CHAPTER XXIII.
THE HEART OF THE MYSTERY.
“Sounds more to me as if Mrs. Nature had a tummy ache,” said theunromantic Coyote Pete.
But nobody laughed at this remark. The sounds were too awe-inspiring.Suddenly they ceased as abruptly as they had begun, the rumblings dyingout like a sharp clap of thunder.
“Is there any danger?” inquired Jack.
“I don’t think so,” rejoined the professor, “this must have been goingon for centuries, and, as we know, the force of a volcano wanes insteadof waxing stronger as the centuries pass by.”
“Hope so, I’m sure,” put in Walt, “I can tell you, I’ve had quiteenough excitement for one day.”
“Well, I guess that is the case with all of us,” was the rejoinder,“but amid all these natural wonders and alarms we must not forget thatwe came here on a definite mission,—namely to carry back with us whatwe can of the reputed treasure.”
“That’s right,” agreed Coyote, “and so far as I’m concerned, I’m forpushing on.”
That seemed to be in accordance with the wishes of the entire littlecompany, so, forward it was.
They plunged into the passage that the professor had indicated andtraversed it for some distance before they struck anything out of theordinary.
It was perhaps half an hour before they began to notice that the tunnelwas beginning to be irradiated by a light far stronger than thatthrown by their torches, a bright piercing glare that seemed to burnlike white fire. It grew very much warmer, too, and the perspirationstreamed down all their faces.
“We are approaching the subterranean fires,” said the professor, “inall probability some titanic flame of natural gas. By the roaring soundI hear, I believe that to be a correct statement of the facts.”
In the midst of a rock chamber, there arose a greatflame of an almost white hue.]
“Sounds like a blast furnace in full swing,” said Ralph.
Suddenly the passage widened and a dazzling scene broke upon theirgaze. In the midst of a rock chamber even larger, as well as theycould judge, than the cave of the lake, there arose a great flame ofan almost white hue. It was blue at the base like an ordinary gasflame and roared straight up with terrific force as if fed by greatreservoirs of natural gas.
“In all probability it was ignited at the time that the volcano wasactive and has burned ever since,” opined the professor. “Young men, ifwe found nothing else within this cavern we have already experiencedmore than falls to the lot of even exceptional men in their lifetime.Such sights as these we shall never forget.”
“It’s a Flower of Flame!” exclaimed Jack poetically.
“If you could corner that light and sell it, there’d be a pile ofmoney in it,” said the practical Ralph.
“Well, as time is precious, let us be pressing on,” said the professor,“for, speaking of money, we must recollect that we have, as yet, foundno trace of the treasure.”
After converging upon the chamber of the Flower of Flame, the passageonce more plunged into the innermost regions of the mountain. For aspace it twisted and turned, and then, without the slightest warning,the adventurers experienced a sharp shock. They faced a blank wall.
“Well, here’s the finish,” announced Walt, holding up his torch.
“Looks like it,” agreed Jack, “yet it seems odd that those old tribeswould have gone to all the trouble to drill that passage if it endsright here.”
“Just what I think, my boy,” said the professor, “and by the sametoken, look here!”
He indicated a big ring of some yellowish metal that hung directly inthe center of the seeming blank wall.
“I’ll experiment,” he said, giving it a twist.
But nothing occurred.
Then he tried tugging it. Again no result followed.
“Look,” cried Ralph suddenly, “there’s a metal plate under your feet,professor. Perhaps if you stand on that and then tug you will have someresults.”
“That sounds reasonable,” said Professor Wintergreen, doing as the boyhad indicated.
This time, amid a cheer from the boys, something did happen. The doorslowly swung on invisible hinges and beyond it their torch-lights fellon a scene of almost overwhelming grandeur.
It was a chamber, seemingly of gleaming white marble. Around the walls,at regular intervals, were ranged the figures of what appeared to beidols, but which they presently discovered were perfectly embalmedbodies of past rulers of the mountain dwellers. At one end of thechamber on a raised dais was a hideous figure which they readilyguessed to be the deity of the forgotten race.
The face of this image was spread into a monstrous expression ofmalignant cruelty. But it was the eyes that startled them. They blazedin the torch-lights like two balls of fire.
“They are rubies!” cried the professor, rushing forward. As he didso, his eye fell upon a heap of golden ornaments and jeweled vesselsat the foot of the huge statue. Evidently they had been left there asofferings on the day of the mysterious occurrence that had wiped outthe tribe.
But as the man of science made his dart toward the pile, a strangething happened. The gaping mouth of the statue opened wide, and fromit there poured a puff of gas so baleful in odor that the boys reeledback. But the professor, upon whom the full force of the blast hadconcentrated itself, gave a few staggering footsteps and then plungedto the marble floor in a senseless condition.
“So that is the way those old fellows protected their treasure,”snorted Pete. “Wall, it was a good one, too, and no mistake. Come on,boys, and drag the professor out of that.”
“Isn’t there danger of our being poisoned by that gas, too?” askedWalt, still shaken by his previous experience in danger.
“Even if there was, it ’ud be our duty ter get the professor out ofthat,” said Pete severely, “but I noticed that the professor steppedon a particular stone as he reached for them treasures. I guess it isonly that stone, behind which the stuff is piled, that works the gasconsarn.”
And so it proved. By carefully avoiding the stone which was of a darkblood-color, they dragged the professor to a place of safety, and withwater from the canteen and some of his own stimulant, they soon had himon his feet again.
“I should have been upon the lookout,” he said, “I ought to have knownthat the priests of the tribe would have taken some precautions toprotect the offerings from marauders.”
“But the gas only works when you step on that particular stone,”objected Jack.
“I suppose with the ignorant folk with whom they had to deal, onelesson of that sort was quite sufficient. That is the logical stone tostep upon, and having once tested it, nobody was likely to try again,”rejoined the professor.
“And now to gather up the treasure, or what we can of it,” said Jack.
Pete produced a big roll of sacking which, on being distributed, provedto consist of burlap bags, one for each member of the party.
“Here we are, on Tom Tiddler’s ground, Picking up gold and silver!”
So sang the boys, as sacks in hand they rushed forward.
“This girdle for me!” cried Jack, holding up a belt of golden coinswith great, rough rubies encrusting it.
“This goblet takes my eye,” quoth Ralph, stowing a golden vessel,likewise jewel-encrusted, into his receptacle.
Besides the wrought gold there were ingots of gold in the rough, silverarticles of all sorts, and all gem-studded. The heap blazed and flashedwith a hundred fires as the torches gleamed upon it. They all workedlike beavers and before long the sacks were full with a burden that wasquite heavy enough for any of the party to wish to carry.
“Well, this will be all for this trip,” decided the professor whentheir task was completed, “and now for the open air.”
With the scientist leading the way, his long legs fairly sagging underhis burden, they began to retrace their footsteps, fingering the threadas they went.
“What should you estimate the value of this haul at?” Ralph asked, a
sthey once more passed the portal.
“At a rough guess at least $500,000, apart from the value of thecollection as antiquities,” said the professor. “It is without doubtthe most valuable archeological collection ever stumbled upon.”
Past the Flower of Flame and past the lake of the blind, monstrous eelsthey retraced their steps, their hearts beating triumphantly at themagnificent conclusion of their long and adventurous quest.
But as they reached the Cave of the Stalactites the subterraneanchambers were filled with a sudden terrifying sound. It seemed todrive the ear drums in with its fierce impact. The adventurers feltthemselves lifted from their feet and then violently hurled to theground again. A rush of nauseous smelling gas enveloped them, splittingtheir heads with its pungent fumes.
The earth shook and trembled and a reverberating roar as of theexplosion of a powder magazine filled the whole atmosphere.
Some terrific catastrophe had occurred within the confines of the cavesin the heart of the Trembling Mountain. Following the explosion therecame a sound like that of a landslide.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE DEATH TRAP.
“What can have happened?”
It was Jack who spoke some ten minutes later.
“In my opinion some cataclysm has occurred,” said the professor.
“Meaning by that, that there’s bin a most almighty bust-up?” inquiredPete.
“In colloquial language that was the idea I intended to convey,” saidthe professor, with dignity.
“Well, what do you think this catty—what-you-may-call-’em has done?”asked Jack.
“Sealed forever the treasure caves,” said the professor promptly. “Thatexplosion we heard was either the ignition of gas from the mouth of theidol or it marked the birth of a new Flower of Flame. In any event theroar and tremble which followed was pretty good evidence that therehad been subsidence of the rock in that neighborhood, which, of course,means that the passageways must have caved in.
“Well, we got our share out of it,” said Ralph philosophically.
“Yet it is a great pity that such a thing has occurred,” said theprofessor sorrowfully, “I had been in hopes of making this cave theMecca of scientists the world over. This explosion has blasted mydreams of such a thing.”
“Wall, don’t feel too bad about it, professor,” comforted Pete, “we gotenough stuff to start a show of our own with, anyhow.”
As there was nothing to be gained by remaining in the cave, theydecided to get out to the open air as soon as possible. As they wentJack spoke up suddenly:
“Has it occurred to you fellows that we are carrying a bait that mighttempt less dangerous fellows than that band of Ramon’s to plunder us?”
“That’s right,” agreed Pete, “but I guess we won’t be bothered. Nobodybut Ramon had wind of our mission, and I don’t imagine that after thelesson the Rangers gave him that he’ll come back in a hurry.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” said Jack, “from what I know of him he’snot the sort of man to let go of a good thing if he can help it, andhe’d certainly have a good thing in us, providing he could get thetreasure away from us.”
“Always provided,” said Ralph, “but I’ll bet we’d give him a sharptussle for it.”
“Let us hope nothing of the kind occurs,” said the professor, “we havehad difficulties enough on our mission, and now that it is over let ushope we can bring it to a peaceful conclusion.”
“Amen to that,” agreed Pete, “but in time of peace prepare for war, youknow. Have you any plans for the return home?”
“Yes,” said the man of science, “the city of Hermosillo on the MexicanWest Coast Railroad is not many miles from where we now are. My ideais to make for that and take the train back home.”
“Hooray for the good old U. S. A.!” shouted the Border Boys in chorus.
Conversing cheerily in this manner they reached the mouth of thepassage and were about to step out into the starlight, when Pete, whowas in advance, held up his hand in a signal that they all had nodifficulty in interpreting.
“Stop!”
The keen eyes of the cow-puncher had detected several dark formsskulking in the shadows of the grove about the portal of the cave. Fromtheir manner of pacing about, Pete immediately guessed that they weresentries posted there by somebody, whom he concluded could be no otherthan Ramon.
Retreating down the passage, Pete told the others of his suspicions anda council of war at once followed.
“We’re hemmed in beyond a doubt,” said Jack finally.
“And the question is, how to get out,” put in the professor, assolemnly as if some question had been raised about the matter.
“Wall, if we don’t git out afore long, we’re gone coons,” was Pete’sgloomy contribution.
Suddenly Jack spoke up.
“Do you think the sentries saw or heard us, Pete?”
“No, I don’t. If they had, we’d uv heard of it by now. My idea of thesituation is this: Ramon outwitted the Rangers and back tracked on us.Arriving at our camp and finding it deserted, he guessed we’d gonearter the treasure. The rascal thinks to himself that we will make finecat’s-paws to draw his chestnuts out of the fire, and so, knowing hehas us bottled up, he sets those sentries on duty arter he’s tracked usup the mountain side.”
“I guess that’s about it,” rejoined the boy; “the question is, what arewe to do?”
“Wait till I go and look the land over a bit,” said Coyote. “In themeantime, put out those torches. If one of those greasers should comesnooping into the passage, he might see the glow and nose us out.”
So they waited in total darkness while Coyote departed on his scoutingerrand. It was a long time before he came back. When he did he waschuckling to himself.
“They’re the worst scared bunch you ever saw,” he said, “I laid behinda rock and listened to ther talk. They think that at any moment somespirits or ghosts is likely to pop out of this hole. They likewiseopine that we shall never be seen again because the bogies in themountain have gobbled us up.”
“But what good does that do us?” asked Jack.
“I dunno,” admitted Pete, “except that it sounded funny to hyar a bunchof grown men so scared of spooks.”
“Light up a torch, Ralph,” said Jack the next minute, “it makes me feelcreepy to sit here in the dark.”
Ralph reached into his pocket for the bundle of sulphur matches. As hedrew his hand out, his fingers, moistened with perspiration, gleamedgreenly with the phosphorus which had adhered to them.
“Gee, look at that stuff blaze!” he exclaimed, “you’d think I was onfire!”
But Jack was on his feet doing a sudden ecstatic war dance.
“Hooray! Hooray! I’ve got it!” he cried.
“The extinguisher?” inquired Walt anxiously.
“No, a plan. A great plan! Those greasers outside are all halffrightened out of their lives already. We’ll finish the job!”
“How?” the question came in chorus.
“We’ll smear our faces with that phosphorus from the matches, and thenrush out looking like a lot of green ghosts. If that won’t stampedethem, we’ll have to fight. We can’t stay mewed up in here.”
“By hookey, boy, you’ve got it all right!” cried Pete in a voicevibrant with excitement. “We’ll try it. As you say, we can’t stop hyarand starve, and that’s what it amounts to if we don’t git out.”
“So it’s scare them or fight them,” said Ralph.
“That is, with the odds in favor of the former,” laughed Jack.
Each of the party wet his face with water from the canteen, and thenrubbed the matches over his features till they glared greenly in thedarkness with a truly terrifying expression. Then they gave their handssimilar treatment.
“Gee, I’ll bet I’d be scared of myself if I could see myself,” laughedRalph, “you fellows look hideous enough to frighten a pack of brassmonkeys.”
“Now to see if it will work on those other mo
nkeys outside,” said Jack.
In single file, Pete first, Jack second, and the others coming behind,they softly approached the end of the passage. In the starlight theycould see the dark forms of the sentries huddled pretty close together,for companionship doubtless.
“Now!” whispered Pete suddenly, “and the more hoorendously you yell,the better it will be!”
With a series of the most unearthly screeches, the Border Boys andtheir companions dashed from the cave mouth. Truly they must havebeen a terrifying spectacle with their glaring green faces and hands,emerging as they did from a cave which the superstitious Mexicansfirmly believed to be haunted.
As the first shrill cries rang out, the sentries gave an answeringseries of yells. Only their cries, instead of being menacing anduncanny like our adventurers’, were shrill screams of terror.
“Caramba! The ghosts of the caves!” they shrieked.
“Santa Maria! They are after us!”
“Run for your lives, hombres!”
Without stopping to collect their rifles, which they had carelesslypiled against the trees, the Mexicans dashed off at top speed,stumbling and then struggling to their feet again and dashing on intheir wild panic.
The adventurers at once possessed themselves of the rifles and thencame to a halt. But Pete addressed them:
“We must foller up our advantage. We have ’em on the run. Foller ’emwhile we’ve got ’em going!” he cried.
Once more off dashed the green ghosts, hotly pursuing the fleeingMexicans, whose yells resounded everywhere. In the camp was Ramonhimself. He was suddenly aroused as his terrified band came stumblingin, imploring aid from all the saints in the calendar.
“What is this, you dogs!” he bawled, “what does this mean?”
“Oh, the ghosts! The ghosts with the green faces that burn, and thefiery hands!” screamed the panic-stricken Mexicans.
The shrewd outlaw at once guessed what had occurred. But even his ironnerve was shaken as he saw the green-faced spectres sweeping down themountain side toward him. He stood his ground, however, and by his sidestood Canfield, the red-headed American. But the two, unsupportedby the band, were no match for the well-armed Border Boys and theircompanions, and they knew it.
“Surrender or be shot down like a dog!” cried Coyote Pete in Spanish,as they rushed into the camp. In the distance could be heard the yellsof the scared Mexicans as they leaped to their horses and dashed off,deserting their leaders.
Ramon’s reply was to fire point blank at the cow-puncher. The bulletgrazed his cheek and caused a temporary halt. In that brief instantRamon and Canfield turned and dashed away at top speed. They scrambledupon their horses bareback, and in a jiffy the thunder of hoofs toldthat they, too, were off.
The adventurers instantly saddled their own stock and set off inpursuit. They had no intention of losing such an advantage as they nowpossessed. But their animals were no match for the fleet black, anddaylight found them far to the rear of the chase.
But in the meantime Destiny, which had overtaken Ramon at last, hadarranged a fitting finale for his tempestuous career. The Rangers, trueto their promise, were on their way to meet our party at the placeagreed upon, and at daybreak Ramon and Canfield, white faced, dustcovered and desperate, encountered the rough and ready cavalry in anarrow defile. Ramon at once swung his black and dashed off like thewind, leaving Canfield on his exhausted beast to fall an easy prey tothe Rangers. Leaving a file of men to guard the prisoner, the captainof the Rangers dashed off in hot pursuit of Ramon and his fleet steed.But the great horse easily outdistanced his followers, and had it notbeen for the hands of Destiny, Ramon might once more have escaped hisend.
But as he shot out of the defile he spied, coming toward him, theBorder Boys. The rascal was fairly trapped. Behind him were theRangers, in front the Border Boys. As he hesitated, Coyote Pete criedin a loud voice:
“Do you surrender?”
The Mexican’s reply was to dash back once more. Perhaps he hoped toride and trample his way through the Rangers. But what desperatethoughts raced through his mind in those last moments we shall neverknow, for presently, as the Rangers approached, a volley came whizzingabout the cornered desperado.
One chance of escape only, had he. On the opposite side of the defilelay a narrow ledge running to the top of the sheer cliff. Could hegain that he might stand a chance of escape. Before they realized whathe was about to do, Ramon saw the desperate loophole and gathered hishorse for the impossible leap across the chasm.
The gallant black, true as steel to his unworthy master to the last,never faltered. Straight out into the air he shot, while the BorderBoys and the Rangers alike sat spellbound by the scene.
The horse’s forefeet touched the opposite ledge, but the hold wastoo weak. With a shrill whinny of terror, with which mingled aterrible scream from Ramon, the beautiful and gallant animal wentcrashing backward, down, down into the depths of the abyss,—while thehorror-stricken onlookers sat paralyzed in their saddles!
* * * * *
The next day a happy party set out from the region of the mystic caves,carrying a freight of treasure and escorted by the Mexican Rangers,who, by Don Alverado’s wish, were to offer them all the protectionpossible.
An examination of the caves had shown that the professor’s guess thatthey had been sealed for all time by the explosion of the natural gaseswas correct. Beyond the first great chamber the foot of man would nevermore penetrate.
At evening on the second day of their journey, the roofs of Hermosillocame in sight. And then the captain of the Rangers turned to our party.
“Our duty is done, senors,” he said, saluting, “yonder is the end ofyour journey.”
“One moment,” said Jack, reddening a little and lowering his voice,“here are two letters I will ask you to deliver when you reach SantaAnita once more. And a packet,” he added, handing the officer thearticles.
“I shall see that they reach their destination safely,” said theofficer, taking them and thrusting them into the bosom of his coat.“And now, adios!”
“Adios!” The cry was caught up by the Rangers and went echoing outalong the mountain side.
At the same instant, as though moved by a common impulse, the Mexicansswung their wiry ponies and dashed off toward the East. The Border Boysstood watching them till in a cloud of dust they vanished from theirsight forever. Then turning in silence they rode down into Hermosillo.Here telegrams were despatched telling of the success of their quest,and the next day they boarded the train for home. The ponies traveledless luxuriously than their masters, in a stock car, while in theexpress coach, guarded by shotgun messengers, were the precioustrophies of the cave.
“Say, Jack, if I’m not too curious, what was in that package that youhanded the officer yesterday?”
The question came from Ralph.
“A present of gems for himself and his men,” was the rejoinder. “I knewyou would think I did right in giving it to them. In fact, I had theprofessor’s permission to do so.”
“And the letters?” asked Ralph.
“Well,” said Jack, “one was to Don Alverado thanking him for all he haddone, and bidding him good-bye. The other was to—somebody else.”
For a time the boy sat silent, gazing from the windows at the flyinglandscape,—and seeing nothing of its details!
But the past was behind them, and Jack was not the boy to waste timeon moonshiny thoughts. In fact, while all the party lingered long inmemory among the strangely varied scenes of their recent experiences,life was full of a new zest, and the future beckoned them.
Ere long, to share with you our prophetic knowledge, the keenestfaculties of the Border Boys were to be called into action. In Texas,the Lone Star State, some work, play and adventure lay in front ofthem, and those who have hitherto followed our Border Boys throughtheir careers of incident and excitement, may find more about them inanother volume, which will be called “The Border Boys With The TexasRangers.”
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br /> THE END.
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