CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
HOW WE HEARD A BLACK DISCUSSION AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND.
The rescue party consisted of the doctor, Ti-hi, and myself, with Jimmyfor guide. Jack Penny was to take command of the cave, and be ready todefend it and help us if attacked or we were pursued. At the same timehe was to have the bearers and everything in readiness for an immediatestart, in case we decided to continue our flight.
"I think that's all we can say, Penny," said the doctor in a low gravevoice, as we stood ready to start. "Everything must depend on theprisoners. Now be firm and watchful. Good-bye."
"I sha'n't go to sleep," said Jack Penny. "I say, though, hadn't youbetter take Gyp?"
"Yes, yes; take Gyp!" I said; "he knows the way so well."
"Jimmy know a way so well, too!" said the black. "No take a dog--Gyp!"
But we decided to take the dog, and creeping down into the bed of therivulet we stood in the darkness listening, shut-in, as it were, by thedeep silence.
"Forward, Jimmy!" said the doctor, and his voice sounded hollow andstrange.
Gyp uttered a whine--that dog had been so well trained that he rarelybarked--ran quickly up the further bank of the rivulet; Jimmy trottedafter him, waddy in hand; the doctor went next, I followed, and Ti-hibrought up the rear.
One minute the stars were shining brightly over us, the next we wereunder the great forest trees, and the darkness was intense.
"Keep close to me, my lad," the doctor whispered; and I followed him bythe ear more than by the eye; but somehow the task grew easier as wewent on, and I did not once come in contact with a tree.
By the way Gyp took us I don't suppose it was more than six miles to thesavages' village; and though we naturally went rather slowly, theexcitement I felt was so great that it seemed a very little while beforeJimmy stopped short to listen.
"Hear um talkum talkum," he whispered.
We could neither of us hear a sound, but I had great faith in Jimmy'shearing, for in old times he had given me some remarkable instances ofthe acuteness of this sense.
"Jimmy go first see!" he whispered; and the next minute we knew that wewere alone with Ti-hi, Jimmy and the dog having gone on to scout.
"I detest having to depend upon a savage!" muttered the doctor; "itseems so degrading to a civilised man."
"But they hear and see better than we do."
"Yes," he said; "it is so."
There we waited in that dense blackness beneath the trees, listening tothe faintest sound, till quite an hour had elapsed, and we were burningto go on, when all at once Ti-hi, who was behind us, uttered a fainthiss, and as we turned sharply a familiar voice said:
"All rightums! Jimmy been round round, find um Mass Joe fader!"
"You have found him?" I cried.
"Not talk shouto so!" whispered Jimmy. "Black fellow come."
"But have you found him?" I whispered.
"Going a find um; all soon nuff!" he replied coolly. "Come long now."
He struck off to the right and we followed, going each minute morecautiously, for we soon heard the busy hum of many voices--a hum whichsoon after developed into a loud chatter, with occasional angryoutbursts, as if something were being discussed.
Jimmy went on, Gyp keeping close to his heels now, as if he quiteunderstood the importance of not being seen. We had left the denseforest, and were walking in a more open part among tall trees, beneathwhich it was black as ever, but outside the stars shone brilliantly, andit was comparatively light.
The voices seemed so near now that I thought we were going too far, andjust then Jimmy raised his hand and stopped us, before what seemed to bea patch of black darkness, and I found that we were in the shadow castby a long hut, whose back was within a yard or so of our feet.
Jimmy placed his lips close to my ear, then to the doctor's, and to eachof us he whispered:
"Soon go sleep--sleep. Find Mass Joe fader, and go away fast. All tophere Jimmy go see."
I quite shared with the doctor the feeling of helpless annoyance athaving to depend so much on the black; but I felt that he was far betterable to carry out this task than we were, so stood listening to the buzzof voices, that seemed now to arise on every hand.
From where we stood we could see a group of the savages standing notthirty yards from us, their presence being first made plain by theireager talking, and I pressed the doctor's arm and pointed.
"Yes," he whispered; "but we are in the shadow."
From huts to right and left we could hear talking, but that in front ofus was silent, and I began wondering whether it was the one that hadbeen my prison. But it was impossible to tell, everything seemed sodifferent in the faint light cast by the stars. I could not even makeout the tree where Jimmy had been tied.
All at once a sensation as of panic seized me, for the group of blacksset up a loud shout, and came running towards where we were.
I was sure they saw us, and with a word of warning to the doctor Iturned and should have fled but for two hands that were laid upon myshoulders, pressing me down, the doctor crouching likewise.
At first I thought it was Jimmy, but turning my head I found that it wasTi-hi, whose hand now moved from my shoulder to my lips.
I drew a breath full of relief the next moment, for in place of dashingdown upon us the blacks rushed into the hut behind which we werestanding, crowding it; and there was nothing now but a wall of dried andinterwoven palm leaves between us and our fierce enemies.
Here a loud altercation seemed to ensue, angry voices being heard; andseveral times over I thought there was going to be a fight. I could notcomprehend a word, but the tones of voice were unmistakably those ofangry men, and it was easy to tell when one left off and another began.
We dared not stir, for now it seemed to be so light that if we movedfrom the shadow of the hut we should be seen, while the fact of one ofus stepping upon a dead twig and making it snap would be enough to bringhalf the village upon us, at a time when we wanted to employ strategyand not force.
The burst of talking in the hut ended all at once, and there was a deadsilence, as if those within were listening intently.
We held our breath and listened too, trembling with excitement, for allat once we heard a voice utter a few words, and then there was a faintsound of rustling, with the cracking noise made by a joint, as if someone had risen to a standing position.
Were the savages coming round to our side and about to leap upon us?Perhaps they were even then stealing from both ends; and my heart in theterrible excitement kept on a heavy dull throb, which seemed to beatright up into my throat.
The moments passed away, though, and at last I began to breathe morefreely. It was evident that the savages had quitted the hut.
In this belief I laid my hand upon the doctor's arm, and was about tospeak, when close by us, as it seemed, but really from within the wallof the hut, there came the low muttering of a voice, and I knew thatsome one had been left behind.
The doctor pressed my hand, and I shivered as I felt how narrow anescape we had had.
We wanted, of course, to move, but it seemed impossible, and so westayed, waiting to see if the black had made any discovery.
After what seemed to me an interminable time I heard a slight rustlingsound, and almost at the same moment there was a hand upon my arm, anddirectly after a warm pair of lips upon my ear:
"Jimmy no find um fader yet! Take um out o' place place! Put umsomewhere; no know tell!"
I placed my lips to his ear in turn and whispered that there was someone left in the hut.
"Jimmy go see," he said softly; and before I could stay him he was gone.
"What is it?" whispered the doctor; and I told him.
The doctor drew his pistol--I heard him in the darkness--and grasped myarm, as if to be ready for flight; but just then I heard a voice in thehut which made me start with joy. Then there was a rustling sound, andJimmy came round the corner of the hut.
"All rightums!" he whis
pered. "Find somebody's fader!"
"You here again, my boy!" whispered a familiar voice.
"Yes!" I said, catching the speaker's arm; and then, "Doctor," I said,"this is the prisoner who saved me--and set Jimmy free!"
"Doctor!" said the poor fellow in a low puzzled voice, as if his mindwere wandering. "Yes, I am the doctor! They made me their doctorwhen--the fever--when--oh! my boy, my boy! why did you come back?" hecried excitedly, as if his brain were once more clear.
"To fetch you and--the other prisoner!" I said.
"Mr Carstairs?" he said earnestly. "Hush, hush! They are comingback--to kill me, perhaps! I must go."
He slipped away from us before we could stop him, and while we weredebating as to whether we had not better rush in and fight in hisdefence, the savages crowded into the hut, and once more there was aloud buzz of voices.
These were checked by one deeper, slower, and more stern than theothers, which were silenced; and after a minute or two, we heard ourfriend the Englishman respond in a deprecating voice, and apparentlyplead for mercy.
Then the chief savage spoke again in stern tones, there was a buzz ofvoices once more, and the savages seemed to file out and cross theopening towards the other side of the village.
We dared not move, but remained there listening, not knowing but that aguard might have been left; but at the end of a minute or two our friendwas back at our side, to say excitedly:
"I want to help you, but my head--I forget--I cannot speak sometimes--Icannot think. It is all dark here--here--in my mind. Why have youcome?"
"We are friends," said the doctor. "Where is Mr Carstairs?"
"Carstairs?--Mr Carstairs?" he said. "Ah--"
He began to speak volubly in the savage tongue now, tantalising me sothat I grasped his arm, exclaiming fiercely:
"Speak English. Where is my father?"
I could hardly see his face, but there was light enough to tell that heturned towards me, and he stopped speaking, and seemed to beendeavouring to comprehend what I said.
"My father--the prisoner," I said again, with my lips now to his ear.
"Prisoner? Yes. At the great hut--the chief's hut--"
He began speaking again volubly, and then stopped and bent his head.
"At the chief's hut?" said the doctor excitedly. "Wait a moment or twoto give him time to collect himself, then ask him again."
The poor dazed creature turned to the doctor now, and bent towards him,holding him by the arm this time.
"Chief's hut? Yes: right across. There."
He pointed in the direction the savages seemed to have taken, and fromwhence we could hear the voices rising and falling in busy speech.
My heart leaped, for we knew now definitely where he whom we sought waskept, and the longing, impatient sensation there came upon me to be faceto face with him was so strong that I could hardly contain myself.
"Let us get round there at once," I whispered, "Here, Jimmy."
There was no answer: Jimmy had crept away.