CHAPTER XXVII
ENTRANCE TO THE CAVERN
One night, when I had got down a considerable depth into the rock, Itook the pick to loosen out some stone which I had drilled. As I struck,the sound of the rock was hollower than I had before noticed. My heartleaped into my mouth, and I had to pause. Then I struck again harder,and the sound was more hollow still. Whether or no it was the place Iwas looking for, there was some cave in the rock below me. I would havegone on working straightway had there been anyone with me; but beingalone I had to be careful. I was now standing on, evidently, only alayer of rock, over an opening of whose depth I was in ignorance. Shouldthis piece of stone break away, as was quite possible from my workingon it, I might be precipitated into a living tomb. The very secrecy inwhich I had kept my work, might tend to insure my death. Therefore Imade all preparation for such a casualty. Henceforth I worked with roundmy waist a short rope the other end of which was fastened to a heavystaple in the wall. Even if the rock should give way underneath me, afoot or two would limit my fall. This precaution taken, I worked morefuriously than ever. With a large hammer I struck the rock at the bottomof the shaft, again and again, with all my might. Then I heard a dullsound of something rattling below me; the top of the cave was fallingin. I redoubled my efforts; and all at once a whole mass of rock sunkbeneath my hammer and disappeared into a black chasm which sent upa whiff of cold air. I had seized my rope to scramble out, fearingasphyxiation; but when I smelled salt water I did not fear. Then I knewthat I had got an opening into a sea cave of some sort. I stuck to mywork till I had hammered an irregular hole some three feet square. ThenI came up to rest and think. I lowered a rope with a stone at the end,and found that the depth was some thirty feet. The stone had gone intowater before it touched bottom. I could hear the "plop" as it struck thesurface. As I thought it better not to descend by myself, lest thereshould be any danger of returning, I spent the rest of my stay for thatevening in rigging up a pulley in the roof over the hole so that I mightbe lowered down when the time should come. Then I went home, for Ifeared lest the fascinating temptation to make the descent at once wouldovercome me.
After breakfast I rode over to Crom, and when I was alone with Marjorytold her of my discovery. She was wild with excitement, and I rejoicedto find that this new pleasure drew us even closer together. We agreedthat she should come to help me; it would not do to take any one elseinto our confidence, and she would not hear of my going down into thecave alone. In order to avoid comment we thought it better that sheshould come late in the evening. The cave being dark, it was of courseimmaterial whether day or night was appointed for the experiment. Thenit was, I could not help it, that I said to her:
"You see now the wisdom of our being married. We can go where we like;and if we should be found out no one can say a word!" She said nothing;there was nothing to say. We decided that she had better slip out,as she had done before, in the footman's dress. I went off and madepreparation for her coming, bringing in food for supper and plenty ofcandles and matches and lamps and rope; for we did not know how long theexploration might take.
A little before nine o'clock I met her as before in the wood. Shechanged her livery coat for the flannel one, and we rode off toWhinnyfold. We got into the house without being noticed.
When I took her down to the cellar and turned into the hole thereflector of the strong lamp, she held on to me with a little shiver.The opening did certainly look grim and awesome. The black rock wasslimy with sea moisture, and the rays of the light were lost far belowin the gloom. I told her what she would have to do in lowering me down,and explained the rude mechanism which I had constructed. She was, Icould see, a little nervous with the responsibility; and was anxious toknow any detail so thoroughly that no accident of ignorance could occur.
When the rope was round me and I was ready to descend, she kissed memore fondly than she had ever done yet, and held on to me as though lothto part. As I sank into the opening, holding the gasoline bicycle lampwhich I had elected to take with me, I saw her pretty forehead wrinkledup in anxiety as she gave all her mind to the paying out of the rope.Even then I was delighted with the ease and poise of her beautifulfigure, fully shown in the man's dress which she had not changed, as itwas so suitable for the work she had to do.
When I had been lowered some twenty feet, I turned my lantern down andsaw through the sheen of water a bottom of rock with here and therea cluster of loose stones; one big slab which stuck up endwise, wasevidently that which had fallen from the roof under my hammer. It wasmanifest that there was, in this part of the cave at any rate, notsufficient water to make it a matter of any concern. I called to Marjoryto lower slowly, and a few seconds later I stood in the cave, with thewater just above my knees. I moved the new-fallen slab to one side lestit might injure any one who was descending. Then I took the strong ropefrom me, and knotted round my waist the end of the thin rope which Ihad brought for the purpose. This formed a clue, in case such should benecessary, and established a communication with Marjory which would tendto allay her anxiety. With the cord running through her fingers, shewould know I was all right. I went cautiously through the cave, feelingmy way carefully with the long stick which I had brought with me. When Ihad got some distance I heard Marjory's voice echoing through the cave:
"Take care there are no octopuses!" She had been thinking of all sortsof possible dangers. For my own part the idea of an octopus in the cavenever crossed my mind. It was a disconcerting addition to my anxieties;but there was nothing to do. I was not going to abandon my project forthis fear; and so I went on.
Further inland the cave shelved down on one side, following the line ofthe rock so that I passed through an angular space which, though widein reality, seemed narrow by comparison with the wide and lofty chamberinto which I had descended. A little beyond this again, the rock dipped,so that only a low tunnel, some four feet high, rose above the water. Iwent on, carefully feeling my way, and found that the cave ended in apoint or narrow crevice.
All this time I had been thinking that the appearance of the place didnot quite tally with the description in de Escoban's narrative. Nomention had been made of any such difficulties; as the few men hadcarried in what must have been of considerable bulk and weight therewould have been great difficulties for them.
So I retraced my steps, intending to see if there was any other branchnearer to the sea. I kept the line taut so that Marjory might not bealarmed. I think I was as glad as she was when I saw the light throughthe opening, and the black circle of her head as she looked downeagerly. When underneath, I told her of my adventure, and then turnedseawards to follow the cave down. The floor here was more even, asthough it had been worn smooth by sea wash and the endless rolling ofpebbles. The water deepened only a few inches in all. As I went, I threwthe rays of my lamp around, anxiously looking for some opening. Thewhole distance from the place where I had made the entry to the faceof the cliff was not very great; but distance in the open seems verydifferent from that within an unknown cavern. Presently I came to aplace where the floor of the cave was strewn with stones, which grewbigger and more as I went on; till at last I was climbing up a risingpile of rocks. It was slippery work, for there seemed some kind of oozeor slime over the stones which made progress difficult. When I hadclimbed up about half way towards the roof, I noticed that on my leftside the slope began to fall away. I moved over and raising my lamp sawto my inexpressible joy that there was an opening in the rock. Gettingclose I found that though it was nearly blocked with stones there wasstill a space large enough to creep through. Also with pleasure I sawthat the stones here were small. With a very slight effort I dislodgedsome of them and sent them rolling down, thus clearing the way. Theclatter of the stones evidently alarmed Marjory for I heard her callingto me. I hurried back under the opening--the way seemed easy enough nowI knew it--and told her of my fresh discovery.
Then I went back again and climbed down the slope of fallen stones; thiswas evidently the debris of the explosion which h
ad choked the mouth ofthe cave. The new passage trended away a little to the right, making asharp angle with the cave I had left. Then after deflecting to the leftit went on almost straight for a considerable distance, thus lying, asI made it out, almost parallel to the first cave. I had very littleanxiety as to the safety of the way. The floor seemed more level thaneven that of the entrance to the first cave. There was a couple of feetof water in the deepest part, but not more; it would not have beendifficult to carry the treasure here. About two hundred feet in, thecave forked, one arm bending slightly to the left and the other to theright. I tried the former way and came to a sheer dip in the rock suchas I had met with before. Accordingly I came back and tried the second.When I had gone on a little way, I found my line running out; so I wentback and asked Marjory to throw me down the end. I was so sure of theroad now that I did not need a clue. At first she demurred, but Iconvinced her; taking the rope I fixed one end of it within the cavebefore it branched. Then I started afresh on my way, carrying the coilof rope with me.
This branch of the cave went on crookedly with occasionally strangeangles and sharp curves. Here and there, on one side or the other andsometimes on both, the rock walls bellied out, making queer chambers orrecesses, or narrowing the cave to an aperture only a few feet wide. Theroof too was raised or fell in places, so that I had now and again tobend my head and even to stoop; whilst at other times I stood under asort of high dome. In such a zigzag course I lost my bearings somewhat;but I had an idea that the general tendency was inland to the right.Strange to say, the floor of the cave remained nearly level. Here again,ages of tide and rolling pebbles had done their work effectively. Mycord ran out again and I had to lose the far end and bring it on, fixingit afresh, as I did not like to proceed without keeping a clue behindme. Somewhat further on, the cave dipped and narrowed so that I had tobend nearly double to pass, my face being just above the water as Iwent. It was with difficulty that I kept the lamp from touching thewater below or knocking against the rock above. I was much chagrined tofind this change in the structure of the cave, for since I had enteredon this branch of it I had completely made up my mind that I was on theright road and that only a short time and a little distance lay betweenme and the treasure. However there was nothing to do but to go on.
A few feet more and the roof began to rise; at first in a very gentleslope, but then suddenly. Stretching my cramped back and raising myhead, I looked around. I raised my lamp high, turning it so that itsrays might let me take in a wide circle.
I stood at the side of a large, lofty cave, quaint of outline, with hereand there smooth walls from which great masses of red rock projectedominously. So threatening did these overhanging masses look, that for afew seconds I feared to stir lest some of them should topple over on me.Then, when my eyes had become accustomed to the greater glare, I sawthat they were simply masses of the rugged rock itself. The whole cave,so far as I could see, was red granite, formed of the great rock flungupward in the pristine upheaval which had placed the Skares in the sea.