by Various
CHAPTER V.--A VALUABLE FIND IN THE TEMPLE OF ATLAS
"It's what I call a tall order, Burton," exclaimed Tom Ellison, who,with the Doctor, had been listening to the police officer's plan to raidthe Cave of Hydas.
"I am glad you turned up before eight o'clock, Burton, for it would bedifficult to enter the cave and find our way about without yourguidance. It seems a likely place to get one's head cracked in thedark," remarked the Doctor.
"It would not be easy for you to get in, but had I been caught lastnight you would have found a clue to my whereabouts in the letter I gaveyou. However, we are all here yet, and I expect we shall get the betterof Appoyas and his gang if our plans work out properly, and if theydon't, then, well--look out for yourselves," said Burton, and heshrugged his shoulders.
"What led you to suspect Appoyas, who you say is supposed to be one thewealthiest and most respected men on the Salt Range, Burton?" asked theDoctor.
"Well, I saw him with that long brass-studded stick, and his generaldescription answers to the tall man who fought the other two in themuseum. Then I followed the goat-boy who got the message from the goat,and the boy handed the message to a man, and this man took it toAppoyas, and finally my suspicions were confirmed when I heard Appoyasaddressed by name in the cave last night," explained Burton.
"It must have been pleasant listening to your own death-sentence!"remarked the Doctor.
"I am glad I heard it," said Burton, "for never was it more true than inmy case that to be fore-warned is to be fore-armed. Two traps have beenalready laid this morning to get me away from the Salt Range, and--Ibelieve here is another," he said, as a coolie came at the trot with atelegram in his hand.
"Come at once. Most serious. Mirkwort," read out Burton, as soon as thecoolie had retired. "This pretends to be a message ordering my speedyreturn to headquarters, and I shall make a pretence of going, but Ishall soon be back in this neighbourhood in disguise," he added.
"How do you know it is an attempt to get you away?" asked the Doctor.
"Because I requested Mirkwort to use a cypher in all his communicationsfor some days, and this is not in cypher," replied Burton. "But topersist in staying here would only cause Appoyas to suspect that I amabout to take some decisive steps. I have twenty men around here now,and as soon as it is dark to-night some of them will watch the house ofAppoyas in the village on the top of the cliffs, for I feel convincedthere is an entrance to the cave from his house.
"At the foot of the cliffs and immediately under the village there isanother entrance through a house built against the rocks, and other menwill watch there. I shall be near the camp at nightfall, together withsome specially picked men who will have arrived by that time, and weshall enter the cave by what I will call the porcupine entrance, and,once inside--well, we have to rescue Mark and capture as many of thegang as we can. We must take all precautionary measures, for I do notknow how many rascals we shall have to contend with, and that cave islike a rabbit-warren. Expect me as a Fakir at dusk. I will send for youwhen the time comes," and as Burton clattered away on his horse the campunderstood that he had been called to headquarters on importantbusiness.
It was about nine o'clock and very dark when Burton, with a number ofhis men, though not in uniform, were sitting under the bushes a coupleof hundred yards or so from the cave entrance.
"Ali Khan, go and meet the party from the camp and see that they make aslittle noise as possible," said Burton to one of his men; and then toanother he said, "Sergeant, come with me; we must find out whether thereis a guard placed at the entrance; if there is, we must secure him."
The two crept stealthily along, and, when some twenty yards from thecave, a man sprang up within a few feet of them and dashed off towardsthe cave, but he had not taken many steps when he tripped, and before hecould recover himself Burton pounced upon him, and in a few moments theman was gagged and bound.
By the time the Doctor and Tom with the rest of the men had arrived,Burton had explored the cave as far as the rope-ladder without anyfurther encounter.
Two men were left at the entrance of the cave with the prisoner, anotherwas stationed at the foot of the ladder and two more at the top, and aman was left at each of the side passages opening from the main gallery.
"Now, Doctor," said Burton, when he had led the party some distance intothe cave beyond the ladder, "will you remain here with the men whilstTom goes with me to try and discover where Appoyas and his gang are, andhow many we have to deal with? They have some special work on at teno'clock in what they call the Temple of Atlas, and I don't know where itis. If you hear me whistle, then light your lamps and come on as quicklyas possible. Now quietly, Tom," and they went ahead.
"She--e--e! See, there's a light. Some of them are in the cave-chamberwhere I heard them last night," whispered Burton to Tom.
Hearing voices, they silently crept nearer until they could hear whatwas said.
"I sent no message to the Doctor Sahib to-day, lest Koj Burton shouldremain to inquire into it. Brothers, Koj Burton is far away, and at thebottom of the river Hydaspes (Jhelum), I hope, if our men did theirduty. Now, brothers, follow me to the Temple of Atlas and we will takethe fifty years' offerings to the inner Temple of Hydas. By givingliberal offerings to the gods they bless us and we get much wealth.Come, it is the time."
The speaker was Appoyas, and under cover of the noise made in thechamber as his men lighted torches and prepared to follow him, Burtonand Tom slipped some distance back along the passage, for they knew notwhich direction the men would take.
"Seven," whispered Burton as Appoyas and his men came into the passageand fortunately went the opposite way to where the Englishmen werewatching.
Cautiously they followed; suddenly the men disappeared down a flight ofsteps, and when Burton and Tom peered below they were amazed at whatthey saw.
They were gazing into a large cave-temple, and at the far end was anenormous statute of a figure evidently representing Atlas with a largeglobe on his shoulders.
Burton and Tom were intently watching the men in the temple, when theywere startled by hearing some on rapidly approaching along the passage.The man carried no light, and as the two Englishmen crouched close tothe side of the cave to allow him to pass he knocked against Tom's arm.
"Strangers in the cave!" shouted the man, and he turned and fled.
For a moment the men in the temple were too amazed to move; then,simultaneously, they stamped out their torches.
"We have them trapped below if they have no other exit but the steps.That man's gone for help," said Burton, and blew his whistle. "We willhave a look at them," he added, and turned on his lamp.
In an instant something flashed in the light and the lamp was knockedout of his hand and fell with a clatter down the steps, for Appoyas hadcrept up with his long brass-studded stick.
Next moment Tom felt himself hooked by the ankle, and before he couldfree himself his legs were jerked from under him and he fell on hisback; then he felt a bare foot placed on his chest as some one trod onhim and dashed down the passage.
No one else was able to pass, for Burton stood on the top of the steps,swinging his iron rod to and fro, and at the same time holding hiswhistle in his mouth and blowing until some of his men arrived withlights.
"Tom, you stop here with some of the men, and don't let any of theserascals escape. Listen! The Doctor is having a tussle; there is a fightgoing on all over the place, and I must discover where Mark is lest theyshould try to injure him." Taking a couple of men, he hurried away inthe direction of the shouts which were ringing through the galleries.
"Hi! This way, Bur--r--r----" some one tried to shout in English.
"That's Mark's voice, and they are strangling him," said Burton. "Quickwith your lamp, Sergeant, this way," he added.
Burton found Mark in the grasp of two men, who dashed the lad to theground and then fled in the darkness, after showing fight for a fewseconds, Burton pursuing them hotly, received a terrific blow on thehead after
being tripped by Appoyas, who was waiting in a side passage,and Burton lay partly stunned for some time.
Appoyas fought like a fiend, doing great damage with his stick, but atlast he fled along a side passage.
In half an hour the fight was over, and Burton found they had eightprisoners; among whom was Atlasul, but Appoyas and some of the othershad escaped.
Burton and Tom were exploring one of the narrow galleries when theysuddenly came face to face with Appoyas, who, after throwing a knife atBurton, dashed down the passage followed by the two Englishmen.
They had gone about a hundred yards when Appoyas stopped, and hispursuers could see that he was standing on the very edge of a blackchasm. For a moment he stood and faced them, his eyes flashing fiercelyin the light of the lamp.
"You cannot escape us now, Appoyas," said Burton, covering him with arevolver.
"I will have a bitter revenge on you, Koj Burton. Here is the end of thepassage, below is the Cave of Doom, but you have not got me yet," and,to the astonishment of Burton and Tom, Appoyas shouted a fierce cry of"Revenge!" and sprang into the fearsome black abyss.
"He must be dashed to pieces. I can't see the bottom," said Tom, holdinghis lamp over the gulf.
"I am doubtful. We will get a rope and make a search," said Burton.
Some time later a lamp was lowered, and far below, about six feet fromthe bottom, could be seen a strong net stretched the full width of thechasm.
"He dropped into that, and escaped by a secret exit," said Burton.
They proceeded to thoroughly explore the cave, and were astonished atthe extent and number of side passages.
"I say, Burton, this globe on the shoulders of old Atlas is hollow andhas a big slit in it like a letter-box, and has a lock on it," exclaimedMark as they were examining the Temple of Atlas.
When the globe was opened it proved to be nearly full of gold and silverornaments, precious stones, and coins.
"Ah, these are the offerings to the gods, a portion of the things stolenby these thieves during the last fifty years. A system of theft andsacrifice which has been handed down from father to son for manygenerations," exclaimed Burton.
The prisoners proved to be connected with burglaries which had takenplace all over the Punjab and far beyond. The villains had been in thehabit of placing a few of the things stolen in some innocent person'shouse, and had employed a variety of tricks to avoid suspicion restingon themselves.
The valuables recovered in the Temple of Atlas were restored to theirrightful owners where they could be traced, and the balance wasultimately considered as treasure-trove, the Government claiming fourannas in the rupee, thus leaving three-fourths of the value to bedivided amongst those who had discovered it.
Many hours did the Englishmen spend in trying to discover the innerTemple of Hydas, but its secret baffled all their efforts, neither werethey able to find any parts of the broken slab which might have aidedthem in their search. They were equally unsuccessful in getting anytrace of Appoyas, who had so suddenly disappeared while his cry ofrevenge was ringing through the Cave of Hydas.