They often made unaccompanied trips into the wilderness, and it was while on one of these journeys that they chanced to discover what seemed to be a large cave partly overgrown by bushes and completely blocked by drifted snow. Their attention was drawn to it by a tunnel-like hole through the drift. Poking into this with a long pole, they were surprised to find that the opening extended back some distance. They immediately scooped away the snow, and there, sure enough, was a great black hole—seemingly the entrance into the heart of the rocky cliff which towered above them.
They had never heard Ben speak of the place, and thought it strange, if a cave was really there, that he had not discovered it. Lighting a match—for Ben had long ago impressed upon them the necessity of always carrying several boxes when starting into the woods—Ed held it before him and crawled several feet into the opening. The match went out, and he lighted another and held it above his head, so that its light would not blind him. Taking advantage of the short-lived flame, he glanced quickly about. He saw that he was in a low, narrow passageway between two smooth walls of lichen-covered rock. This passageway apparently continued for some distance over a sort of loose shale-like trail. The young explorer wriggled a few feet farther in, but was at once urged to return by his anxious companion outside.
“I tell you this is a great find!” he cried, excitedly, when he had backed slowly out into daylight again. “We’ll explore it. I believe it runs ’way back into the mountain.”
“All right, only we must be careful,” warned George; “it may drop away into a pool or something. Say, suppose there’s a wildcat or a bear up in there!”
“So much the better,” laughed Ed. “We’ve met them both before, so they wouldn’t frighten us any. Tell you what we’ll do. When we go back we won’t say anything about it to Ben; we’ll keep it a secret. Then to-morrow we can bring a rope and some candles. I’ll tie the rope around my waist and crawl in. If I get stuck you can pull me out.”
“That’s a good idea; we’ll try it,” agreed George.
When they reached the cabin they said nothing about their find. They asked no questions which might betray their secret. When Ben said he might go over to see Tom Westbrook the following day, the boys looked at each other and winked. They politely refused an invitation to accompany him, on the plea that they had found something they wished to visit again. Ben smiled, but asked no questions.
Next morning, as soon as Ben had gone, they took a long length of rope, several candles, and a supply of matches, and started for the scene of their discovery. They also carried their rifles, for, as George had said, there was no telling what they might find at the end of the dark tunnel.
Eagerness gave speed to their feet, and they were soon before the entrance into the ledge. Ed shed his heavy hunting-coat, and tied the rope securely about his waist. Then he fastened one of the candles to the end of a long pole. He cautioned George to keep tight hold of the rope, and crawled boldly into the black opening.
Lest his friend might plunge over the edge of some hidden precipice and pull the rope out of his hands, George prudently took a turn of it around a near-by tree. Then, with a warning to be careful, he began letting out line, an inch at a time, as Ed wriggled into the inky depths of the unknown interior.