He reached back and laid a restraining hand on Joe’s arm, indicating that he was to remain at the mouth of the inner chamber and keep watch. Joe realized his intention and remained where he was. Frank then continued.
Cautiously, he groped about in the darkness, moving slowly forward. At length his hand fell upon an outstretched arm, then a shoulder which stirred slightly.
He bent forward and shook the sleeper.
“Chet!” he whispered.
The other boy moved and began to sit up. The chains jangled.
“Quiet!” whispered Frank, fearing that his chum might be alarmed at this sudden and surprising awakening and make some sound.
“Who is it?” whispered the other.
“It’s me—Frank. I’ve come to help you get free.”
From the darkness he heard a gasp of surprise, but it was quickly silenced.
“I’ll waken Biff,” replied Chet. Frank had merely guessed at this being Chet Morton whom he had awakened, and found that his guess had been correct.
In a few minutes Biff had been aroused.
“The men are asleep,” whispered Frank. “Don’t ask questions. Keep quiet until we get outside. I have the keys. Where is the lock?”
“We’re chained to the rock,” Chet whispered in return. He grasped Frank’s hand, guiding it to the wall of the cave until his fingers closed on a heavy padlock. “There you are!”
Frank tried several keys before he found the one that fitted, but at length the padlock snapped open. He grasped the chain with his other hand so that it did not fall to the floor with a clatter. He lowered it gently.
“Now for the handcuffs.”
Chet extended his wrists and Frank finally located the small key that opened the handcuffs. He removed them, then released Chet’s feet in a similar manner. Then he crawled over to Biff, releasing him from his chains.
All this work had been done with a minimum of noise, and as there had been no warning whisper from Joe, they assumed that the men in the outer cave had not been aroused.
Frank led the way out, the three crawling on hands and knees into the main cave. They could see Joe crawling ahead of them, past the ruby glow of the embers.
The snores of the men continued without interruption. Frank was jubilant. The most dangerous part of the affair was over. Could they but gain the entrance in safety and reach their motorboat in the cove before the gang should discover that their prisoners had escaped, all would be well.
Frank caught sight of a flashlight lying in the sand. His own light had been lost in the rock cave the previous day and he knew they would need a light to regain their boat.
He reached carefully over for it. His hands closed about the black cylinder and the light was his.
Chet and Biff nodded appreciatively when they saw what he had done. The flashlight would be a big factor in aiding their escape.
Joe had reached the entrance to the cave by now. They saw him get to his feet and glide silently out into the darkness.
Frank reached the end of the ledge. The flashlight was clutched in his hand. Slowly he rose to his feet. But a small pebble betrayed him. He lost his balance and staggered for a second.
Had it not been for the flashlight the emergency would have passed because he flung out his hand and supported himself against the wall of the cave. But the heavy flashlight struck a loose projection of rock.
There was a grinding clatter of stone as the rock came free.
In the dead silence of the cave the noise seemed magnified many times. Frank knew that the sleepers would be aroused. He threw caution to the winds.
He leaped forward, gaining the entrance at a bound. Chet Morton and Biff Hooper, seeing that nothing was to be gained by further caution, scrambled to their feet and raced in pursuit.
The noise of the dislodged rock had already wakened one of the men. He raised himself on elbow in alarm and peered about. Then he saw the fleeing figures in the mouth of the cave and heard the running footsteps.
He sprang at once to his feet.
“They’re getting away!” he roared. “Wake up, men! They’re getting away!”
Instantly pandemonium prevailed within the cave. The men hastily tumbled out of their blankets, bewildered at being aroused from slumber.
The Hardy boys and their chums, racing across the rocky stretch on the outskirts of the cave, heard the uproar and the cry:
“After them! Don’t let them escape!”
XVII
Capture
The men in the cave lost no time in taking up the pursuit. They had been sleeping in their clothes and, once aroused, hurried out of the cave in search of the fugitives.
The boys raced across the rocks. Behind them they could hear shouts as the gangsters called to each other. Then came the crash of a revolver as one of the men pumped shot after shot in their direction.
Biff sprawled full length on the rocks.
“Are you hurt?” asked Joe, stopping to help him rise.
“No, I’m all right,” gasped Biff, scrambling to his feet. He had suffered bruises but seemed otherwise uninjured. However, when he began to run again Joe noticed that he was limping and his progress was slower than formerly.
Frank had the battered flashlight, but he did not dare switch it on for fear of revealing their whereabouts to the men. The latter, however, were stumbling along behind, following the trail by reason of the noise the boys made in their mad flight toward the trees.
The men had the advantage in that they knew every inch of the rocky ground. The boys had to proceed more cautiously because it was unfamiliar to them, especially to Chet and Biff.
Biff was limping along in the rear and Joe purposely slowed down his pace so as to remain with his chum. But the delay was fatal. Out of the darkness came one of their pursuers, and with a growl
