“I was going to suggest that,” Jack went on. “Perhaps that is another entrance to the same cave Cora found. Come on, we’ll have a look, anyhow. We’ve got this for evidence, in any case,” and he held up the bundle of tickets.
“Are you sure they are bogus?” asked Paul.
“Well, not positive, of course,” Jack said. “But you’d hardly find so many kinds of railroad and theatrical tickets, the latter for a number of different cities, all in one bundle unless something were wrong. I put these fellows down as counterfeiters of tickets, and you’ll see I’m right.”
“Well, we’ll take a chance,” decided Walter. “Now what are we going to do about getting Cora’s car back?”
“We can’t do much right away,” said Jack. “But those fellows will come back, I’m sure. Let’s explore a bit in that shack, and then we’ll go and rip out that door in the secret passage.”
The doors of the shack which stood against the hill in the big field were fastened with a cheap padlock, and Jack, after a moment of hesitation, smashed it with a stone.
“Come on in, boys!” he called, swinging back the doors.
“It’s as dark as pitch,” complained Walter. “Did any of you bring your flash lamps?”
“Left ’em at the bungalow,” Paul answered. “I have some matches though.”
By the glimmer of one he struck, the boys saw that the shack was a sort of vestibule to a cave, for a big hole extended under the side of the hill.