Read Online Ghost Cave by Barbara Steiner - Free Book Online

light his dad’s carbide lamp while they were in daylight, waiting for Eddie. Marc had cleaned both lamps after his swimming trip the day before. There was a satisfying pop as his lamp flared and burned brightly.
    â€œWhat if our lights burn out before we get back?” asked Hermie.
    Just the idea of being caught in any cave without light made Marc’s stomach do flip-flops. “Don’t worry, Hermie, I always carry a flashlight and a supply of candles. My matches are in an old Band-Aid can to keep them dry.”
    â€œI feel like a miner,” said Hermie, buckling on the helmet Marc had handed him after taping his lamp to the front.
    â€œAs much as I like exploring underground,” Marc said, “working in a mine would be the last job I’d choose.”
    It took about twenty-five steps to lose the small amount of light coming from the entrance. “I don’t like this,” Hermie said again. His voice sounded funny bouncing off the rock walls.
    Their lights cast huge shadows around them. The passageway narrowed down, and there was a drop-off on the right.
    â€œWhere does that go?” Hermie asked, peering downward.
    â€œI don’t think it goes anywhere.” Marc shined his light into it. “For my money, it’s just a hole.”
    â€œWe could walk right into a hole like that,” said Hermie.
    â€œStay with us,” Eddie said, “and watch for holes.”
    A shiver flew up Marc’s back. He didn’t want to tell Hermie that he was both scared and excited every time he entered a cave. If Hermie thought Marc was the least bit scared, he’d turn back.
    â€œLook at those big rocks just sitting up there.” Hermie pointed his light overhead. “Any of them could fall on us. I don’t like that idea at all.”
    â€œHermie, would you stop worrying!” Eddie was disgusted.
    â€œWell they could, couldn’t they, Marc? I read about that Floyd Collins guy who was trapped in a cave by a falling rock. And he was an experienced caver.”
    â€œYou read too much,” said Eddie. “If you’re going to whine the whole time we’re in here, go back and wait for us.”
    â€œAlone?” asked Hermie. He stopped worrying out loud, but one glance at his face told Marc he was really scared.
    â€œI still think it was stupid to bring Bluedog,” Eddie said, and took off in the lead. He stopped to scramble into the drop-off and confirm that it went nowhere. “How can she climb anything?”
    â€œShe’s my dog.” Marc was more tired of Eddie’s remarks than of Hermie’s being scared. “I’ll be responsible for her. She might even find something we’d miss.”
    â€œDogs have a great sense of smell.” Hermie stated the obvious, probably just to change the subject from caves.
    Eddie twisted his remark. “Yeah, especially when they’re wet.” He laughed and hurried on. Marc let him go. He planned to stay with Hermie and help him get over being afraid.
    â€œThink we’ll find gold?” Hermie was still thinking about mining, or trying to cheer himself up.
    â€œSomething better,” Marc predicted. “I hope we’ll find evidence of Indians. I’ll bet the Osage knew every cave in this area. Sometimes they used them for storage or for hiding things.”
    Bluedog was acting strange. She didn’t run ahead or back and forth like she did when they were in the woods. In fact, she stayed so close to Marc that he had trouble walking.
    â€œI think Bluedog’s scared, too,” Marc told Hermie and laughed.
    â€œSmart dog.” Hermie walked almost as close as Bluedog. Marc felt like a human magnet.
    The cave was cold and damp. Marc shivered, even wearing his sweatshirt and denim jacket. Most caves are around fifty-five degrees inside, quite a change from the summer ninety-degree temperatures above ground. Marc knew he’d get used to the cold