h is a smoky thing, anyway."

Ruth was hunting the dark corners of the big cavern in which they had
camped. Although Jerry had been at the far end of the tunnel when he was
captured by the constable and his helpers--outside that end of the tunnel,
in fact--she hoped that he had left his lantern at this end.

As it proved, she was not mistaken. Here it was, all filled and cleaned,
hidden on a shelf with a half-gallon can of kerosene. Jerry had been in
the habit of coming to the cave frequently in the old days when his uncle
and he lived alone on the island.

So Tom lit the lantern and the trio started. The opening of the tunnel
through the hill could not be missed; but farther along Ruth had a dim
recollection of passing cross galleries and passages. Should she know the
direct tunnel then?

She put that anxiety aside for the present. At first it was all plain
traveling, and Tom with the lantern went ahead to illuminate the path.

They came out into one of the narrow open cuts, but there was little snow
in it. However, a flake or two floated down to them, and they knew that
the storm still continued to rage. The moaning of the wind in the tree
tops far up on the hill reached their ears.

"Some storm, this," observed Tom.

"I should say it was! You don't suppose the folks will be foolish enough
to start out hunting for us till it's over; do you?" Ralph asked,
anxiously.

"They would better not. We're safe. They ought to know that. Preston will
tell them about the caves in this end of the island and they ought to know
we'd find one of 'em."

"It's a wild spot, just the same," remarked Ralph. "And I suppose mother
will be worried."

"Ruth isn't afraid--nor Helen--nor the other girls," said Tom. "I think
these Briarwood girls are pretty plucky, anyway. Don't _you_ get to
grouching, Rafe."

They pursued their way, Tom ahead with the lantern, for some rods further.
Suddenly the leader stopped.

"Now what, Ruthie?" he demanded. "Which way do we go?"

The passage forked. Ruth was uncertain. She could not for the life of her
remember having seen this spot before.

But, then, she and Jerry must have passed it. She had not given her
attention to the direction at that time, for she had been talking with the
backwoods boy.

She took the lantern from Tom now, and walked a little way into first the
left-hand passage and then the right-hand one. It seemed to her as though
there were places in the sand on the floor of t