"Can't be," declared Jack. "Else how could those spirits or boys get through and up into the bungalow to play tricks with the furniture?"

"If they were spirits a stone wall wouldn't stop them," Paul said. "But we can't do anything more to-night."

"Can we at any time?" asked Walter.

"Sure!" cried Jack. "We'll get crowbars to-morrow and tear down this cement wall. Then we'll find what's at the other end of the pa.s.sage. Now come on back and tell the girls."

They found their friends eagerly waiting, though there was some disappointment when the boys reported finding nothing.

"Not a thing in that pa.s.sage except the solid wall at the end," Jack said. "But we'll tear that down to-morrow and see what's beyond."

"Now hold on a minute," said Mr. Floyd. "Of course I'm as anxious as you folks are to get at the bottom of this. But I don't own this property, and before I let you go to work tearing down stone walls and so on, I'll have to get permission from the owners."

"Well, that's right," a.s.sented Jack. "Who are they?"

Mr. Floyd gave the name, and added the information that they, or rather the one man who owned this particular bungalow, could be reached by the long-distance telephone.

"Then we'll call him up in the morning," decided Jack. "I don't know how far the pa.s.sage extends, or whether it's all under the property that goes with this bungalow, but we'll get permission before we go ahead."

This was agreed to, and when the girls learned that there was nothing to be alarmed at they went down into the pa.s.sage also, as did Mr. and Mrs.

Floyd.

"Well, there's nothing more we can do," said Cora. "Let's get what little sleep there is left, and then prepare for work in the morning."

"It's almost morning now," said Belle, pointing to the windows through which they could see a faint glow in the east, presaging the rising sun.

They were all too highly excited to sleep much, and they were up early.

Boards were laid over the opening in the floor, it being feared if the sliding section was closed there might be trouble in opening it again.

The strange happenings of the night formed the only topic at breakfast, and then the boys set off for town to get in communication on the telephone with the bungalow owner.

"I can't see why he would object," said Jack.

"Unless he made that pa.s.sage for his own use, and doesn't want any one to meddle with it," Paul remarked.

"What could he use it for?" asked Walter.

"Well, that may be part of the mystery. Let's take a short cut to the village," and he indicated a path that led toward the cave in the mountainside.

They emerged into a country road, thick with dust, and were trudging along this, talking on all the aspects of the queer discovery, when Jack suddenly stopped and stared intently at something in the dirt of the highway.

"What is it?" asked Walter. "A snake?"

"No, marks of an automobile tire," Jack answered.

"Nothing very remarkable in that," laughed Paul.

"There is in this one," Jack declared excitedly. "See the big Z mark where the tire has been patched-vulcanized. Boys, that's the same mark as was on the tire of Cora's car! I believe her machine has been along here this morning!"

CHAPTER XXVI-THE DROPPED BUNDLE

Walter and Paul stood beside Jack, looking at the queer mark of the automobile tire in the dust.

"It is just as Cora described it," said Walter.

"I remember, too," added Paul. "She spoke about it at the time, saying the man at the garage had made a poor job when he vulcanized on that patch. He didn't know his business, that's a fact. But still there might be other cars with that same sort of tire, Jack."

"Of course, but this is worth taking a chance on. What do you fellows say?"

"Tell us first what you want to do," suggested Walter.

"Follow this tire mark until we either see the car, or lose trace of it."

"What about telephoning to Mr. Haight about permission to rip down that cement wall?"

"We can do that, too," answered Jack to Paul. "This auto seems to be headed for town, and that's where we're going. If we see the men who have stolen Cora's car, we'll get it back for her."

"If the men let you," added Walter, significantly.

"Oh, we'll get help if we have to," said Jack. "Come on."

For some distance it was comparatively easy to follow the automobile track by means of the prominent impression left by the patch on the tire.

"But if you can tell whether it's going to town or coming from there, it is more than I can," a.s.serted Paul, "and I know something about autos."

"Of course, I'm not sure of that part of it," Jack admitted. "But we have to go to town anyhow, and it won't be any harm to go by this road, on the chance of seeing Cora's car; will it?"

"No," agreed Walter. "Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone that way, as well as any other."

But the hopes of the boys were doomed to disappointment, at least in respect to getting further trace of Cora's car, provided the tire marks were made by hers. At least it was a temporary setback. For after about half a mile there came a patch of hard oily road, in which the impression of the big Z was lost. And when next a dusty stretch was encountered, there were so many marks of automobile tires that it was impossible to distinguish any particular one.

"Baffled!" exclaimed Walter, semi-dramatically, after a back-aching inspection of the road.

"Only for a time," added Jack, cheerfully. "After we telephone we'll take the trail of the marks, going in the other direction. That will be back toward the cave, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were some connection between the cave, the pa.s.sage under the bungalow and the men in Cora's car."

"Some cute little detective you're getting to be," laughed Paul. "Well, it may be that you're right. Go on."

A little later the boys reached the village, and, after executing some commissions for the girls, including the purchase for Bess of a box of chocolates, they found a long distance telephone in a drug store where there was a booth to insure privacy.

It was decided that Walter should explain matters over the wire to Mr.

Haight, the owner of the bungalow, and ask permission of him to batter down the stone wall that brought the secret pa.s.sage to such an abrupt end.

"And while you're about it, Wally," suggested Jack, "ask him what the whole mysterious business means, what makes those noises, and why spirits, or humans, should have the nerve to sneak into the girls' rooms and upset the furniture."

"I'd need a night letter to get all that information," Walter retorted.