Taking a piece of candle from his pocket, Ned lighted it, and after a short search among the rubbish, discovered a small recess in the wall where lay a coil of rope, a roll of dirty canvas, and two lanterns.
“We’ll look this junk over later,” he remarked, “but first, let’s see what we can find down below.”
The lanterns were lighted and once more the boys descended the wooden stairs. The bats attacked again, but after battering uselessly against the lantern globes, they soon gave up the unequal contest. At the bottom of the stairway was a narrow tunnel sloping sharply downward. Along its center extended a pair of rusty iron rails on which stood a light dump-car.
“This is what Coleson used to haul up the copper ore in from the lower end of the mine,” remarked Ned as he squeezed past the car, which nearly filled the narrow space. “These rails run down to the lower end and this hand-winch was for hauling up the loaded car,” he continued, raising his lantern to examine a powerful-looking iron windlass bolted to heavy posts at the upper end of the tunnel.
“Here’s something funny!” cried Charlie Rogers, pointing to the wire cable which was wound upon the drum of the winch. “That wire rope looks to be brand new!”
“There’s no question of that,” declared Ned, after a close inspection, “and the gears of this winch are thick with fresh grease! This outfit has been used recently, or I miss my guess!”
“What’s that little windlass for?” asked Beals, pointing to a small device fastened to the wall. “Look! There’s a wire rope extending down along the roof of the tunnel!”
Dave Wilbur mounted upon the dump-car and reaching upward pulled hard on the rope.
“Gee whiz! It’s as tight as a bow string!” he exclaimed. “I wonder who or what is pulling on the other end!”
Picking up a stone, Ned knocked up the pawl which held the ratchet of the little winch. Instantly the drum began to revolve and the cable reeled off rapidly for perhaps a dozen yards when it came to a sudden stop. Seizing the crank handle, Ned attempted to reel it back but the pull upon it was too great, and only when Rogers and Beals had come to his assistance, did he succeed in rewinding the cable to its former position.