"Something peculiar is going on at those cult meetings, I'm sure," Nancy went on, "and I must find out about them if I can. Do you all want to join me in the investigation?"
Of course," Joanne and George said.
"Do you think it'll be safe?" Bess asked.
"I'm not making any rash promises." Nancy laughed.
Bess gave a little shiver. "I don't like it, but count me in."
"How can we visit the colony without being caught?" George asked.
That's the problem," Nancy replied. "We must make our plans carefully. Before we do anything, I suggest we find out about the robes the cult members wear. We may need to wear similar ones to help us in our investigation."
"There's only one way to find that out," Joanne said. "Some night when they're having a ceremonial meeting, we can sneak through the woods and try to get a closer look at what's going on."
Nancy nodded excitedly. "The double entrance to the cave will be perfect!" she said. "If we can't sneak into the meetings any other way, we can get into the cave at the end they don't use."
"Sounds terribly risky to me!" Bess commented.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," George said scornfully. "Don't be such a wet blanket, Bess!"
Her cousin opened her mouth to retort, but Nancy interposed quickly to forestall any further argument.
"We'd better not tell our plan to anyone except your grandmother, Jo," she advised. "Otherwise, Mrs. Salisbury and Mr. Abbott will try to talk her out of letting us investigate."
After a light supper and some rather forced conversation on trivial matters, the girls retired. They had tried to keep silent about the activities of the nature cult, but their secretive manner did not escape the notice of Mrs. Salisbury and Mr. Abbott.
"You're up to something," Mrs. Salisbury remarked the next morning. "And if I were Mrs. Byrd, I'd put a stop to it at once!"
Mrs. Byrd, however, went on serenely with her work, being careful not to interfere with the girls' plans. They maintained a close watch of the hillside, but for two days seldom saw anyone in the vicinity.
"I think they've holed in for the rest of the summer," George declared impatiently at breakfast. "Either that, or they've moved out."
"The cult's still there," Joanne reassured her. "The rent check arrived in the morning mail."
"By the way, where do these nature people get their food?" Nancy queried. "They can't live on blue sky and inspiration."
I think friends must bring food to them in automobiles," Joanne answered. "Several times I've seen swanky cars drive up and park near the hillside."
"The cult members must be fairly well off, then," Nancy said thoughtfully. "I'm getting tired of marking time. I wish something would happen soon. If it doesn't, I think I'll investigate that cave, anyway!"
That night the girls were late in finishing the dishes. By the time they had put everything away it was quite dark. When they went out to the porch, they were relieved to find that the boarders had gone to their rooms.
The girls sat talking quietly for some time. The moon was high, and Nancy, from force of habit, glanced eagerly toward the distant hill.
"Look, girls!" she exclaimed. "They're at it again!"
The four girls could see white objects moving to and fro, apparently going through a weird ritual. Nancy sprang to her feet.
"We'll have to hurry if we want to see anything," she said. "Come on! We'll take the short cut!"
They dashed across the lawn, flung open the gate, and ran through the woods. Nancy led the way up the river path, then to the sparsely wooded hillside. Not until they were dose to the camp did she stop.
"We'll have to be very careful," she warned in a whisper. "Scatter and hide behind trees. And don't make a sound."
The girls obeyed, Bess staying as close to George as possible. Nancy found a huge oak tree well up the hill, and hid behind it. From this vantage point she could see fairly well. Nancy had been there for less than five minutes when she heard the sound of several cars approaching. They came up the woods road and stopped at the foot of the hill, not far from the nature camp.
Several men stepped from the cars. Nancy was too far away to see their faces, but she did observe that they quickly donned long white robes with head masks, and joined the other costumed figures who were on the brow of the hill.
For nearly ten minutes the members of the cult flitted back and forth, waving their arms and making weird noises. Then they moved single file toward the cavern and vanished. Suddenly Nancy felt herself grasped by an arm. She wheeled sharply and then laughed softly.
"George! For goodness sake, don't ever do that again! You scared me silly!"
"What do you make of it, Nancy?"
"It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. I haven't been able to figure it out."
"What should we do next?" asked Bess, who had joined them.
"Let's follow them into the cave!" George proposed rashly.
"And be caught?" Nancy returned. "No, this is serious business. I think it's time to go home and plan our own costumes."
"I wonder why so many people came here in automobiles?" Joanne mused, as the girls walked off slowly.
"That's what I've been wondering," Nancy replied soberly, "but I think I might know."
"Why?" her friends demanded.
"It looks to me as if only a few persons are actually living in the Black Snake Colony. Apparently they want to give the impression that the organization is a large one, so they have these other people come the night set for the ceremonials."
"There were certainly a lot of men in those cars," added Bess.
"Why should they go to all that trouble?" Joanne asked doubtfully.
"I don't know," Nancy admitted, "unless it's because they're trying to hide something they're doing here." She changed the subject. "I think we'll be able to make costumes like theirs if you'll give us some old pillowcases and sheets, Jo. When we visit the cave, we must disguise ourselves to make our scheme work!
CHAPTER XIA Midnight Message
"When shall we visit the cave?" George asked.
"As soon as we can," Nancy answered. "Of course we must help Jo and her grandmother with the work."
Since there was no further evidence of activity on the hillside, the girls went to bed. The next morning George remarked, as she helped Nancy make her bed, "What do you suppose those men do between ceremonials? It certainly is strange how much time they spend in that cave!"
"What puzzles me is those automobiles that were on the hillside," Bess said. "Why did they come? Surely those men were here for something besides ballet dancing. What's your guess, Nancy?"
"I'm afraid I haven't any answer. But I mean to find one for Mrs. Byrd's and Jo's sakes."
The three girls learned that Reuben was due to be absent most of the day and offered to do his chores. During the morning they picked cherries and took them to town to sell at a local market. When they returned, a small, strange car was standing in the driveway. Loud voices were coming from the living room.
"I don't have to sell and I won't sell!" Mrs. Byrd said with finality in her tone.
"That's what you think," a man said sneeringly. "You're going to lose this farm and I can buy it cheaper from the bank. Why don't you sell it to me and make a little profit? Then you can go to the city and take life easy."
"We don't want to go to the city," Joanne spoke up. "We're getting along all right here. More boarders are coming soon and we are paying off our back mortgage interest. So we don't have to sell."
Outside, Nancy, Bess, and George looked at one another. The insistent buyer again! Fervently they hoped that Mrs. Byrd would not weaken in her decision. A moment later they felt relieved.
"I will say good afternoon, Mr. Kent," Mrs. Byrd said. "Thank you for your offer, but I cannot accept it."