Instantly every boy stopped searching and rushed to his side, knowing from the tone in which he spoke that he had made an important discovery.

Chot had worked his way around on his section of the wall until he was beneath the stairs. Here, in a little nook, carefully concealed from the eyes of any who were not making a most thorough search, was a small metal tube projecting several inches from the wall, attached to which was a rubber tube of the same dimensions.

"Sh!" said Chot, as the others gathered about him. "This is a speaking tube, though where it leads I haven't the slightest idea."

He put his ear to the end of the tube, and greatly to his surprise, he heard voices.

"Hold still, boys, and I believe our mystery will be a mystery no longer," he said, in a low tone. "I hear people talking. Let me see if I can catch what they say."

The voices were evidently some little distance from the other end of the tube but as absolute silence reigned in the bas.e.m.e.nt, Chot could, by straining, catch nearly every word.

"I tell you I will get to that speaking tube," he heard Bert Creighton say.

There were several exclamations of anger at this, and the sound of a scuffle. Then Chot caught the magic words that unfolded to him at least one of the many mysteries that had been perplexing the boys since their arrival at Winnsocket Lodge.

"You think I don't know your schemes, but I do," Bert went on, "and I'm going to inform the authorities on you the first chance I get. You know what the government will do to smugglers."

"Smugglers!" muttered Chot. "Ah!"

"Of course, we know what they'll do if they catch us," said another voice. "But you'll never have a chance to inform on us. It was only by accident that you ever heard us in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the lodge, and even then, if you had been sensible enough not to investigate, you would now be safe with your friends. As it is, you're in a pretty bad fix."

"I'll appeal to Mr. Lawrence when he returns."

"Well, what do you think he'll do? Don't you suppose he's as heavily involved in this business as we?"

"He's involved more than we," growled another voice.

"Well you fellows see that the kid doesn't get to the speaking tube again. His friends are probably asleep, but because they didn't hear his first cry is no sign another wouldn't wake them. We've got trouble enough without ever letting them know this island is inhabited."

"I don't see what the boss ever let the kids stay in the lodge for in the first place. He's always taking desperate chances," said one of the others.

"Well, he's never been caught yet."

"No; but he will be," came in the tones of Bert.

Then the voices moved out of range and all was still. Quickly Chot repeated to the other boys what he had heard.

"Bert's cry," he said, "must have come through the tube. No wonder it sounded distant."

"The mystery, then, is a mystery no longer," said Truem.

"I see you are thinking of the same thing as I," said Chot. "The smugglers have a rendezvous on the island to the north, and that is where they are holding Bert captive."

"Yes," said Truem, "and those are the voices I heard the other night, and it was the smugglers' boat, very likely, which capsized my skiff."

"And it is evident from the conversation Chot heard that our friend, Mr.

Lawrence, is the leader of the band," said Tom. "That I think, is to me the most surprising of all."

"Yet, it is no doubt true," said Chot. "You will remember reading in the papers some time ago how different articles were mysteriously brought across the Canadian border, and how the revenue officers were perplexed and had failed to apprehend the smugglers. Well, the officers have simply not had the opportunities for investigation that we have had, that's all."

"Then the launch we heard the other night was taking smuggled articles to the other island?" said Pod.

"No," said Chot; "the launch was either bringing smuggled articles from the other island to the lodge, or taking them from the lodge to some point in the United States. There's very little stuff taken from the United States into Canada, strange to say. The contraband stuff all comes the other way."

"There's one thing we haven't found out yet," said Fleet. "How do they get the stuff into the lodge?"

"By some secret tunnel surely. There must be a compartment to the bas.e.m.e.nt of which we are still in ignorance, as Truem said a while ago, in spite of the fact that we believe we have been over every inch of s.p.a.ce."

"Then the best thing to do, seems to me," said Tom, "is to search for an opening of some sort on the north side of this island."

"That will be our plan," said Chot.

"And Bert's capture is not so much of a mystery now," said Truem. "He evidently heard the smugglers rummaging in the cellar, knew he was about to make a discovery of some sort, motioned you fellows to come, and went to investigate. Then the smugglers captured him, and took him out through the secret pa.s.sage before any of you could reach the lodge. They may have stayed in the tunnel until the excitement simmered down-who knows?"

"Well, I believe we have the advantage of them now," said Chot. "We know their secret. They do not know we know it, and we are thus better prepared to take action to get Bert out of their clutches and hand the smugglers over to justice."

"I wonder if Mr. Lawrence is on the other island?" said Fleet.

"If you want my opinion," said Chot, "Mr. Lawrence went off the other night with a launch full of smuggled goods. The sc.r.a.ping sounds Tom and I heard in the night were evidently caused by the removal of cases of some sort that had been brought to the lodge from the north island, and I believe Mr. Lawrence went with them to some secret nook where he can safely land the goods on the New York sh.o.r.e."

"But why should he want to bring them to the lodge before taking them to this other rendezvous?" Pod queried.

"There is only one way in which I can explain that," said Chot. "The boundary line between the United States and Canada must run between these two islands. Thus, while the island to the north is in Canada, Winnsocket Lodge is in the United States, and once goods are brought here they have been carried over the first and most dangerous stage of their journey."

"What do you think they smuggle?"

"A little of everything, perhaps, but I should say mostly valuable laces and precious stones, including diamonds, of course, brought into Canada through Labrador or some other secluded spot."

"No wonder Mr. Lawrence told us that the money we could pay him for the rent of the lodge would be of no use," said Fleet.

"But we're forgetting Hoki," said Truem. "I hope he hasn't deserted us in the excitement."

They immediately went upstairs, intending to plan out a course of action before morning, as they did not want to leave Bert in the enemy's hands any longer than was absolutely necessary.

They found Hoki still crouching at the foot of the staircase when they reached the first floor. The j.a.p's eyes were fairly bulging with terror.

At the sight of the boys he cried out to them not to hurt him.

It look Chot some time to convince the j.a.p that they intended him no bodily harm, and when he finally succeeded in winning him over the boys knew they had won a warm friend. Chot explained to Hoki that Mr.

Lawrence would eventually be apprehended by the authorities, and that unless Hoki was prepared to ally himself with them, he would be arrested with the other smugglers.

Once the j.a.p had made up his mind to do a certain thing, nothing could turn him from it. All he asked, he told Chot, was protection from Mr.

Lawrence if he became angry, and this the boys gladly promised. Hoki knew of the smuggling, but had been sworn to secrecy by his master. He knew none of the details he told them, except that the men had a secret way of getting into the lodge.

The boys did not try to sleep any more that night, fearing another appeal for help from Bert, and they sat on the verandah until daylight broke grayly over the islands. At sun-up Hoki served them with coffee and cakes, and they ate ravenously, for the little j.a.p's cooking suited their tastes to perfection.

During the early morning they mapped out a plan of action. It was a certainty, they felt, that the smugglers would soon enter the lodge again, believing the boys to be in ignorance of their secret. The tunnel must be on the sh.o.r.e towards the other island, and while the boys did not care to make a search for it in broad daylight, as the sh.o.r.e was in plain view from the smugglers' retreat, they felt that they could pretty nearly guess its location.

Truem, then was to watch the sh.o.r.e end of the pa.s.sage every night until the smugglers entered it, then find a means to close it behind them, so their only mode of exit would be through the bas.e.m.e.nt of the lodge. This sounded like a big undertaking, but Truem volunteered for the task. He was to be armed with a revolver and a good supply of cartridges.