CHAPTER XXIX
THE PURSUIT
Deppingham sprang to his feet with a fierce oath on his lips. Hisusually lustreless eyes were gleaming with something more than despair;there was the wild light of unmistakable relief in them. It was as if ahorrid doubt had been scaled from the soul of Lady Deppingham's husband.
"We must follow!" shouted his lordship, preparing to lower himself intothe jagged opening. "We may be in time!"
"Stop, Deppingham!" cried Chase, leaping to his side. "Don't rushblindly into a trap like that. Let's consider for a moment."
They had it back and forth for many minutes, the united efforts of thethree men being required to keep the half-frantic Englishman fromrushing alone into the passage. Reason at last prevailed.
"They've got an hour or more start of us," argued Chase. "Nothing willbe accomplished by rushing into an ambush. They'd kill us like rats.Rasula is a sagacious scoundrel. He'll not take the entireresponsibility. There will be a council of all the head men. It will beof no advantage to them to kill the heirs unless they are sure that _we_won't live to tell the tale. They will go slow, now that they have thechief obstacles to victory in their hands."
"If they will give her up to me, I will guarantee that Lady Agnes shallrelinquish all claim to the estate," announced the harassed husband.
"They won't do that, old man. Promises won't tempt them," protestedChase. "We've got to do what we can to rescue them. I'm with you,gentlemen, in the undertaking, first for humanity's sake; secondly,because I am your friend; lastly, because I don't want my clients tolose all chance of winning out in this controversy by acting likeconfounded asses. It isn't what Sir John expects of me. Now, let'sconsider the situation sensibly."
In the meantime, the anxious coterie in the chateau were waiting eagerlyfor the return of the searchers. Night had fallen swiftly. The Princessand Drusilla were walking restlessly back and forth, singularly quietand constrained. The latter sighed now and then in a manner that wentdirectly to the heart of her companion. Genevra recognised the futilityof imposing her sympathies in the face of this significant reserve.
Drusilla made one remark, half unconsciously, no doubt, that rasped inthe ears of the Princess for days. It was the cold, bitter, resignedepitome of the young wife's thoughts.
"Robert has loved her for months." That was all.
Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, thankful that something had happened to divertattention from their own conspicuous plight, were discoursing freely inthe centre of a group composed of the four Englishmen from the bank, allof whom had deserted their posts of duty to hear the details of theamazing disappearance.
"It's a plain out and out elopement," said Mrs. Saunders, fanningherself vigorously.
"But, my dear," expostulated her husband, blushing vividly over thefirst public use of the appellation, "where the devil could they elopeto?"
"I don't know, Tommy, but elopers never take that into consideration. Dothey, Mr. Bowles?"
Mr. Bowles readjusted the little red forage cap and said he'd be hangedif he knew the eloping symptoms.
At last the four men appeared in the mouth of the cavern. The watchersbelow fell into chilled silence when they discovered that the missingones were not with them. Stupefied with apprehension, they watched themen descend the ladder and cross the bridge.
"They are dead!" fell from Brasilia Browne's lips. She swayed for aninstant and then sank to the ground, unconscious.
* * * * *
In the conference which followed the return of the searchers, it wassettled that three of the original party should undertake the furtherprosecution of the hunt for the two heirs. Lord Deppingham found readyvolunteers in Chase and the faithful Selim. They prepared to go out inthe hills before the night was an hour older. Selim argued that theabductors would not take their prisoners to the town of Aratat. Heunderstood them well enough to know that they fully appreciated thedanger of an uprising among those who were known to be openly opposed tothe high-handed operations of Rasula and his constituency. He convincedChase that the wily Rasula would carry his captives to the mines, wherehe was in full power.
"You're right, Selim. If he's tried that game we'll beat him at it. Tento one, if he hasn't already chucked them into the sea, they're nowconfined in one of the mills over there."
They were ready to start in a very short time. Selim carried a quantityof food and a small supply of brandy. Each was heavily armed andprepared for a stiff battle with the abductors. They were to go by wayof the upper gate, taking chances on leaving the park without discoveryby the sentinels.
"We seem constantly to be saying good-bye to each other." Thus spoke thePrincess to Chase as he stood at the top of the steps waiting for Selim.The darkness hid the wan, despairing smile that gave the lie to hersprightly words.
"And I'm always doing the unexpected thing--coming back. This time I mayvary the monotony by failing to return."
"I should think you could vary it more pleasantly by not going away,"she said. "You will be careful?"
"The danger is here, not out there," he said meaningly.
"You mean--me? But, like all danger, I soon shall pass. In a few days, Ishall say good-bye forever and sail away."
"How much better it would be for you if this were the last good-bye--andI should not come back."
"For me?"
"Yes. You could marry the Prince without having me on your conscienceforevermore."
"Mr. Chase!"
"It's easier to forget the dead than the living, they say."
"Don't be too sure of that."
"Ah, there's Selim! Good-bye! We'll have good news for you all, I hope,before long. Keep your eyes on Neenah. She and Selim have arranged a setof signals. Don't lie awake all night--and don't pray for me," hescoffed, in reckless mood.
The three men stole out through the small gate in the upper end of thepark. Selim at once took the lead. They crept off into the black forest,keeping clear of the mountain path until they were far from the walls.It was hard going among the thickly grown, low-hanging trees. They werewithout lights; the jungle was wrapped in the blackness of night; thetrail was unmade and arduous. For more than a mile they crept throughthe unbroken vegetation of the tropics, finally making their way down tothe beaten path which led past the ruins of the bungalow and up to themountain road that provided a short cut around the volcano to thehighlands overlooking the mines district in the cradle-like valleybeyond.
Deppingham had not spoken since they left the park grounds. He camesecond in the single file that they observed, striding silently andobediently at the given twenty paces behind Selim. They kept to thegrassy roadside and moved swiftly and with as little noise as possible.By this time, their eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness; theycould distinguish one another quite clearly. The starlight filtered downthrough the leafy canopy above the road, increasing rather thandecreasing the density of the shadows through which they sped. None butstrong, determined, inspired men could have followed the pace set by thelithe, surefooted Selim.
Mile after mile fell behind them, with no relaxation of energy orpurpose. Chase found time and opportunity to give his thoughts over toGenevra. A mighty longing to clasp her in his arms and carry her to theends of the earth took possession of him: a longing to drag her far fromthe conventions which bound her to a world he could not enter into. Downin his heart, he knew that she loved him: it was not a play-day follywith her. And yet he knew that the end would be as she had said. Shewould be the wife of the man she did not love. Fate had given her to himwhen the world was young; there was no escape. In story-books, perhaps,but not in real life. And how he had come to love her!
They were coming to the ridge road and Selim fell back to explain theneed for caution. The ridge road crept along the brow of the deep canyonthat ran down to the sea. This was the road, in all likelihood, heexplained, that the abductors would have used in their flight from thecavern. Two miles farther south it joined the wide highway that ran fromAratat to
the mines.
Selim crept on ahead to reconnoitre. He was back in ten minutes with theinformation that a party of men had but lately passed along the roadtoward the south. Their footprints in the soft, untraveled road werefresh. The stub of a cigarette that had scarcely burned itself outproved to him conclusively that the smoker, at least, was not far aheadof them.
They broke away from the road and took a less exposed course through theforest to their right, keeping well within earshot of the ridge, butmoving so carefully that there was slight danger of alarming the partyahead. The fact that the abductors--there seemed to be no doubt as toidentity--had spent several hours longer than necessary in traversingthe distance between the cave and the point just passed, proving ratherconclusively that they were encumbered by living, not dead, burdens.
At last the sound of voices came to the ears of the pursuers. As theycrept closer and closer, they became aware of the fact that the partyhad halted and were wrangling among themselves over some point indispute. With Selim in the lead, crawling like panthers through thedense undergrowth, the trio came to the edge of the timber land. Beforethem lay the dark, treeless valley; almost directly below them, notfifty yards away, clustered the group of disputing islanders, a dozenmen in all, with half as many flaring torches.
They had halted in the roadway at the point where a sharp defile throughthe rocks opened a way down into the valley. Like snakes the pursuerswriggled their way to a point just above the small basin in which theparty was congregated.
A great throb of exultation leaped up from their hearts, In plain view,at the side of the road, were the two persons for whom they weresearching.
"God, luck is with us," whispered Chase unconsciously.
Lady Agnes, dishevelled, her dress half stripped from her person, wasseated upon a great boulder, staring hopelessly, lifelessly at the crowdof men in the roadway. Beside her stood a tall islander, watching herand at the same time listening eagerly to the dispute that went onbetween his fellows. She was not bound; her hands and feet and lips werefree. The glow from the torches held by gesticulating hands fell uponher tired, frightened face. Deppingham groaned aloud as he looked downupon the wretched, hopeless woman that he loved and had come out to diefor.
Bobby Browne was standing near by. His hands were tightly bound behindhis back. His face was blood-covered and the upper part of his body wasalmost bare, evidence of the struggle he had made against overwhelmingodds. He was staring at the ground, his head and shoulders drooping inutter dejection.
The cause of the slow progress made by the attacking party was alsoapparent after a moment's survey of the situation. Three of the treasurechests were standing beside the road, affording seats for as many wearycarriers. It was all quite plain to Chase. Rasula and his men hadchanced upon the two white people during one of their trips to the cavefor the purpose of removing the chests. Moreover, it was reasonable toassume that this lot of chests represented the last of those stored awayby Von Blitz. The others had been borne away by detachments of men wholeft the cave before the discovery and capture of the heirs.
Rasula was haranguing the crowd of men in the road. The hidden listenerscould hear and understand every word he uttered.
"It is the only way," he was shouting angrily. "We cannot take them intothe town to-night--maybe not for two or three days. Some there are inAratat who would end their lives before sunrise. I say to you that wecannot put them to death until we are sure that the others have nochance to escape to England. I am a lawyer. I know what it would mean ifthe story got to the ears of the government. We have them safely in ourhands. The others will soon die. Then--then there can be no mistake!They must be taken to the mines and kept there until I have explainedeverything to the people. Part of us shall conduct them to the lowermill and the rest of us go on to the bank with these chests of gold." Inthe end, after much grumbling and fierce quarreling, in which theprisoners took little or no interest, the band was divided into twoparts. Rasula and six of the sturdiest men prepared to continue thejourney to Aratat, transporting the chests. Five sullen, resentfulfellows moved over beside the captives and threw themselves down uponthe grassy sward, lighting their cigarettes with all the philosophicalindifference of men who regard themselves as put upon by others at atime when there is no alternative.
"We will wait here till day comes," growled one of them defiantly. "Whyshould we risk our necks going down the pass to-night? It is oneo'clock. The sun will be here in three hours. Go on!"
"As you like, Abou Dal," said Rasula, shrugging his pinched shoulders."I shall come to the mill at six o'clock." Turning to the prisoners, hebowed low and said, with a soft laugh: "Adios, my lady, and you, mostnoble sir. May your dreams be pleasant ones. Dream that you are weddedand have come into the wealth of Japat, but spare none of your dream tothe husband and wife, who are lying awake and weeping for the foolishones who would go searching for the forbidden fruit. Folly is a hard roadto travel and it leads to the graveyard of fools. Adios!"
Lady Agnes bent over and dropped her face into her hands. She wastrembling convulsively. Browne did not show the slightest sign that hehad heard the galling words.
At a single sharp command, the six men picked up the three chests andmoved off rapidly down the road Rasula striding ahead with the flaringtorch.
They were barely out of sight beyond the turn in the hill whenDeppingham moved as though impulse was driving him into immediate attackupon the guards who were left behind with the unhappy prisoners. Chaselaid a restraining hand upon his arm.
"Wait! Plenty of time. Wait an hour. Don't spoil everything. We'll savethem sure," he breathed in the other's ear. Deppingham's groan wasalmost loud enough to have been heard above the rustling leaves and thecollective maledictions of the disgusted islanders.
The minutes slipped by with excruciating slowness The wakeful eyes ofthe three watchers missed nothing that took place in the littlegrass-grown niche below them They could have sprung almost into thecentre of the group from the position they occupied. Utterly unconsciousof the surveillance, the islanders gradually sunk into a morose, stupidsilence. If the watchers hoped that they might go to sleep they were tobe disappointed Two of the men sat with their backs to the rocks, theirrifles across their knees. The others sprawled lazily upon the softgrass. Two torches, stuck in the earth, threw a weird light over thescene.
Bobby Browne was now lying with his shoulder against a fallentree-trunk, staring with unswerving gaze at the woman across the way.She was looking off into the night, steadfastly refusing to glance inhis direction. For fully half an hour this almost speaking tableaupresented itself to the spectators above.
Then suddenly Lady Agnes arose to her feet and lifted her hands hightoward the black dome of heaven, Salammbo-like, and prayed aloud to herGod, the sneering islanders looking on in silent derision.