"
"It was rather dim in that hole," said Hall, still smiling in a
somewhat provoking way, "but the railroad track was there plain
enough. And, whether you think it remarkable or not, I should like to
lay you a wager that that track leads to a secret worth a dozen of the
one we have just overheard."
"My good friend," I retorted, still smarting a little, "I shall not
presume to match my stupidity against your perspicacity. I haven't
cat's eyes in the dark."
Hall immediately broke out laughing, and, slapping me good-naturedly
on the shoulder, exclaimed:
"Come, come now! If you go to kicking back at a fellow like that, I
shall be sorry I ever undertook this adventure."
VII
A MYSTERY INDEED!
When President Boon had heard our story he promptly approved Hall's
dismissal of the men. He expressed great surprise that Dr. Syx should
have resorted to a deception which had been so disastrous to innocent
people, and at first he talked of legal proceedings. But, after
thinking the matter over, he concluded that Syx was too powerful to be
attacked with success, especially when the only evidence against him
was that he had claimed to find artemisium in his mine at a time when,
as everybody knew, artemisium actually was found outside the
mine.
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