*CHAPTER XXIII.*
*A FOUL DEN.*
For a few moments the three friends stared without moving at the placewhere the agonised face had appeared. They were spellbound with horrorof they knew not what; for though they could not see anything of whatwas going on in the den in front of them, they could hear strange soundsand weird noises.
There was a rushing sound as of large bodies darting to and fro throughthe air; they heard the beat of powerful wings, low gasps and gurgles,yet could make out nothing in the obscurity. Then another terrible crywas heard--this time an unmistakably human one: 'Malto! Malto! Is ityou? Save me! save me!'
This appeal startled their new friend into instant action, and he dashedtoward the bars, crying out as he went, 'Have you arms, you three? Ifyou have, come and help me!'
In a moment Gerald and Jack gripped their revolvers and raced after him.
He made for a small metal gate in the bars, and after applying a key tothe lock began feverishly to work away at other fastenings which stillheld it. The two chums stood beside him, gazing into the cage, trying tomake out what was going on within. Suddenly something swished past them.It had the general appearance of a monstrous bat--certainly it had whatlooked like the body and wings of a bat--but it also had a human face!
'Malto! Malto!' cried this apparition, as it flew past--for it wascertainly flying--'make haste or it will be too late! I am tired out!I'----
The last words were lost as it disappeared again into the darknessbeyond. Hardly had it passed when a huge shape came into view, beatingthe air with great wings, evidently in hot pursuit of the other. It wasundoubtedly a monster bat--much bigger than the strange apparition withthe human face.
Without waiting for instructions from Malto, both the chums fired at thecreature, but seemingly with no result; for it continued on its way, anda moment later was lost in the shadows.
Malto looked up in surprise at the sound of the shots; then resumed hiswork at the fastenings, in which he was now assisted by Alondra.
A moment later the gate was open. Malto snatched up a long, heavy pieceof wood which was lying near, and, entering the cage, stood boldlywaiting for the expected return of the monster.
'This way, Malandris! this way! The gate is open!' he shouted, as helooked about, trying to pierce the gloom.
There was a low answering cry, and the form of the man-bat--as he seemedto be--came into view, made a desperate attempt to keep up, but fellexhausted at Malto's feet.
Then the great bat itself appeared, and made a swoop to seize its prey.It was met with a blow from the heavy wooden bar, whereupon it turnedviciously upon the rescuer.
The great wings closed round him, and the immense claws with which theywere armed gripped him, striving to draw him within reach of the head,with its open mouth and shining fangs.
The wooden bar, however, was jammed against its breast, and prevented itfor the moment from coming to close quarters. Just then Gerald andJack, who had entered the cage behind Malto, fired their pistolssimultaneously.
As a result, one wing could be seen to be hanging limply, broken by abullet; and as the creature gave utterance to another scream, Jackrushed in and despatched it.
Gerald and Alondra assisted the plucky young fellow to struggle out ofthe enfolding wings. Directly he was clear he sprang up, and, seizingupon the prostrate man, began to drag him towards the opening.
'Quick, quick!' he cried. 'That scream was to call its mate to its aid,and it will be here in another minute!'
The man they had saved was unconscious; but the two chums laid hold ofhim, and, picking him up with comparative ease, carried him out of thecage.
Hardly had the gate been closed behind them when there was heard arepetition of the scream. A second monster came rushing out of the gloomand hurled itself against the bars with a force which shook them asthough they had been but wire.
Malto, badly mauled as he was, hastily fastened the gate, and then,turning to the others, said hurriedly, 'There is no time to lose! Ifyou can carry my friend, who has fainted, bear him this way. The noisewill bring people here, and we shall be captured ourselves if they seeus!'
Between them they bore the one they had rescued across the floor to asmall door upon the side opposite that by which they had entered. Maltounlocked it, and when they were well inside closed it quickly.
There were here, amongst other things, a number of queer-looking dresseshung on pegs, and Malto took some down and urged the three friends todress themselves in them.
'Make haste, while I attend to my friend!' he urged; and though Alondrastrongly disliked the idea of dressing himself up in a disguise, therewas that in their new friend's tone and manner which somehow silencedhis objections. The stranger, meantime, had obtained a bowl of waterfrom somewhere near, and sprinkled it in the face of the unconsciousman. Then he drew from his pocket a flask, which he held to the man'slips, and a minute later the sufferer opened his eyes, gave a gasp, andsat up.
Presently he seemed to recollect what had happened, and, realising theneed for action himself, he struggled to his feet. He looked agrotesque figure indeed, and the three who had helped to save him, busythough they were, trying to fit on their strange garments, could nothelp staring at him in wonder. He was evidently 'got up' in imitationof a great bat--that much seemed certain--but the reason of such anextraordinary get-up was for the time being a riddle to which they couldfind no answer.
Whatever the original intention in wearing the dress may have been,however, it was clear that Malto saw no use in its continuance, for heproceeded to assist the wearer to discard it and attire himself in someof the garments which were hanging on the pegs. Then he rolled up thewhole affair into a bundle, and concealed it in a corner beneath a pileof skins.
They were now all garbed in a quaint kind of costume, the chief pointsof which consisted of a high hat and a loose cloak, which hid theclothes they were still wearing underneath. It was one of the dressesworn by the attendants of the palace, so Malto briefly explained, whilepeering out through a grating in the door to see what was going on inthe place they had just left.
As he had expected would be the case, the noise of the revolver shotshad brought some people upon the scene. He could see a group gatherednear the cage, staring at the dead monster, while others were movingabout in search of a clue to the mystery of how it had come by itsdeath.
'They will be in here directly,' Malto said in a low tone, after a briefinspection. 'We had better be off!--Do you think you can walk,Malandris?'
'Ay, ay, and run too, if needs be,' returned the rescued man briskly.'I am all right now. I owe you my life'----
'Never mind that now. This is no time for talk,' Malto interrupted.'Just take a last look round, to make sure we have left nothing to tellthat we have been here, and follow me!'
He unlocked a door on one side, and they passed out in silence into apassage, which was almost in darkness. A little farther on there wereseveral flights of steps, and, having ascended these, they came out,after some careful reconnoitring through another door, into the open airin a spacious courtyard.
Malto locked the door behind him, and, enjoining caution upon hiscompanions, led the way to a large gateway which they could see in frontof them.
'If any one addresses you, say nothing, but leave it to me,' he said toAlondra and his friends. 'Your speech would betray you at once.'
As they drew near the gates they were pushed open, and a number of menin the purple dresses they had seen inside marched in, with soldierlybearing and military precision.
One, who seemed to be an officer, stopped and spoke to Malto; and againAlondra heard the strange tongue which he had noted before.
Malto remained a short time in talk, while his companions walked on withas good an imitation of carelessness as they could summon up on the spurof the moment.
When Malto came up with them he was smiling quietly to himself.
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bsp; 'It's lucky they did not see us come out of that door,' he said toMalandris, 'or they would have asked awkward questions as to how I cameto have a key.'
'Ah, that is what has been puzzling me all this time,' observedMalandris.
'That is my secret for the present,' returned Malto. 'It is a littlesecret which would interest Kazzaro even more than it does you, if hehappened to be aware that I had such a key.'
'What has been puzzling me,' said Alondra, addressing Malandris, 'is howyou came to be in that cage, and in such an extraordinary dress--if onecan call it a dress. I suppose some one must have placed you there.Who could have been guilty of such an atrocious act?'
Malandris, who was a tall, elderly man, with grizzled hair and a worn,haggard-looking face, shook his head with a sigh, as he answered, 'Thatyou should wonder, young sir, only shows that you must be a strangerhereabouts--one who knows not the master we serve, or what he is capableof.'
'Hark! what is that?' exclaimed Malto suddenly. 'I 'm afraid they 'vegot upon our track! Do you see that tower yonder?'
Before them lay a wide, grassy expanse, at the end of which was a sortof ornamental pavilion or small tower.
'That is the place we have to make for,' he went on. 'If we can reachit, we shall be safe--at all events, for a time--till assistance comes.If necessary, we must run for it.'
As he spoke, the low murmur which he had noted behind them grew into aclamorous shouting, and a moment later a crowd of pursuers came runningthrough the gateway they had so recently passed through.