CHAPTER XXV
THE CAVES UNDER THE MOUNTAIN
For a distance of five hundred feet the way was known to both Larryand his sailor friend, and the pair passed along swiftly, guided inpart by the flickering rays from the camp-fire outside of the maincave.
"Have a care now, lad," whispered Leroy, as they reached a narrowpassage, which turned first to the left and then upward. "The roof islow, and you don't want for to dash your brains out on the rocks."
"Never fear but I'll be as careful as I can," responded the youth,feeling his way along. "Better keep close, Leroy, that we don't becomeseparated."
The turn made, it was no easy matter to ascend the sloping floor, withhere and there a rough bowlder to cross, or a hollow in which onemight fall and break a leg without half trying, as the _Yorktown_sailor said. Presently Leroy called a halt.
"Better light the torch now, Larry."
"I was going to save it," was the reply. "There is no telling how longwe may have to depend upon it."
"That is true; but it's no longer safe to walk in this pitchydarkness."
Leroy was provided with matches, used in smoking his pipe, which hadnot been denied him, and striking one he set fire to an end of the drycedar branch which Larry had laid away over a week before, when thethought of running away had first crossed his mind. At the start thebranch spluttered wofully and threatened to go out, but by coaxing itremained lit, and presently burst into a flame that was sufficient tosee by for a circle of twenty or thirty feet.
On they plodded, up an incline that seemed to have no end, and thenaround another turn. Here the chamber widened out, and beyond therewere branches, two to the left and one to the right.
On they plodded, up an incline that seemed to have noend.--_Page 236._]
"This is as far as I've ever been," said the boy. "The passages beyondseemed to lead downward for part of the way, and it's impossible tojudge which is the best to take. But I was of a mind to try that oneon the right."
"Well, I reckon as how the right ought to be right," laughed Leroy."If it ain't, all we can do is to come back to here an' try overagain, eh?"
"We haven't got time to waste in experimenting, Leroy. This is aserious business. We are liable now to be shot on sight."
"An' nobody knows thet better nor Dan Leroy, your humble servant. An'if you say try one o' the other passages, I'm jes' as willin'."
"No, we'll take that on the right," returned the youth, and startedonward without further delay.
The passage was a crooked one, not over ten feet wide in any one part,and but little over the height of a man. At one place a great rockblocked the way, and over this they went on their hands and knees.
"Kind o' a tight squeeze," remarked Leroy. "If that rock war a bitbigger, we wouldn't be able to git over it at all."
"Hark!" cried Larry, coming to a halt. "What is that, somebodycalling?"
They listened, and from a distance ahead made out a low murmur of somekind. "It's water running over the rocks," cried Leroy. "I hope it'sa river leading to the outer world."
"Oh, so do I!" ejaculated the boy, and both started onward eagerly.Long before the fall of water was gained they found themselvessplashing in an underground stream up to their ankles. The waterfallwas underground, coming from the rocks overhead and running into thestream, which, in turn, sank out of sight some distance further on.
"Nothing in that," muttered Leroy, his face falling.
Nevertheless, they stopped for a drink, for the tramp through thecaves had made them thirsty. The old sailor held the torch, whileLarry carried the kettle. It was well that the top of the kettle wason tight, otherwise the contents would have been spilled long beforethis.
Beyond the waterfall the cave opened out once more in fan shape, theroof running upward to a high arch, from which hung stupendousstalactites of white and brown. Here the water dripped down in theform of a fine rain.
"We're in a shower, lad, even though we are underground," remarkedLeroy. "I must say I hope this don't last. If it does, we'll soon bewet to the skin." The vaulted cave soon came to an end, however, andnow they found themselves in an opening cut up into a hundreddifferent chambers, like a coal mine supported by arches. Each lookedat the other in perplexity.
"We can easily miss the way here," said Larry, soberly. "We had betterlay out a course and stick to it."
"Right you are, lad." Leroy pointed with his hand. "This seems as gooda trail as any. Shall we follow it?"
"Yes." And forward it was again. Presently they came to anotherchamber, and here the slope was again upward, much to theirsatisfaction. "If we keep on going upward, we are bound to get out atthe top, sometime," was the way Larry calculated.
Climbing now became difficult, and in a number of places each had tohelp the other along. Then came a wall twelve feet high, and here theywere compelled to halt.
"It looks as if we were blocked," remarked the _Yorktown_ sailor afteran examination.
"I'm not going to give up yet," answered the boy. "If we can't get upany other way, we can build a stairs with those loose stones we justpassed."
"Hurrah! you've solved the difficulty!" exclaimed the old sailor, andthey set to work with a will. But rolling and lifting the stones intoplace was no mean job, and when at last they were able to pullthemselves to the passageway above, both were utterly worn out andglad enough to sit down. The rest lasted longer than either hadintended, for Leroy, who had not slept well the night before, dozedoff, and Larry was not of a heart to wake him up. So the boy went tosleep too, and neither awakened until early morning.
"Hullo! what's this?" cried Leroy, the first to open his eyes. All wasso dark about him--Larry having extinguished the torch--that for theminute he could not collect his senses. Putting out his hand hetouched the youth on the face, and Larry awoke instantly.
They were both hungry, and lighting the torch again, warmed up thekettle of stew, and then ate about one-third of the stuff. "Touchesthe spot," cried Leroy, smacking his lips. He could have eaten muchmore, but knew it was best to be careful of their supply until theouter world was gained.
Much refreshed by their sleep, but somewhat stiff from the dampnessand the unaccustomed work of the evening before, they proceed on theirway, still climbing upward and still in a darkness, that was onlypartly dispelled by the feeble glare of the torch, which was nowgrowing alarmingly small.
"The light won't last more than a couple o' hours," said Leroy."Perhaps we had better split the stick in two." This was done, andthus the feeble light was reduced one-half.
Would the caves never come to an end? Such was the question Larryasked himself over and over again. Was it possible that they were tojourney so far only to find themselves trapped at last? The thoughtmade him shiver, and he pushed on faster than ever.
"Do you know what I think?" said Leroy, an hour later. "I think we aremoving around in a circle?"
"A circle?"
"Ay, lad. Don't you notice how the passageway keeps turning to theright?"
Larry had noticed it. "But we are going upward," he said.
"True; but who knows but what we'll be going downward presently."
Still they kept on, but now Larry's heart began to fail him. They hadprogressed so far, had made so many turns, that to get back wouldprobably be impossible. The caves were so vast one might wander aboutin them forever--if one's food did not give out. Larry shivered againand clutched the precious kettle of stew tighter than ever. He wasonce more hungry, but resolved to wait until the pangs of hungerincreased before reducing the stock of food.
The passageway was now level for a considerable distance, with hereand there a rock to be climbed over or a crack to cross. Both had justmade a leap over an opening several feet wide when Leroy set up ashout.
"What is it?" asked Larry, eagerly.
"Put the torch behind ye, lad, an' look ahead. Perhaps my eyes deceiveme," answered the old sailor.
Larry did as requested, and gave a searching look up the passageway.No,
there was no mistaking it--there was a faint glimmer of lightcoming from what appeared to be a bend. He, too, gave a shout, andboth set off on a run.
As they sped onward the light became brighter and brighter, until thetorch was hardly needed. They were running side by side, each tryingto gain the outer air first.
"Look out!" suddenly yelled Leroy, and caught Larry by the arm. Theold sailor could hardly stop, and had to throw himself flat, draggingthe boy down on top of him.
A few feet beyond was an opening twelve to fifteen feet wide, runningfrom side to side of the passageway. The walls of the opening wereperpendicular, and the hole was so deep that when a stone was droppedinto it they could scarcely hear the thing strike bottom.
"Here's a how-d'ye-do!" cried Leroy, gazing into the pit. "We can'tjump across that, nohow!"
"A real good jumper might," answered Larry. "But I shouldn't want totry it. The other side seems to slope down toward the hole. What's tobe done?"
Ah, that was the question. It looked as if their advance in thatdirection was cut off completely.