“Shows, then, that Bert went below. Come on, Tom. You other fellows can come or not, as you chose.”
“No, no,” said Hoki, with a shudder. “I not care to go—I know—I know! You go, sirs; Hoki stay behind.”
The boys exchanged glances. The Jap was visibly frightened, and it occurred to Chot and Tom that perhaps he knew more about Winnsocket Lodge than he cared to tell.
“I’ll go with you,” said Pod.
“Well, you stay with Hoki, Fleet,” said Chot, winking significantly, and the fleshy lad nodded. He knew that wink; it meant, “And watch him, too.”
It was as Hoki had said; the lights were all on in the basement. They were controlled by a little button at the head of the basement stairs, and Bert, if he had rushed suddenly below, could easily have turned it. Either this was what had happened, or it had been turned on by other parties before Bert entered the lodge.
The boys could not prevent a creepy sensation from possessing them, as they moved slowly down the stairs into the big cellar. A breath of cool air met their nostrils as they reached the foot of the steps and glanced about them.
“Bert—oh, Bert!” Chot called. His voice echoed and re-echoed through the place, but there was no response.
“That strange,” said Tom.
They explored the cellar from one end to the other, but no trace of their missing chum was found. They searched diligently for a secret door, though where it could possibly have led had they found it, they could not imagine.