The Rover Boys on the Farm | Page 5

over about ten times.
How about you?"
"Shook up, that's all," answered Sam, after rising to his feet. "Say, we
came down in a hurry, didn't we?"
"Yes, and got no return ticket either." Tom looked upward. "Gracious!
the top of this hole is about fifty feet away! We are lucky that we didn't
break our necks!"
"Now we are down here, the question is, How do we get out, Tom?"
"Don't ask me any conundrums."
"We've got to get out somehow."
"Unless we want to stay here and save the expense of a cemetery lot."
"Tom!"
"Oh, I know it's no joke, Sam. But what is there to do? Here's a hole at
least fifty feet deep and the sides are almost perpendicular. Do you
think we can climb up? I am afraid, if we try it, we'll end by breaking
our necks."
"It certainly is steep," answered the youngest brother, looking upward.
"Say!" he added, suddenly, "do you suppose Dick went down in some
such hole as this?"
"Perhaps; where there is one hole there may be more. If he went down
let us hope he didn't get killed."
As well as they were able, the two boys gazed around them. The hole
was irregular in form, but about fifteen feet in diameter. One side was
of rough rocks and the other dirt and tree roots. At the top the
treacherous bushes overhung all sides of the opening, partly concealing
the yawning pit below.

"The rain is coming in pretty lively," was Sam's comment, presently. "I
wonder if there is any danger of this hole filling up with water."
"I don't think so, but if it does we can swim out."
"Or get drowned."
"Now who is getting blue?" demanded Tom.
To keep out of the worst of the rain Sam leaned against one of the sides
of the hole. He felt it give beneath his weight and before he could save
himself he went down into another hole, and Tom came after him.
The boys were scared and both cried out lustily. They did not fall far,
however--in fact, they rather rolled, for the second opening was on a
slant of forty-five degrees. They brought up against something soft, but
this time it was not a bank of decayed leaves.
"Sam! And Tom!"
"Dick!"
"Where did you come from?"
"How did you get here?"
"Are you hurt?"
"No, are you?"
"No."
These were some of the questions asked and answered as the three
Rover boys stared at each other. Other questions quickly followed, and
Dick told how he had started to get the tin box and gone down so
unexpectedly.
"You want to be careful," he cautioned. "This mountainside is full of
holes and pitfalls. I came down one hole and then shot right into

another."
"And we did the same thing!" cried Tom. "Thank heaven none of us
have broken bones!"
"Didn't you hear us call to you?" asked the youngest Rover.
"I thought I heard something--but I was not sure. I called back."
"We didn't hear you," answered Tom.
Dick had been trying to get out of the hole into which he had tumbled,
but without success. Now the sides were growing slippery from the rain,
so the ascent became more difficult than ever.
"We're in a pickle," sighed Sam.
"Oh, we've got to get out somehow," answered his big brother. "We
can't stay here forever."
The opening was almost square, with three sides of rough rock. In
trying to climb up some of the rocks Tom gave one a shove and it slid
from sight, revealing an opening beyond.
"Hullo! another hole!" cried the youth, leaping back in consternation.
"Why, the old mountain is fairly honeycombed with them."
"I was never on this side of the mountain before," said Dick. "They
used to tell some queer stories about this side."
"Didn't they say some parts were haunted?" asked Sam.
"Yes, and it was said that, years ago, many travelers coming this way
disappeared."
"Well, why shouldn't they, with so many holes around?" came from
Tom. "If we get out alive we'll be lucky."
With great care they got down on their hands and knees and examined

the opening beyond the rocks.
"I believe it's a big cave," announced Dick a few minutes later. "And if
it is, I'm rather inclined to look around inside. Perhaps it will lead to
some opening on the mountainside where we can get out."
CHAPTER III
A MYSTERIOUS CAVE
At first Sam and Tom demurred to entering the cave--which looked
dark and forbidding. But Dick insisted that he was going ahead, and
rather than be left behind they went along.
"We'll light some kind of a torch," said the eldest Rover. "Got some
matches?"
"Yes, I brought along a pocketful," answered Sam.