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18 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon · Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: The auto thieves. The cave in had imprisoned the hardy boys.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: The flashlight revealed not a single opening. The tunnel was
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: blocked up, and for all the boys knew, the barrier
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: continued right to the outer cave. Now we're in for it,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: remarked Joe dubiously. The boys realized that there was nothing
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: to be gained by shouting for help. Even if their
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: cries were heard, which would be unlikely with that solid
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: mass of rock before them, it would only bring the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: auto thieves upon them. We'll have to work fast, said Frank.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: There isn't any too much air in this place now,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: and if we don't get that rock cleared out of
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: the way, we'll be smothered. Do you mean to say
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: we'll have to move all that rock aside? What else
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: is there to do? It might take hours. That's better
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: than dying in here, returned Frank, philosophically, you hold the
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: light and I'll get busy. He flung off his coat
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: and attacked the formidable. Starting at the top, he moved
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: rock after rock aside, placing them on the floor of
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: the tunnel. The work was slow, and he seemed to
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: make little progress, for as the rocks were taken away,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: they showed only more rocks behind. It was evident that
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: the cave in had been of considerable extent. Joe became impatient.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: I feel useless, he said. You hold the light for
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: a while and let me work. Put it in a
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: ledge someplace and we can both work. Joe hunted around
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: and managed to find a convenient ledge of rock on
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: which to rest the flashlight. Its beam was directed at
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: the barrier and rid of the encumbrance. Joe was then
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: able to lend a hand to the work of removing
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the debris. Patiently, the boys toiled, lifting aside the rocks
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: and putting them back on the floor. Every little while
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: a fresh shower of dirt and stones would come rattling
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: down from the roof. The task seemed hopeless. Looks as
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: if this goes on for yars, panted Joe wearily. We
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: might get out on a couple of years, said Frank,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: resting for a moment. Still, if we can only clear
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: a small opening, it'll be enough to let us out.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: He attacked the barricade again with renewed vigor. Wrenching at
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: a large rock, he tugged and pulled until it became
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: dislodged from the surrounding debris. Frank was just dragging the
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: huge stone away when there came a warning rumble, a
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: cry of alarm from Joe, and he leaped back. He
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: was just in time with a crash. A large section
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: of the roof caved in, a flat ledge of rock,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: just missing his head by inches. A mass of rubbish
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: descended with a roar. Get out of the way, Get
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: out yourself. Gee, it looks as if the whole roof
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: might come down. I got some dust in my eyes.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Same here. Say this is the worst yet. Humph. We'll
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: be lucky if we're not buried alive. Much crestfallen. The
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: boys bumped into each other, rubbing their eyes and clearing
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: their throats of the dry dust that had come down
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: with the rocks. Then they gazed at each other in dismay,
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: and not without reason. All the boy's work was undone.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: The barrier was now larger than it had ever been.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: That fixes it, said Frank gloomily. The ledge of rock
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: that had given way was of such extent that it
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: was impossible for anyone to move it. Their path was
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: completely blocked. No use working at that any more. Frank
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: sat down on a rock. Regarding the impassable heap buried alive,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: he remarked, at last, no one will ever find us here.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: The boys realized the gravity of their plight. No one
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: knew they were in the tunnel, no one had seen
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: them enter. If they perished here, their bodies might never
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: be recovered. Think we ought to start calling, asked Joe. Hopefully.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Looks as if we'll have to do something. Perhaps if
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: we do call, the men won't hear us. How about
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: going back along the tunnel there was still a sort
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: of opening, you remember, it's our only chance. Frank had
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: little hope that the tunnel had another outlet. However, he
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: grabbed up the flashlight, and the boys picked their way
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: back along the rocky passage. When they came to the
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: place where the tunnel had seemed to end, they surveyed
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: it dubiously. I'll go ahead, said Frank, Like as not.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: I'll get stuck in here and you'll have to come
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: in and pull me out. He wedged himself into the
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: opening between the rocks, holding the flashlight before him. To
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: his surprise, he found that although there was a blank
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: wall immediately ahead, the tunnel turned sharply to one side,
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and in the glow of the light he saw that
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: it continued for some little distance, a very narrow passage,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: but one that offered sufficient space for him to continue.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: It doesn't end hereafter all, he called back to Joe.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Perhaps it does lead outside. He went on. Joe scrambled
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: through the opening and followed close behind. With growing elation,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Frank found that the tunnel continued. When he had gone
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: about fifteen yards, he rounded a sharp corner and gave
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: a cry of delight. Here on the wet floor, he
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: spied the imprint of a man's shoe. There's been some
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: one in here before us, he said to Joe in excitement.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: A footprint. Which way does it lead? The way we're going?
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: This isn't so hopeless after all. This evidence that another
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: human being had been in the tunnel gave the boys
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: new courage. We'd better go quietly. Chances are that the
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: aught of thieves are somewhere around. A few steps farther
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: and Frank spied a light in the distance. At first
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: he thought it was only a reflection from his own flashlight,
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: but when he switched it out, the light still glowed
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: steadily through the darkness. Ahead. They moved cautiously. Frank did
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: not turn on the flashlight again, he was afraid it
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: might be seen. Step by step they moved forward, and
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: the glow of the mysterious light became brighter. It was
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: soon so strong that it even cast a certain amount
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: of illumination into the tunnel, and the boys saw that
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: the passage was almost at an end. Then they heard
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: a voice. They could not distinguish the words, but they
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: could hear someone talking in a quick, rasping tone. Then
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: another voice interrupted. Frank laid a warning hand on his
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: brother's sleeve. Quiet does it, he warned. They crept forward.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: The tunnel evidently opened into another cave. Edging ahead as
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: close to the entrance of the passage as they dared,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: the boy saw that the light was from a huge lamp.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: It was not turned toward them, or the tunnel would
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: have been bathed in a strong glare and they would
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: have been seen. But it cast a strong radiance over
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: a small cave in which half a dozen men were sitting.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: The cavern was bare, but there were boxes scattered about
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: on the rocky floor, and these provided makeshift seats. The
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: lads caught only a glimpse of the eerie scene the
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: shadowy figures, and then they drew back, for two of
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: the men were facing them, and for a moment they
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: thought the fellows could not have failed to see them. However,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: the glare of the immense lamp evidently blinded them to
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: anything beyond, for they did not move. A gruff voice spoke, well,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: we can run that big turn car out tonight. Clancy
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: says he can do the repainting tomorrow, and he can
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: get rid of it in a day or so if
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: everything goes well. He took his time about selling that coupe.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: There was a hitch somewhere. He thought that dicks were
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: watching his place, so he had to lay low for
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: a few days. Well, I guess it's all right. I
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: don't blame him for not taking any more chances than
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: he has to, rats, said some one else. He's taking
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: no chances. We've got away with everything fine so far.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: The cops haven't suspected any of us yet. Clansy's different,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: said the man with a gruff voice. He's at the
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: selling end, and that's where the danger lies. It's no
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: trouble to steal these boats. The dicks don't try to
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: trace him from that end, for they know there isn't
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: much use they watch until we try to get rid
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: of em. Clancy's smart. He even burns out the engine
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: numbers when one of those cars leaves his hands. Even
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: the owner wouldn't recognize it if you took him for
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: a ride in it. We've been making out all right
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: so far, but we can't get too bold. The whole
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: countryside is stirred up, and the farther we go, the
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: more chances we're taking. That's true. Just the same, we're
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: about as safe here as any one can be. No
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: one knows about these caves. Lucky break for us that
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: they don't. If I didn't know about him, I could
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: walk up and down the beach for a month of
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: Sundays and never spot an oak. That's a nice looking
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: roadsterill you landed tonight. It's been parked out on the
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: shore road for two nights past. It seemed ashamed to
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: neglect a nice boat that way, so I took it in.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: What would anybody park a car out there for on
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: a night like this? Wasn't there anybody around, not a soul.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Maybe the driver was out fishing and got caught in
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: the rain, didn't get back or he might have had
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: engine trouble. It ran for you, didn't it. Sure, but
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: I can make him run when nobody else can. You
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: sure know how to handle a car. I'll say that
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: for you. There was a stir in the cave. Here
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: he comes, now, announced someone. Then the boys heard a
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: familiar voice, a voice that sent a thrill of excitement
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: through them. Coast is clear. You can run that car
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: out now, Dan. It was the voice of Gus Montrose.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: End of chapter eight teen.