CHAPTER XXII
A Leap for Life
In spite of my desperate struggles, a cord was wound tightly roundmy ankles, and my arms were bound behind my back. This done, a thickpiece of canvas took the place of the hand across my mouth, so thatI could scarce breathe, much less utter a sound; and a bandage wastied across my eyes.
Then I felt myself being set upon my feet, a rope was passed roundmy waist, and I was suspended over the edge of the cliff, ashelpless as a trussed fowl.
"Stand by!" I heard a gruff voice exclaim, and the next instant Iwas lowered into space, where I hung, turning slowly at the rope'send, with the dull murmur of the waves at the base of the cliff somefifty feet below to add to the terror of my situation.
By the number of successive short jerks I knew that I had not beenlowered more than ten feet when I was seized by rough hands anddragged in towards the cliff. The rope by which I had been loweredwas cast off, and, lifted in a horizontal position, I was borneaway.
The sudden change from the scorching rays of the sun to a chillyatmosphere, and the echoing footsteps of my captors, told me that Iwas being carried along a tunnel in the rocks. I distinctly countedfour-and-forty footfalls ere the men set me down upon a stone floor;then the bandage was whipped off my eyes, and I found myselfblinking in the subdued daylight.
Surrounding me I recognized Ned Slater and the five others who hadslipped away on our retreat through the forest.
"Now, youngster," began the villainous rascal, whom I now knew to beguilty of my father's murder and the theft of the chart, to saynothing of his other crimes, "no beating about the bush, or 'twillbe the worse for you. Where lieth the treasure?"
"I know not. You have the chart."
"Aye," he replied, with a hideous oath, "and little good it is tous. It is marked 'Much treasure here'--here, on or near this spot;but that is false. I know it, and you know it. Now, where does thetreasure lie--somewhere inland? or was that part of old Miles's planto mislead us? Come now, answer."
"I cannot say, nor would not if I could."
"You lie, you young rascal. But I'll find a way to make you use yourtongue, though you may shout till you're black in the face, for noone will hear you. Search him first."
Two of the rogues emptied my pockets and relieved me of my knife.
"Ho, ho! What have we here?" exclaimed Slater, examining the bladecarefully. "'Tis an old acquaintance. Nay, I go farther--'tis myproperty."
"Considering you sheathed it in my father's body," I replied boldly,"'tis not to be wondered at, you double-dyed murderer."
"All is fair in love and war," he replied. "If your father barred myway, what was to be done? But take heed, lest I plunge it into yourbody. Now, once again, where does the treasure lie hidden?"
I did not reply, for I was hard at work trying to devise some planof thwarting him and at the same time of effecting my escape.
Finding that I remained obstinate, they left me lying bound andhelpless, with a pannikin of water within a foot of my face, havingpreviously moistened my lips with salt water.
I was indeed in a very tight fix. The cave was about ten feet inheight, but owing to a sharp bend I was unable to see how long itwas, or in what direction it dived into the rock. Unless one knew ofits existence, he might search the ledge above for hours withoutbeing aware that its mouth yawned ten feet beneath. No doubt when Iwas missed a search would be made for me, with the result that itwould be supposed that I had fallen over the edge into the sea.
As I lay unable to stir hand or foot, my thirst grew intolerable, mytongue was parched, and my throat burned like a lime-kiln. Yetwithin a foot stood a vessel of water which, for the good it did me,might have been better out of my sight.
Away in the recesses of the cave I could hear my captors talking ineager tones, doubtless highly excited at their success, for 'twascertain that they thought I held the prized secret.
"Get it from him at all costs, then do as you say," I heard oneremark.
"Hush! not so loud," replied another.
"Yet it must be done."
"I know; I'm not saying anything against that, so----"
Here their voices became inaudible, but in those few words Igathered the full signification of their intentions. When they hadfinished with me they meant to finish me in a very complete sense.
Plan after plan flashed across my mind, only to be dismissed asimpracticable, till, with the faintest ray of hope, I lighted on ascheme that might serve my purpose.
At length Ned Slater returned, humming a rollicking air, and with ahideous grin on his face. Stooping down, he raised the pannikin ofwater to his lips and took a draught with the utmost ostentation.
This done, he motioned as if to give me what remained in the vessel,but when 'twas within a few inches of my mouth he slowly anddeliberately withdrew it. Twice did he offer the water, then with asteady hand he poured it on the floor, so that the liquid splashedover my bound hands.
"A curse on my clumsiness!" said he. "I must needs fill the pannikinagain."
I heard the hollow sound of his footsteps retreating down thepassage, but presently he returned, with the pannikin filled to thebrim. Setting it down where it formerly stood, he said:
"Help yourself, you young rascal; there's plenty to spare."
Had the water been a thousand leagues off, I could not have helpedmyself any the less, and the villain knew it.
"Now, concerning the plan," he began, pointing to the chart which heheld in his hand. "Art still of the same mind?"
"I'll tell you," I replied hoarsely; then, feigning with littleeffort, I began to cough and gulp as if unable to continue.
"Water!" I gasped, after a while.
He raised the pannikin and allowed a thin stream to trickle on to myface, and as I swallowed the cold liquid it seemed to instil newlife into my tortured body.
"That chart is not correct," I began.
"I knew it," he replied, in a tone of triumphant expectancy; "butI'll lay hands on the treasure."
"And when you do, can you remove it from the island?"
"I'll find away," he replied, with a leer. "Dost think I have nofriends aboard the ships?"
"Cast my hand loose, and I'll trace a plan of the island," Icontinued, pretending to ignore the latter part of his remark.
"Very well, then; but no trickery, or----" and he touched the hiltof my knife, which he was wearing in his belt.
"Do I look as if I could trick you?" I asked wearily. "A lad withhis feet bound could not hope to get the better of you."
Without another word he cut the rope that encircled my arms, then,stepping back a pace, he drew the knife and held it in a menacingposition.
I gave a short glance at the rope that bound my feet. It was thincord, commonly known as half-inch line.
"Let this represent the coast," I began, tracing an irregular linein the dust that covered the floor of the cave. "Here is the cliff,and here the place where the _Madre_ first struck. The firsthiding-place of the treasure was here, I take it."
"'Tis more to the east, if yon point marks the cliff. Thus says thechart."
"Does it?" I asked, with feigned surprise. "Art sure?"
"Look for yourself," said he, holding the parchment close to myface.
"The light is bad," I replied, peering at the crabbed writing. "Turnit this way, so that it shows to the best advantage. 'Tis as I said;the place lies to the west of the cliff, just here----"
The villain's face was within arm's length, for in his eagerness hehad drawn closer to hear my explanation. My fist shot out with aswift upward movement, and, taking him fairly on the point of hischin, sent him staggering against the opposite wall, whence he fellsenseless to the ground.
In two bounds I was at his side, and seizing the knife, I severedthe rope that fastened my ankles.
"At least," thought I, as I made ready to strike home, "if I am todie, you'll not live to see my death."
But ere I could achieve my aim, one of the rogues appeared, and,rai
sing his arm, discharged a pistol at me.
The bullet ploughed through my hair, but without a moment'shesitation I flung myself straight at the man. Down he went,screaming with pain, with my knife betwixt his ribs.
Now or never I must gain the mouth of the cave, so, dashing forward,I ran along the tunnel towards the place where I knew the rest ofthe villains to be, for I heard them shouting in alarm as theyhastened to their comrade's aid.
Just then I noticed that the passage, or tunnel, turned sharply tothe left, and was quite dark when compared with the subdued light ofthat portion of the cave in which I had been kept a prisoner.
Down I lay full length on the floor, resting on my left side, and asthe four men rushed blindly onward the first tripped over myprostrate body. The second I caught by the ankle, and he also fell,while the remaining two were brought up by a barrier of sprawlinglegs.
Ere they could realize who I was, I regained my feet, darted betwixtthem and the wall of the cavern, and headed straight for theentrance.
Nor did I stop to think, but, gathering speed as I ran, I boldlyleapt into space, still grasping the fatal knife in my hand.
Even as I felt myself hurtling through those fifty feet, however, Iwondered whether, in my impetuous leap, I would strike the sea orsolid rock, for I had not even stopped to see whether the cliffthere fell sheer into the water or not.
Fortunately the precipice sloped inwards, so that I escaped beingdashed to pieces. Keeping in an upright position, I struck the waterfeet first with tremendous force, and plunged beneath the surface toa considerable depth.
A few lusty strokes sufficed to bring me to the surface, however,and shaking my hair from my face, I struck out for the shelter ofthe overhanging cliff, so that I should be unperceived by the roguesin the cave.
It being close on low tide, the rise and fall in those parts beingbut five feet at most, there was nothing that would afford afoothold; the rocks were as smooth as a plank, and covered with athick, dark curtain of seaweed.
Owing to the slight swell, the backwash of the waves made swimming amatter of difficulty, as I was continually in peril of being thrownagainst the cliff; and realizing that the sooner I found alanding-place the better, I again struck out, swimming along theface of the cliff and about ten feet from it, keeping a sharplook-out both for a possible refuge and for the swell, of whichevery seventh wave was more dangerous than the rest.
Having struck a current or eddy that ran close inshore, I made rapidprogress, and in less than a quarter of an hour rounded a spur orheadland that I knew was within a few hundred yards of the mouth ofthe harbour where the _Golden Hope_ lay at anchor.
But here I found, to my peril, that the eddy was no longer in myfavour. On the contrary, before I was aware of it I was beingrapidly carried out to sea by a current that ran at a rate of overthree knots an hour.
Once I realized the impossibility of making headway, I turned on myback and paddled easily. The sea was warm, and unless unforeseencircumstances arose, I could keep afloat for an hour or more withlittle effort. Ere then I hoped to be seen by the searchers on thecliff, or that the current would have changed in my favour. So,buoyed up by hope, I allowed myself to drift with the tide.
Soon I saw that I was nearly abreast that part of the cliff fromwhich I had leapt, yet at a distance of nearly half a mile from it.I could discern the sloping part of the ledge where I had beensurprised, and the dark, yawning mouth of the cavern, though I couldsee nothing of the rogues who dwelt there. There was someconsolation in the fact that neither could they see me, nor was Iwithin musket range; but against that there was the growing prospectof being swept far out to sea, to perish slowly in a vast waste ofwater.
At length I noticed that the sea, which all around was calm save fora gentle swell, was at a short distance ahead beginning to change inappearance. Short-crested waves were breaking over a shoal. That Iknew by experience, but whether 'twas but a "tide rip", or reallyshallow water, I knew not.
The set of the tide carried me right towards the centre of thisextent of agitated water, and to my relief I was soon standing onrocky ground, with the sea barely above my knees.
I was still in a position of great peril, for the rocks wereslippery with kelp, while the current was strong enough to threatento sweep me off my feet. Even though the tide might fall a fewinches, I knew full well that ere long the flood would set in, andthus before high water the depth would be too great for me to retaina foothold.
Looking landwards, I saw by the agitation of the waves that theshoal extended well towards the shore, the distance between beingbut a few hundred yards. At this my hopes recovered, for could Iwalk or wade in that direction and await the change of tide, thesame current that had carried me seawards would render me a goodservice in bearing me back towards the harbour.
I had not proceeded far, for wading was a matter of extremedifficulty, when a whip-like object seized my leg like a vice. Thesensation was paralysing, for it seemed as if I was being burnt in ascore of places at once. Like a flash I realized my danger. I was inthe grip of an octopus!