CHAPTER XLII.BURIED ALIVE.
And so they stumbled blindly on, blindly, for they could not open their eyes because of the fearful dust and ashes. The thick cloud of dust and ashes came forth in a mighty avalanche, burying the land and filling the air with its death-dealing particles; making such a darkness as could be felt; a close, suffocating darkness more like the blackness of an unventilated dungeon than the open darkness of night; a darkness which was penetrated only by the mighty light of thebelching volcano, the light varying with every phase of the eruption; now a lurid glare which gave the dust-covered earth the appearance of a blood-stained floor; again it would change to a blue which would almost equal the soft rays of the moon; then it would die away to a faint green, casting a death-like glow over all.
And the fearful rumbling continued and far down in the bowels of the earth, could be heard that great lake or river of molten rock and ore, rushing to the outlet which would free it; and the earth would tremble with the fearful fight of the mass as it surged and burned and crushed its way through its underground channels. Then again could be heard the hissing and blowing off of the steam as it escaped from the crevice in the crater.
About the fleeing army fell the hot ashes and steam. They had made a wild rush toward the villa when the first shower had struck them, and they were still hurrying as fast as their bleeding feet could carry them. They had covered miles, and this was wonderful when it was considered, that the ashes had fallen almost to the depth of a foot; and each step that they took they would sink into the hot, ragged substance which would burn and blister their feet, protected only by sandals. And their progress would be suddenly checked now and then, by great fragments of rock, having been hurled by the awful power of the volcano, falling directly in their path, perhaps crushing one of the poor Onians beneath its weight. Then in their blindness they would rush into each other, knocking each other down, and burnt and bleeding, and almost smothered by the fearful dust, they could hardly regaintheir feet. But hurry as they would their progress was growing slower each moment and they were not getting out of the fearful shower of dust and ashes. This seemed to grow worse as they advanced, and the survivors, who were still left to suffer on, were fast giving out.
It looked as if they could not possibly survive the terrible struggle, this unequal fight with the forces of the earth’s interior. The atmosphere would clear for a moment, and the lurid glare of the volcano would again light up the scene, giving a momentary hope which would be killed again by a heavier downpour of ashes and dust. Then the struggle would recommence; a silent struggle, for no sound was made by these helpless creatures, as they fought on, gasping for breath, reeling in their weakness, falling now; but putting forth another great effort and standing erect once more they would stumble ahead again and so on, until, strength exhausted, they would fall for the last time, the shower of ashes and dust soon choking their last breath, and burying the burned and bleeding bodies beneath their awful folds. But these Onians were more than ordinary men, they had more vital life in their bodies, they were strong to the last muscle; their every sinew was developed and health and exercise made them powerful, and so they kept up the struggle longer than would our friends had they been on foot. But they had been mounted on great elephants during the battle. They at first mounted them upon leaving the camp in the morning, expecting only to accompany the men to their scene of labor when they would return. So when the negroes were met, and they sawthat a battle was inevitable, they remained mounted so as to better conduct the fight.
At first it had been suggested that they should ride zebras, but it was decided to take the elephants, as they would stand the hard journey over the bad lands better. And it had been a lucky decision on their part, for now they were saved the fearful fight with that hot shower of ashes, which not only filled the air, making it almost impossible to breathe, but which also made a bed which was nearly impossible to walk over or through, as the bed had grown to such a depth, that it was nothing more than wading, Sedai had been foremost, in the charge of the elephants into the negro band, and had gotten far ahead of his friends, reaching the volcano even before some of the negroes had. When he saw that awful sea of lava pouring over the side of the crevice, he had turned and motioned his comrades to follow, and had made Gip understand that he must travel as he had never traveled before. The intelligent animal seemed to understand, and hurried on, too, by the heat and burning ashes as they fell on his back, he started on a run which would have soon brought them safely to the villa, if the air and road had not been obstructed by the miserable ashes.
But the elephants, all of which had followed Gip, were, too, experiencing the torture of the awful cloud and shower, and they had stumbled many times, over the rocks and in the soft bed which was getting deeper each moment. The elephants had kept close together though, and had in this way, kept trodden a very good path. Our friends could see, during the few intervals when the cloudy atmosphere would break and the light of the volcano penetrate this, the poor Oniansstumbling along in the darkness and scorching cinders. They had called to them to keep up courage, but it was needless advice to these men, for they would not give up until the last moment.
They had tried to get the elephants to kneel, and take on their backs, as many as they could carry; but the animals, crazed by pain and fear, dashed on, often crushing beneath their feet, those whom their riders would save. And so the elephants rushed on and as the light would break through the awful blackness, the riders could see that the number of poor pedestrians was growing less and less, until at last, none were seen. They had all succumbed to the overpowering cloud of ashes, and their bodies now strewed the ground, which but a few hours before they had passed over, strong in healthful life; and of the five thousand who had started on the march that morning not one was left; all, all had met their fate. Some by the deadly hatchets of the negroes, others by the fearful downpour of hot cinders.
The Land of On had met its first great catastrophe; it had for the first time in his history, experienced some of those adversities, which had so frequently befallen the other countries of the world. But our friends were still alive. Onrai, Mr. Graham, Mr. Bruce, Harry and Sedai, were being borne through the blackness by the elephants. Their throats were parched, even their lungs seemed burning up with the great heated shower of ashes, which they had been compelled to breathe so long. Their eyes were almost swollen shut, their faces and bodies were covered with blisters where the cruel, hot cinders had struck them. Even they, who had not been exposed wholly to thestorm, and who had been spared the awful struggle of limping through the hot bed of cinders, even they began to despair of ever getting out of this radius of dust and ashes.
And the elephants were now beginning to stumble and sway from side to side, growing weaker and weaker with the terrible exertion, their strength being sapped by the plungings into the ash-bed, which was now beyond their knees. They would rock from side to side striking each other, but, again bracing up, try it once more. The position of our friends was becoming unsafe, as the elephants were liable to fall at any moment and crush them beneath their huge bodies; but it meant sure death to leave their backs, so expecting death to overtake them each moment, either from the burning air which was scorching their very lungs, or beneath the prostrate animals which were now struggling so bravely to save them. They were hurrying on, but where? Only to death. Again there was a fearful rumbling, the very bowels of the earth seeming to be disjointed and ground to fragments. It grew louder and louder; it almost deafened the sounds of hissing steam and ashes which fell around the little group, and the sucking sound caused by the sinking in and pulling out of the feet of the fast-failing animals.
Finally the earth began to shake and the exhausted elephants, unable to withstand this new enemy, fell to their knees and then flat on their sides. The men had strength enough left to jump and save themselves from being crushed, but they were forced nearly to the hips into the ashes, and they could not extricate themselves. Then this was the last, this was the end of the happy sojourn in the Land of On. No, it couldnot be, they must not die here in this miserable way and be buried by the never-ceasing shower; they must struggle on.
“Up,” said Mr. Bruce to his elephant, as the rumbling ceased and the earth again became steady. “Once more, now,” he halloed out as he reached forward and struck the poor beast across the ear with his hook. But the elephant, after making several ineffectual struggles, gave a plaintive cry and let its head drop into the relentless ashes. As in a quicksand, the five men stood perfectly helpless, and their lives fast going out. The elephants had, one by one, given up the struggle, and were now panting and gasping and waiting for the end. They seemed to realize that they were doomed and the plaintive cry would break from their gasping throats, as if asking aid of those whom they had tried to save, but all were powerless. Hope was fast failing them. They could not possibly last much longer, but what mattered it whether they went now, or lived to suffer for a few moments longer. There was no power on earth that could save them now, and they must look death square in the face. It seemed hard surely, to die so near to friends, and life and sunshine, for they knew that this death-dealing shower could not extend many miles unless it be worse than was that other.
They knew that the dear ones were safe in the villa, for, though they were in the radius of the shower, they were sheltered from this, and the flow of lava had not run toward the villa, or they would have seen it. It was some consolation then to know, that if they must die, these dear ones at least were safe. But what will become of them alone in this strange land? Theywould have to entrust themselves wholly to the people, who had once looked upon them with superstitious fear, and who might again, after this dreadful catastrophe, turn on them, and having no longer any one to protect them, or having no defense to offer as they had before, destroy them. It was not pleasant to think thus as the awful ashes continued to pile up around them, burying them alive.
The pain which this thought gave them of possible danger to their loved ones, was worse than the physical tortures which they were now suffering, and they turned and wrenched their bodies in their living graves, in very agony of mind. And Onrai, too, seemed to be suffering more than bodily pain. If his thoughts could have been read, they probably would have told the story of baffled hopes, and of the death of aspirations which the love for Enola had kindled in him. It was harder for him to die thus than for any of the others, for he had been so strong and mighty, and his life was full of such bright hopes, and he had so much to live for, but it was ended. All, all was lost.
But may be not, thought Mr. Bruce, for Gip, who had laid for a moment perfectly quiet, had now begun to again exert his awful strength and was twisting and plunging about, as if to make a place on which he could stand. He accomplished this finally and rose to his feet. He had had a short rest from the fearful struggles of the flight, and he could again commence the fight. Sedai, who was near him, caught the howdah as he rose and was lifted out of the ashes. He then made Gip understand that he was to help the others, and one by one the great elephant, lifted by his trunk, raised them to his back. Then startingin the direction, which they had kept since starting on the awful ride, the great beast fought on; they had been moving thus for several moments, when he suddenly stopped and refused to move further. Just then the sky became light for the moment, and a zebra was seen lying in their path, and lying beneath it, the body of Enola.