Dutch and Isner both were far too curious about this just to leave it well enough alone, so they both took hold of the framework which came apart as soon as they tried to move the thing.

"Damn, thing's been here a while." Isner said staring at the crumbled mess.

"You'd'a thought it'd come down long ago, but maybe the wind just never got past them trees." Duch observed, "Maybe it was just outta the wind enough to let it stand 'cuz it sure weren't no trouble to move it."

Isner kicked the broken framework aside, "Make good firewood. So wanna step inside?" He asked like a kid wanting to see what was inside, "Ya know maybe it's a mine, 'er an Injun burial ground. Though I ain't never heard of no injuns using caves fer their burial ground. You?"

"Not ever, and yeah, it could surely be a mine, I could believe that, but if it was, who found it, an' why ain't they workin' it? Ol' 'lias'd have a heart attack was there someone on his ranch workin' a mine." Duch remarked, and they both laughed at the thought of it. "So just what is it, and why the cover? Means there's somethin' inside that someone didn't care ta have anyone see."

"Well, Childers get's back maybe we'll solve this mystery. Maybe there's treasure, 'er haints, gotta be care of haints." The younger of the two was saying, "Could be most anything 'er could be nothin', 'cept fer thet coverin'. That sent's my mind to wonderin'."

"Mine too, but I doubt there's treasure, 'er haints. Don't believe in 'em myself, never have. But yer right, why the cover if not to protect somethin'!" Dutch said, though he really wasn't sure what to think of the mystery. It was then they could hear hoof falls at a steady distance eating gait. "That'd be Childers now."

Arlen Granger stood watching Childers gallop away carrying a bundle of pre-made torches and a couple of old canteens of coal oil to soak them in. It was the best that could be done at the time. He then decided that maybe it was a good idea to let Mister Steelgrave in on this ‘fined.’ So he made his way to the main house.

”A what?” Elias wanted to know in not too pleasant a voice. A cave? A tunnel? Which is it?” He demanded and then the thought changed quickly, what if it was a tunnel, not just some Grizzle Bears winter residence? What if this tunnel, provide it was one, led to the Lost Lake Ranch? And, what if no one there was any wiser about it than he had been?

“Yes, sir, either one’s a possibility, they ain’t been inside as yet, they got themselves an arm load of torches and coal oil so they can explore it and find out just what they’ve stumbled onto. Aybe a mine, I dunno yet.” Granger explained. “But Dutch, he’ll be real thorough about it, you can count on it!”

“Yes, yes. Dutch is a good, thorough man, who’s with him?” Elias wanted to know.

“Childers an’ Isner.” Came the response. “Ridin’ the perimeter.”

“You order that?” Elias asked.

“Did, seemed to be a good precaution to take.”

“Good, I should have thought of that, can’t have them Lost Lake riders slipping onto the property, and they might try that.” Was Elias’ thought. “Be sure to keep me informed on this as it develops.”

“Yes sir,” Granger replied then asked, “Will that be all?”

Elias simply waved him away, both men thinking on what this all might mean, something or nothing.

Childers reached the 'hole in the rock' as he thought of it and slid from the saddle with the bundle of torches and the canteen of coal oil.

"Hey boys, Granger said he'd let the boss know, so we'll see what that brings," Childers explained. "Got these torches and a canteen of coal oil to use. Been in there yet?"

"Nope, but sortta anxious to see what it is we've found here," Dutch admitted.

"Yep, me too, been palaverin' about treasures and haints that might be inside. No bear'd have left no cover over the opening like that. An' I figger whoever put it there ain't been here for quite a spell the way she fell apart." Isner added.

"Well, let's light 'em up an' have us a real look-see inside." Directed Dutch, anxious to see just what was inside the opening.

Each man took a torch and struck a match, flames engulfed the coal oil saturated heads and then they stepped inside the mouth of the cave. The tallest of the three, Childers at six foot had to scrunch down just a bit or take off his hat as they proceeded farther inside the mouth of the cave. Yet within half a dozen steps the cave substantially grew larger and wider.

"Why heck, a man could ride a horse in here, she's plenty tall enough," Isner remarked as they stopped, raising their torches to see how large this cave was, and it was gradually increasing in height as well as width, Isner was right!

"Maybe, one by one we could lead them horses inside, better'n walkin'!" Childers stated, as it was a known fact, cow hands shirked doing anything that couldn't be done from the back of a horse.

"Reckon that's possible, might be one of us could go back fer his cause, then another, that way we got someone hold the torch and we all get a turn leadin'." Dutch suggested, I'll go on out first, here Childers, hold my torch." With that Duch handed off his torch and walked back to the outside.

Once the horses had been led inside and all of them were mounted up Dutch led out at a walk, there was no sense in picking up the pace, first because they had not been in the cave before. It was hardly a mine, just a natural creation in the rock. It was perhaps created by a rock slide untold years before, maybe long before man ever set foot in the country.

So they moved along slowly as every man jack of them was looking around the black darkness ahead and the black darkness behind. There was possibly a pinhead of light from the opening they had used to enter the cave and the tunnel, which had narrowed some, as they rode along. No one was talking either while they rode along Each of the men had their own thoughts,  about the tunnel, and about what they might run across inside this place. Suddenly, as they rounded a slight bend in the trail, a shaft of daylight appeared just ahead of them.

"You see that?" Childers all but shouted.

"See what?" Dutch asked.

"Somethin' moved across the light and disappeared!" The man said pointing in the direction. One could hear metal on leather as pistols were drawn.

"I didn't see nothin." Isner said, his horse stamping his hoof and snorting. Childers horse tried to walk back but Childers was able to control him.

"There ain't nothin'. C'mon, we ain't gettin no where's jawin'!!" Dutch ordered.

"I seen somethin' I did! Honest."

"Yeah sure you did, but there ain't nothin' here now, no offshoots for it ta disappear into. C'mon," Isner said as he looked about a bit closer to see nothing.

"Now hold on jest a danged minuet here!" Childers balked, "I swear I saw something, ain't sure what but I seen somethin'!"

"Yeah sure you did, an' we ain't sure what." Dutch said. "Now look, we got these torches, and the ceiling here's just rock foemations what have spaces betwixt 'em where the light slips through, so dust, rocks, snow, an' rain get's through. Now I ain't sayin' what you saw was any'a that, no sir, I ain't, but whatever it was might it not have been somerthi' that fell in?"

"Sure, there's all that that's possible, 'er a gust the distubed the the dust, now that I've seen, well not right here, but before lots a times that could look to be something." Isner added. "Could just be yer eyes plade tricks on ya, that can happen easy enough fer any of us."

"Whatever it was I admit I didn't see it clear, but I know I seen somethin'." Childers protested mildly.

"An' we all jerked iron, but there's no place anything could have gone except straight o ahead. An' there's more crevases where light's streamin' in so we best nbe on alert 'cuz there could be somethin' in here like a bear, maybe a cougar." Dutch stated.

"Or, a man." Childers offered. The other two simply looked at him as neither had been willing to say that out loud.

And just as he finished speaking a couple of rocks tumbled down to the cavern floor. The men starined to see if there was a cause for that, or just a natural happening.

"Hell! We're just spookin' one another, let's get movin'!" Dutch ordered.

A hat full of fire crackled, cinches were loosened, the horses gound hitched, and the boys were sitting around waiting on the coffee to boil. They had come quite a ways since finding this passageway through the mountain. They had entered at the base of a foothill, but it was clear they were under a mountain even with the open crevices. Speaking of which, they were close to one where snow was falling through, and the light had dimmed a bit. 

Isner withdrew his watch from his vest pocket and studied the open face of it. "Been close onto three hours since we come inta this cave. How much further you figger ta go Dutch?" He asked.

"To the end of it. Need ta know wot we got here, maybe a way onta the Lost Lake, maybe not. Could dead end anywhere's along here." Dutch said."

"A way onta thet ranch'd be just what Mister Steelgrave'd be wantin'!" Childers agreed. "Take them boys by surprise, by crackie!" The three laughed knowing that it was true, Elis would be delighted by such a discovery and might well move on the Lost Lake before spring. Maybe not, but a secret way on to the enemy spread would tilt things in their favor.

The weight of such news was not lost on Dutch, should this passage lead them anywhere near the ranch they could take them by surprise before they could get organized, and maybe they could actually take the fortress of the ranch without a huge fight. Maybe even catch Thorton and Cantrell off guard and that would end it for sure.

Then again, they could find a solid rock wall at the end, or perhaps this tunnel could veer off into the wilderness somewhere miles from the Lost Lake Ranch. Or maybe lead them back the way they came with nothing to show for the journey but tired horses.

"What if we find out that Thorton knows about this tunnel and he has guards at the opening on his end, wherever that is?" Isner asked, "I mean that's possible ain't it? We found this thing, wouldn't ya think he had too?"

"Makes sense, but maybe not, seems as though this entrance went unfound for years. Whadda ya make of that? I mean ya gotta think men been all over this ranch, but never found this?" Childers quizzed. "Shoot, that coverin' plum crumbled when it was touched."

"True enough, that thing was old, that's a fact. Ain't no white man waste time doin' that." Dutch pointed out. An' if Thorton had wind of this place doncha think he'd'a dynamited our end long ago?"

"Surely would have! considerin' the bad blood twixt the two, so maybe it don't go all the way through." Childers remarked.

"But maybe she does, an' they just don't know about it." Isner countered. "If it does or doesn't, neither side might not know of it. Just findin' out where this thing comes out'll tell the tale." Dutch offered.

There was the sound of rocks falling and all three drew thier guns and went prone in the direction they had been traveling.