by Frank Aubrey
CHAPTER X.
IN SIGHT OF EL DORADO.
The next morning Templemore, after leading Monella and Elwood to thehidden cave he had discovered, set out early with the Indians for'Monella Lodge' to bring in the remainder of the stores; and, whilethere, in the evening, he wrote long letters to his friends, to beentrusted to Matava to take to Georgetown. Amongst them, we may besure, was one to the fair Maud, who, amidst all the excitement of hisadventures, was never long absent from his thoughts. His letter to herwas grave, almost sad in its tone. He knew he was about to set out upona critical venture, the end of which none could see, and he warned hernot to be surprised if nothing were heard of them for a long time.
When, the following afternoon, he and his party once more made theirway back through the forest to where they had left Monella and Elwood,and had halted just out of sight, those two soon came to meet him inresponse to the usual signal-shots. The first glance at Elwood's facetold Jack that he had some important news to impart. While Monellawas greeting the Indians and giving directions for the unloading andcamping, Leonard whispered to Jack,
"We've been up to the top and have seen all you saw. It was no dream,old man, but simple reality. But don't let the Indians hear anythingabout it, or they would stampede straight away."
Jack stared in mute surprise, scarce knowing what to think, whether tobe most pleased to have it established that he was not 'a dreamer ofdreams,' or astonished at the almost incredible fact it conveyed--thatthe top of the mountain was, in very truth, inhabited.
"And the puma?" he asked.
"Is still with us. You had better go in and have a rest and take chargeof her, while we see to the unloading."
This Jack was glad to do, and, on entering the cavern, he was welcomedby the animal with every demonstration of gladness at his return.
"Ah! you have not forgotten me then, old girl," he said, and he pattedand stroked the creature. "You're not so very fickle, then, after all.Now come along with me for a while--I'm going to have a wash."
When all the fresh stores had been placed inside, and the Indians wereengaged upon their evening meal, and Monella and the two young men wereseated at theirs, Jack asked for further details of the wonderful newsLeonard had briefly spoken of.
"It is substantially a repetition of what you told us," said Elwood,"save that we managed a little better in the morning than you did. Thatis to say, we did not go the wrong way into the wood, as I suppose youdid; and thus, at sunrise, sure enough, we saw the wonderful city,which Monella avers can be no other than Manoa--or, as the Spaniardscalled it, El Dorado! We saw its palaces, and towers, and spires,glistening and glittering in the sun--a marvellous sight! So, Jack, oldboy, you can be at ease; you are not yet 'a dreamer of dreams.'"
"But your intelligence, all the same, makes me feel quite dazed,"answered Jack. "Are you _really_ sure about it? Are you certain--do youfeel confident that--er--well, that it won't all have melted into thinair by the time we get up there?"
"Scarcely. It is too substantial for that."
"Then it means this--that the mountain _is_ inhabited after all," saidthe puzzled Jack. "If so, what sort of a reception are they likely togive us?"
"Well, that of course remains to be seen. But, meantime, it is certainthat all your clever theories about the place 'not having been peopledfor hundreds of years' are fallacious."
Jack presently asked Monella what he purposed doing next.
"We must put away our stores," was the reply, "and then arrange ourplans for making our presence known to the inhabitants, whoever theymay be, of the mountain."
"Yes, and then, if they speak the same language that you have beenteaching me," Leonard put in, "Jack will have reason to be sorry he hasnot stuck to it a little more, I fancy."
Of late, Jack had practically dropped all efforts in this direction,particularly during the last fortnight; while Elwood had neglected noopportunity for using it in his converse with Monella. Elwood had, inconsequence, got so far as to be able to speak it fairly well; but Jackwas much behind him.
"By Jupiter! But I begin to think there is wisdom in what you say," wasJack's response. "I must do my best to make up for lost time."
The night passed without incident. The Indians stayed on through thefollowing day, and Matava even yielded so far as to enter the dreadedcavern, and take a look into the canyon. Elwood managed to persuadehim to do thus much, that he might take back to his friends atGeorgetown a description of the scene. Matava was rather afraid of thepuma, but the animal was quite friendly. The Indian evidently believedthat Elwood and his friends were going to their destruction, and wouldnever again be seen by mortal eyes. However, at Monella's suggestion,he made for them during the day a more substantial ladder, which thenails and tools brought with the stores enabled him easily to do. Healso made some poles or struts to form bars to close the stone fromwithin, and, with much perseverance, cut slots in the rock and in thestone to receive them. When completed, and the struts put in theirplaces, the stone was firmly fixed and could not be moved from theoutside.
Then Monella made another suggestion. He arranged with Matava a fewsimple signals that might be made from the mountain-top by flashingsmall quantities of powder at night, and that Matava could, in turn,answer from the plain beyond the forest, or, indeed, from 'MonellaLodge'. These signals were simply--"All well," "Coming down," "_Not_coming down." It was deemed best not to risk more than these, Matava'sintelligence in such directions being limited; and, since he could notread, to write them down would have been useless.
When, on the last morning, the leave-taking came, the scene was anaffecting one. The Indians were well pleased with the rewards giventhem for their services; but they were, one and all, in genuinedistress at the thought of leaving the three adventurers to what theythoroughly believed would be a terrible fate. They even besought themto alter their minds and "come away from the accursed place"; needlessto say in vain.
Matava, almost in tears, was loaded with messages to those inGeorgetown, should he go back before seeing the travellers again;the understanding being that, if he found they did not return withina short time, he was to conclude they would remain for an indefiniteperiod, in which case he would shut up 'Monella Lodge' and return toGeorgetown, and only expect to hear of them when he came that way againin the usual course.
At last, the Indians sorrowfully set out and disappeared in the forest,and Monella and his two companions set to work to distribute theirstores and spare arms and ammunition. It was decided, after somediscussion, to place the larger portion in the secret cave; leavingonly a comparatively small part hidden in the cavern they were in, itbeing obvious that the latter was the one most likely to be searched,if any should be.
In the carrying out of the plan settled by Monella, the whole of thestores were divided roughly into two parts; two-thirds, and all thespare arms, ammunition and powder, being hidden in the secret cave;the other third, including most of their camping equipage, lanterns,store of oil, etc., but no arms, being stowed away in various remoteparts of the cavern by which they had entered from the outer forest.This was in accordance with certain anticipations and eventualitiesthat he had carefully thought out. Thus, if the people of the placeshould prove unfriendly, and they were forced to retreat at once tothe entrance cavern, they had there, ready to hand, in addition to thearms, etc., they took with them, all that was really necessary eitherfor a temporary stay or for the journey back to 'Monella Lodge.' On theother hand, if the inhabitants should turn out to be hospitable, andinvite the travellers to stay with them, it might be a little whilebefore they returned to the cavern at the entrance; in the meanwhile itmight be entered and searched by others, who might carry off what hadbeen left there. But in that case the loss would not be a serious oneto the explorers, nor would the thieves find any arms or powder.
Early the next morning Elwood went out a little way into the forestto cut some short poles he was in want of, when the puma--apparentlyfinding the new ladder more to her taste than
the old one hadbeen--scrambled down after him and disappeared into the wood.
"We had better leave the ladder and go on with our work," observedMonella, when told she had gone off and not returned. "No doubt shewill find her way back presently."
But they saw nothing of her till the afternoon, when she came in,bearing in her mouth a good-sized wild pig, which she laid down quietlyat the feet of her astonished friends.
"Why, Puss," exclaimed Jack--he had of late insisted upon giving herthat name--"that _is_ an accomplishment, and no mistake! You can go outhunting and get your own dinner, can you, and ours too? Well, afterthis we need not want for fresh meat, apparently, while we stay here."
The meat was not only a welcome addition to their larder, so far asthey themselves were concerned, but solved the difficulty that hadbegun to puzzle them, viz., how to find food for so large an animal.Up to now there had been enough left over from what the Indians hadcaptured and brought in; but, since they had gone away, fresh meat hadbeen growing scarce, and to feed 'Puss' out of their limited stores oftinned meats was, of course, out of the question.
"You'll have to leave us and go back to your friends, whoever theyare, Puss," Jack had said only that very morning. "We appreciate yoursociety and all that sort of thing, and shall be sorry to turn you outof doors; but, unless you can crunch up meat-tins and imagine they aremarrow-bones, I really do not see where another meal for you is to comefrom." Whether 'Puss' understood this speech or not, she had certainlysettled the question in her own way, and very quickly.
"You shall go out again, to-morrow, on this sort of expedition, Puss,"observed Jack. And she did; and next time brought back a small antelope.
This led to a discussion and a good deal of speculation as to whom'Puss' might actually belong to.
"I wonder who owns her, and whether they have missed her?" said Jack."And I wonder too whether there are many more like her on the mountain?If so, why haven't we seen anything of any of the others?" Since,however, no answer could be given to these questions, the speculationremained a barren one.
After the stores had all been disposed of to his satisfaction, Monelladecided to stay on another day before making the venture of showingthemselves to the inhabitants; this was partly by way of a rest andpartly to give them an opportunity of studying the plants and rocksin the canyon. Most of this day he spent in hunting for strange herbsand leaves; while Jack and Elwood were more interested, after thefirst feeling of surprise and pleasure in examining the flowers hadpassed off, in searching for signs of gold among the rocks. They foundundoubted traces of both gold and silver, but in what quantity theymight exist it was not possible at the time to form any opinion.
Every night the canyon was lighted up in the fairy-like manner ofthe first evening; and, during the day, two harp-birds had visitedthe valley and enlivened it with their dreamy music. The travellersalso caught sight of two or three small animals; but did not obtaina sufficiently good view to make them out, and Monella particularlydesired that they should not shoot at anything.
Of fish there was plenty; and bathing in the cool, limpid pools of 'TheBlue River,' as Jack had named the stream, was a welcome luxury.
Finally, having completed all their preparations, the three, on themorning of the third day after the departure of the Indians, set out ontheir enterprise of visiting the mysterious inhabitants of "The GoldenCity."
They started at daylight, with just sufficient camping things forpassing the one night, heavily laden with spare ammunition, andtaking their Winchester rifles and revolvers, and one extra gun--adouble-barrelled fowling-piece. After a midday rest in the cave thatlay about half way up, they reached the summit, as before, at nightfall.
They assured themselves that the strange town was still in the sameplace--had not vanished into thin air as an illusive creation of thedemons of the mountain. Then they settled down to sleep and wereundisturbed during the night.
When they woke at dawn on the day that was to prove so eventful, theyfound that the puma had disappeared.
"Puss has deserted us," said Jack. "She knew she was close at home andpreferred the kitchen fireside, I suspect, like a respectable tabby,to passing the night out here; and small blame to her. I shouldn't besurprised, if we happen to come across her when she is in the companyof her own friends, to see her pass us by with her nose in the air witha 'don't-know-you' sort of look. You'll see, she won't know us! shewould lose caste, I expect, if it were known that she had been away fora week hob-nobbing with a party of houseless vagabonds like ourselves."