CHAPTER XThe Chase Continued.
Inez and Joaquin had now arrived almost within pistol-shot of the gang, which had concentrated around Monteagle.
‘They’ll catch us sure, if we don’t cast this fellow adrift,’ said one of the party.
‘He’ll never live to see one of us hung, at any rate,’ said Jimmy, drawing a revolver, and raising it towards Monteagle’s head.
‘Liar!’ shouted Joaquin, as he raised himself in his stirrups, and cast his lasso, which had been for some seconds whirling round his head.
Before Jimmy had time to touch the trigger the unerring noose was fast around his neck. Joaquin’s horse halted suddenly, bringing Jimmy to the earth with such violence, as to break his neck.
‘Don’t mind, Jimmy, but spur for your lives,’ cried Blodget, as he urged on his own steed, and that to which Monteagle was lashed. Maretzo instantly taking the place just before occupied by Jimmy.
The lassoing of Jimmy necessarily caused some delay to the pursuing party, which the pursued made good use of to increase the distance between them.
Joaquin sprang from his horse to disengage his lasso from the neck of the fallen man, and in turning the body for that purpose, brought the face of the villain into the full light of the moon.
‘Holy Virgin. Thanks, thanks. A golden candlestick shall grace your shrine,’ and his eye sparkled, and a gleam of joy shot over his swarthy visage.
‘Gracious Heavens!’ exclaimed Inez. ‘Why Joaquin, though the holy saints know how thankful I am that your skilful arm saved the life of my dear preserver, still I cannot conceive why you can take such pleasure in looking upon such an awful sight as the face of that wretched man,’ and Inez turned her face aside sickened to the very heart.
‘My gracious young donna,’ replied the robber, ‘too seldom have I prayed to the holy saints, and to the still holier ones. But of late I have thrown myself before every crucifix I saw and with tears begged that the ravishers of Carmencitto should fall by this hand, and this hand only. And the holy saints have heard my prayers.’ As he spoke, he drew a long sharp blade from its sheath, and plunged it to the hilt in the still warm breast of his prostrate foe. ‘And now, fair lady,’ he exclaimed, ‘once again I am at your service.’
‘Let us ride like the wind, Joaquin,’ said Inez impatiently.
Joaquin was in his saddle, and his horse at full speed in an instant.
But the few moments that had elapsed had sufficed for Blodget and his troop to be almost out of sight.
‘They will surely escape us,’ cried the maiden.
‘No donna,’ said Sanchez respectfully. ‘They have turned down to the beach, and before they ride a quarter of a mile they will reach a rock that runs out into the sea, round which they cannot pass but at low tide, and even then with great risk.’
While Sanchez was speaking, Blodget and his comrades had reached the point alluded to.
‘By G—d,’ cried Blodget, ‘here we are, brought up, all standing,’ as he reined his horse, and gazed angrily upon the white breakers that dashed against the base of the high and jagged rock.
‘This that you fear will ruin us, will prove our safety,’ said Maretzo. ‘I know this spot well. Though close at the foot of the cliff the water is deep, a little way farther out, it is comparatively shoal, and the blue water will hardly reach our horses’ girths, though the foam and spray of the breakers may dash over our heads. Follow me closely, deviate not a single inch right or left, and my life for it, I’ll bring you safely through.’
So speaking, Maretzo, taking the horse of Monteagle by the bridle, rode fearlessly into the seething and foaming cauldron that roared around the projecting rocks.
He was followed by Blodget and the rest of the party, and though the stoutest of them quailed when the tumbling waves reached their knees, and the cold spray dashed blindingly in their eyes, yet they continued on, seeing that the steeds of Maretzo and Monteagle kept their footing in the yeasty waves.
When Inez and her friends reached the point around which Monteagle had disappeared with his capturers, their first impulse was to follow, but Joaquin commanded his party to halt, till he first attempted the dangerous passage. Inez, however, refusing to let him risk the attempt alone, spurred her steed and dashed boldly into the roaring and foaming waters with him.
They naturally kept as close to the face of the cliff as possible, supposing they would there find the shoalest water, but before they had proceeded many paces the horse rode by Inez began to plunge and rear frantically, frightened by the noise and dash of the waves. The maiden lost all control of the terrified animal, when Joaquin, seeing her peril seized the rein of her steed, and by a sudden and powerful jerk turned his head in the direction of the shore they had just left, where he quickly regained sure footing.
‘Donna Inez,’ said the robber, ‘to pass here is impossible. Either those fellows know some secret ford around this rock, or else the tide has risen unusually fast since they passed. At all events we cannot follow them. The tide is rising and it will be many hours before it will be possible to pass here. Before that time they will be beyond our reach.’
‘Cannot we ascend these cliffs, and thus cut them off,’ said Inez.
‘No, donna,’ replied Sanchez, ‘we must go back for a long distance before we meet with a place which even a rabbit could get up.’
Reluctantly Inez admitted the force of these remarks, and slowly turned her horse’s head in the direction of the city.
‘They have some motive, beside murder, in going to all this trouble, else had they killed him when they first met him.’
‘What motive could they have?’ asked Inez.
‘Perhaps, to keep him concealed, until they could obtain a heavy ransom for his release.’
‘But from whom could they expect such a ransom; for the youth is neither rich himself nor has he rich relatives, at least not in this country.’
‘May not some of the desperadoes with which the city abounds, have heard of the gallant manner in which the youth rescued you from the flames, and trust to obtain from the generosity of your father a round sum for the ransom of the savior of his daughter.’
Inez admitted the plausibility of this supposition, and inwardly resolving that all her own and her father’s wealth should be expended, if necessary, to release Monteagle, she silently rode towards home.
When Maretzo, leading the horse of Monteagle, and his comrades, had safely passed around the cliff, they found themselves on a clear, crescent-shaped beach of some extent, the opposite end of which was bounded by a rocky headland, similar somewhat to the one they had just rounded, but still farther overhanging the flood that dashed into foam against the huge fragments strewed at its base.
‘We are now safe from pursuit,’ said Maretzo. ‘Even I, would not venture to retrace our steps, now that the tide has risen so much.’
‘Well, old fellow, we had a d—d tight squeeze of it, that’s a fact. I thought at one time we were all going to a place where you wouldn’t have to spend much for fuel for your furnace, eh, Maretzo?’
The Italian merely made some stale joke about the improbability of Blodget’s ever dying by water while there was any rope in the world.
‘How far yet to this cavern?’ inquired Blodget.
‘It’s under yonder head,’ was the reply of the Italian, as the party moved forward.
‘But, deuce take it,’ said Blodget, ‘we shall perish of cold and hunger before morning. I’ve got a touch of the ‘chills’ already.’
‘As to the cold, the beach is strewn with drift wood, and we can soon have a fire,’ said Maretzo.
‘But is the beach strewn with provisions?’ asked Blodget.
‘I have provisions for a month in the cave,’ said Maretzo.
‘Come, come, old hoss,—none of that Robinson Crusoe gammon. It’s bad fooling with a hungry man.’
‘I’ll explain to you. During the last great fire, I happened to be near the end of Long Wharf. A lighter full of goods had just been made fast. All the hands rushed up the wharf, probably to assist in putting out the fire. They hadn’t stopped even to lower the sail of their boat. The temptation was too strong. I leaped on board, set the sail, and was flying before a stiff breeze right for this cove, where I beached her. Her cargo, instead of rich goods, as I had hoped, proved to be provisions of different kinds, packed in tins. These I carried to the cave. That night it blew hard, and the lighter went to pieces. But, here we are at our journey’s end.’ So saying, Maretzo, again taking the lead, went boldly in among the breakers.—Blodget followed, leading the horse of the young man, and the remainder of the party brought up the rear. For a few moments, they proceeded on; now turning to the right hand, now to the left, to avoid some vast rock that blocked their way, or to escape falling into some hole in the bottom. The water meanwhile was at times so deep that the horses barely kept their footing, and their riders found great difficulty in making them proceed amid the dashing breakers and the horrid din.
Maretzo, at length, turned sharply to the left, and the next moment the whole party were in utter darkness, in a vast cave, through which they could hear the wind soughing and the roar of the sea reverberating.
‘Stand fast, where you are, till I get a light,’ said Maretzo, and dismounting, he groped about until his hand rested upon a box of candles, part of the cargo of the lighter. Half a dozen of them were soon burning, and by their glimmer the party fastened their jaded horses.
Monteagle was released from his Mazeppa-like bonds, and placed on the floor of the cave, more dead than alive from the cruel way in which he had been tortured and afterwards lashed to the horse.
A roaring fire was soon kindled, and by its lurid flames the party could see the vast size of the cavern. Maretzo pointed out where the provisions were stowed, and each man bountifully helped himself, and then they all assembled around the blazing fire.
One of the gang less unfeeling than the others, gave Monteagle a biscuit, and a drink out of his flask, which tended to relieve him somewhat.
‘What think you, Maretzo,’ said Blodget, drawing the Italian aside, after they had recovered from their fatigue, ‘is there any more use wasting our time with this chap?’
‘I fear not,’ replied Maretzo. ‘He is now so weak that he would probably faint under any fresh torture, and insensibility would baffle us.’
‘Then we must be off. Brown was to try to find out, by some other means, where the money was placed, and if he has succeeded, we must be on hand before daylight to get hold of it. For the absence of Monteagle may excite suspicion, and our sport be spoiled.’
‘What shall we do with our prisoner? Knock him on the head, and give the crabs a feast?’
‘No. Brown has some old scores to settle with him. You had better stay here to-night with him, and in the morning I’ll ride out here and report progress.’
‘Be it as you say. I shall not be sorry to have a few hours rest,’ said Maretzo.
‘But how are we to get out of this trap?’
‘You can easily get out of here on the side opposite to that by which we entered. By following the beach awhile you will strike a road that leads over the hills to the City. By that road return in the morning. I’ll be on the look out for you!’
‘Pick up, boys,’ cried Blodget, and in short time they had departed, piloted by Maretzo, leaving Monteagle alone in the cavern.
While taking him from the horse the bandage had been partially removed from his eyes, and he had been a witness of all that went on.
No sooner had they all quitted the place than he at once determined to make a desperate attempt to escape before their return, as he felt that that was his only chance.
Approaching the fire, he seized a piece of wood with his teeth and applied the blazing end to the cords that bound his arms. For some seconds it resisted the action of the fire, but at length it blazed, and was soon so weakened that with the energy of despair the youth snapped it, and had his hands again at liberty. He next looked around for some weapon, and luckily found a hatchet which Maretzo had used to open the cases. Thus armed, he stationed himself at the entrance of the cavern with the determination to fell the ruffians to the earth as they attempted to enter, and then endeavor to make his escape. In a few moments Maretzo appeared and received a blow that sent him reeling and senseless to the ground. Monteagle waited a few moments, but no one else appearing he stepped out of the cavern, and fortunately took the direction in which the gang had just proceeded. At times the waves reached his arm-pits but by moving forward cautiously he at length reached the beach safely.