CHAPTER XXIII.
BACK TO FREEDOM.
It is needless to say that Hamp and Jerry accepted Kyle Sparwick's offerwith ill-concealed eagerness. That it was prompted solely by greed madeno difference to them under the circumstances.
They felt that Brick must be rescued at any cost.
Sparwick bound the boys by a solemn agreement to do all in their powerto procure for him a reward of five hundred dollars. They were staggeredby the munificence of the sum, but they did not dispute it. Sparwickclaimed the contents of the pocketbook as part payment in advance. Heallowed Jerry to take possession of the watch.
The affair was settled without delay, and then they turned theirattention to getting out of the cavern.
They regarded this as an easy matter, but a few minutes sufficed to showthem that they were in a very ugly fix.
They first explored the passage beyond the dead bear. It terminatedthirty feet distant in a hard wall of rock. Then they investigated theother end of the cavern with much the same results. It dwindled to atiny crevice, through which a weasel could hardly have squirmed.
"It looks ugly," muttered Sparwick, scratching his head. "The bear musta-had some way to get in. He never dropped ten feet through that hole."
This was sound logic, as the boys well knew. Hamp suggested anothersearch. Accordingly the cavern was gone over with extra care andpatience.
The result was the same. No visible outlet existed, save the tiny holeoverhead. Here the prisoners stopped and looked up. They quickly made adisheartening discovery. It was snowing fast outside. The white flakeswere dropping through the dingy and trampled mass of crust.
"The trail of those rascals will all be covered up," exclaimed Jerry,dolefully.
"It is out of sight by this time," replied Sparwick. "But that won'tmatter much. I can guess purty well where them fellars are going. Iain't denyin' that time is vallyble, though. There ought to be a way toclimb out of here."
"One of us might get on your shoulders," suggested Hamp.
"No use," Sparwick replied. "There ain't nothin' to ketch hold of but arim of snow. It's purty hard, but it wouldn't bear the weight of one ofyou chaps."
This was manifestly true. Various other plans were discussed, andabandoned as impossible.
Soon night came on, and the pale gray light faded away from the crevice.The boys and their companion were now face to face with a dreadful andterrifying fact. They were hopelessly entombed underground.Unless some rescuer should chance that way--and there was slight hope ofthis--they were doomed to certain death.
The disaster affected them differently. Sparwick fell into a dull,apathetic mood, from which he would rouse at times to wring his handsand groan. The man was plainly a coward at heart.
Outwardly, Jerry and Hamp made a braver show of courage. Perhaps theydidn't realize how black was the prospect. That they still clung to aray of hope was shown by their actions. Again and again they traversedthe entire length of the cavern, vainly searching for an outlet that hadno existence.
As the night advanced, they suffered from hunger and cold. Only ten feetabove them were the two sheds, laden with everything needful. Thepossession of these would mean, at the least, the power to endure a longsiege of imprisonment.
An idea flashed into Jerry's mind. He brought the rifle, and reached upwith it, standing on tiptoe. He was not tall enough, so he gave theweapon to Sparwick. The latter was barely able to poke the sleds, buthe could not budge them an inch. They were evidently wedged tightlyacross the hole. Their great weight held them there as though in a vise.
Sparwick dashed the weapon from him.
"It's no use," he cried. "I might as well try to move a mountain. Ayear's poking won't bring them sleds down."
This ended the hopes of warmth and food. Death by starvation now staredthe captives in the face. A little later, the candle burned to the verybottom and went out. The remaining one was too precious to light.Sparwick crawled over against the wall. Jerry and Hamp followed him.There they spent the night, huddled close to one another for warmth.
The hours of darkness seemed like so many weeks. At last the pallidlight of dawn appeared overhead. Another day had begun its course.
The day wore on with protracted suffering and monotony. Long after itseemed that night was surely due, the gray streak of light continued toquiver in the crevice.
At length Jerry sprang fiercely up and lit the precious candle. Lured onby a hope that was born of despair, he staggered up and down the cavern.He stared at the slimy walls and roof. From very weakness he reeledagainst them time and again. Perhaps his wits were hunger-sharpened, ashe was more alert than usual. At all events, he discovered somethingthat had previously eluded him.
On the right-hand wall of the cave, close to the dead bear, was a sortof rude path. It sloped up the rock by crevices and little ledges andprojecting knobs.
Jerry held the candle as far overhead as possible. The light shone intoa narrow, black recess under the roof. He shouted with all his might,again and again, till the cavern rang with the echoes.
Hamp came in haste to the spot, and close behind staggered Sparwick.They wonderingly demanded of Jerry what he meant. Possibly theybelieved, at first, that suffering had turned his brain.
Jerry pointed out the path and the crevice above it. Then theyunderstood.
"It is where the bear entered," exclaimed Sparwick. "Look, here's proofenough."
He gathered from one of the crevices several stiff, black hairs.
Jerry had already commenced the ascent. He held the candle tightly inone hand as he scaled the rugged face of the rock. Hope masteredweakness. He did not slip or fall.
His companions were close behind him when he gained the top. Here was atortuous passage, three or four feet broad, leading off at right anglesfrom the main cavern. The little party followed it eagerly.
For half-a-dozen yards it remained level. Then it dropped at a steepangle for almost an equal distance, meanwhile growing more and morenarrow. Ah! here was the termination at last--not a hopeless wall ofrock, but a mass of soft, powdery snow. This was a sure promise ofdeliverance. What could snow mean but that the outer world was close athand?
"We are saved!" cried Jerry, as he placed the candle firmly on the floorof the passage.
"Yes, saved!" echoed Hamp, in a broken, husky voice.
"Derned if we ain't," declared Sparwick. "Dig, youngsters; dig."
He dropped on his hands and knees, and started in.
The boys helped him from each side. They tore furiously at the softsnow, crushing it down as they advanced.
The tunnel grew deeper and deeper.
Suddenly, the light crust overhead broke of its own weight. All sprangerect, threshing out with their arms. They found themselves in the openair, and facing a level stretch of pine forest.
Behind them was the rugged hillside, under which lay the cavern. Theywere simply speechless with the joy of that first moment of freedom.They inhaled long, deep breaths of the frosty air. Twilight was justfalling. It was not yet so dark but that a glimpse could be had throughthe trees of the misty, distant surface of Chesumcook Lake.
But hunger and cold were quick to assert their sway.
"We must get the sleds!" exclaimed Hamp. "That's the first thing."
"An' we'll have ter spend another night in the cavern," added Sparwick."We sart'nly ain't fit to travel, even if we wanted to push on throughthe darkness."
This was too self-evident for denial. The boys regretted the fact, sinceevery hour of delay seemed to lessen the chances of saving Brick fromthe unknown fate that threatened him.