CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
BLANCHE AND HER LOVER HAVE TO SWIM FOR IT.
"Stand close against the wall, Blanche, and do not move," commandedEvelin, as the paper torch burnt down and went out. "Now," hecontinued, "I am about to light up another of these papers; and we mustutilise the light to get past this gulf, if possible; it will never dofor us to remain where we are. The question is--In which direction willit be most advisable for us to proceed? We must devote a moment or twoto a hasty survey of the place, as far our light will allow us, beforewe move. Neither the time nor the light will be wasted. And it will bebetter that you should turn your glance upward and away from the edge ofthe chasm; your nerves will then be all the steadier when we have tomake a move. Now, I am going to light up once more."
Another paper was lighted; and, placing himself in front of hiscompanion, or between her and the edge of the chasm, in order to guardagainst the possibility of her turning faint or giddy and falling over,Lance raised the light at arm's-length above his head to glance round.As he did so, the tiny flame wavered, as if fanned by a faint draught.He looked at it intently for a moment, and noticed that the waveringmotion was continuous, and such as would be produced by a steady currentof air flowing in the direction in which they had been proceeding. Thenhe knelt down and held the lighted paper close against the surface ofthe ground. The flame burnt steadily for an instant and then betrayed avery slight draught in an opposite direction. Then it went out, thepaper being all consumed.
He thought intently for a moment; then turned to his companion andsaid--
"Blanche, dearest, _we are saved_. Pluck up your courage, my own love,and thank God with me for showing us a way out of this terriblelabyrinth."
"I don't understand you, Lance," answered the girl, trembling withagitation; "are you only saying this to sustain my courage a littlewhile longer, or do you really mean that you believe there is still achance of our emerging once more into the blessed light of day?"
"I mean, dear, that I hope and believe we shall escape. Listen. Thatbit of lighted paper has revealed the presence of two distinct currentsof air flowing along this passage. That means that an outlet to theopen air exists somewhere. The upper current, which is the warmer ofthe two, is flowing in the direction of that outlet; and all we have todo is to follow in the same direction, if we can, and we shalleventually reach the opening."
"Then let us proceed at once, Lance dear, please," pleaded poorterrified Blanche. "I feel as though I should go mad if we remain heremuch longer. I have a frightful feeling urging me--almost beyond mypowers of resistance--to fling myself forward over the edge of thatdreadful chasm which is yawning to receive me. Oh! save me, Lancedarling, save me for pity's sake."
"I _will_ save you, dear, if it is in man's power to do so," answeredLance, "but you must help me by keeping up your courage; you know Icannot possibly think and reason calmly whilst you continue in thisdeplorable state of nervousness. Now, I will light another paper--ourlast--and we will move forward at once. Keep close to the wall, and beready to give me your right hand as soon as the light shines out."
Another moment, and a feeble glimmer once more illumined the Cimmeriandarkness.
Holding the light in his right hand, Lance gave his left to Blanche, andthey cautiously resumed their way. The ledge along which they werepassing was about six feet wide; but a yard or two further on itnarrowed abruptly, leaving a path barely twelve inches in breadth. Itcontinued thus for a length of some twenty feet, and then widened outabruptly again, apparently to the full width of the passage. It seemed,in short, as though the terrible chasm terminated at this point.
Luckily, Lance was the first to see it, and his resolution was at oncetaken. He dropped the lighted paper as if by accident, and extinguishedit by setting his foot upon it. He knew that if his companion caught somuch as a single momentary glimpse of the short but frightfully perilouspassage she would have to make, her nerve would utterly fail her, andtoo probably a dreadful catastrophe would happen. So he resolved uponthe hazardous attempt to get her past the danger blindfold.
"Tut! what a clumsy fellow I am!" he exclaimed pettishly, as though inreference to his having dropped the lighted paper. "Now I shall have toexpend another match. But, Blanche, your nerves are still unsteady; thesight of this threatening gulf is too much for you. I think you woulddo better blindfold. Give me your handkerchief, dear, and let me tie itover your eyes. I will remove it again as soon as we are past thechasm."
"Thank you," said Blanche. "I really believe I _should_ feel better ifthe sight of that dreadful place were shut out. I can trust to yourcare and courage; but I confess with shame that, as far as I amconcerned, I am thoroughly unnerved."
Lance took the handkerchief which Blanche put into his hand, and boundit gently but firmly over her eyes, arranging it as well as he could inthe darkness in such a manner as to make the blinding perfectlyeffectual.
He then led her cautiously forward a step or two until he felt with hisoutstretched foot the edge of the precipice, when, bidding her standperfectly still and to cling firmly to the irregular surface of therock, he once more lighted the short remaining end of paper, utilisingits brief existence to note well the perilous path they had to tread.
"Now, sweetheart," he said briskly, "do you feel better, and fit to goon?"
"Oh, yes," was the reply, in a tone so bright and cheerful that Lancefelt intensely relieved; and he forthwith set about the difficult taskof getting his companion past the narrow ledge without further delay.
By the last expiring gleam of his short-lived taper, Lance took one morerapid glance at the terrible pass, and then, as the thick darkness oncemore closed round them, he said--
"Now, dear, you must be very cautious how you move. Keep close againstthe rock, and take a firm hold of any projections you can find. Do notmove until you have a firm hold with both hands, nor without telling meof your intention, as I shall keep close to you and give you the supportof my arm. And do not loose your hold of the rock with one hand untilyou have secured a firm grip with the other. Now, have you a tighthold? Then move gently along, side wise; and keep _close_ to the rock."
The dreadful journey was begun. Slowly and cautiously the pair gropedtheir uncertain way along that narrow ledge, each pausing until theother was ready to proceed; and Lance with difficulty restrained ashudder as once during the passage he felt that the heel of his bootactually projected over the awful ledge. A dozen times he felt outwardswith his foot to ascertain whether the chasm was passed or not, and atlast, with an involuntary sigh of ineffable relief he found that therewas solid ground beyond him as far as his foot could reach.
"Now stand quite still for a moment, Blanche," he said. "I am about tolight another match."
He did so, and found that they had indeed achieved the awful passage--with some six inches to spare. At his very feet still yawned the hungrygulf, but they were beyond it, thank God, and once more in comparativesafety. Hastily seizing his companion's hand, he hurried her far enoughaway from the spot to prevent her seeing the deadly nature of the perilto which they had been exposed, and then removed the bandage from hereyes.
"There," he said cheerfully, "we are past the chasm at last, and now youmay have the use of your eyes once more."
Lighting another match, the imprisoned pair now pressed forward asrapidly as circumstances would permit, taking care to keep a matchalways alight in order that they might not stumble unawares upon apossible second chasm or other danger. They pressed forward in silence,except for an occasional word of caution or encouragement from Lance,both being far too anxious to admit of anything like a connectedconversation.
Suddenly Lance stopped short. To his sense of hearing, acutelysharpened by the long-continued death-like silence of the place, therehad come _a sound_, fainter than the breathing of a sleeping infant, amere vibration of the air, in fact, but still--a sound.
What was it? He knelt down and placed his ear close to the ground.Yes;
now he caught it a trifle more distinctly; the faintest murmurstill, but with something of individuality appertaining to it. It roseand fell rhythmically, swelling gradually in volume, and then subsidingagain into silence.
"Hurrah!" he shouted joyously. "The sea! the sea! I can hear it.Courage, Blanche darling, our journey is nearly at an end. One shorthalf-hour at most, and, with God's help, we shall be free."
Again they pushed eagerly forward; with high hopes and grateful heartsnow, and with every yard of progress the gladdening sound rose clearerand clearer still until there could no longer be any possible mistakeabout it; it was indeed the regular beat of surf upon the shore.
At length a faint gleam of light became perceptible upon the rocky wallsin front; gradually it strengthened, until the more prominentprojections of the rock began to stand out bold and black against thelighter portions beyond; and at last, as the path curved gently round,their eager eyes were gladdened by the sight of an opening into whichthe sea was sweeping with a long lazy undulating motion until it curledover and plashed musically upon a narrow strip of sandy beach.
They both paused for a moment, with one consent, to feast their eyesupon the gladsome sight, and to restore their disordered faculties.Then they saw that the long passage or gallery within which they stoodterminated at its outer end in a cavernous recess, opening apparently ona precipitous part of the shore. The floor of the passage slopedgradually down until it met the short strip of sand upon which the mimicwaves were lazily beating; and a yard or two from the water's edge thesand was marked with a well-defined line of stranded weed and drift-wood, which indicated the inner limit of the wash of the sea. A singleglance was sufficient to show that the auriferous rock had been leftbehind; that which now surrounded them being a coarse kind of granite.Pursuing their way the pair soon stood upon the strip of beach. Thencame the question, How were they to get out of the cavern, now that theyhad reached its mouth? The sides rose perpendicularly, and the toparched over in such a manner that escape seemed impossible. Lance madeseveral attempts on each side of the entrance to work his way out, butthe face of the rock was worn so smooth with the constant wash of thewater that the nearer he approached the entrance the more difficult didhe find it to proceed, and at last, failing to find any further foot-hold, he was compelled to abandon his efforts and return to Blanche, whomeanwhile had been resting her tired limbs on the soft grey sand.
"Well, Blanche," he said, "I thought our troubles were over when I firstcaught sight of that opening, but it appears they are not. There seemsto be only one possible mode of escape from this place and that is byswimming. Now, I can manage the matter easily enough if you will onlytrust me; the distance is the merest trifle, the water is smooth, and ifyou think you have nerve enough to rest your hands on my shoulders andto refrain from struggling when we get into deep water, I can supportyour weight perfectly well, I know, and carry you safely round to thebeach, which I have no doubt we shall find at a short distance on oneside or the other of the opening. It will involve a ducking, certainly,but we cannot help that; and if we walk briskly afterwards we shall takeno harm."
Blanche laughed--she could afford to do that now. "If that is our onlydifficulty, it is but a trifling one," she said. "I can trust youimplicitly, Lance; and, what is perhaps almost as important, I can alsotrust myself. I can swim a little; and if I should tire I shall not befrightened, having you to help me."
"Very well," was the reply; "that is better than I dared hope. Wouldyou like to rest a little longer, or shall we make the attempt at once?"
Blanche announced her perfect readiness to make the attempt forthwith;and without further ado the pair straightway entered the water, hand inhand, Lance first taking the precaution to place his watch in his hatand ram the latter well down upon his head. They waded steadily inuntil Blanche felt the water lifting her off her feet, when they struckout, Lance regulating his stroke so as to keep close beside hiscompanion. The water was delightfully warm, the sun having been beatingdown upon it all day, and the immersion proved refreshing rather thanotherwise. It took them only about a couple of minutes to reach themouth of the cave; and then Lance began to look about him for a suitablelanding-place. He had expected to find a beach on one side or the otherof the opening; but there was nothing of the kind as far as he couldsee. Perpendicular cliffs rose sheer out of the water on both sides ofthe opening for a distance of perhaps a hundred yards; and where thecliff terminated the ground sloped steeply down, with huge masses ofrock projecting here and there, the foot of the slope being encumberedwith other rocks which at some distant period had become detached androlled down into the water. In bad weather it would have been death toattempt landing upon any part of the shore within Lance's range ofvision; but fortunately the weather was fine and the water smooth; sothey made for a spot which Lance thought would serve their purpose, andin another ten minutes succeeded in effecting a landing among the rocks.The scramble up the steep face of the slope before them was not withoutits perils, but this also was happily accomplished; and at last theyfound themselves standing safe and sound on tolerably level ground, justas the last rays of the setting sun were gilding the summits of thehills before them.
Lance found that they had come out on the eastern side of the island;and as the harbour lay on the south side he knew pretty well in whichdirection they ought to walk; they therefore at once set out at a briskpace toward a large patch of forest fringing a hill at some distance infront of but a little to the south of them.
They had not gone very far before Lance, who was keeping a keen look-outfor some familiar landmark, recognised a dip between the hills as theravine up which they had passed in the morning; and altering theircourse a little they came in about half an hour to the stream, whichthey crossed without difficulty, and then followed it down until theyreached the pool in which the first discovery of gold had been made.Thence their way was tolerably easy--though, in the darkness which hadby this time closed down upon them, they went somewhat astray whilepassing through the wood--and in another hour they found themselves oncemore safely within the shelter of Staunton Cottage, thoroughly tired-outwith their long and adventurous day's ramble.
Their entrance was greeted with exclamations of mock horror at thelength to which they had spun out the day's ramble; but Blanche's palecheeks, draggled dress, and general "done-up" appearance speedilyapprised her friends that a _contre-temps_ of some kind had occurred;and their jesting remarks were quickly exchanged for earnest andsympathetic inquiries as to what had gone wrong. Whereupon Lance--having first suggested to his late companion the advisability ofimmediate retirement to her couch, and bespoken Mrs Staunton's kindservices in the preparation of a cup of tea for each of the tired-outwanderers--proceeded to give a succinct account of their day'sadventure, the recital of which elicited frequent exclamations ofwonder, alarm, and admiration, the latter being vastly increased when heproduced his valuable specimens, to which he had resolutely "stuck"through it all notwithstanding that their weight had proved a seriousencumbrance to him during his swim.
"Now," he said in conclusion, "the net result of the day's explorationamounts to this. We have discovered a mine of incalculable wealth.What are we to do in the matter? There is so much gold there--in thecave, I mean--that a short period of resolute and well-directed labourwill enable us to collect sufficient not only to fully recoup theunderwriters for their loss through the burning of the _Galatea_, butalso to make every individual among us enormously rich. Are we to letit lie there, and trust to the future for an opportunity to come backand fetch it, or shall we make an effort now to collect what willsuffice us, and trust to chance for the opportunity to carry it off withus when we go?"
In answer to this, everybody declared at once without hesitation theiropinion that an attempt ought to be made to collect and carry off thegold with them; Captain Staunton very sensibly remarking that ifanything occurred to prevent the safe transport of their prize home theycould _then_ organise an expedition for a second
attempt; but that itwould be folly to make a necessity of this if by some extra effort ontheir part the business could be managed without it.
This point being settled, the next question to be decided was--how theywere to set about the collection of the precious metal; for it wasobvious that any attempt to absent themselves from their dailyattendance at the shipyard would not only excite suspicion, but it mightalso provoke a very unpleasant manifestation of active hostility onRalli's part.
Here Violet Dudley came to the rescue with a very practical suggestion.
"If you, Lance," said she, "can contrive to mark the two passages out ofthe great central cavern in such a manner that we women cannot possiblymistake one for the other, and so go astray, we might perhaps be able tocollect the gold and convey it to a suitable spot for removal; and whenenough has been gathered we can take our time about transporting it downhere."
"An admirable suggestion, Miss Dudley!" said Captain Staunton. "Thateffectually disposes of one part of the difficulty. But it will neverdo to bring the gold here; we could not possibly convey it on board theschooner without detection, even if we were quite sure of the success ofour plan for making our escape in her. Do you think, Evelin, thepirates have any knowledge of the existence of this cave of yours?"
"I am pretty certain they have not," was the reply. "There is no signof any human foot having ever passed over the ground before our own; andit is so eminently well adapted for a place of concealment for theirbooty--and, indeed, for themselves as well--in the event of the islandever being attacked, that I feel sure they would, had they known of it,have stocked it with provisions and in other ways have prepared it as aplace of refuge. It was only by the merest accident that I discoveredthe spot to-day; and but for the fact that our search not only led us upto the head of the ravine but also actually caused me to scale the faceof the rock, it would have remained undiscovered still. A man mightstand within twenty feet of the entrance without suspecting itsexistence; and, unless he had occasion to scramble up the rock as I did,and in exactly the same place, he would never find it."
"Very well, then," said Captain Staunton, "what I propose is this.Since the ladies are kindly disposed to give them we will thankfullyaccept their services to this extent. Let them collect the gold andconvey it to the edge of the gulf or chasm which you so providentiallyescaped tumbling into to-day. Then we men must undertake the task ofconveying it to the other side and stacking it up in a position fromwhich we can easily remove it with the aid of a boat. If we succeed insecuring the schooner, we shall simply have to call off the mouth of thecave and remove our booty in that way. Can anyone suggest anythingbetter?"
No one could; it was therefore decided that the skipper's proposalshould be adopted, especially as it left them free to alter their plansat any time, should circumstances seem to require it. This decisionarrived at, the party retired for the night, most of them, it must beconfessed, to dream of the wonderful cave and the equally wonderfulwealth of which they had been talking.
The next day was spent by all hands, Dale included, at the shipyard.This individual had, ever since poor Bob's accident, manifested agrowing dissatisfaction with himself, and an increasing amount of shameat the selfishness which caused him to live a life of idleness andcomparative ease, while every one of his companions, the ladiesincluded, were doing all they could to aid in maturing the great plan ofescape; and now at last shame at his unmanly conduct fairly overcamehim, and on this particular morning he startled everybody by putting inan appearance at the same time as the rest of the male portion of theparty, saying in explanation that henceforward he too should go daily towork, as he was quite sure he could be of assistance. He was, ofcourse, assured that he undoubtedly _could_ be of very great use if hechose; and there the matter ended. But a rather unpleasant feeling wasexcited when Ralli, who was always promptly down at the beach to watchthe departure of the working party, noticed and commented upon Dale'spresence.
"Aha! my fine fellow," he remarked sneeringly, "so you have made up yourmind to go to work at last, have you? That is very well, sare. Youmust surely have dream last night that I had my eye on you. You think,perhaps, I have not take notice; but _I have_; and if you had not goneto work to-day, I should have said to you, `Look here, my good man,suppose you not work you not eat;' and I should have stopped your'lowance. But you are going to work; so now that is all right."
It certainly served Dale right; but, all the same, it was a disagreeablesensation to the rest to feel that this sly Greek had been in allprobability keeping a stealthy watch upon them and their movements.They inwardly resolved to be very much more circumspect in their goings-out and in their comings-in for the future; and they lost no time eitherin communicating this resolve to each other.
All day long their thoughts were busy upon the subject of the gold mine;and by the time that they got back to the cottage that evening each manhad an idea in connection with it to communicate to the others. Theywere unanimous upon one point, which was that--after Ralli's remark toDale in the morning, and the _espionage_ which it seemed to suggest--itwould be most unwise for any of the male portion of the party to visitthe cave _during the day_. Henceforward their visits there would haveto be as few and far between as possible, and such visits as wereunavoidable must be made during the night. With the women it would, ofcourse, be different. _They_ could now safely venture out every day, itwas believed; and as the walk up the valley was the one which involvedthe least exertion, it would only appear natural that they should almostinvariably take it. But, in order to disarm suspicion, in case anythingof the kind happened to exist, it was deemed best that an occasionalwalk should be taken in some other direction until they could resume theroad toward the ravine with the certainty that they had not been watchedand followed.
It was further agreed all round that the task of _carrying_ the gold,when collected, over the most dangerous part of the path along the edgeof the ravine was not to be thought of, especially as Captain Stauntonhad thought out a plan by which all danger might be completely avoided.His idea was exceedingly simple, and consisted merely in the erection oneach side of the chasm of a short stout pair of sheers connectedtogether at their heads by a good strong sound piece of rope, havingrove upon it a thimble with a pair of clip-hooks attached. The goldcould then be put into a canvas bag suspended from the clip-hooks, and,with the aid of a hauling-line, hauled easily enough across the chasm tothe other side.
These details agreed upon, they determined to proceed with theirarrangements that same night. Accordingly, as soon as the evening mealwas over, the men retired to their bunks for a few hours' sleep--all,that is to say, except Dale, who, quite unaccustomed to bodily labour,felt thoroughly exhausted with his day's work, and was therefore readilyexcused. He volunteered, however, to remain up on watch until all thelights in the pirates' quarter were extinguished, and then to take agood look round the settlement, and call the others when all was quiet;a raid upon the capstan-house being the first thing necessary to enablethem to carry out their plans successfully.
The pirates, working hard all day in the open air, were, as a rule,tolerably early birds; and by eleven o'clock that night the place waswrapped in darkness and repose. Having thoroughly satisfied himselfthat this was the case, and that the coast was quite clear for hiscomrades, Dale roused the latter and then tumbled into his own berthwith the comforting reflection that he had at last taken the rightcourse, and done something to regain that respect from his companionswhich he was beginning to be acutely conscious of having forfeited.
Five minutes later four forms might have been seen--had anyone been onthe look-out--stealing quietly across the open space between StauntonCottage and the capstan-house. Fortunately no one was on the look-out,and they reached the building undiscovered, ascended the ladder, andfound themselves standing in the thick darkness which enshrouded thelong loft-like apartment.
Here Lance promptly produced his box of matches, and, on striking alight, they were fortunate enough
to discover hanging to a nail near thedoor a lantern ready trimmed. This they at once lighted, and, carefullymasking it, proceeded to rummage the place for such things as would belikely to prove useful to them. The place was almost like a museum inthe variety of its contents; and they were not long in confiscating adozen fathoms of three-inch rope, the remains of a coil of ratline, asmall ball of spun-yarn for seizings, a sledge-hammer, an axe apiece, amarline-spike, a few long spike-nails, which Lance decided would becapital tools for the ladies to use in picking out the nuggets, and afew other trifling matters. Then, hanging the lantern upon its nailonce more, they extinguished it, and made the best of their way down theladder again.
A pause of a minute or so to look round and assure themselves that nomidnight prowler was in their vicinity, and they set off at a brisk paceup the valley, lighted on their way by the clear soft effulgence of thestar-studded sky.
They were not long in reaching the shelter of the dense wood at the headof the valley; and once fairly through it, they laid down the bulk oftheir booty where they could easily find it again, and, returning to thewood, selected a couple of young pines, which they quickly felled. Thebranches were soon lopped off, after which they cut from the tallslender trunks four spars about ten feet in length to serve for sheers.
Shouldering these, they sought out the remainder of their belongings,and--by this time pretty heavily loaded--continued their way into and upthe ravine, arriving at last, under Lance's guidance, at the great rockwhich veiled the entrance to the cavern.
Lance and Brook at once scrambled up to the narrow ledge before theentrance, taking with them the ratline and such other small matters asthey could carry, while Captain Staunton and Rex remained below to "bendon" and send up the remainder. Many hands--especially if they bewilling--make light work, and a quarter of an hour sufficed to transfereverything, themselves included, to the ledge. Torches, chopped out ofthe remainder of the pines, were then lighted, and, once more loading uptheir possessions, they plunged boldly into the cavern, Lance as pilotleading the way.
In about half an hour they found themselves standing in the greatcentral hall or cavern, which, lighted up as it now was by the glare offour flaming torches, looked more bewilderingly beautiful than ever. Ahurried glance round was, however, all that they would now sparethemselves time to take, and then they at once set vigorously to work.The first thing necessary was to mark in a legible manner--and in such away that the mark could be identified in the darkness if need be--theinner extremity of the passage through which they had just passed. Rexand Brook undertook to do this; and as they had already agreed what themark should be, these two began, with the aid of the sledge-hammer and aspike, to chip in the face of the rock a circular depression on theright-hand side of the passage, at a height of about three feet from theground, so that it could easily be found and identified in the dark by amere touch of the hand. Leaving these two busily employed, Lance andCaptain Staunton hurried away in search of the other passage. They soonfound an opening which proved to be the right one, though a third wasafterwards found to exist further along the circular wall of the cavern.The second, however, was the passage they wanted; for, on going a shortdistance into it, Lance's and Blanche's footprints were distinctlytraceable in a thin coating of fine dust which was met with. Theidentity of the passage being thus established, it was marked in asimilar way to the other, but with a _cross_ instead of a circle. Themarking of the two passages proved to be a long and tedious job, owingto the hardness of the rock and the imperfect character of the tools,but it was done at last; and then they set out to execute the real taskof their journey, namely, the erection of the sheers.
Now that they had lights the journey along the second passage to thespot where the sheers were to be erected was accomplished in a trifleless than an hour; but a shudder ran through them all as, following thefootprints, they saw that Blanche had twice or thrice walked for severalyards on the extreme verge of the yawning chasm without being aware ofit. And when at last they came to the narrowest part of the path--thatwhich Blanche had traversed blindfold--they felt their very hair risingas they craned over the edge and heard the pebbles they threw in gobounding down until the sound of their ultimate splash in the water wasso faint as to be hardly distinguishable. It was nervous work, thepassage along that narrow ledge, but it had to be done and they did it,hauling the poles across afterwards with the aid of the rope; and thispart of the work successfully accomplished, the rest was not long in thedoing; another hour saw both pairs of sheers erect, properly stayed, andthe three-inch-rope bridge strained across, with the clip-hooks andhauling-line attached, and, in short, everything ready for thecommencement of operations. The axes and other matters were then takenback to the great central chamber, where they _were_ left for futureuse, and the party made the best of their way into the open air, andthence homeward, arriving finally at Staunton Cottage about an hourbefore the great bell rang the summons for all hands to come forth toanother day's labour.