The Crystal Hunters: A Boy's Adventures in the Higher Alps

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

  THE CRYSTAL GROTTO.

  Dale threw down the rope from his shoulder, took off hat and jacket,replaced the rope like a scarf, and then stood looking upwards.

  "Oh, pray be careful!" cried Saxe, rather faintly.

  "Yes, miss," said Dale mockingly. "Why don't you come and take hold ofmy hand! There, boy, I have climbed before now, and I'll be as carefulas I can. Hah! that's the better way. `Take it coolly,' Saxe, as JacobFaithful used to say. I'll soon have you down."

  He went along the chasm a few yards, and then began to climb up thenearly perpendicular face of the rock, taking advantage of every nicheand projection, and gradually getting higher and higher, but alwaysfarther away from where Saxe hung watching him with lips apart, and inconstant dread lest there should be a sudden slip and a fall.

  "And that would make it horrible," thought the lad. "What should I dothen?"

  Dale climbed on talking the while when he did not give vent to agood-humoured grunt over some extra difficult bit.

  Saxe said nothing, for he felt hurt. It seemed to him that hiscompanion was treating him like a child, and saying all kinds of moralthings in a light way, so as to keep up his spirits; and, as Dale sawthe effect his words produced, he said less.

  "Rather a tough bit of climbing," he cried, after a few minutes'silence; "but I've had worse to do: for I've gone over pieces like thiswhen there has been a fall of a thousand feet or so beneath me, and thatmakes one mind one's p's and q's, Saxe--precipices and queer spots--eh?But I shall soon do this. All it wants is a little, coolness anddetermination."

  "Why are you going so far along that way!" cried Saxe, who liked thistone better.

  "Because the line of the stratum runs this way, and higher up there isanother goes off at an angle right above where you are; and there is aprojection, if I can reach it, which will do for the rope: I could seeit all from down below."

  Saxe watched him breathlessly till he was on a level with the opening bywhich he clung, but fully forty yards away. There he turned and beganto climb back, and always rising higher till he was some thirty feethigher than the opening, but still considerably to Saxe's right.

  "Now," he said quietly, as he stood with his face close to the rock:"here is the spot, if I can get the rope over that projection."

  "But then I could not reach it," said Saxe.

  "I'll see about that," said Dale, carefully holding on with one handwhile he drew the coil of rope over his head,--no easy task, with hisfeet resting upon a very narrow projection, and the rock against whichhe pressed himself nearly straight up and down.

  "That's right," he said, as he let the coil rest upon one arm, and setthe end free. "Now, Saxe, what's to be done next? There's a block upthere if I could get a loop thrown over it; but lassoing rocks was notincluded in my education, and I'm afraid it will be rather difficultwith the left hand."

  To Saxe it seemed to be impossible, and he watched intently as he sawhis companion double a portion of the rope so as to make a large loop,and to tie this he had to hold the twisted hemp right above his head,pressing his chest against the rock the while so as to preserve hisbalance, and more than once Saxe gave a gasp as it seemed to him thatthe venturous man was about to fall backward.

  But he succeeded, and then let the loop and his arms drop down.

  "Hard work," he said. "Five minutes' rest. Curious how wearying it isto hold your limbs in a fresh position. Now then," he continued, "I'vegot to throw that loop over the block up there left-handed. How manytries will it take?"

  Saxe remained silent, for he was by no means hopeful; and he watchedintently as Dale loosened the rings upon his arm and gathered two orthree in his left hand, which he dropped again, while with his right hetried to get a good grip of the rock where there was scarcely any holdat all.

  "Now," he said, as calmly as if he were about to perform some feat witha quoit on level ground, instead of being balanced up in a perilousposition, where the slightest loss of equilibrium meant a fall on torugged stones of over a hundred feet.

  As he spoke he threw up the braced loop so truly that it went exactlyover the projection, and several rings ran off from his arm and hungdown.

  "Not a bad throw," he said quietly. "I didn't know I was so clever,Saxe. The question is, will it hold?"

  The test was soon applied, for he drew the rope in slowly, till theslack was all gathered in, tightened it more and more, and the loopglided off the projection and fell.

  "If at first you don't succeed--eh, Saxe? You know the rest?" criedDale, as he drew up the loop and coiled the rope on his arm again. "Imust get it farther on."

  He threw again, and once more lassoed the projection; but the loopdropped off this time with the weight of the rope, and he had to beginagain making all his preparations as carefully as a man does in someperilous position.

  Another throw, which proved a complete miss. Then another and another,each proving to be less accurate than the one which had gone before.

  "Five minutes' rest," said Dale quietly. "My arm is getting tired."

  A dead silence reigned then for a few minutes, during which time a darkshadow glided across the deep gully, and they heard the faint whizzingsound of the wings of an eagle, whose keen, cruel eyes looked down atthem as if seeing prey.

  "Now," cried Dale, "I must do this, Saxe. Don't be impatient with me,boy; and if it's any comfort to you, I may tell you that I am in a farworse position than you."

  "Yes; I know," said Saxe hoarsely. "I wish I could help."

  "Do so another time by not getting yourself into such a scrape. Hush!don't speak: I'm going to throw."

  The loop went flying up; but at the same moment Saxe saw Dale slip alittle, and it was only by a violent effort that he saved himself fromfalling, while, as a consequence, the loop missed again, and fell to thefull length of the rings off the thrower's arm.

  Saxe drew a deep breath, and watched now with a growing sensation ofhopelessness as he saw each effort made, and every one after deliberateand careful gathering up of the rope and hanging it in rings upon theleft arm. But no matter how he tried Dale's casts grew more and moreerring, till, quite in despair, he stood fast, resting his weary arm,and said with an apologetic air--

  "I wish I were not so clumsy, Saxe. I'm afraid I must try some freshplan."

  There was a long pause now, and Dale seemed to be thinking.

  "Are you quite safe?" he said at last.

  "I--that is, I can hold on," said Saxe sadly.

  "That's right. I'm going to have one more try, lad, and if I fail Imust climb again and see if I can get higher, so as to drop the loopover the rock; but I don't want to do that if I can help it, for, as yousay, the getting down is bad."

  He made a very long and careful preparation this time, and threw with somuch vigour and want of accuracy that the loop missed; but a coil of therope went right over the projection where the loop should have been, andthe latter hung down nearly level with the thrower, and swinging to andfro some eight or ten feet away.

  This was an unexpected complication, but Dale saw success in it; andafter pausing for a few minutes to think, he began to climb sidewisetoward it inch by inch over a part that was perilous in the extreme,till he was within four feet of the swinging loop. Then, glancingupward to make sure that the rope was well over the projection, hetightened the part he held, and, rising a little, let himself fallsidewise toward the loop, catching it easily, and swinging to and fro bythe two ends of the rope as he vainly sought to find a hold for hisfeet.

  "All right, Saxe," he said, as he rested one foot on a tiny boss; "Ishall do it now." Then, helping himself by the double rope for hold, heclimbed up the few feet between him and the projection, making use ofevery little crevice or angle for his feet, till he was able to get onearm right over the little block and hold on while he drew up the loop,cast off the piece of rope, and carefully arranged the loop in itsplace.

  "Hurrah! That will not slip," he said
.

  "Pray--pray be careful," cried Saxe.

  "Trust me: I will," said Dale, seizing the rope now with strong grip andlowering himself till he was hanging from it with both hands; thengliding down lower and lower, while Saxe felt puzzled, but dared notspeak for fear of upsetting his companion at some special moment.

  Dale lowered himself till he was level with the place he had quitted,and then began to swing himself to and fro across the face of the rock,evidently meaning to land upon the projection he had occupied so long.But after several trials he found that he had not sufficient length ofrope for this, and he had to lower himself a little more, showing thewhile the most implicit confidence in the rope as he began to swingagain, describing a larger and a larger arc, till he checked himselfwhen farthest distant from Saxe, upon a projection which just gave himroom enough to stand on a level with Saxe.

  It was ticklish work, but by the help of the rope he maintained hisbalance till he could find hand-hold and stand perfectly upright.

  "There, Saxe," he said, rather breathlessly, "the game is won."

  "I don't see it," said Saxe mournfully.

  "Well, I do. I shall throw the rope across to you. Catch it, and takeyour ice-axe and descend."

  "But you must not be left in that dangerous position."

  "Not long, I hope," said Dale quietly. "You can swing the rope to me assoon as you are down, and by its help I can swing myself to your ledgeand examine your discovery. Now then: look out! Ready!"

  "Yes."

  "Then off!"

  The rope was thrown and caught dexterously by Saxe, who swung loose inthe act and slipped a little way down.

  "Never mind the ice-axe," cried Dale, as he saw the lad begin to climbup again. "I'll bring that down with me."

  Saxe ceased his efforts to regain his former level, and let himselfglide down to the bottom of the gully, where he could climb forward tillhe was beyond where Dale was clinging and draw the rope right into hisreach.

  "Let go!" cried Dale, seizing the welcome rope; and as Saxe obeyed heswung himself to and fro again, till this time he was able to landhimself on the ledge the boy had just quitted, and maintained hisposition by thrusting his arm into the opening and grasping the handleof the axe.

  "Well," cried Saxe, "is it a crystal cave?" For once more on terrafirma, the peril of his late position was pretty well forgotten.

  "Without a doubt," was the reply, after a pause. "I was beginning tobully you horribly, but after this I suppose I must hold my tongue."

  Saxe's spirits, which had been down to zero, rose now to the highestpoint.

  "Can you break a piece off with the axe?" he said, as he saw that Dalehad twisted the rope round his arm for safety, and was reaching into thehole as far as his hand would go.

  "That is what I have just done," replied Dale; "and now I have lost it.No: I have it. I can hook it out now. Here it comes." And as Saxestood on one side and watched, he saw his companion's arm drawn out,then by degrees the handle of the axe, and in imagination he saw a tinypiece of crystal drawn along by the steel head.

  "I have it now," cried Dale. "Ah!"

  He uttered a loud ejaculation, for his feet had slipped from the narrowledge, and he was hanging by one arm, turning slowly round and round.

  A sharp struggle enabled him to regain his position, and once back therehe drew out the axe completely, thrust it behind him, through his belt,and then pushed his hand into the orifice again.

  "Throw me a bit of crystal down, and I'll catch it," said Saxe.

  Dale laughed, and held out a bluntly pointed, angular piece of dartstone that looked almost black as he thrust it into his breast. Then,grasping the rope with hands and feet, he slid slowly down and stood byhis companion's side.

  "A nice adventure this," he said, "when I had come out for a quiet day!"

  He drew the crystal from his breast, and held it up for Saxe to see.

  "But it's so black-looking," cried the latter, as he took hold of thegreat dark crystal, pure-looking and clear as its name suggested, whileevery angle was sharp and perfect as if it were the production of thatvery day.

  "Black?" said Dale. "So much the better. It is a very valuable kind,and there are plenty more. As far as I could make out, some are verylarge. Saxe, my lad, we must not think of the trouble and danger, forwe both have been in great peril, and I talked lightly just to keep upyour spirits,--I say we must not think of the troubles, for you havemade a marvellous find, and I congratulate you."

  "Then you are satisfied?" said Saxe eagerly.

  "More than satisfied. You could not have done better. Now to secureour find. We must not leave the rope there, because that would betraythe place."

  "But nobody ever comes here."

  "We hope nobody has been here, my boy; but, according to my experience,somebody will be sure to come now and find it."

  "But how are we to get the rope up again if we take it down?"

  "We shall have to scheme it somehow, my lad. What man has done I haveno doubt he can do again."

  "But we must leave it," said Saxe, with a laugh, for he was in thehighest spirits now. "We can't get it down."

  "Indeed!" said Dale. "I think I provided for that;" and taking hold ofthe bottom, he gave the rope a sharp shake, sending a wave along itwhich snatched the loop from the projection, and the strong hempen linedropped at their feet.

  "I hardly expected that," cried Saxe, proceeding to coil it up; "but itwill be a terrible job to get it there again."

  "We shall see," said Dale, as the loop was unfastened, the end twistedabout the coil, and he once more threw it over his shoulder, afterresuming his coat. "Now for camp. I little expected to make such adiscovery when we started. Saxe, we shall have to pitch our tent uphere when Melchior comes back."

  "In this gloomy crack? Why, there will be no food for Gros!"

  "Nor for us unless we bring it. I dare say we shall manage; butMelchior will be disappointed when he finds that we have made thediscovery without his help."

  As he spoke Dale looked up the gorge toward the sky, scanning the jaggededges of the summit.

  "I hope no one has been watching us," he said. "It would not be verypleasant to find that any one has been spying all our actions, ready totake advantage of our find. There, come along! We cannot stop to watchthe place, even if we felt this had been the case, for we've a longjourney back out of this place, and then down the glacier home."

  They began their arduous descent of the rugged place, Saxe walkingbehind, till Dale stopped by where the water, which had been gurglingalong out of sight, rose now to the surface, so that they could obtain arefreshing draught.

  As Saxe rose from his knees and wiped the drops from his mouth, helooked at Dale curiously.

  "Well, what is it, boy?"

  "What made you say about it being awkward if some one were watching us?"

  "Oh, I don't know. The idea occurred to me. Why do you ask?"

  "Because--perhaps it's fancy--it always seems to me that some one iswatching us."

  "What?"

  "Those stones tumbling about our ears, and that glimpse I got ofsomething going along the mountain; and then that night when some onecame and made Gros cry out!"

  "Oh, fancy, my lad--fancy," cried Dale; but there was a quick nervoustone in his utterance, and he walked on now toward the mouth of theravine in a hurried manner, which suggested that he was thinking deeplyabout Saxe's words; and he was very silent all the way back to camp.