“But where is Jimmie now?” queried Harry. “I don’t hear him!”
“Oh, Jimmie!” called Ned in a loud tone.
To this hail there was no answer. Complete silence reigned.
“That’s mighty funny!” puzzled Harry. “Get your searchlight and let’s hunt him up. He can’t have gotten far away.”
A short search by all three boys resulted in the recovery of the searchlight. Beyond the damaged lens the instrument had suffered no injury. It was still serviceable and cast a strong beam of light.
By its aid the lads followed the passage, stepping rapidly forward. They were becoming alarmed over the failure of their chum to respond to their calls. All feared that Mackinder might have done the lad harm. Momentarily their anxiety increased.
“Here’s a side passage!” declared Harry, who brought up the rear of the little procession. “Where does this go?”
“Wait a minute with that searchlight, Ned!” called Jack, who followed Ned closely. “Throw it back here a minute for Harry!”
Before the light could be brought into service Harry had taken a step into the passage he had just discovered. A sharp cry of surprise brought Jack and Ned to his side in an instant.