'On foot or swim. I don't think it's deep along the edges.'
'You mean Chet and I will wait here?' Tony asked.
'No,' Frank answered. 'You two beat it back to Bayport and notify the Coast Guard. Tell them we're
on the track of smugglers and ask them to send some men here.'
'And tell them our suspicions about AH Singh and the Marco Polo,' Joe added. 'They can radio the
captain to keep an eye on him.'
'Okay,' said Tony. 'I'll do that. First I'll put you ashore.'
'Don't go too close or you'll hit those rocks and wreck the boat,' Frank warned. 'Joe and I can swim to
shore. Then we'll work around into the tunnel and see what we can find. If we do discover anything, we'll
wait at the entrance and show the men from the Coast Guard where to go when they get here.'
Tony edged the boat in as close to the dark shore as he dared without lights. Quickly Frank and Joe
took off their slacks, T shirts, sweaters, and sneakers. They rolled them up, and with twine which Tony
provided, tied the bundles on top of their heads. Then they slipped over the side into the water. The
Napoli sped off.
Frank and Joe were only a few yards from the rocks and after a short swim emerged on the mainland.
'Well, here goes!' Joe whispered, heading for the tunnel.
CHAPTER XII
The Secret Passage
CAUTIOUSLY Frank and Joe made their way across the slippery rocks. Suddenly there was a loud
splash as Joe lost his footing.
'Are you all right?' Frank whispered, as he came up to where his brother was standing in the shallow
water at the edge of the cliff.
'Yes. For a moment I sure thought I'd sprained my ankle,' Joe replied tensely, 'but it seems to be okay
now.'
'Give me your hand,' Frank whispered and quickly pulled Joe back onto the rocks.
The Hardys had landed at a point some twenty-five yards from the tunnel opening, but the climb over the
treacherous rocks was so difficult that the distance seemed much longer. It was very dark in the shadow
of the steep cliff. The waves breaking against the rocks had a lonely and foreboding sound.
'Good night!' Joe muttered. 'Aren't we ever coming to that tunnel?'
'Take it easy,' Frank advised. 'It can't be much farther.'
'I hope Tony and Chet will hurry back with help,' Joe said. 'This is a ticklish job.'
'If anybody's on guard here, we'll certainly be at a disadvantage,' Frank remarked in a barely audible
tone. 'Watch out!'
By this time they had reached the entrance to the tunnel. After a few cautious steps they discovered that
the narrow piece of land between the water and the base of the cliff was covered by a thick growth of
bushes.
Frank turned to Joe. 'If we try to walk through all that stuff,' he whispered, 'we're sure to be heard. That
is, if those men are in here some place.'
Joe grunted in agreement. 'What shall we do?' Tentatively, Frank put one foot into the water from the
rock on which he was standing.
'It isn't deep,' he said. 'I guess we can wade through.'
The boys hugged the wall and started off. Fortunately, the water came only to their knees because there
was a shelf of rocks all the way along. The brothers' hearts beat wildly. What would they find ahead of
them? The boys had not heard a sound since entering the tunnel. It appeared that the men in the
row-boat had gone on to some secret hiding place.
'I think I'll risk my flashlight,' Frank said in a low voice as they reached the pond. 'We can't find out
anything without it.'
He pulled one he always carried from its waterproof case and snapped it on. The yellow beam shone
over the pond. There was no sign of the rowboat.
'How do you think those men got out of here?' Joe asked. 'Do you suppose there's another opening?'
Frank turned the flashlight onto the steep sides surrounding the water. 'I don't see any. My guess is that
those men hid the boat some place. Let's make a thorough search.'
Slowly the brothers began to walk around the edge of the pond, brushing aside the heavy growth and
peering among the bushes. They had about given up in despair as they reached the section by the far wall
of the tunnel. Then, as Frank beamed the flashlight over the thicket, he exclaimed hoarsely, 'Look!'
'A door!' Joe whispered tensely.
The door had been so cleverly concealed that it would not have been seen in full daylight except at close
quarters. The glare of the flashlight, however, brought the artificial screen of branches and leaves into
sharp relief against the dark cliffside.
'This explains it,' Joe said. 'The men in the boat went through here. I wonder where it goes.'
In order to avoid detection, Frank extinguished his light before trying to open the door. He swung it open
inch by inch, half expecting to find lights and people beyond. But there was only darkness. Luckily the
door had made no noise. Frank turned on his light again.
Ahead was a watery passageway some ten feet wide and twenty-five feet long, with a ledge running
along one side. At the end was a tiny wharf with a rowboat tied to a post.
'This is fantastic!' Joe whispered. 'And it must have been here a long time. Do you suppose it's
connected with the Pollitt place?'
'If it is, it could mean old Mr. Pollitt was mixed up with the smugglers!' Frank answered. 'Hey, do you
suppose Snattman is his nephew?'
Excited over this possible new angle to the case, Frank and Joe stepped onto the ledge. They dressed,
then quietly inched forward. Reaching the wharf, they looked about them as Frank beamed his flashlight
on the walls.
'Hold it!' Joe whispered.
Directly ahead was a crude arch in the rock. Beyond it, the boys could see a steep flight of stone steps.
Their hearts pounded with excitement.
'We've found it!' Frank whispered. 'This must be the secret passageway!'
'Yes,' Joe agreed, 'and from the distance we've come I'd figure that we're right underneath the house on
the cliff.' 'Let's go up.'
The light cast strange shadows in the passage through the rocks. Water dripped from the walls. The boys
tiptoed forward and stealthily began the ascent.
As they crept up the stairs, Frank flashed the light ahead of them. Shortly they could see that the steps
ended at a heavy door. Its framework was set into the wall of rock. Above them was only a rocky
ceiling.
When Frank and Joe reached the door, they hesitated. Both were thinking, 'If we go through that door
and find the gang of smugglers, we'll never get out. But, on the other hand, we must find Dad!'
