Joe went to check the branch to their left while Harry and Silas waited at the junction. When he returned, he said it led to the outside but was above ground level and overgrown by bushes, like the main tunnel entrance. “Need a ladder to get in and out,” he said.
“Obie probably wouldn’t have used that,” Silas said. “Let’s try the other branch.”
The branch to their right was somewhat drier. A little way in, it turned upward and then curved back down, opening into a small cave. At the opposite end of the cave was another tunnel.
“Turn your lights off,” Harry said, “and give your eyes a minute to adjust.”
“There’s light at the end of that tunnel,” Silas said quietly, moving a step ahead.
“Lights on,” Harry said, “so you can see where you’re walking.”
A short tunnel took them into another small cave with a high ceiling and an opening to the outside. Silas walked over and looked out. “This is what I saw from the lighthouse.”
“Are you sure?” Harry asked.
Silas pointed to several rock chunks outside. “That’s what happened to the outer rim of the ledge.”
“Well, there are no signs that anyone ever lived in either of these caves,” Harry said.
“Too small and too open,” said Silas.
“Hey! Up here.”
Harry and Silas looked around. “Joe?” Harry called out. “Where are you?”
“Hold on.” Minutes later, Joe appeared in the entrance of the cave they were standing in. “Follow me.”
“What have you found?” Silas asked.
“You’ll see,” Joe replied. He led them past the cave they had just found, the tunnel still going up, until
they saw a glimmer of light ahead. As they walked on, it grew brighter. Suddenly, Joe stopped and stepped to one side. “What do you think?” he asked.
A few more steps and they walked out into a clearing where the hilltop curved inwards, away from the edge of the cliff. Some trees grew near the hillside but it was mostly covered with shrubs and bushes.
“Obie’s home,” Silas said, grinning from ear to ear. “It has to be.”
Harry laughed. “It’s hidden from the view of anyone down by the lighthouse and from the anyone using the trails on the other side of the hill.”
“Great spot,” Joe said.
“And he didn’t live in a cave,” Harry said, pointing to something close to the hillside, partly obscured by the trees. They pushed their way towards it. The roof seemed to be sagging but otherwise, the log house appeared to be intact, about sixteen feet across the front, and the back was very close to the hillside. A door was close to one end and two windows towards the other end.
“Doesn’t look very big,” Silas said. “Imagine living alone up here in a small space like this.”
“One man, especially a hermit, doesn’t need much space,” Harry said. “He probably didn’t have a lot of material things.” The house was about six feet from front to back. Harry pushed his way back through the bushes. “Ingenious!” he said. “He used the same method many early settlers used. The back part of his house is dug into the side of the hill.”
Further inspection revealed a window in the end, just around the corner from the door. The other end, revealed the back of a stone fireplace and chimney, though some stones were missing from the top.
Joe found a place to sit on a large boulder and pulled his lunch from his knapsack. “Time to eat.”
