The Secret Of The Lost Tunnel Part 3

Both boys profusely thanked their father for the new car, then sat down with him and the general to discuss the mystery.

"This is like briefing troops before a battle." The officer smiled. He gave the three boys a layout of 33 the territory around Rocky Run. "It's not going to >e easy to find the treasure," he added.

"I have a feeling it's going to be a real fight," Mr, Hardy said. "You boys must be constantly on the alert. Gold is always a source of-"

Suddenly a splintering crash cut the air. A dark object, hurled through the window, hit Frank full on the chest!

Chapter V.

Dangerous Journey.

joe dashed into the yard and peered over the fence, but no one was in sight. Then he returned to the living room, where Mr. Hardy was holding a large heavy hammer.

"That hammer would have killed Frank if it had hit him on the head," his aunt declared angrily.

In a few minutes Frank was able to breathe more easily. A bruise on his chest was the only apparent injury caused by the mysterious a.s.sailant.

"That thug was pretty slick," remarked ISfr. Hardy, after giving the hammer a thorough dusting with fingerprint powder. "Not a print on it."

"Why would anybody want to hurt Frank?" asked Mrs. Hardy, still trembling from the shock.

"I doubt that Frank was the target," the detective replied. "I'm sure the hammer was meant cither for ir.e or General Smith."

"To keep you from making the trip South?" jf'rank put in.

"'1 told you nothing good would come of solving a case with a woman in it," Aunt Gertrude sputtered.

"But, Auntie," Joe protested, "she was right about getting the police after Dr. Bush."

"Then let the police do it," Miss Hardy retorted.

"I doubt whether it's worth while to call the police on this incident," Mr. Hardy said. "The a.s.sailant is probably far from here by now. But one thing is evident. Your movements, Jack, are being carefully watched by some dangerous criminals. I'd uciviie )-ou to get away from here. Start South tomorrow morning, but do it secretly."

By morning Frank was himself again, and eager to be off. To make their departure as secret as possible, Mr. Hardy had two of his operatives patrol the neighborhood for suspicious characters. None were found. At daw T-, wui UireweUs ringing in their cars, the Hardy boys, diet Morton, and General Smith set off for the South, Chet looked the most adventurous of all. His camera was slung over his shoulder and from his belt hung a tripod, collapsed into a leather sheath. With Frank at the wheel, they hummed out of Bayport 36 and soon their native city was miles behind on the state highway.

The boys found the general an interesting companion, with his stories of military life.

Then, getting down to the details of the lost gold, the man said: "When my grandfather got the message from his cousin's slave, he thought that the C S A written across the face of the note stood for Confederate States of America."

"Didn't it?" Chet piped up.

"Apparently not. When nothing came of this lead, my father decided the letters might have been part of a code; the first letters of three words whit-.li would solve the whole case.

But just how to break the code was another matter."

"Have you ever tried to?" Frank asked.

"Many times. My father and I thought the C might stand for cellar or cave, and examined several, but found nothing."

"Maybe it stood for cavern," Frank ventured.

"There aren't any around the plantation, so far as we know," the officer replied. "We once thought the S might stand for stream or stone."

"Or Stonewall Jackson," Chet volunteered.

Joe shot a glance at his friend which plainly said, 'No wisecracks while we're trying to solve a mys37 tery." Chet held his silence as the conversation continued.

"It was decided the S might mean the stream that Tuns through the plantation," General Smith said. "As a matter of fact, the banks of Rocky Run were dug into several times, but nothing at all was ever found there."

"What about the A?" Joe asked.

The general shrugged. "No clues," he confessed.

"The A might stand for a.r.s.enal or artillery," Frank offered.

"But how that figures in the whole picture only deepens the mystery," the officer said with a sigh.

"What'll we do first?" asked Chet, coming out of his silence.

The military man smiled. "I have nothing to suggest. The case is in the hands of the Hardy boys."

"Before we do anything," Frank said, "I believe we ought to look over the battlefield and the plantation."

Late that afternoon the four travelers reached Philadelphia. They registered at a large hotel, in the bas.e.m.e.nt of which was a tremendous garage. As Frank drove the green coupe inside, he said: "I'm leaving it for the night. My brother or I will call for it in the morning."

They registered, ate dinner, and went to bed 3 early. After breakfast the next day Joe went for the new car.

"Listen, Bud, n.o.body's takin' the car except tile guy who left it," the attendant declared.

"I'm his brother."

"Yeah? So was that boy with the baby face."

"What are you talking about?" Joe demanded.

"Don't bother me," the attendant said.

Seeing it was useless to argue, Joe went off 'mt 'mt -Frank. When they returned, the -Frank. When they returned, the garageman said a. a. boy about Joe's age had come in half an hour before, saying he was boy about Joe's age had come in half an hour before, saying he was one of the Hardy boys.

"He didn't have a claim check," the man said, "so I wouldn't let him take it."

"He was trying to steal our new carl" Joe ca.-claimed, climbing in behind the wheel.

As the Hardys drove out, both had the same thought. Aunt Gertrude had said one of the intruders at the house had a baby face. Had the fellow trailed them?

Out on the highway once more, the travelers crossed the southeast corner of Pennsylvania and entered Maryland. As usual, Chet became hungry long before the others.

Seeing a pleasant-looking house with a sign DINAH'S FRIED CHICKEN, he begged them to stop. Frank pulled in, and the four ordered lunch.

39 fl'ust before the end of the meal, after several cars had parked, Joe glanced out the window. Suddenly b jumped up and went outside. Returning a minute later, he explained that a man had been sneaking around their car.

"I couldn't find anything wrong, though."

"p>?t the same, let's get out of here," Frank suggested. "I'll take the wheel."

As the beautifully verdant countryside rolled past, he looked into the rear-view mirror.

"See that car back there?" he asked Joe, who was beside him.

His brother turned in the seat and peered behind. A black sedan was following them a hundred feet back.

"I'll bet he's trailing us!" Joe said.

Frank slowed down. When the other car did likewise, Frank speeded up. The trailing sedan kept pace.

"I don't like this," General Smith said.

Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when the Hardys' car coughed and sputtered.

As Frank guided the coupe around a sharp curve, the accelerator suddenly failed to respond. Frank steered to the side of the road, losing speed.

As he did, the sedan suddenly shot forward alongside the Hardy car. In a split second it cut sharply 40 in front of the coupe. Frank jericed the wheel quickly to the right and jammed on the brakes.

Joe was hurled heavily against tne wiuoafiieid Chet and the general pitched halfway over the front seat.

The car skidded on the sandy shoulder of the road, its front wheels over the brink or a deep gully..

CHAPTER VI.

A Narrow Escape.

"throw your weight back!"

Frank shouted the warning as the car balanced ou the ledge, ready to topple into the gully at any moment. When it settled into the sandy loam, he said: "Climb into the back, Joe. Then I'll try to get out this door."

With catlike movements, Joe slowly crawled over the back of the seat and into the lap of Chet, who was quaking with fear.

"Nice work," said the general, approving l< p="">

The added ballast in the rear made it safe for Frank to open his door.

"Hold everything for a second," he said. "lAi get a rope from the trunk compartment."

He pulled out a st.u.r.dy length of hemp and tied one end to the b.u.mper and the other to a near-by tree.

"Okay!" he called. "It's fast."

With a long whistle of relief, Joe opened the right-hand door and stepped out. Chet and General Smith followed.

"Whew!" said Chet. "Maybe I should have stayed home to take pictures. It's too dangerous down South."

"Let's get this car back on the road," Frank said. "Maybe we can overtake the guy who tried to ditch us!"

"Look! Here comes a truck!" Frank cried out. "Let's get the driver to pull us out of here."

He stepped onto the highway and flagged a big van, which came to a halt in front of him.

"Need some help?" the man called.

"Sure do," Frank replied. "Will you tow us back onto the road?"

"Righto."

The driver maneuvered his truck into position and helped Frank and Joe untie the towrope from the tree and attach it to the rear end of the truck. Then he eased the boys' car to the edge of the highway.

"Guess you'll be okay now," he said.

They thanked the driver, who waved a cheery 43 good-bye, saying he w7as glad to have been of service. As the truck rumbled off, Frank lifted the hood of the coupe and examined the motor. With Joe helping, he took the carburetor strainer off.

"Water in the gas line," he announced.

"Put in by that sneak back at Dinah's restaurant," Joe declared hotly. "Say, do you think he was the guy in that car we thought was trailing us?"

"Right," Frank agreed. "And he followed us, knowing the motor would stall sooner or later. He hoped to get us in a bad jam."

"I'll bet Dr. Bush is responsible," Joe declared. "Cut if he thinks we went over into that gully, he's got a big surprise coming. We're right on his trail now."

The general smiled wanly. "That would be fine if we knew who Dr. Bush is."

The coupe sputtered along to a service station. There the watery gasoline was drained out, and new fuel put in. The foursome set off again. Mile after mile raced beneath the wheels of the car as it steadily neared the old battlefield of Rocky Run.

"We'll stop on the outskirts of Centerville," General Smith said. "I have a home there.

We'll make it our headquarters."

Late in the afternoon they drove through the little town of Centerville. The main street, paved with 44 red brick, was flanked by two rows of oak trees. Behind them quaint old houses stood in the shade of blossoming magnolias.