Clive Cussler Read Online Free PDF Page B

black boots. His henchmen—they had to be his henchmen since he acted like a boss—were also dressed in black Western clothes. The twins were both relieved and fearful to see one of the men holding Floopy, who was whining with a muzzle around his nose and jaws.

    The one clutching Floopy under one arm hissed at the man in front of him, "I told you they'd show up, Boss, after we stole their airplane."
    "Yeah," said the other henchman, grinning. "It was my idea."
    "No it wasn't. It was mine."
    "Was not."
    "Was too."
    "Not."
    "Too."
    "You're both wrong," snapped the Boss. "I thought of it. Now be quiet."
    The two henchmen hunched their shoulders and cowered at the Boss's cold voice.
    The Boss glared down at the children and growled, "And where did you two little scamps pop up from? And who sent you?"
    "Nobody sent us." Casey stepped in front of his sister since she was trembling so much, she could hardly stand. "We flew here"—he paused and pointed toward Vin Fiz—"in our airplane, from Castroville."
    "Castroville," snorted the Boss. "Never heard of it."
    "It happens to be in California," Lacey said indignantly, feeling a little braver.
    Then he stared at Vin Fiz. "You flew here in that old pile of junk?"
    "It's not a pile of junk," Lacey said angrily. "It's an enchanted airplane."
    It was obvious the Boss saw nothing enchanted about the plane. "Does anyone know you're here?"
    Casey shook his head. "We didn't tell anybody where we were going."
    "And just where were you going?"
    "New York," answered Lacey.
    The Boss looked at them like they had just arrived from the moon. Then an evil grin spread across his face. "You won't be going to New York anytime soon." He turned to his henchmen. "Let's show them their new home."
    The Boss and his henchmen began laughing like hyenas as the Boss led the way into the mine shaft. As soon as they were inside, their laughter echoed off the rock walls and rolled deep down the tunnel into the hill. The twins had to be careful not to trip over the wooden railroad ties holding the narrow-gauge iron tracks together. The henchman carrying Floopy dropped him roughly to the ground and began dragging him with a leash. Floopy gamely dug his paws into the rocky tunnel floor but was dragged along despite his struggles.
    "Don't give me a hard time," barked the henchman.
    Soon they came to a massive iron gate that blocked further entry into the tunnel. The Boss produced a key and unlatched a bronze lock. Then he swung the gate open just as an ore cart appeared from the other side pushed by two young girls not much older than Casey and Lacey. The girls were dressed in ragged and dirty dresses. They looked very tired from pushing the heavy cart, which was piled high with rock ore. One of the Boss's henchmen was in back, prodding them on with a long stick.
    "Move it, girlie girls, we've got six more loads to dump before you can have your beans and water."
    Floopy tried to bark through his muzzle. The Boss twisted one of the dog's long ears and sneered. "Save your strength, you stupid mutt. You'll be hitched to one of those ore carts before you know it."
    Lacey slapped the Boss's hand away from Floopy's ear. "You leave my dog alone," she said stoutly.
    The Boss's eyes glinted like the devil for a moment before he saw the humor in the brave girl's actions. "You're going to work for me, little girlie. I can use someone with your grit."
    The twins did not like what was happening to them, did not like it at all. Their tummies were flip-flopping with dread of what might happen to them at the hands of the Boss. There was little they could do, only wait and see what would happen next.
    What happened was that they walked into another huge cavern with a high rock dome. Over a hundred people were laboring with picks and shovels, loading rock into the ore carts. Men and boys wielded the picks and filled the little rusty carts while the women and girls pushed them through the tunnel to the dump outside. Some dragged a big