CHAPTER XXXVIII.KILLED IN THE CREVICE.
The fearful yell startled them, and they fell back out of sight of the wild band.
“They have watched us ascend the mountain,” said Mr. Bruce, “and have held this vantage point awaiting our return, knowing well that they had us here.”
“Yes, but we can’t stay here,” said Mr. Graham.
“I am afraid that we will have to,” said Mr. Bruce, “until these fellows will kindly consent to go away.”
“But can’t we beat them off?” said Harry.
“No. I think not,” said Mr. Bruce. “We are about twenty-five, and they must number fully one hundred.”
“We ought to be good for that number, I should think,” said Mr. Graham.
“I don’t know,” said Mr. Bruce, “they may fight better in daylight. They were taken by surprise the other night, and had but little else to do but run. I am in for giving them a chance to show their fighting qualities at any rate. As you say, we can’t stay here; if we do, we may be attacked by such a horde of these blacks that we could do nothing but surrender.”
“Then we had better get to fighting at once,” said Mr. Graham. “It will be better, perhaps, for us three to head the column, for with our fire-arms we may scare them away, leaving the road open to us.”
“I think as you do in the matter,” said Mr. Bruce.
Onrai was told then, to form his men into columns ofthrees and not to make a rush, or use the daggers until they were attacked by the negroes. The men formed, and Mr. Graham, Mr. Bruce and Harry heading the column, they started for the crevice. Here they saw the negroes, still waiting for them, their black faces grinning hideously in the semi-light. Slowly our friends advanced with their revolvers in position, ready to start at a given signal from Mr. Bruce. The negroes seemed to consider this a matter of amusement, for they only grinned the broader, and yelled the louder when they saw the queer column approaching them.
The party advanced until only a few feet from the negroes, who were so confident of capturing their enemies alive, they had not even brought with them the ugly-looking hatchet. They took no concern at the approaching column then, but looked on, as though the whole matter was a huge joke. So when Mr. Bruce said deliberately: “Now make ready, fire,” and the three leaden missiles went on their mission of death, the negroes jumped backward, and several, losing their balance, fell into the ravine. Again the pistols were raised, and three more shots were fired.
“We are disturbing them,” said Mr. Bruce. “Once more, and we will have them on the run.”
And again the pistols were fired, this time at very close range.
The expression on the negroes’ faces had changed now, and they looked at the slowly approaching party with eyes almost standing on their cheeks, and mouths wide open, showing their white ivories. They stood still after the first shots, paralyzed with fear, butwhen the last shots were fired, and they saw three more of their companions topple over, their fright induced them to seek safety in flight, and they turned and ran down the footpath, crowding, shoving and jostling each other in their frantic efforts to get farther away from these death-dealing missiles, many of them being pushed off into the crevice in the wild rush. Our friends fell into line with Mr. Bruce again in the lead, and followed slowly after the negroes.
It was now quite dark and as they descended further into the ravine, it became so dark that they could no longer see the path, and a torch was lit. The negroes had long since passed out of sight and hearing, and our friends were giving them little heed, having enough to think about in looking after themselves, for they were in a very dangerous position, the pathway being so narrow at places, that a misstep would undoubtedly hurl them into eternity. They kept close to the side of the crevice and moved slowly, and the mountain was passed through without a mishap.
The light from the volcano now lit up the scene somewhat, and our friends began to congratulate each other on getting out of the several difficulties so easily, when a shout was heard, and looking through the semi-gloom they saw the negroes coming hastily toward them, and a band of Onians following them along the top of the crevice hurling stones at them. The party halted, and raising their arms fired, when the negroes came within range. The negroes stopped and in a moment realized that they were between two fires; but the pistols were too much for them, so they again turned and ran toward the Land of On. The Onians, seeing them do this, started for the end of the path to head them off. This they did, and one of their number, a mighty fellow, jumped into the path and with his dagger began plunging it into the backs of the unfortunate negroes who had again turned toward their own land. As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another, and he kept this up until his arm was red to the shoulder with the blood of his victims.
“As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another.”—Page293.
“As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another.”—Page293.
“As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another.”—Page293.
The head of the column now came up within range of the pistols again, and they were shot down like sheep, the few who were not killed with the knife of the Onian. The slaughter did not last long, for in a short time the negroes were all killed and the bodies lay at the bottom of the crevice. It had been a onesided fight, for the negroes had not raised a hand to defend themselves.
The party were finally out of the crevice and found quite a number of Onians camped near the base of the cliff, and with them Enola. Their surprise was great when they saw her with the party, and upon asking her why she was here, she told them that she had gotten tired of remaining at the villa and as she had come to this land to see all that there was in it, she did not intend being cheated out of any part of it.
“Your departure was so unexpected,” she continued, “and the attendants had been so mysterious in their movements ever since, I began to fear that all was not right and came to see for myself. Are you not all glad to see me? But where have you been? Your faces and garments are as black as the skin of the negroes which have just been killed.”
It was true, they had been so long exposed to thesmoke of the crater that they had become perfectly black, and it might have been this which made the negroes laugh so when they saw them approaching. They had seen the white skins before and they must have thought that it was a ruse to fool them, in thus blacking their faces.
“But Enola, this has been a long, hard tramp for you,” said Mr. Graham.
“Tramp, Uncle,” said Enola, “have you so soon forgotten the zebras and elephants? I came on a zebra.”
“Oh, that is so,” said Mr. Graham, “I had forgotten for the moment. You look tired though, nevertheless, Enola.”
“And I am tired,” said Enola. “It is quite a journey even on the back of a zebra. But I see little chance for a comfortable night’s rest here.”
“The only bed is this stony surface,” said Mr. Bruce, “but you surely cannot expect to stay here over night.”
“And why not, pray,” said Enola. “And am I better than are you? Did I not withstand the hardships of the jungle? I want to remain here to-night and to-morrow and see this crevice and more of these stony surroundings.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Graham, “I know there is no use in talking to you when you once get a notion in your head; but you will find this the hardest bed you ever slept upon.”
“Don’t worry about me, Uncle, I will get along all right, but I brought you all something to eat and you had better get at it.”
“I will forgive you now for having come,” said Mr.Graham, “for I, as well as the rest of us, am just about starved.”
“I am glad that you look on my sin as pardonable,” laughed Enola, “but, believe me, bringing food was a secondary thought. I came only to see the strange things in this part of the world, and when about to start, thought that, as I was coming here, I might as well bring this food with me.”
“I know you too well to believe any such story,” said Mr. Graham.
The attendants had now gotten their meal ready and a hungry party it was who sat down to it. They had eaten nothing since morning and their fatigue of the day but added to their hunger.
“What are we to do to-morrow,” asked Mr. Graham, as they all sat down on rocks which had been placed for them, holding their platters of food in their laps.
“I know of no reason why we should remain here any longer,” said Mr. Bruce. “I think the negroes are done for, for awhile at least. This band, which has been entering the land of On, are wiped out; they cannot return and there is hardly a chance now of other bands or tribes knowing of the new passage-way through the cliff.”
“But it is only a matter of time until they will know it,” said Mr. Graham.
“True,” said Mr. Bruce, “but before that time the crevice might be filled and the Land of On made impregnable again.”
They all looked up in astonishment at this.
“Do you think this possible?” asked Onrai.
“Possible, yes,” said Mr. Bruce. “It would be a stupendous work and would take a long time to carryit out, but it can be done, and this fair land will be forever free from intruders, unless of course some such like occurrence as the one, which has made this fissure in the rock, should cause a like one.”
“Then you would commence on this work immediately?” asked Onrai.
“Just as soon as possible,” said Mr. Bruce, “but the sooner you do it the less chance there will be for invasion.”
“It shall be done,” answered Onrai.
The party, after the meal, stood up in groups and it was but natural that Enola and Onrai should be together. They walked to a point well up toward the cliff, and seating themselves on a large rock, Onrai again told Enola of his great love and of his intention of making her his wife on the Day of Resis. But when she asked him why he had chosen the Day of Resis for their wedding day, he made her no answer.
Onrai sent messengers throughout the country and to the city, for men to build this wall across the crevice. He sent for all of the available men in On, ordering all other branches of work to stop for the time being.
“It will take a considerable body of men to do the work,” said Mr. Bruce. “But more than a wall must be constructed. The crevice at the face of the cliff must be at least three thousand feet deep, and this has to be filled for considerable distance to get a safe foundation for the wall. It will take many men and most of them will have to work from the crater of the volcano, casting large rocks into the crevice from the first, until it is filled up as high as the shelf or footpath,from which point I think it would be well to commence the solid masonry.”
“But if this work goes on and is finished before we leave, chances are against us ever again reaching civilization,” said Mr. Graham.
“That is true,” replied Mr. Bruce, “for we have seen enough of the rock-bound country to know that the cliffs cannot be scaled. It would be an utter impossibility to get out by that way, and we would have to resort to a balloon.”
“You have suggested a way which is always available,” said Mr. Graham. “The silk of this country is especially adapted to this purpose, I should say, and the other materials can be had easy enough. And these people could raise no objections to our building such a conveyance, even if they objected to our leaving them, and we would be up and away before they could possibly know what we were about. So we need not worry about the means of escape.”
“The volcano is throwing off more rock and ashes than ever, to-day,” said Mr. Bruce, as he glanced up at the ominous cloud of smoke.
“Yes, and there seems to be a new element this morning,” said Mr. Graham. “Look at that white vapor. Would you not say that that was steam?”
“It looks like it,” said Mr. Bruce.
“If it is,” said Mr. Graham, “it will but hasten the coming eruption.”
“The eruption is not far off, anyway,” said Mr. Bruce, “for the lava is already near the surface, as was shown by its running through the crack of the tunnel to-day.”
“This alone will be well worth the trip,” said Mr.Graham; “but we must be well out of the way before it takes place.”
“I think we will be safe at the villa,” said Mr. Bruce.
As he ceased speaking, the earth trembled beneath their feet, and, looking at the volcano, they saw a huge mass of red-hot cinders and smoke shoot high in the air.