“I see,” said Chot. “But what more is there to it?”
“That’s what we’ve got to find out,” said Rick. “If I’m right we may find Lost River somewhere in back of that pile of stones.”
“But if it’s there, why doesn’t it run out through the stones?” asked Chot. “They’re piled up so loose they wouldn’t hold back any water like a dam would.”
“I know it,” agreed Rick. “And what I think is that the river has been turned out of its course somewhere back in the other tunnel that’s maybe behind the pile of rocks.”
“You mean Lost River is lost in another tunnel?” asked his chum.
“That’s what I think, and it’s up to you and me to find it.”
“I’m with you!” cried Chot, eagerly. “It’ll be fun to be on our own, with Ruddy to help. But maybe Uncle Tod won’t let us,” he said, dubiously.
“Oh, I guess he will,” spoke Rick hopefully. “We’ve been off by ourselves a lot lately—we could go and stay all day—take some grub with us.”
“But maybe it would take longer than a day.”
“That’s nothing. We could stay all night. We’ve been camping before, when we went on Scout hikes.”
“All right, then if we have to stay all night we will, but we’ll try to do it in one day.”
“First we got to get those stones out of the way and see if there is another tunnel opening,” suggested Chot.
“That’s right,” assented his chum. “We’ll do that to-morrow, and then, if we find what we’re looking for, we’ll start next day.”
Uncle Tod and his partner were so busy seeking another mine location, where they would not have to depend on water, that they paid little attention to the boys or dog. Rick, Chot and Ruddy could wander off where they pleased. So it was an easy matter to proceed to the second opening of the tunnel—the place where they had come out before.
They went by the outside trail, as it was quicker, and there was nothing to be gained by again proceeding through the tunnel. And there, as they looked at the pile of rocks, it was made certain to both boys—in the light of Rick’s map—that what Rick had said might very likely be true.
Behind those stones might easily be another tunnel, and in that tunnel—well, they hoped to find Lost River, or a trace of it.
“It’s going to be a lot of work—moving all those stones,” announced Chot with a sigh as they gazed at the tumbled mass of broken and jagged rocks.