CHAPTER XXIV
IN THE HIDDEN VALE--A NEW ACQUAINTANCE
With crawling, I managed to get myself away from the foot of the cliff apiece, and I found I was in a space of open ground. And I then began tothink how I was to publish my predicament to my friends on the top ofthe cliff, some hundred, or perhaps two hundred feet above. I felt in mypocket for my flash-lamp, and it gave me much comfort, on pushing theslide, to discover that it had not been put out of commission by thefall.
At once I began to send flash after flash up there. Almost directly, Isaw answering flashes aloft. And then I spelled out, in code, a briefstory of my adventure; and I asked that they throw me some grub, andthen to stay away till the next night, when they were to return for newsof some route by which they might join me.
I waited perhaps three-quarters of an hour, when a flash of light showedabove. I answered with my light. And thus came Ray's signal. "Here itcomes," it said. And then in a little, something umbrella-like appeared,gently oscillating between me and the stars; in the next moment quietlycollapsing on the ground, near by. I took it up; it was a parachute,made of four handkerchiefs hastily sewed together. To the strings wasmade fast a packet of provisions; biscuit, cheese, and a cloth bagholding a mess of codfish cooked with vegetables. And there was a notefrom Ray. I read:
"That was a smelly trick--to _ditch_ us like that. If you only knew what a nasty time of it we've been having to keep Norris from sliding down there after you! He said if you could do it he could, and so on. Now don't go poking your nose in any alligator's private affairs. And _wire_ us _soon_, and give us _all_ the news of that _hades_, down there."
It always irked Grant Norris to know that anyone was before him in anyadventure, and I began to fear that in his impetuosity he might make atry for a descent, in which event he hadn't one chance in ten to comeoff with as little damage as I suffered. So I signalled, then, to makeno move toward seeking a way down till I gave the word, and I gave aterse hint of the great danger in such an attempt.
It was a matter of course that my friends would keep someone on watch upthere; and it would be Ray and Robert, turn about; for they two, only,knew the code sufficiently well to take my signals.
I now took up the packet of grub they'd thrown down to me, and began tocrawl farther from the cliff. I thus came into a wood, and it was withgreat labor, and great stabs of pain in my foot, that I traversed somehundreds of yards of the forest, at last to come upon the bank of therivulet. It could be no other than that stream that tumbled through thecavern to gush out of the rock to make the little cascade.
Soon now I was bathing my swelling foot in the cool water, and I did nottake it out for above an hour, and then I bound the ankle with Ray'sparachute; and I sat me beside the creek, my back to a palm, feelingless discomfort, and so was able to give clearer thought to oursituation. There was, of course, not the least doubt that this sink Ihad fallen into, was that secret retreat of Duran, we'd been searchingfor, and the source of all his wealth. It was the very place discoveredby Carlos' father, who in an evil hour had communicated his find to theperfidious Duran. I was equally convinced that this hidden vale washedged in on the sides, and closed at the ends, by sheer cliffs; andthat that rope which had both entrapped me and then helped to save me inmy fall, was some part of Duran's means of ascent and descent. It shouldnow be my first aim to discover the other component parts and theworkings of that mechanism, to the end that I might put my friends in asafe way to join me.
To accomplish this it was only necessary that I have an eye on the placewhen Duran should find it in his way to go out of the place in daylight.And that was a thing he was altogether likely to do, if he were to havemore business in the grotto.
My ankle was so much eased that I could have slept were it not for themyriad mosquitoes that attacked me, the while dinning their horrid songin my ear. As it was I got an occasional short snatch of rest withdozing till a dozen or more wee living stilettos got home in my flesh,and brought me awake and set me to thrashing about with my palm-fanagain. And once or twice I jumped awake with a queer notion in myconsciousness, and that was that one or more of those mosquitoes hadlearned to crow like a cock, for I seemed to have heard such music whilemy head nodded.
I was glad when the dawn broke and sent the greater part of my pestsback to their lairs once more. I made a meal out of the packet of grub,getting my drink from the creek. And then I searched about in the wood,till I found a stick having a crotch to fit under my arm; and so I mademe a wooden leg for my lame side. I hobbled over to the edge of the bitof forest, where I could command that place where I had suffered myfall.
I gazed to the cliff top and waved, hoping to attract any of my friendswho should be on watch. But no living sign showed there. And then,finally, I set myself to watching for signs of the enemy.
It was a tedious wait, though one not so very long. Less than two hourshad passed when I saw a figure come out of the brush back up the vale apiece. Though he was black of face, I saw it was Duran. I concealedmyself more carefully in the undergrowth and watched his approach.
When he came opposite me, less than fifty yards away, I saw he carried apack. It was doubtless no more nor less than another freight of the goldin bamboo. He passed on down the vale, looking neither to right norleft, never dreaming that any enemy eyes could win to a near view of anypart of his retreat. As he disappeared, presently, round a portion ofthe wood, I had also a very good guess as to what was to be hisemployment down there, and had I had full use of both my nether limbs, Ishould have followed and witnessed his manoeuvres. As it was I mustcontent myself with picturing him in my mind's eye, at setting afloat inthe little stream one richly-laden bamboo section after the other, and Icould see them bobbing at the surface, as they moved in line to a holein the rocky wall, and at last find lodgment against the reed net withinthe cavern.
My heart danced with anticipation, as I crouched there in the edge ofthe wood, awaiting the next scene of Duran's performance. And this, too,I knew as well as if I held a printed "synopsis" in my hand.
It was not without some tremor of apprehension, too, that I at lastbeheld the figure of Duran appear again on the back trail, for I was notat all sure that I had not left some traces of that violent entry ofmine into this sunken pasture. And sure enough, when he arrived at theplace, he came to a stand, and gazed on the torn vines and the rockydebris that had accompanied me down that cliff-side. His hand went up tohis ear in that characteristic manner of his. And my breath came hard,in the more than half dread that he should discover my trail leadinghere to the wood.
It was the accident to my ankle that saved me, for having crawled awayon hands and knees, I had left no tell-tale prints of shoes in the sod.He must have concluded that it was a bit of landslide had disturbed thegrowth, for he turned from his inspection finally with an air ofunconcern.
Duran moved over to the left a piece, and then began to mount thecliff-side on a gently sloping ledge, which came to an end among thevines I had so violently disarranged. Here he got his hand on thatlittle rope by which I had made a portion of my descent. For some timehe carried on a species of struggle with the line. (Doubtless I haddisarranged that thing too.) But at last things seemed to have comeright; he began to pay out the line; and then I could see somethingunfold and drop down the cliff-side, which turned out to be some form ofrope ladder. As I afterward learned, his halliard worked through apulley bent on a limb of those cedars aloft, and was strung in and outamong the rounds of the ladder, to be tied to the bottom round. When hewas abroad, rope ladder, halliard and all was stowed up there; when hewas home in this hidden vale, the ladder was pulled aloft, and thehalliard made fast in hiding among the vines. The reason for this latterprecaution I was yet to learn.
Directly, Duran was climbing above by his ladder, and then I saw hisform disappear amongst those cedars on the cliff-top. And now he wasgone to the cavern in the cliff to recover, and stow away, that newlading of gold. I caught myself wondering now
what might be theemployment of my friends, whether any of them might be in any part ofDuran's path. And I hoped that they would be very careful not to allowhim sight of them; for we were not yet ready to give him warning that wewere so close on his trail. It was not merely to discover the concealedmine that we were putting ourselves to so much trouble, and danger aswell, but we had a mind to unearth so much as might be possible of thegolden product, which for so many years had been filched, piecemeal,from that deposit that belonged, by miner's right of discovery, to theBrill family. To give Duran notice of our presence would manifestly butserve to place obstacles in our way.
Five minutes after Duran had passed out of view, I hobbled on my crutchout a little into the open again, once more hoping to attract any one ofmy crowd who might be stationed up there on the cliff. And sure enough,I saw the head and hand of someone--it must be either Robert or Ray.
I forthwith began with my signalling. The facility shown in theresponses, convinced me that it was Ray I conversed with. I told him ofthe rope ladder and the manner of its disposition, as near as I had beenable to judge. Then I hinted the importance of some of our partyfollowing Duran, if he should go off with a burden of treasure thiscoming night. I ended the exchange with a caution to get back in hidingagainst the return of Duran, and discovery.
I crawled back into the cover of the wood again. When Duran finally cameand had got down to the ledge, and with his hands on the halliard washauling the ladder up to its nest in the firs, I saw the figure of Rayup there, doubtless watching the working of the rope mechanism. Duranwent down that piece of sloping ledge, and marched off up the vale, theway he had come when I first set eyes on him that morning.
It was well past noon when he made his appearance again, and passed ondown the vale with another burden on his back. He made a second tripwith a second load before climbing up the cliff on his ladder. And I hadanother few words in code with Ray, while Duran was gone to the grotto.
For that day, it was the last journeying of Duran over that route, forwhen at last he went up the vale again, no more was seen of him indaylight. I hobbled along after, in time, keeping within the edge of thewood which flanked the stream. I had got myself some two hundred yardson the way, when the ground rose to accommodate a ridge of rock thatwent all the way across the vale, from the sheer and beetling crags ofone side to those of the other. The stream broke, tumbling partlythrough, and partly over this ridge; and the country above was a bitmore elevated than that part of this out of the world region with whichI had already made some little acquaintance. The growth consisted ofpalms, live oaks, tree ferns, and other plants, tropical, for which Ihad no name.
I found an elevated situation on the ridge that gave me a fair view ofthis sunken region into which I had tumbled so unceremoniously the nightbefore. Less than two miles above, showed the wall of cliff that closedthe vale at its upper end. The forest growth hid from view anyhabitation or any other works of man that might be between.
Though a path marked the way Duran had gone, I durst not tread that roadlest I unexpectedly meet up with him somewhere on its windings throughthe growth. The sun had been some time past the zenith when I took somemore food, and then made a hurried trip to the stream for a drink; this,before taking up a position within some screening brush, whence I couldcommand that path. I looked for Duran at the earliest, some time afterdark. But I had learned to be prepared to expect the unexpected, as Raywould have put it. And it was well I did so.
I was almost dead for sleep, and it was a wonder I did not drop offcompletely. But I contrived to doze in cat-naps, with one eye open, asit were, till a short time before dusk, when I was startled erect by afootfall on a rocky bit of the path; and there came Duran, bearing ashort gun slung on his back. And directly he had passed me, I picked upmy crutch and started after. I watched him climb by his ladder, and sawhim haul it up after him, and he brought up the halliard as well. Sothat now I knew I was indeed a prisoner in that hidden dell, tillsomeone should let down that ladder again.
The way was now clear, I felt, for a free investigation of that regionat the end of the path. And I must hurry if I was to go far before nightshould throw its black mantle over the scene; time enough to summon theothers later.
So back I went, boldly, over the ridge. I moved as rapidly as myimpromptu crutch and one good leg would carry me, till I passed round aturn of the path, and all but collided with a queer figure of a man. Heplumped down on his knees and began to beg mercy.
"Oh, sor! Don't kill me, sor! I wasn't hafter spyin' on ye, sor! I wasonly afraid ye'd forget to bring me the morphine, sor! I--"
The creature opened his eyes, which had gone closed, likely inanticipation of the dreaded gunshot, that for some reason was now due toput a short stop to his miserable existence. He had taken me for Duran,it was plain, and the opening of his bleared eyes had shown him hismistake. Undersized, thin-lipped, and apparently toothless, was thisslight specimen of a being; and his mouth, eyes, head, shoulders, andlimbs twitched and jerked in abominable fashion. Indeed he fairly dancedon the ground like those jigging toys that are set going by winding abit of clock-work. I afterwards learned that it was only at times ofgreat emotion that this extreme agitation of all the muscles on hisslight bones were set in motion; but there was scarce a minute of theday that he was not at some form of grimace or contortion.
Taking courage of this being's evident fear, I demanded, "Who are you?"
"My nyme is Handy Awkins," he replied. By which I came to know hemeant--"Andy Hawkins."
"I don't know 'ow you came 'ere," he said, the contortions of his bodyquieting considerably, "but I sye, ye won't tell the boss ye sawr medown 'ere?"
"On condition _you_ won't tell 'the boss' you saw _me anywhere_, I won'ttell him I saw you down here," I bargained.
His writhings now were those of joy. And he tried to set into a smilethat slit of a mouth of his.
"Yer 'and on it!" he cried. "We're on the syme side o' the fence, ain'twe? An' we'll be great Bobs together, you an' I, if ever we get out o'this 'ell of a 'ole--I don't care if you are a nigger. Eh Tommy?--I'lltell ye, I'm the only white man in this 'ere part o' the world, that Iam, 'ceptin' the boss, and--" here he whispered the news--"'ee's onlypainted black, to fool the likes o' you."