CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
A MILITARY MOVEMENT.
At the first spot which gave him an opportunity to examine the gorge,the colonel mounted to a narrow shelf and made good use of his glass,descending at last to say: "They have got a good start of us, but thereis something about a quarter of a mile on that I can't make out.Forward cautiously."
Five minutes later the colonel halted again and sent Perry to the left,close up under that side of the gorge; Cyril to the right, with ordersto advance in a line with him, and be ready to fire if there were anyneed.
It was quite a military movement, and the boys' hearts beat heavily atwhat seemed like the first initiation in real warfare; but before theyhad gone far Cyril uttered a shout, and pointed forward to something nowhidden from the colonel by a cluster of rocks in the lowest part of theravine, close to where the river ran with a deep-toned roar far below.
A minute later they were alongside the object, which proved to be theleader, lying as near as it could get to the deep gash in which thewater was foaming. The poor wounded beast had in its struggles brokenthe long arrow nearly level with its skin, and in its agony of thirst ithad been trying to reach the water, but fallen upon its side.
As Cyril came close up, the mule raised its head and uttered a piteouswhinnying noise, looking up in the face of one who had many a timebroken off some green spray of juicy growth to feed it as it trudgedalong with its load; but its eyes were already glazing, and it was thepoor creature's last effort, for the head fell back heavily: there was acurious quivering of the legs, which struck out once as if their ownerwere galloping, and then all was still.
"Poor brute," said the colonel. "We cannot bury it, for there is nosoil here, even if we had tools. Forward, my lads."
He led on, and the boys followed, feeling low-spirited; but they soonhad something else to think about, for just as they were approaching oneof the narrowest parts of the gorge, Perry stopped short.
"Where's John Manning?" he said.
Cyril followed suit, but no sign of the old soldier met his eyes, andthey communicated with the colonel, who looked very anxious and muchdisturbed.
"We must return," he said. "Why, boys, you ought to have kept in touchwith him. Double."
They all started back, but before they had gone a hundred yards thecolonel cried "Halt;" for there in the distance was the missing mancoming on at a rate which meant that he would soon overtake them.
"Did you see what he has been doing?" said Cyril, as they were once moreon the march.
"Been stopping to get something," said Perry, "but I could not see what.Could you?"
"Ugh! Yes," said Cyril, with a shudder of disgust. "He doesn't wantfor us to be starved, but who's going to eat mule?"
The tramp was long and tedious, but being no longer controlled by thepace of the baggage animals, the little party made far better progressthan when they were making their way up the valley; yet the distancethey had come was far greater than they had anticipated, and for longenough there was no sign of the Indians having passed that way. Butthey kept on, the colonel feeling convinced that they had passed no sideravine up which the mules could have been driven; while, having theseanimals at their command, the colonel felt certain that the Indianswould not carry the loads.
At last, during the hottest part of the afternoon, a halt was called,and they made for a huge rock which overhung on one side, offering atempting shade from the burning sun; but before they reached it Cyriluttered an eager cry.
"Look! look!" he said excitedly, and he pointed to where there weremarks about a patch of herbage where the mules had been cropping thecoarse stuff, as well as browsing upon some tufts of bushes, whose greentwigs were bitten and broken off, and here and there leaves which hadbeen dropped were still so fresh that it was evident that they could notlong have been left.
This discovery, and a faint trace or two of the Indians having been withthe mules, had a better effect upon the party than hours of rest. Forthey knew now that the treasured packs, containing not onlythe necessities upon which they depended for life, but thecarefully-collected seed, were only a short distance ahead, and that ifthey pushed on with energy they ought to overtake them.
The rest depended upon the strong arms of the two men.
They went on then at once, but no fresh sign encouraged them, and atlast the closing in of the ravine and the piled-up mountain in frontwarned them that they were approaching the gloomy chasm into which theriver plunged. In fact, half an hour after, the deep booming roar ofthe fall began to be audible, as if coming from somewhere high up on themountain-side.
"If it's coming to a fight," said Perry, "I hope it will not be in thatdeep cavernous place near the fall. I feel as if I hardly dare go downto it after what happened."
"Nonsense; you'll feel plucky enough when it comes to the point. Comealong."
"Steady, young gentleman. Halt," growled John Manning. "You shouldkeep your eyes open for what's going on in front. Look at the colonel."
They gazed forward, and saw that the last-named gentleman was signing tothem to stop and follow his example of crouching down; and directlyafter they saw him creeping on toward the spot, from which so short atime before they had seen the Indians come out from behind the veil ofmist, and amidst the roar of the falls point upward, making signs toeach other, and then disappear.
It was now so gloomy, that it was hard to make out their leader'smovements, for the light only reached them from the narrow opening highoverhead, and where the little river raced onward toward the fall it wasrapidly growing black; but in a few minutes the colonel signed to themto come on, and at a word from John Manning they advanced quickly,stooping in obedience to a sign from the colonel's hand, and reached himat last where he crouched behind a stone.
He did not speak, but pointed, and first John Manning, then Perry, andlastly Cyril peered cautiously over the stone, the latter being only intime to see that they were quite right in their surmises, for therebelow was a party of about thirty well-armed Indians, slowly makingtheir way down the last of the many zigzags of the path toward where themist rose like a dark veil, the wind which blew down the gorge keepingit, as it rose from the great gulf, from spreading in their direction,but beating it back into a dense cloud, to float slowly out into thevalley beyond.
There they were walking very cautiously, some ten in front, and next, toCyril's great joy, the remainder of their train of pack-mules, wellloaded with the treasures taken from the cave. The rest of the partyfollowed about a dozen yards behind.
Cyril remained watching till the head of the little column readied theveil of mist, went on, and was completely blotted out the next minute,one by one, the Indians being visible in the gloom, and then gone.
Next it was the turn of the animals, and as Cyril watched, it was verycurious to note how a mule would be visible for a time, then its headand shoulders would disappear, and lastly it would be entirely swallowedup. The remainder of the Indians followed, one by one, till the lastman, who seemed to be their chief, was alone, and he turned back to gazeupward, narrowly scrutinising the zigzag path by which his party haddescended for a few minutes before he followed the rest. Then thegloomy place was utterly deserted, and momentarily growing blacker, sothat the way down could not be seen.
There was no fear now of their words being heard above the booming roarwhich came up out of the chasm, and the colonel explained hisintentions.
"I am going to call upon you all to show your nerve," he said, "for wemust go down, and pass along by the fall through the darkness and mist."
"But is it safe, father?" said Perry anxiously.
"Safe or no, my lad, it is a chance I cannot let slip," replied hisfather. "You saw their leader looking back, Cyril? He was evidentlysatisfied that there was no pursuit, and he and his people will concludethat once they get through the mist they will be safe, and no doubt campjust on the other side for the night.--Manning, we must steal throughthe mist, creep up, and surprise them. Two or
three of our littlevolleys will, I believe, put them to flight if we come upon themsuddenly, and then we must return this way, and show our teeth fiercelyif they pursue."
"Right, sir; I'm ready," said John Manning. "You lead, and we'llfollow."
"Let's rest, then, till it is quite dark. I believe I can lead youright through to the other side without much risk, for after ourexperience we know the worst. Besides, where they can go, we can go.There, wait a bit, boys, and we shall have our own again, and thewherewithal to make a good meal. No, no," the colonel added as JohnManning raised his head. "Only in case of utter starvation, my man. Wecan hold out a little longer, and I hope we shall not have to come toeating mule. Now, lie down, all of you, and rest. In a couple ofhours' time I shall start."