CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
NATURE IS MISTRESS.
"I haven't slept long," thought Cyril as he woke with a start to see thecolonel seated as he had left him when sleep came. He did not appear tohave moved, and all was perfectly still. One thing, however, puzzledhim, and that was the light. It was soft and warm and glowing then; nowit was clear and bright.
All at once he saw something come into sight from the side and standlooking in. It was the old leading mule, and it stood there munchingaway at a tuft of green stuff which it held in its teeth, and thendropped, and stooped its head to take a long drink of water.
"Have the Indians gone?" thought Cyril, "and has the colonel let themules out to feed?"
He sat up for a moment or two, and then lay down again.
"I may as well sleep till I am called," he thought, and he lay listeningto the heavy breathing of John Manning and Perry, whom he could seelying in precisely the same position as when he lay down a few minutesbefore.
But was it a few minutes before? Cyril asked himself as he saw the mulelift its head with the water dripping from its lips, and then pick upthe tuft of green twigs, and go on munching again. It could not havebeen longer, for the colonel had not been relieved yet; but the lightwas so strange. Last time he looked, the opposite side of the gorge wasglowing with the sunset rays; now it was in shadow, and the sun wasshining just inside the mouth of the cave, and making the water flashlike molten silver.
The mule stared in toward him, and Cyril made a bull, as a suddenthought flashed through his mind.
"Why, it's to-morrow morning!" he mentally exclaimed as he started up,"and I've been asleep all this time."
He went to where the colonel sat, and though the stones rattled a littlebeneath his feet, the watcher did not stir, but sat as if gazingstraight out past the mule, when Cyril said reproachfully:
"You shouldn't have let me sleep so long, sir."
But there was no answer, and at that moment there was a dull sound, awhinnying sigh, as the mule gave a violent start, throwing out its legsin all directions, and scattering the stones before gathering itselftogether, and making a tremendous leap to go galloping away, not soquickly, though, but that Cyril saw it had a long arrow sticking in itsback.
"What's that? Who? You, Cyril?" cried the colonel, springing to hisfeet. "What! Have I been to sleep?"
"I don't know, sir; I only just woke up."
"Why, it's morning," cried the colonel angrily. "What was that noise?"
"The old mule. Some one shot an arrow, and stuck it in her back."
"But how came it there? I--I--Ah! and I blamed you, boy, for fallingasleep at your post."
"Anything the matter, sir?" said John Manning, coming forward, followedhastily by Berry.
"Matter, man; yes. I have kept watch by sleeping all night."
"Well, sir, I don't wonder," said the man. "I have too, for you didn'tcall me to go on duty."
"Oh, shame!" exclaimed the colonel. "And at a time like this!"
"I don't see no shame in it, sir," growled John Manning bluntly. "Youwanted sleep like the rest of us, and you couldn't fight against it.You ain't an iron man, sir."
"Silence, sir!" cried the colonel angrily, and he hurried right out ofthe cave, closely followed by the boys, in time to see the muledisappear low down the gorge, galloping madly among the stones.
"Another--our most valuable pack mule gone," cried the colonel, in avoice full of the anger and annoyance he felt. "The poor brute musthave strayed out to graze."
"Yes, sir; I saw it eating when I awoke, and then directly after thearrow struck it."
"Then the Indians must be close at hand. Come back and help to securethe rest of the mules, or they may be straying out after their leader."
Cyril looked in the colonel's face, and then pointed down the valley atsomething moving, plainly seen now in the clear morning atmosphere.
"Yes; I see it. One moment till I focus the glass."
The colonel held his little double glass to his eye, and then let hishand fall to his side in dismay on learning that the mischief was worsethan he had anticipated, for there was another mule on the far slope;and just then John Manning came up with Perry from an expedition withinthe cave.
"Yes: what is it?" cried the colonel sharply.
"Sorry to have to report it, sir," said Manning, in a low deep growl,"but the mules have strayed out in the night."
"All?" said the colonel hoarsely. "Is there not one left?"
"No, sir; as far as I can make out, not one."
The colonel's brows knit, and he stood motionless for a few moments.Then without a word he walked right in to where it was quite dark.
"Light the lantern," he said sharply, and in a few moments a matchgleamed out, and the candle was soon after shedding its rays in alldirections. But hardly had John Manning given a glance round, than heuttered a sharp ejaculation.
"What is it?" cried the colonel. "Can you see the rest of the mules?"
"No, sir."
"Well, what is it?" cried the colonel impatiently.
"Don't you see, father?" cried Perry excitedly; "the Indians must havecrept in while we slept. They have carried everything away."
"What?" raged out the colonel as he looked wildly round where hisservant was holding up the lantern, and then he uttered a groan.
For it was too true. Every pack had gone, and with them the possibilityof holding out against the cunning enemy who had been in their midst.
The same thoughts came to each of the boys--thoughts of all they hadheard before setting out, of those who ventured into the mountains insearch of the Incas' treasures never being heard of more, and a curiouschilling feeling of despair came over them.
Would they ever see home again?
But the colonel was not the man to give way to despair. The positionwas terrible--right out there amid the gigantic mountains, with the onlyroads through them those naturally formed by the torrents in the wilddeep gorges, shut in by precipices of the most stupendous nature, withno other guide than their compass, and surrounded by enemies who mightat any moment make an attack; while, so far from being able to make aprolonged defence now, the Indians had robbed them of the means.
This was the position as it struck them all at first, but the colonelgave it a different aspect directly.
"Council of war," he said cheerily, as he led the way out into thesunshine, and sat down upon a block of stone. "Come, Perry lad, asoldier's son must not look like that as soon as he is face to face withdifficulties. John Manning will tell you that he and I have been inworse straits than this up in the hill-country.--Eh, Manning?"
"Of course, sir. This is nothing. Such a fine morning, too. Why, ifthe snow lay twenty foot deep, as we've seen it, and we didn't knowwhether we had any fingers or toes, we might begin to holler."
"Of course," said the colonel. "So let's see what is to be done."
The two boys exchanged glances, but said nothing.
"Now, then," cried the colonel, "let's look the worst straight in theface, and then we will calculate our advantages. First of all, theenemy."
"None in sight, sir," said John Manning.
"No; they have gone. They have achieved their aim in getting possessionof our baggage."
"Don't you think they'll attack us, sir?" said Cyril.
"No, certainly not. They have been here, and found us asleep. Had theywished to slay us, there we were at their mercy, and not a hair of ourheads has been touched. Next trouble."
"Walked off with all the wittle, sir," growled John Manning.
"Yes, that's bad; but we have plenty of water, and shall not fail in ourjourneyings for that. Bad thing to be journeying through a wild countrywith not a drop of water, eh, Manning? We have done that."
"Don't talk about it, sir. And the sun all the time drying the verymarrow out of your bones."
"Yes, those were terrible times, my man. We shall not suffer that way,and as to food, we have ou
r guns. What about ammunition?"
"All got plenty, sir," growled John Manning. "I've seen every morningthat our pouches were full."
"That's right, then. With a little hunting, we must find some game inthese valleys, scarce as it has been. Then there is the coca leaf,whose virtues we must try, failing anything better. Oh, come, we arenot so very badly off."
"Then you will try at once to make for one of the tracks through themountains, sir?" said Cyril.
"And live by hunting, father?" cried Perry.
"And give up, after trying so long, and being so near success, my boy?"said the colonel. "Come, come: Britons would not have made their nameknown all over the world if they had gone on like that."
"Look here," cried Cyril excitedly; and then he stopped and lookeddoubtingly at the colonel.
"Well, I'm waiting, my lad. Every suggestion has its value at a timelike this. Speak out."
"I'm afraid you'll think the idea too wild, sir."
"I will say so if it is, my boy. Let's have it."
"I thought this, sir," said Cyril hesitatingly: "we're well-armed; theIndians are afraid of you, and they are most likely retreating back totheir camp with our mules and baggage, along with the seed we worked sohard to get."
He stopped again, and looked from one to the other, very red in the faceall the time.
"Well, go on," said the colonel encouragingly.
"Why not show them we're not a bit afraid, and go on in pursuit of themat once? I don't believe they'd fight, and if they did--well, we shouldhave to do the same."
"Hooray!" shouted John Manning, throwing up his cap, catching it again,and then drawing himself up stiffly as he glanced at the colonel: "Begpardon, sir."
The colonel merely nodded, but said to himself: "I wish Percy had spokenlike that." Then turning to Cyril: "You said, why not go in pursuit?"
"Yes, sir," said Cyril, throwing off his hesitation, and speaking nowwith his eyes sparkling, and cheeks flushed with excitement. "Why not?"
"Exactly, my boy, why not?" said the colonel. "We were caught unawares,and I have blamed myself, an old soldier, severely for the greatestlapse of which an officer can be guilty--eh, John Manning?--sleeping onduty in face of the enemy."
"Awful bad, sir, in time of war."
"Yes, but there are bounds to human nature's endurance, John Manning;and though I would not own it to myself, I was utterly exhausted."
"All was, sir."
"Then now we must make up for it.--Cyril, my lad, you have proposedexactly what I intended to do. Fortunately, we made a good meal lastnight. To-day we must feast again when we have retaken the baggage.--All ready? Fall in."
The boys followed the colonel's example, and leaped to their feet.
"Light marching order," said the colonel, "so we ought to get alongfast. That mule we saw, Cyril, shows that the others have been takendown the valley toward the great fall. There is no choice of road here,so I take it that the Indians are making their way straight back totheir camp. Now, one word more. See that your weapons are ready forimmediate use; no talking, but keep all your energies devoted to makingobservations in every direction. No rift or ravine likely to hide theenemy must be passed, if it is one possible for mules to climb. Now,forward."
Then with a feeling of exhilaration that the boys could hardlycomprehend, the little party started off with the colonel leading, andJohn Manning with his gun over his shoulder marching last, with a lookin his face that suggested his feeling that he was guarding the rear ofa column of advance once again.