“Let’s make a tour around the hotel first,” Brad said.
Keeping out of sight, the pair crept through the bushes, completely circling the old building. No one was visible at any of the windows.
Finally they came to the river. Thrusting through a particularly dense thicket, Brad abruptly halted.
“Hello?” he muttered. “What’s this?”
Progress was barred by an accumulation of brush and debris. Pulling some of it aside, Brad saw a dark opening leading back under the rise of ground.
“Gosh, Dan,” he murmured in awe. “This looks like the entrance to the old tunnel Mr. Hatfield told us about.”
“It sure does,” Dan agreed excitedly. “And someone’s found it ahead of us. The sand which blocked the entrance was dug out, and then the opening hidden with all this brush!”
“Let’s find out where it goes!”
With no thought of personal danger, the boys pulled away enough debris to permit them to squeeze through into the dark tunnel.
In years past it had been bricked over, but now water oozed through many breaks in the walls and low ceiling.