Horror and surprise held the five speechless for a moment. Then, as they heard the noise of the rushing water, and saw, by the light of their lanterns, that it came almost to them, but suddenly turned to the right, they came to their senses.
"Nort! Nort!" yelled Dick, his voice being flung back at him in echoes from the rocky, vaulted roof of the tunnel.
"What in th' world happened?" asked Old Billee in trembling accents.
"Nort fell into the stream, and was carried away," answered Bud, his voice choking.
"But why doesn't the water reach us?" asked Snake.
"That's what we'll have to find out," asserted Bud, bravely. "Come on!"
"But be careful," cautioned Billee. "Something may happen t' us, an' then we can't help Nort! Go easy!"
He spoke only in time, for the next moment, with an exclamation of horror, Bud and Dick, who had forged ahead, recoiled back.
"Look out!" shouted Bud, and he made such a lurch backward to recover his balance that the lantern was flung from his hand. It dropped, as they all could see, into the midst of black, swirling waters, white foam-capped on top.
And it was into this stream that Nort had fallen and been carried away, and into this stream that Bud and Dick had been nearly precipitated as they dashed forward.