CHAPTER XIX.IN THE CRATER CAVE.
Itwas a weird spot, and in the gathering darkness had a depressing effect upon one’s spirits. Here there might have been enormous catacombs, where the dead of untold ages had been brought from other lands to be entombed; and if so, what troops of uneasy ghosts might be found wandering about the yawning chasms of the gloomy crater after nightfall!
For was there not the dusky entrance yonder to some land of hidden rock-tombs?
Before it stood two small brass cannon, their polished mouths gleaming with a menacing look through the semi-darkness. Beside these weapons of war stood, neatly arranged, piles of shot.
It flashed across me immediately that the pirates had here some cave dwellings; perhaps their headquarters, where they kept their looted cargoes.
I was not long kept in suspense, for our captorshurried us through the dark entrance which I had noticed in the cliffs as resembling the gloomy portals to some dreary abode of the dead.
We found ourselves in a beautiful little grotto, low in the roof, but almost circular in shape. The atmosphere reeked with the strong fumes of tobacco. On one side several cases, bales of goods, and barrels were piled, the one on top of the other, and on one of the latter stood a lighted ship’s lantern, which thoroughly illuminated the little cavern.
I was enabled to take only a very hurried survey of our new surroundings, for the pirates hustled us through a very narrow passage opening from the rear of the cave into another of about the same dimensions, but irregular in shape, and exceedingly dark and gloomy in appearance, there being no natural orifices in the roof to admit light or air. It was in fact a subterranean dungeon, for such in my present depression of spirits I felt it to be.
One of the pirates struck a match and lit a lantern that he had brought with him from the outer cave. This he placed in the centre of the sandy floor. Another individual had brought in a bundle or two of dried grass, and this he proceeded to strew upon the ground at the farther end of the little cavern.Upon this Miguel motioned us to take our seats, a gesture with which we at once complied. All the pirates now retired to the outer cave, with the exception of the old greybeard and Miguel, who stood eyeing us for some time without uttering a word.
Mr. Triggs broke the unpleasant silence.
“It is time, I think, that we should demand some explanation of your conduct,” he said, speaking slowly, and addressing the mule-driver. “We should like to know for what reason we have been taken prisoners, and what is going to be done with us.”
The greybeard evidently did not understand English, for he looked in a puzzled way at Miguel and addressed some question to him. The two men conferred together for some minutes, and it was evident that they disagreed upon some knotty point. At length Miguel turned to us in rather a sulky manner, and addressing the gunner said,—
“Ze Captain-General in Havana have gotten in one prison two mans zat pelong to our ship; and if he shall kill zem, we shall kill you for ze return complimont, as you shall spik in ze Inglees. We should have much like better to catch ze Spanish orficer; but Inglees or Spanish, it can make vaire leetle deference to us.”
“But it makes a deal of difference tous, my fine fellow,” said Mr. Triggs, with a considerable amount of indignation in his tone; “and I should like to know how and when you are going to let the Captain-General know that you have taken us prisoners?”
One of his malevolent smiles flitted across Miguel’s features, and he shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. Then, slipping his arm through the greybeard’s, the two quitted the cave without vouchsafing us another word.
“I wonder whether that fellow is a consummate liar or not,” whispered the gunner, turning to me.
“I shouldn’t wonder if he was speaking the truthfor once,” I answered in the same low tone. “I think the old greybeard persuaded him to tell us how matters stand.”
“Not a bad old codger, I’m thinking, that there ancient,” chimed in Ned; “but I’m dashed if I think Miguelcouldspeak the truth if he tried for a month of Sundays!”
“You think what he told us was a made-up yarn then?” I asked my coxswain.
“Yes, sir, I do, and for this here reason. Do you suppose as these bloomin’ pirates would go and run their heads into a noose just because a couple of theirpals are in chokey? Why, they’d bring a hornets’ nest about their ears in the shake of a pig’s whisker if they tried on any such little game! Mighty foolish they’d look, I take it, strung up in a row like a lot of Yarmouth herrin’s!”
Mr. Triggs looked thoughtful and rather troubled. He was not a man of much imagination, and was fairly puzzled by the perplexities of the situation.
“How is your head, my boy?” he asked, turning abruptly to me.
“Much better, thank you, Mr. Triggs. There is still a swelling like a walnut, but it doesn’t hurt me an atom.”
“Good. How’s your back, Ned?”
“Pretty tol-lollish, sir, thank’ee.”
“These are queer diggings the pirates have,” said I; “and I expect they’ve more caves even than these two. They couldn’t stow away very much loot here.”
“’Tis a place that can be very easily defended from an assault,” remarked Ned. “I should say there was no path leading to the terrace except the one we arrived by, and the beggars could sweep that in a murderous manner with their two cannon.”
“True enough, true enough,” assented the gunner;“as far as I could see ’twas all precipices below and aloft, and ’twould be something of the nature of a forlorn hope to try to rush it.”
“Don’t you think it would be quite possible for the pirate chief to communicate with the Spanish authorities, without betraying the whereabouts of his island?” I asked Ned.
“Do you suppose as the Jack Spaniards don’t know of this here settlement then?” demanded my coxswain in a surprised tone. “It may be so, of course, but I shouldn’t be a bit taken aback if I was told that they were all in the swim, and winked at it.”
I could tell by the expression of Mr. Triggs’s face that he didn’t much believe in this theory of Ned’s; but at this moment some of our captors entered with supper, and we relapsed into silence. The meal consisted of a sort of kedgeree, made of fresh fish and boiled rice, and would have been palatable enough if the cook had not used garlic as a flavouring. We were all allowed to discuss our supper at the same time, but four armed men took up their position as sentries just within our cave-entrance, and looked quite capable of shooting us at a moment’s notice.
From a subsequent uproar of shouting and talkingin the outer cavern, I gathered that the chief and some more of his followers had arrived, and I was confirmed in this belief by hearing the deep baying of the bloodhounds. None of these late arrivals, however, intruded themselves upon us, which I attributed partly to the indisposition of the chief.
The atmosphere of our cave grew very oppressive as evening wore on, all the more that it was permeated with clouds of smoke from strong tobacco; but in spite of all this I slept soundly, worn out with fatigue and anxiety.
The next day, nothing occurred to break the monotony of our captivity. We were not permitted to leave the cavern, and its gloom and foul atmosphere were depressing. Nevertheless, our guards did not prevent our talking, which was indeed a precious boon, but we took especial care not to abuse the privilege. Every evening our arms were bound, and four armed sentries were always on watch day and night.
Every morning when I awoke, it was with a hope in my heart that we should hear during the day the roar of theRattler’sguns, or of some war-vessel sent by the Spanish Government to demand our release. Every evening I had to confess to bitter disappointment, for no such warlike sounds had thundered forth.
Day after day passed in this manner, and we began to grow sick at heart. Had Captain Graves and our shipmates deserted us in our hour of need? No; we scouted the idea indignantly.They must have utterly failed to trace us.There was no other explanation. Mr. Triggs and I began to think too that Ned was right in his conjecture that Miguel had been telling us falsehoods regarding the Captain-General of Cuba. If there was any question of exchanging prisoners, why all this delay?
After the first few days of our captivity had passed, we were allowed to go out on the terrace for an hour every day about the time of sunset. If this privilege had been withheld, we should soon have become very ill, for the weather was extremely oppressive; and the cool sea-breezes, which ought to have tempered the fierce heat during the day, did not seem able to penetrate into the great hollow of the volcanic crater. We badly wanted a change of clothing, but there was no means of obtaining it. Occasionally, however, we were allowed to perform our ablutions.
I think about a fortnight must have passed, when it came to our knowledge through various channels that the chief and a good many of his followershad gone off upon some expedition, whether on the island or by sea we did not know. Miguel remained behind, and the greybeard. This event caused much comment amongst us. I noticed that Ned visibly brightened up.
“Ah, how I wish we could get a chance to give the swabs the slip!” the latter whispered to me just after our arms had been bound that evening. “It’s when their numbers are reduced like this that we could best give ’em the good-bye, p’raps. However, ’tain’t no use talking. They’re all armed to the teeth; and even now, with their reduced numbers, they are eight to one, to say nothing of them great bloodhounds, which, I notice, the chief has left behind him—just to worrit us, I’ll be bound.”
“As to escaping,” I said, “it’s impossible. Even if we tried to break away when we’re out for exercise, the pirates would shoot us down before we could get clear of the terrace, and—”
I was interrupted by the sentries taking up their position at the doorway; and it was dangerous to converse on such a topic, for fear that some of them knew a smattering of English.
I racked my brains to think of any plan of escape. So did my fellow-prisoners. Nothing seemed feasible.Our prospects were dark indeed, unless help came from over the seas; and even in that eventuality it might be the sounding of our death-knell, for we felt convinced that the pirates, if worked up to a frenzy, would not stick at trifles.
We invented a sort of gibberish language, in which we could converse without fear of being understood; but even this we used with extreme caution, for fear of accidents. The words were formed in a very simple manner, although it required some practice to speak them rapidly; and of course, the quicker the enunciation, the less chance of the gibberish being intelligible to others.
One morning, when we were feeling particularly despondent, and had hardly been able to get through our not very appetising breakfast, we felt a sudden and very alarming oscillation of the ground on which we were seated, and this was followed by a deep rumble like the sound of thunder or distant artillery.
“An earthquake, surely!” exclaimed Mr. Triggs in a tone which sounded almost terror-stricken.
“Or is it the guns of a fleet?” I cried wildly; “friends come at last to release us.”
“Don’t be alarmed or put about,” said Ned, whohad remained perfectly calm; “’tis only an earthquake, and a slight one at that. I’ve felt heaps of ’em off the coast of Chili, and don’t care a snap of the fingers for ’em. They are as common in them regions as wet days are in England.”
Mr. Triggs looked relieved.
“Well, ’tis my first experience of ’em,” he said, “and I can tell you I don’t want to have another.”
Scarcely had the words escaped his lips when a far more violent oscillation shook the solid earth, followed by the same uncanny subterranean rumble. Then a loud crash, like the sound of falling rocks, smote upon our ears, followed by terrified screams and shouts from human voices.