftly Joe piled the empty boxes back onto the platform that projected from the bottom of the door. He
worked as silently and quickly as possible, but could hear the footsteps drawing closer and closer.
Finally the topmost box was in place.
"Out the other door!" Frank hissed into Joe's ear.
They sped across the floor of the cave toward the door opening onto the stairs they had recently
ascended. But hardly had they reached it before they heard a rattle at the latch of the door on the
opposite side of the cave.
"We haven't time," Frank whispered. "Hide!"
The beam of the flashlight revealed a number of boxes close to the door. On top of these someone had
thrown a heavy bolt of silk, the folds of which hung down to the floor. The brothers scrambled swiftly
behind the boxes, pressing themselves close against the wall. They had just enough time to hide and
switch out Frank's light before they heard the other door open.
"There's a bunch of drugs in that shipment that came in three weeks ago," they heard a husky voice say.
"We'll take it upstairs. Burke says he can get rid of it for us right away. No use leaving it down here. Got
to make room for the new shipment."
"Right," the Hardys heard someone else reply. "Anything else to go up?"
"No. I'll switch on the light."
There was a click, and suddenly the cave was flooded with light. It had been wired for electricity.
Frank and Joe crouched in their hiding place, holding their breaths in terror. Would they be discovered?
Footsteps slowly approached the boxes behind which they were concealed!
CHAPTER XIII
A Startling Discovery
FRANK AND JOE tried to crowd themselves into the smallest space possible as the men came nearer
to their hiding place. The electric light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling cast such a strong
illumination over the cave that the boys felt certain they would be discovered.
The boxes were placed a small distance apart, and only the fact that folds of silk hung down over the
open spaces between the boxes prevented the boys from being seen immediately. However, through a
crack in one of the crates, the Hardys could just make out two husky-looking figures.
"Here's some o' that Japanese silk," the boys heard one of the men say. "I'd better take a bolt of that up
too. Burke said he could place some more of it."
Instantly the same thought ran through both the brothers' minds. If the man picked up the silk, they would
surely be found!
"Don't be crazy!" the other man objected. "You know you won't get any credit for pushin' a sale. Why
break your arm luggin' all that stuff upstairs?"
"Well," the first man explained in a whining tone, "I thought maybe we could get rid of some more of this
swag and make ourselves a little extra dough."
"Naw," his companion snarled. "I can tell you ain't been with this gang long. You never get any thanks
around here for thinkin'. If Burke don't take the extra stuff, the boss'll make you bring it all the way down
again."
"Maybe you're right."
"Sure I'm right! My idea for the rest of us in this gang is to do just what Snattman tells us to and no
more."
"You got somethin' there, Bud. Okay. We'll just take up the package of drugs and leave the rest."
To the boys' relief the men turned away and went over to the other side of the room. Frank and Joe did
not dare peer out, but they could hear the sound of boxes being shifted.
Then came the words, "All set. I've got the packages. Let's go!"
The switch was snapped and the cave was plunged into darkness. The Hardys began to breathe normally
again. The door to the corridor closed and faintly the boys could detect the men's footsteps as they
ascended the stairs at the end of it.
When they had died away completely, Frank switched on the flashlight. "Wow!" he said, giving a
tremendous sigh of relief. "That was a close call! I sure thought they had us."
"Me too," Joe agreed. "We wouldn't have had a chance with that pair. Looked like a couple of
wrestlers."
"Do we dare follow them?"
"You bet. I'd say we've solved the smuggling mystery, but we've still got to find out if they're holding
Dad," Joe said grimly.
"We'll have to watch our step even more carefully. We don't want to walk right into the whole ring of
smugglers," Frank reminded him.
"Right. I don't crave anything worse than what we've just gone through," said Joe. "I thought I'd die of
suspense while that pair was in here."
They crossed the room, opened the door, and started up the dark passageway. Presently they were
confronted by the flight of steps. Part way up there was a landing, then more steps with a door at the
top.
"I'll go first," Frank offered. "Stick close behind me. I think I'll keep the flash off."
"That's right," Joe agreed. "Snattman might have a guard at the top and there's no use advertising our
presence."
Step by step, the boys crept upward in the inky blackness. Then they found themselves on a crude
landing of planks. Carefully they felt their way along the side of the rock wall until they reached the next
flight of steps.
Here the brothers stopped again to listen. Silence.
"So far, so good," Frank whispered. "But somehow I don't like this whole thing. I have a feeling we're
walking into a trap."
"We can't quit now," Joe answered. "But I admit I'm scared."
Still groping in the dark, the boys climbed up and up until they were nearly winded.
"Where are we?" Joe panted. "I feel as if I've been climbing stairs for an hour!"
"Me too," Frank agreed. "The cliff doesn't look this high from the outside."
They rested a minute, then continued their journey. Groping around, they finally reached another door.
Frank hunted for the door handle. Finding it, he turned the knob ever so slightly to find out if the door
was locked.
"I can open it," Frank said in Joe's ear, "but we'd better wait a few minutes."
"Every second is vital if Dad's a prisoner," Joe objected.
Frank was about to accede to his brother's urging when both boys heard footsteps on the other side of
the door. A chill ran down their spines.
"Shall we run?" Joe said fearfully.
"It wouldn't do us any good. Listen!"
There came a queer shuffling sound and a sigh from somewhere beyond the door. That was all.