"Why, there were all sorts of tunnels and places in it. They say they were made by Indians who formerly mined there for copper. Some says as they're haunted by ghosts and such. But I place no stock in such stuff. All I know is that the tunnels is there. I've seen them with my own eyes. One of them was right close to the lighthouse. Its mouth wasn't a hundred yards from it. The way I discovered it was, my cow fell into it one day. Aye, and a fine job I had getting her out, too," quoth the garrulous old man, "she was a strawberry-colored cow, and as good a milker as ever——"
"Never mind that now, Sam," said Obadiah, in his gentle but decisive way, "I think if you will put the finishing touches on that submarine device for detecting the location of nearby craft, that it will be a good thing. We may need it as soon as possible."
The old man looked surprised, but made no comment.
"I'll get to work on it right off, sir," he said, shuffling up the steel ladder, "all it needs is the threads put on two bolts. Wonder what's in the wind now," he added to himself, as he clambered laboriously up to the deck and then sculled ashore by the boat with which he had come off to the Huron.
At this juncture, the professor and Jeff emerged from their ablutions and presently the whole party was ready for breakfast. Tom, despite his worry, did ample justice to the meal. The novel surroundings gave it an additional zest.
When breakfast was concluded, Tom was for going on deck at once, but Obadiah checked him.
The inventor and promoter of the Huron-type of submarine had been in deep thought throughout the repast. Tom, and the rest with him, concluded that his mind was busied with some problem connected with his work. But it now proved that it had been otherwise.
With the suddenness, and yet thoroughness characteristic of him, Obadiah Ironsides had arrived at a decision which was to prove of great moment to the Bungalow Boy and his friends.
"You wish to reach Castle Rock Island without delay, of course, and discover if Rangler and his rascally crew have really made it their destination?" he said without preliminaries.
"Why of course," rejoined Tom, rather puzzled as to what could be coming next, "anything like a clew is worth investigating and—and this seems to be a red hot one."