CHAPTER XVI.
A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.
The two villains had no sooner tumbled from their steeds than the restof the horses scattered in every direction, their riders flopping aboutupon them like a set of scarecrows.
"By thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards. "If them ain't dummies on themhorses I'm a living sinner!"
"You are right," returned Van. "Come! we will go out and see if DocClancy and his partner are really dead."
The words scarcely left our hero's lips when Doc Clancy suddenly sprangto his feet, and, mounting his horse, sped away with the speed of thewind.
It all happened so quickly that our friends were unable to make a moveto stop him.
Lank Edwards again raised his rifle to his shoulder, and was about toshoot at the fleeing villain, when Van detained him.
"Don't!" said he. "I want to capture him alive, if possible."
"But he'll git away," persisted the mate.
"Well, let him; we will catch him again."
The horses with the dummies upon their backs now started at a sharpgallop after the one rode by Doc Clancy.
Van led the way to the spot where the other scoundrel lay, and found himbreathing heavily, with a wound in his right breast.
A single glance told all hands that the man was dying.
"Give me some whisky," he murmured, faintly.
Jack Howard quickly placed his flask to the dying man's lips.
After taking a couple of huge swallows, the fellow breathed a sigh ofrelief.
"I suppose you want to know where we got the horses and rigged 'em up,"said he. "Well, I'll tell you. We found 'em in the woods t'other side ofthe plain. They belong to a nation of people who seem to be civilized,from what we seen of 'em, and were rigged with the dummies when we cameacross 'em. They followed us the minute we turned tail to the place, andDoc, he says it would be a good idea to ride back and get the best ofyou fellows. Where is Doc?" and he endeavored to raise himself upon hiselbow to look around.
"He has escaped," replied Van.
"Well, he'll have to go it alone now. I'm about done for, I guess.Whoever fired that shot meant me; but I'm satisfied. I've been a badman, and shan't kick now because I've been done up by the ones I've beentrying to injure so long. Give--me--a--a--little--more--whisk----"
Before the sentence was finished the man gave a gasp and fell back,dead.
"It is a wonder that he lived as long as he did," said Dr. Pestle,examining the wound. "Let us give the wretch a decent burial and then beoff. He spoke about civilized people; we must look them up."
There being no objections, a grave was scooped in the soft earth and thebody buried.
Then our friends mounted their horses and started over the plain in thedirection taken by Doc Clancy and the herd of horses.
Darkness overtook them before they reached the timber belt at the otherside, but as it was moonlight, they kept right on.
A couple of hours later they reached the timber and followed a levelroadway through it.
The belt was less than a mile wide, and ten minutes later the partyhalted, for the simple reason that they could go no further in thatdirection.
A huge stone wall, not unlike the great wall of China, was before them.
An iron gate of massive proportions stretched across the roadway, whichshowed that our friends had arrived at the entrance of some undiscoveredcity.
"Well, well!" exclaimed Prof. Drearland, in a tone of delight. "We havemade the greatest discovery of the age. Who would have believed thatsuch a thing as a thick wall of masonry and a huge gate of iron was inthe very heart of Africa, where it is supposed that naught but wildbeasts and savages live? This is something grand, my friends. We mustget that gate open and see what lies beyond."
All hands agreed with the professor, and then Van dismounted, and,striking a match, held it close to the ground.
He could see the fresh prints of horses' hoofs very plainly, and thistold him that Doc Clancy and the troop of horses must have gone throughthe gateway.
"We must open the gate," he said, rising to his feet. "Come! we will seeif it is possible to do so."
Van had scarcely spoken when the huge, iron structure swung noiselesslyopen, as if by magic.
In an instant our hero was upon the back of his horse.
"Come!" said he. "We may be going into a trap, but I am ready to takethe risk. Will you follow me?"
"We will!" came the reply from all hands.
The next moment the boy urged his horse through the gateway, and hiscompanions boldly followed him.
As soon as the last one was through, the gate swung back to its formerplace, making no noise whatever.
"I don't like this business," observed Lank Edwards, with a shake of hishead. "It looks as thought ther old boy has got somethin' ter do withthis place. Howsumever, I'll stick to ther crowd."
"We may as well go on," said Jack Howard. "We are in for it now, anyway.Here is a fine, level road before us, and we may as well follow it."
"Of course," rejoined Van. "Doc Clancy has gone this way, and so mustwe."
Leaving the gate behind them, they started along the road at a briskcanter.
The moon, which had been shining brightly a short time before, was nowcovered with clouds, and the sky showed signs of rain.
Therefore, it behooved our friends to reach a sheltered spot as soon aspossible.
Presently it became so dark that they could no longer see their way tenfeet ahead of them.
They came to a halt.
They had scarcely done so when they became aware of the fact that theywere very close to a building of some sort.
They could see its front not ten feet from them.
Van dismounted and approached the building.
As luck would have it, he struck the door of the place at the firstattempt.
Pressing his knee against it, he gave a gentle shove.
Contrary to his expectations, it opened readily enough.
Just then huge drops of rain began falling.
"We are in luck!" exclaimed Van, turning to his friends. "Here is astone building, which I don't believe is occupied. The door is open, sowe may as well go in and stay till morning."
The doorway was a large one, and was on a level with the ground, and,noticing this, Jack suggested that they bring their horses in, as well.
There were no objections, so in the whole party filed, all on horsebacksave Van, who led his steed.
As soon as they got inside, Dr. Pestle struck a match.
By the light it made they saw they were in a broad hallway, which lookedas though it had not been used for a generation or more.
A broad staircase led upward from the hall, and as soon as they saw thisthey decided to leave their horses where they were, and use the nextstory of the building for themselves.
This move was no sooner decided upon than our hero was leading the wayupstairs.
His companions followed slowly behind him.
When they reached the landing Jack struck a match.
The floor was in one vast room, which looked so ancient and strange thata feeling of awe came over them.
"I say, Van, what do you think of this?" remarked Jack, turning around.
But there was no answer to his question.
Much mystified Jack glanced at his companions.
They were all there but Van.
"Van--Van!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
But there was no reply. Our hero had vanished as mysteriously as thoughhe had been swallowed by an unseen goblin.