Harry spoke first. “I’m puzzled. Why did the smugglers clear and use a tunnel they had to crawl through, when they could have used the existing path to the top?”
Miss Pinkerton smiled. “That’s The Storm Legend.”
Harry frowned as the rest nodded their heads. “The WHAT legend?”
“The Storm Legend,” Silas said, continuing as Miss Pinkerton nodded at him. “Way back in my great-grandfather’s time, there were more trees on that hill. There was a thin crack in the solid rock where the tunnel opening is now and it was said that if you put your ear up against the crack, you could hear the ocean. They knew about the cave, of course, because it could be seen from a boat.
“One night, when there was dry lightning, a lightning bolt struck the hill, causing a fire. The wind was blowing towards town and everyone feared the worst. Everybody met at the church, where they prayed for rain, and made plans for evacuation if it became necessary.
“When the rain stopped, most of the trees on the hill were gone. There was heavy rain for nearly twenty-four hours. When it was over, some of the men went to ensure that no hot spots remained. That’s when they saw that the little crack had been blown wide open, creating the tunnel entrance that’s there now.”
“I assume someone was curious enough to attempt an exploration after that,” Harry said.
“The first smugglers were thought to have come before the storm,” Silas said. “They were thought to have cleared the tunnel entrance as a storage place, but discovered it led to the old slave tunnel and used that instead. Rupert’s crew just had to clear some debris.”
Glory shook her head. “Rupert had family here and knew the area well. He knew about the cave… and the tunnel… and the connection. That’s why he had them dig where they did. He brought workers from Jamaica to do it all, including clearing the tunnel. They even slept down there during the process. When the cellar was ready, he built his bar over the hole, with a trap door in the floor for access.”
“Let me guess,” Harry said. “That’s why the bar was always rebuilt in the same spot.”
Glory nodded. “Yes. The fires always occurred under the building where the rum was held. After the last fire, Ralph had the spot excavated, constructed a proper concrete basement, and still uses it for storage. As far as I know, it no longer has any connection to the tunnel – or to smuggling.”
“That explains why Joe found bottles scattered in several of the dead-end chambers. Maybe the workers were partly paid off with rum. What happened to them after the work was finished?”
“He sent them back to their homes. They couldn’t speak enough English to tell what they’d done. And their own people probably wouldn’t even be interested.”
Harry frowned. “He knew how to protect himself.”
