CHAPTER XIV

THE SECRET OF THE HOLE

“Well, I wonder what will happen to interrupt our work to-day.”

Bill was frying flap-jacks and Rogers had gone to the brook for water while Gordon was making the coffee. It was Gordon who made the remark.

“It won’t take us long to find out what’s what if we don’t get stopped again,” Bill told him as he flipped a cake in the pan.

“Honest injun, Bill, do you have the least idea that we’re going to find anything?”

“How do I know, I——”

“I didn’t ask you what you know. I asked what you think.”

“One think’s as good as another, I guess,” Bill laughed. “Wait till we get that rock out and I’ll tell you.”

“That’ll be mighty kind.”

“What do you think about it?”

“I think it’s a pretty long shot.”

“You don’t think we’ll find any platinum?”

“Not a bit.”

“Well, we’ve had a pretty good time anyhow.”

“And met a pretty girl.”

“Rather.”

It was after seven o’clock, but on account of the tide they had slept later than usual and were in no hurry. But breakfast was ready when Rogers returned with the water, and they took their time eating.

“Suppose we don’t find the platinum in that hole,” Gordon suggested, “Are we going to hunt any more?”

“I don’t think it would be much use,” Rogers told him. “To my way of thinking that’s the place all right. Of course whether or not there’s anything there is another thing again. But just the same, between you and me we’re going to find it and we’re going to find it right there.”

“Hope you won’t be disappointed,” Bill told him.

“Well, it won’t be the first time if I am, and it probably won’t be the last.”

“What time is it?” Gordon asked.

“Why don’t you look at your watch,” Bill asked him. “You’re always asking the time with a watch right in your pocket.”

“Just habit, I reckon,” Gordon told him. “What time is it?”

“Half past eight,” Bill told him.

“Thanks, you’re a minute and a half slow.”

“Well, use your own watch after this,” Bill laughed.

“And we’ve got to wait another hour,” Gordon groaned. “Hang that old tide.”

“Better read another chapter in your book,” Rogers suggested.

“I believe I will.”

“What a calm,” Bill laughed as Gordon settled down with his book.

Finally the time came to start and they once more got their tools together and set off.

“Probably we’ll see a ship on fire or a whale with a sore toe,” Gordon declared just before they reached the shore.

“That last would be a sight worth seeing,” Rogers told him.

“Well, it’s going to take something unusual to stop me this time and I don’t mean maybe.”

“That goes for me too,” Bill added.

The tide was out just far enough to allow them to walk along the foot of the cliffs without getting their feet wet. They were all anxious to know what they would find in the hole and so hurried as fast as their legs would take them without actually running.

“The hole’s still there,” Rogers announced as soon as they had reached the place.

“It’s a wonder,” Gordon told him.

It took them but a few minutes to place the charge and fix the fuse.

“Directions say this fuse burns a foot in two minutes,” Bill told them. “Suppose we make it about four feet long. That’ll give us plenty of time don’t you think?”

“Sure it will,” Gordon told him.

So Bill cut the fuse and a moment later lighted the end. He waited until he was sure it was burning and then started after the others who were already some distance away. They ran along the edge of the water until they had covered a distance of some two hundred yards.

“Guess we’ll be safe enough here,” Rogers said as he sat down on a rock.

Gordon had his watch out and was watching the time. “Four minutes,” he announced.

“And four to go,” Bill added.

“Three minutes.”

“And five gone.”

“Only one left.”

“Ten seconds. Wonder what has——”

But then the explosion came and they saw the rock fly from the face of the cliff and land in the water at least twenty feet away.

“That part was a success anyhow,” Bill declared as they started back.

“Yep, it came out all right,” Gordon agreed.

As they approached the spot they could see that there was a hole in the cliff about two feet in diameter but they could not tell how far back it extended even when they stood directly beneath it.

“Give me a leg up and I’ll take a look,” Gordon suggested.

A moment later he was on Bill’s shoulders peering into the hole while Bill and Rogers held their breath waiting for the word which would tell them of success or failure. But it seemed a long time before Gordon spoke.

“Just as I thought,” he finally told them as he jumped to the sand.

“You mean there’s nothing there?” Rogers asked and his voice trembled as he put the question.

“Not a thing,” Gordon told him.

“How deep is it?” Bill asked.

“About two feet.”

“But it doesn’t seem possible,” Rogers told them. “That rock was fixed in there by someone and why did he do it if it wasn’t to hide something?”

“That’s a mighty hard question to answer,” Bill told him. “It doesn’t seem reasonable.”

“Want to take a look?” Gordon asked Bill.

“I’d like to if you think you can hold me.”

“Sure I can. Hop to it.”

A moment later he jumped off Gordon’s shoulders and confirmed his announcement.

“It’s as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard,” he declared. “Get on my shoulders and take a look,” he ordered Rogers.

“Guess I’m too heavy,” Rogers objected.

“Nonsense. Help him, Gordon.”

It took some time and a couple of spills but finally he stood on the firm shoulders and saw for himself that the hole was indeed empty.

“Well, it’s a great disappointment,” he said as he stood on the sand again. “I was dead certain that we’d find it there.”

“We aren’t greatly disappointed,” Bill told him. “You see, we didn’t really expect to find it.”

“You didn’t?”

“Not really.”

“Well, it’s some consolation to know that you’re not disappointed,” Rogers said slowly. “But all the same, I don’t understand it.”

“Don’t understand what?” Bill asked him.

“Two things. First I don’t understand why you didn’t expect to find the platinum in that hole and then I don’t understand why it isn’t there.”

“Of course we can’t answer the last but, you see, it was so long ago and——”

“But what if it was? Platinum doesn’t spoil.”

“I know that, but it evidently disappears,” Bill smiled.

“But it’s funny,” Rogers told them. “As I said before, someone went to a lot of trouble to make that hole and to fix that rock there, and why did he do it? If he put the platinum there and someone else found it and took it away, why did he go to all the trouble to put the rock back?”

“We’ll probably never know the answer,” Gordon told him as he began picking up the tools they had brought with them. “Guess we might’s well be getting back.”

“It isn’t time for dinner yet,” Bill reminded him.

“Are we all agreed that it would be a waste of time to hunt any more?” Rogers asked.

“What do you think?”

“I think it would be. I’m sure that that is the place where the stuff was hidden.”

“I agree with you on both counts,” Bill told him, and Gordon nodded his head in consent.

“Then there’s nothing to do but pack up and start back home,” Rogers told them.

“That’s about all, I guess,” Bill agreed, “Except that we’ve got to make a call in Honolulu.”

“You mean on that girl?”

“On her parents. We promised we would,” Bill told him.

“Of course you won’t see the girl,” Gordon grinned.

“Of course not,” Rogers laughed.

Although he was trying his best not to let them know how bitterly disappointed he was, both the boys knew that the failure to find the platinum had been a hard blow to him. They knew that he was far from being a rich man and had expected much from the venture. But all the way back to camp he kept up a lively conversation and tried to appear in good spirits. But they could see that it was forced and wished they could do something to make it easier for him.

It was after ten o’clock when they reached camp and they at once set to work packing up for their departure, although they had decided not to start until after dinner.

“We might as well have dinner early,” Gordon suggested as he finished rolling his tent.

“I was expecting something of the sort,” Bill told him.

“Well, we don’t want to get over there just at supper time, do we?”

“Sure not. Start the fire going and I’ll get busy even if it isn’t eleven o’clock yet,” Bill laughed. “What’ll it be, canned lobster or corned beef?”

“Lobster for me,” Gordon told him, and Rogers voted the same way.

Dinner was rather a quiet meal. In fact there seemed to be little to say. The boys longed to console their friend but hesitated to do so as they knew he was trying to keep his disappointment from them and would feel all the worse to know that he was not succeeding. So the subject of the platinum was not mentioned while they were eating. Although no one had said anything in particular about it as if by mutual consent they hurried to clean up as soon as the meal was finished and, shortly after one o’clock, were ready for the hop.

“Honestly, boys, I think you had better leave me here and stop for me on your way back,” Rogers told them when all was ready.

“Nothing doing,” Bill told him. “You’re going with us or we don’t go at all.”

“That final?” he asked.

“That’s final,” Gordon assured him.

“Then I’ll go of course, but I hate to be a wet blanket at a party and you may have suspected that I’m not feeling exactly what you’d call jovial.”

“Who’d a thunk it?” Gordon laughed. “Honest injun, Steve, as a crape hanger you’d make a good end man. You couldn’t be a wet blanket if you tried.”

“But I’d counted a lot on this thing and——”

“Don’t we know it?” Bill interrupted. “But we’ve done our best, you know, and——”

“And failed,” Rogers finished the sentence for him. “And now the chapter is closed and we’ll not say anything more about it. We’ve had a good time and I wouldn’t have missed this trip with you boys for a farm and so I’m mighty glad we came and——and that’s all there is to it.”

It was exactly half past one when the Albatross rose in the air and the plane carried a crew which was, so far as outward appearances went, in a joyous mood. Not a breath of air disturbed the ocean beneath them as they swept out over its broad expanse and headed for Honolulu.

“Know what day it is?” Bill asked as soon as they were over the water.

“Friday, isn’t it?” Gordon guessed. “At least it ought to be,” he added.

“And the thirteenth at that,” Rogers smiled.

“Well, you’re both wrong,” Bill told them.

“What day is it then?” Gordon demanded.

“It’s Saturday and the date is the tenth.”

“Which means that we don’t start for home till Monday,” Gordon declared.

“Exactly,” Bill agreed.

“I reckon he planned it so that he could stay longer with, er, with Mr. and Mrs. Mann,” Gordon grinned turning to Rogers who, as usual, was in the back seat.

“Probably you’re right,” Rogers told him.

“A lot of planning there’s been so far as time is concerned,” Bill retorted. “But have all the fun you want to at my expense. I don’t mind it.”

“Then what are you blushing so for?” Gordon asked.

“Who’s blushing?” Bill demanded.

“Ask Steve, he knows,” Gordon laughed.

“I guess it’s nothing but tan,” Rogers smiled.

“Maybe, but I’d like to take his temperature just the same. I’ll bet the mercury would jump out the end of the thermometer.”

“Keep it up,” Bill told him.

“Hope I never fall in love,” Gordon said in an undertone but loudly enough for both of them to hear.

“You probably never will,” Bill told him.

“It must be awful.”

“Ask Steve, he knows,” Bill advised.

“It’s not so bad,” Rogers laughed, “when you get the right girl.”

“But how do you know when you do get the right one?” Gordon wanted to know.

“You’ll know all right when the time comes,” Rogers assured him.

“Anyone will be the right one for Gordon provided she’s a good cook,” Bill chuckled.

“You said a mouthful,” Gordon grinned.

“Wonder how the Jap made out,” Rogers remarked a few minutes later.

“Perhaps we’ll get a chance to make a call on him while we’re visiting,” Gordon said.

“We must try to,” Bill added.

“Yes,” Rogers agreed. “I’d really like to know that he’s all right. I sure took a fancy to him.”

“Same here. He’s a regular fellow if his skin is a bit on the yellow shade,” Gordon told them.

All this time the plane had been skimming along at about seventy-five miles an hour and only a few hundred feet above the water. They knew there was no hurry and the day was too fine and the flight too pleasant to make speed. But finally they were hovering over the lot in back of the mansion, and the elevator was slowly allowing the plane to approach the ground.

“There’s Laura,” Gordon announced when they were nearly down.

“Guess she must have been expecting us,” Rogers chuckled.

“And there’s the rest of the family,” Gordon said as he saw a man and a woman emerging from the rear of the house.

They were greeted most heartily by the entire family and made to feel at home at once. In spite of their evident great wealth and high position the boys knew that they were just plain people, the kind they liked. Two men, who evidently worked about the place, rolled the plane into the commodious garage a hundred feet back of the house, and Rogers and the boys followed their hosts into the house.

The house was most luxuriously furnished but with such excellent taste that there was no hint of ostentation. A hot bath was most grateful to all three, and a little later they sat down to a meal which, as Gordon afterward declared, was in entire keeping with the house.

“Those biscuits were pretty nearly up to your standard, Bill,” he whispered as they left the dining-room an hour later.

“All they needed was a square tail to go with them,” Bill whispered back.

Seated on the broad porch Rogers asked Mr. Mann if he knew of their Jap friend and was told that he knew of him although he had never met him. Then Rogers told him the story of their meeting.

“Suppose we have the car around and run over and call on him. I know they usually keep open until nine o’clock or later.”

“Just what we’d like, eh boys?” Rogers replied.

“You bet,” Gordon told him.

They found their friend in and delighted to see them again and were happy to learn that things had come out splendidly.

“I bought my partner out two days ago and he left for the States yesterday,” the Jap told them.

Sunday morning they went to Church with the family in spite of their insistence that they had no decent clothes to wear.

“Doesn’t make a mite of difference,” Mr. Mann assured them. “We’re rather a free and easy lot here and your clothes will attract no attention.”

After dinner the car was brought around and they enjoyed a long drive about the city and outlying country.

“It’s most as good as Maine,” Gordon whispered to Bill as they returned to the house.

“But not quite?” Bill smiled.

“No place can be quite as good as home,” Gordon told him.

“And square tails,” Bill chuckled.

“You’re getting your figures of speech mixed,” Gordon told him.

“Thought you’d appreciate it,” Bill smiled.

It was sometime in the night that Bill’s sleep was broken by a violent jab in the side.

“What the dickens?” he grunted.

“Listen.”

“Where’s the fire?”

“There isn’t any fire, but I’m a chuckle headed idiot,” Gordon told him.

“That’s no news, but why wake me up to tell me about it? Afraid you’ll recover before morning?”

“Listen, Bill. I woke up a few minutes ago and was thinking and it came to me all of a sudden.”

“What came and why?”

“Why how we made a mistake about that platinum.”

“You mean you think it’s there?” Bill was wide awake now and sitting up in bed.

“I don’t know that, but I’m sure we overlooked a bet.”

“Where?”

“In that hole.”

“Nonsense.”

“’Tisn’t nonsense. Do you remember how the bottom of it looked?”

“Why, no, not particularly. Seems to me it was kind of sandy looking.”

“That’s just it, it was sandy. In fact it was covered with sand.”

“Well, what of it?”

“My, but you’re dumb. Why didn’t we look under that sand?”

“Brush it away, you mean?”

“Sure, why didn’t we brush it away?”

“I’ll bite. Why didn’t we?”

“I told you why I didn’t. Because I’m an idiot. You can draw your own conclusions in regard to yourself.”

“Well, it isn’t too late.”

“But don’t you think it’s a possibility?”

“That the platinum is there?”

“That’s what I meant.”

“Of course it’s possible.”

“And we’ll go and take another look?”

“Of course.”

Rogers occupied another room and so they had to wait till morning before telling him of their new idea, and after talking it over for a few minutes longer, they turned over for another nap.