Franklin Dixon - The House on the Cliff

only a black smudge and the house above was still unlighted.

Suddenly the boys heard a muffled sound. Tony slowed the Napoli and they listened intently.

"Another motorboat," Tony whispered.

The sound seemed to come from near the cliff. Straining their eyes in that direction, the four were at last

able to distinguish a faint moving light.

"Can you head over that way, Tony?" Frank asked in a low voice. "And could you take a chance on

turning off our lights?"

"Sure. Here goes. The wind's blowing from the land, so our engine won't be heard from the shore."

The boys were tense with excitement as the Napoli moved slowly toward the light. As the boat crept

nearer the cliff, they could barely distinguish the outline of a motorboat. The craft seemed to be making its

way carefully out of the very face of the cliff.

"It must have come from that tunnel!" Joe whispered to Frank.

"Yes."

The Napoli went closer, in imminent danger of being discovered or of being washed ashore onto the

rocks. Finally the other boat slowed to a crawl. Then came the faint clatter of oars and low voices. The

motorboat had evidently met a row-boat.

The next moment, with an abrupt roar, the motorboat turned and raced out to sea at an ever-increasing

rate of speed.

"Where can it be going?" said Tony, in amazement. "Out to meet the Marco Polo?"

"Probably," Frank replied, "and we'd never catch it. I wonder where the rowboat's going."

The four boys waited in silence for several minutes. Then the rattle of oars came again. This time the

sound was closer. The rowboat was coming toward them!

"What'll we do now?" Tony asked.

"Turn off your engine," Frank whispered. Tony complied.

Through the gloom suddenly came snatches of conversation from the rowboat. "-a hundred pounds-"

they heard a man say harshly, and then the rest of the sentence was lost. There was a lengthy murmur of

voices, then, "I don't know. It's risky-"

The wind died down just then and two voices could be heard distinctly. "Ali Singh's share-" one man was

saying.

"That's right. We can't forget him," the gruff voice replied.

"I hope they get away all right."

"What are you worryin' about? Of course they'll get away."

"We've been spotted, you know."

"It's all your imagination. Nobody suspects."

"Those boys at the house-"

"Just dumb kids. If they come nosin' around again, we'll knock 'em on the head."

"I don't like this rough stuff. It's dangerous."

"We've got to do it or we'll end up in the pen. What's the matter with you tonight? You're nervous."

"I'm worried. I've got a hunch we'd better clear out of here."

"Clear out!" replied the other contemptuously. "Are you crazy? Why, this place is as safe as a church."

The man laughed sardonically. "Haven't we got all the squealers locked up? And tonight we make the big

cleanup and get away."

"Well, maybe you're right," said the first man doubtfully. "But still-"

His voice died away as the boat entered the tunnel.

Joe grabbed Frank's arm. "Did you hear that? All the squealers locked up? I'll bet Dad's one of them and

he's a prisoner somewhere around here."

"And this is the hide-out of Snattman and the other smugglers he was after," Frank added.

"I don't like this," Chet spoke up. "Let's leave here and get the police."

Frank shook his head. "It would take so long we might goof the whole thing. Tell you what. Joe and I will

follow that rowboat through the tunnel!"

"How?"

"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