The Sinister Signpost Part 15

"It's O.K., Frank," he announced. "There's a hole at the back of the shack."

150 Joe began crawling beneath the building and Frank quickly followed suit. In a short time they emerged from under the structure and found themselves free once more.

They examined the door that had slammed shut. Joe was or the opinion that the whole thing had been an accident and that the wind had merely blown it closed, but Frank was dubious. He wondered if someone had seen them entering the place and then deliberately dropped the cross-bar to imprison them.

"We're out now, and that's all that matters," said Joe philosophically. "We must locate Ivan, though."

"Boy!" exclaimed Frank. "I'm mighty glad we've found TopnotchV TopnotchV "We're not home yet," Joe reminded him. "If we happen to get caught, they'll just move the horse somewhere else and we'll be no farther ahead than we were."

"We won't get caught," returned Frank confidently.

They went across the clearing and entered the woods again. They now searched at random without the faintest idea of the direction in which they were headed. It was hard going, travelling through the dense thickets, with undergrowth and bushes tripping the boys up as they floundered in the darkness.

Their flashlight was of little use to them, for the vegetation was a dark, solid ma.s.s.

Besides, they did not want to show a light more often than was absolutely necessary.

The trees began to thin out at last, giving way to another clearing. In the open s.p.a.ce straight ahead was a cabin.

15!.

"I wonder if Ivan is there?" whispered Joe.

"Can't see any light."

"Don't take any chances. The place may not be as deserted as it looks."

They drew nearer, and saw that there was no window on that side of the shack. The boys circled warily around until they reached another corner of the building. A dim light shone from a small window.

The.Hardys were convinced now that they had discovered Ivan's place of imprisonment.

Cautiously they stole forward.

To their disappointment they found that the window had been covered with a piece of sacking on the inside. It was impossible to see through it. However, they could hear someone talking.

"You might as well go to sleep, kid," said a man in gruff tones.

Another voice answered, but it was so m.u.f.fled that Frank and Joe could not distinguish any words.

"There's no chance of escape for you, Ivan Evans," came the reply a moment later. "If you go outside you'll be caught. We don't figger on lettin' you leave until we're good and ready."

Again the m.u.f.fled voice. The boys strained their ears, but still were unable to make out the words.

"It won't get you nowhere sittin' beside the fireplace all night. Go to sleep," growled the jockey's captor.

The Hardy boys heard nothing more for a time but later they could distinguish a deep, rumbling snore. Apparently the older man had followed his own advice and had gone to sleep.

"How are we going to get word to Ivan?" whispered 152 Joe. "We don't want to take a chance on awakening that other fellow." Frank had a plan.

"There's no smoke coming from the chimney," he said. "From what the fellow said, I think Ivan must be sitting in front of the fireplace. We may be able to get a message to him that way."

He took a sheet from Joe's notebook and scribbled a hasty message. It read: "We're outside, Ivan, and will come back later to rescue you. Be ready. If you want us to do this, make a sc.r.a.ping sound in the fireplace. H.B." He showed the note to Joe.

"Those are not your initials," said his brother. "What's the idea of signing it 'H.B.'?"

"Hardy Boys, of course," answered Frank. He wrapped the paper around a small stone, tied it securely in place with a bit of string, then stood back and looked at the cabin. The ends of the logs appeared to offer the best means of reaching the roof. Joe stood guard to give warning in case anyone should approach, or if Ivan's guard should hear a noise and come out tp investigate.

Frank began his climb, and made it without any trouble. Silently he crawled toward the chimney. Then he dropped the note and stone down the opening. He heard it fall with a sharp clatter into the fireplace beneath.

Frank held his breath in suspense. Had the noise disturbed the guard? There came no sound from within the cabin for a long time. Then, from the fireplace he heard a slow, grating noise. It stopped, but 153.

was repeated again. Frank was a.s.sured that Ivan had received his message and that he wanted to be rescued.

He crawled back to the end of the roof and lowered himself quietly to the ground.

"It worked, Joe! Ivan will be ready when we come back."

"Why not try to get him out now?"

"We've a lot of detective work to do yet. Remember we started out to find Vilnoff. I want to learn what he's up to and what's in those cases. If we rescue Ivan now we may be followed and forced to make a quick getaway."

Frank stole silently across the clearing, with Joe close at his heels.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE SINISTER SIGN POST.

the Hardy boys had made great progress, but the mystery was still far from being cleared up. They had located the missing race-horse, discovered Ivan, paved the way for the jockey's rescue, and had found the secret of VilnofPs bas.e.m.e.nt workshop. Nevertheless, much remained to be done.

Neither the ringleader nor any of Jiis helpers had been arrested. The mystery of the sinister speed-boat and the heavy cases remained unsolved. The real reason behind the elaborate system of signals, charged wires, and hidden roads of the forbidden territory had not yet been uncovered.

Now that they were actually inside the lines, Frank felt that they had a good chance of learning a great deal more than they already knew. But what should they do now? Which way should they turn to find clues which would aid the authorities?

"I wonder if we could find that road we took when we escaped in the truck," suggested Joe. "That goes past the cabin where Vilnoff was."

"Let's have another look at that map I found," suggested Frank.

When they were well out of sight of the cabin he took the sheet from his pocket, and the two examined it by the rays of the flashlight.

"There's Road Number One, where we came up from the inlet," Frank pointed out. "That red cross must be the clearing where Topnotch Topnotch is hidden. This cross must indicate the is hidden. This cross must indicate the place we just left. And here are some more little crosses over to the right."

"Let's push on in that direction, then," Joe decided.

They plunged through the thickets. Twigs and dry brush snapped and crackled noisily underfoot. Presently they came to a winding path which made progress easier.

"I can't understand," said Frank, "why Ivan is being kept here. What's behind it all?"

"Perhaps the kidnappers were encouraged when they got the ransom money for Topnotch and thought Mr. Prescott would pay for the return of his jockey, too." and thought Mr. Prescott would pay for the return of his jockey, too."

"Maybe. But he's not likely to pay a second ransom -not after having been swindled out of his money the first time."

"It will be too bad if we're caught before we have a chance to rescue Ivan and the horse," Joe remarked. "We've done pretty well up to now, but all our work will have been for nothing if we should get tripped up. They would just move the horse and the jockey somewhere else and we'd have to start all over again."

"Maybe we wouldn't have a chance to do that. This is a mysterious gang we are following. What was that message you heard over the telephone? 'Death beyond the red hand!'"

156 "You're right," agreed Joe. "I wonder what that message meant, after all. Do you think we'll run into any real trouble?"

"I'm sure we must be careful. If Vilnoflf is engaged in a munitions plot he and his helpers will certainly try to keep intruders away."

They continued along the winding path. Suddenly Joe stopped short.

"Listen!" he whispered.

The boys stood motionless.

"What's the matter?" asked Frank.

"I thought I hea/d a noise on the path behind us. It sounded like someone running."

They waited, but could hear nothing. Joe finally concluded that his imagination must have been playing tricks on him.

"I guess I was just hearing things," he said sheepishly.

"Not getting nervous, are you?" laughed his brother.

A few minutes later Joe stopped again. This time he flung himself beside the trail and put his ear to the ground.

"I was right, Frank!" he said tensely when he got up. "There is is someone following us." someone following us."

"More than one person?"

"Yes. I could hear them plainly."

"Let's hurry."

A minute later Frank stumbled and almost fell headlong. As his hands struck the ground they encountered a heavy metal ring. When he regained his balance, he and Joe examined the ring and found that it was the handle to a trap-door.

157.

"Maybe we could hide here until they pa.s.s," Joe suggested.

Frank gave the door a yank, and leaped back in dismay. A menacing face had appeared and a stream of angry words in a foreign tongue greeted the startled boys. The face disappeared and Joe instinctively yelled: "After him."

"No," Frank warned. " There may be a gang of them there and we'd be putting ourselves at their mercy. We'd better go on."

Joe saw the wisdom of his brother's suggestion and regretfully suppressed his desire to see where the trapdoor might lead.

"Come on!"

They hustled down the path as quickly as they dared. Far behind them they could, detect the sharp snapping of branches and a heavy thudding of footsteps. Somehow their presence in the forbidden territory must have been discovered.

Soon they noticed the sound of running water immediately ahead. The trail dipped sharply. Frank switched on his flashlight. A wide brook barred their way.

"How about wading it?" Joe said.

"It's too cold and deep. We'd be drenched to the skin if we were to try it. There must be a bridge or a fallen tree along this creek somewhere."

There was nothing to do but follow the stream.

"Which way?" asked Joe.

"If we go downstream we'll probably reach the river soon."

"Downstream it is, then."

158 It was more difficult to walk because there was no path along the bank. Dry leaves and twigs crackled loudly under foot. Frank had to keep the flashlight turned on almost constantly to light their way. The batteries had not been renewed in some time, and gradually the rays grew dimmer until finally they went out altogether.

"That would would happen!" muttered the boy in disgust. happen!" muttered the boy in disgust.

"It's a good thing I thought of putting an extra battery into my pocket," said Joe.

He took the flashlight from his brother and was just fixing it, when his foot caught on a root. He lurched, and grabbed at a small tree to save himself from falling into the creek. As he did so, the battery flew out of his hand. He made a frantic lunge, but it bounded from a rock and splashed into the swift water.

The Hardy boys were left in pitch darkness. The loss of their means of illumination was a disastrous blow. Joe bitterly condemned himself for his clumsiness.

"It wasn't your fault," Frank a.s.sured him. "I should have been quick enough to have grabbed it."

They went on. Frank lit matches so that they could get their bearings from time to time, but they made only slow progress. Behind them they could hear the steady snapping of twigs and thres.h.i.+ng of branches as their pursuers drew closer on their heels.

At last, however, the boys emerged from the dense vegetation onto an open road. They had been plunging along parallel to it all the while.

"Ah, this is better!" declared Frank. "I wonder where the route leads to?"

"It doesn't matter as long as it brings us somewhere.

159.

Listen-I can hear the men again. They aren't very far behind."

They could detect the heavy footsteps very plainly as they came down the road.

Frank struck another match. The stream lay immediately ahead, and was spanned at this point by a small wooden bridge. As the Hardy boys hurried toward it a shout came from behind them.