“It won’t take but a minute,” he told himself. “I’ll just sneak up near enough to see who’s prowling around. It may be some of the boys, though it’s been a long time since any of us have been down this way.”
He climbed over the fence, and stole toward the light. It was still shining, but before he got halfway to it, it suddenly went out.
He kept on, however, and soon reached the vicinity of the cave. This was situated in a small and rocky ravine, and had been formed by several large bowlders rolling down from the sides of the gorge, and lodging in such a manner as to leave a considerable cavity underneath.
Paul and his friends had for a long time used this place as a sort of rendezvous in some of their sports. But they had lost interest in it, and had not been there for some time.
In a few minutes he was near enough to the cave to hear the sound of strange voices.
“That’s none of the fellows,” he muttered, beginning to feel a little uneasy. “But who can it be?”
He paused for a moment in uncertainty. Then his curiosity urged him on again, and he soon gained a position behind one of the bowlders that formed a side of the cave.
Here he crouched down, and listened. In a little while the party within began talking again.
“There’s no doubt about it. He’ll have all the money with him, and, if we’re smart, we’ll make a clean haul of three or four thousand dollars.”
“All the same, it’s blamed risky,” said another voice.