ned.

"Why wouldn't it be there?" Old Billee wanted to know. "Do you think
them Hatchet-texts have sneaked in and took it?"

"You mean Aztecs?" laughed Yellin' Kid. "No, I wasn't referrin' to
them. I mean I hope our monkeyin' with that copper handle didn't send
the flood over the place where we left our things."

"I never thought of that," said Bud. "By Zip Foster! I hope nothing
like that _has_ happened!"

With anxious hearts they hastened back to the place where Nort had been
swept away. They had left the strange lever set to drain the pool, and
what state of affairs they would find on returning to their point of
digression no one could say.

"Maybe we'll find the water running on into Flume Valley," suggested
Nort, who seemed to be almost himself again, except for a feeling of
weakness.

"I hope so," spoke Bud.

But this was not the case. On reaching the place where the tunnel
branched, they found no water there at all. None was running in the
main channel, and none was turning off down the "stem of the T," to use
the illustration I first employed.

"Keeps on being strange, doesn't it!" said Bud.

They all agreed with him.

"What's the next move?" asked Dick, as they gazed about, finding their
food and supplies safe, and no water, to mention, anywhere about.

"Let's grub!" suggested Snake.

"And make a fire and heat the coffee," urged Bud. "I don't believe the
smoke will do any harm, and there's plenty of dry driftwood in the
higher places, and on little ledges."

"Some hot coffee would go down mighty well!" remarked Nort.

"Then you're going to have it!" asserted his cousin. They had brought
some of the cold beverage along in tin flasks, and these were soon
heating over a little blaze that was kindled along the bank of the
underground stream that was again dry.

The food and hot drink put new hearts into all of them, especially
Nort, and when appetites were appeased they gathered about the
cheerful, if small, blaze, which gave off scarcely any smoke, and held
a discussion.

"What I think we had better do," said Bud, "is to travel on until we
come to the place--if such a place there is--where this stream again
shunts off to the side. For I'm sure there is such a place if we find
that the water is running into the tunnel from the river."

"We can't be sure of that, though," Old Billee said.

"No, but we can find out when we get to the other end of the tunnel,"
declared Bud. "My idea