by Van Powell
CHAPTER XXVII BEASTS OF BURDEN
Their dungeon was dark and it had the smell of an underground place,musty, damp, stuffy. When it seemed to Cliff that hours must have passedsince they had all been flung into the single unlighted cubicle helooked at the radiumited face of the watch on his wrist: hardly half anhour had elapsed.
"This is truly a terrible situation," said Mr. Gray. "I feel very badlywhen I think that in coming here to help me you have all fallen into aworse situation."
"Please don't feel that way, Father," Cliff begged, touching the handthat trembled a little on his knee. "You always taught me that no goodintention and no act done with a good motive could ever bring anythingbut good."
"It does not seem to work, this time," said his father.
"But it will!" Tom said. "Didn't you notice the soldier who walked withme? No, you didn't: I remember, we were behind you. Well, it was Caya'sbrother and he whispered to me to give him the quipu supposed to be theInca's token."
"I didn't know that," Mr. Whitley spoke through the darkness. "He maytry to help us."
"Mr. Whitley," said Nicky, "why can't we all push on that big stoneacross the door? It is on some sort of a pivot: we could all pushtogether and move it."
"Yes, two of us could move it--the soldiers did," Bill took a part inthe talk. "But the guards are outside. By the time we could get thestone moved they could use their swords."
"I guess we are helpless," Mr. Whitley said remorsefully. "And it is allmy fault for letting you lads come here: you should have camped on theledge: Bill and I should have taken the risks of danger."
"I still have faith that an Almighty Power watches over us," Cliffdeclared. "We have gone through a great deal of danger and not one of ushas been hurt."
"I am proud of you, my son," said Mr. Gray. "And it is a rebuke to uswho are older. I know, deep down in my heart, that you are right. Afteryears among these people, unharmed, made nearly well when I thought myfeebleness would destroy me, I should be thankful to that GreatPower--and I am!"
"Let's all think 'we are going to get out all right,'" Nicky suggested."Think as hard as we can."
No one replied. Perhaps, with all other help apparently denied them,they all had a mind to do as Nicky urged: at any rate the black room,with its air rapidly growing more stale and heavy, was so silent thatthey heard, through the place where the upper end of the barrier failedto touch the door frame, the muttering of several guards in the tunnel.
Ages passed, or so it seemed. In fact, hours did go slowly into thepast, and nothing happened.
"Listen!" whispered Tom, finally, when the air had become so oppressivethat they all began to feel heavy and dull. "Did I hear somebodywalking?"
"Yes," answered Bill. "They are changing the guard, I guess."
"Poor Caya," said Cliff. "I feel sorry for her. She is all alone, insome hole as dark as this: and all on account of us."
"Yes," said Tom. "But she is alive--and so is her sister--because ofus."
"I wonder where her brother is," Nicky mused.
"Sh-h-h!" warned Bill. "Be quiet and if the stone moves, let's all makea rush. I hear somebody fumbling at the stone."
He had moved close to the barricaded doorway in the dark. But as thestone began to move and they all gathered their muscles for a dash, theywere chained with surprise.
"I am Pizzara," came the unmistakable voice of the Spaniard. "I come tohelp. Push there, you!"
The stone moved more and even the faint light from a torch jammed into aplace made for it nearby in the tunnel wall was brilliant to theirwidened pupils. They blinked as they saw two figures, in the garb of theInca's soldiers.
"It is Caya's brother and the stranger who spoke," said one of thefigures, in quichua dialect. "Come forth quickly!"
They filed out; Nicky and Bill and Cliff helped support Mr. Gray who wasstiff and tottering from his long inactivity. They saw Caya's brothertapping at several other door stones; finally he called to Tom and Cliffand the three managed to move a great barricade slowly a little wayaside. Had it not been swung on a rude pivot this would have beenimpossible. As it was they got it far enough opened to allow Caya,shaking with excitement and eagerness, to come from her black prison.
"I meet this soldier," explained Pizzara. "I have watch him and I thinkhe is friend. I ask him and it is yes. Now we go quick'."
"I certainly do beg your pardon," said Mr. Whitley. "I thought you werean enemy and you have liberated us."
The Spaniard showed his teeth in a curious grin.
"It is all a part of my plan," he said mysteriously as they went hastilyalong the passage, the young Peruvian carrying the single torch in therear with his sister. "When you are sleeping in the lake bottom I stealaway with my men. I think then we get here before you. But the Indiansfling stones upon us in the white pass and my natives know it isdanger'."
They kept careful watch but it seemed that no one was in the tunnels:the guards whom the Spaniard and the Indian had replaced had gone homeor to their barracks and no one else was on guard, it seemed.
"All but one," the Spaniard went on. "My men are escape. I have gun andI make them go forward, but we go in old water way." The same one, Cliffmused, that they had used to get around the ambush; then he listened asPizzara continued, "We find the ledge as it is on the map and there isyour camp where you have leave some thing and the cord to haul the rope.It is very clever, _si_."
"You left your natives there," Bill said. "That's my guess. Then youcame down into this valley. But how did you expect to get any gold--ormuch!--all alone?"
"Ah!" grinned Pizzara, "this one is clever, as you. I plan all this andas I plan so it is come out--just exactly."
"Plan?----" Cliff was puzzled. "How could you expect we would get into adungeon and that you would save us--and what has that to do with yourplan to get gold?"
"It is all simple," Pizzara grinned. "I come and see that you are here:then I find ways to make Inca suspect you, and high priest to make youprisoner. You help that by what you do. So then I have you where I wishto have you! It is good fortune of my patron Saint that this soldier andhis sister are mix up with you. It make two more to carry for me."
"To carry?" demanded Mr. Whitley. "What do you mean?"
They had come to the place where the tunnel branched away in thedirection of the break where the aqueduct used to flood the tunnels wassituated: by common impulse they all swung after Tom who had memorizedthat way.
"Halt!" snapped Pizzara. They all stopped and looked at him. In thetorchlight his face was a leering, triumphant mask of lustful delight.In his hand was the very "magic stick"--the small revolver--which he hadcaused the high priest to take from Bill when they were captured: Billhad not been able to use it, even in self rescue, for fear of shootinghis friends; he had surrendered it with a scowl for his rifle, as he nowknew, was in the hands of Pizzara's natives, waiting, at the camp on theledge.
"We can't stop," Mr. Whitley said. "Some one may discover us."
"You stop when I say!" Pizzara gloated, lifting the shining muzzle. "IfI shoot you will be capture. I will escape and come another time to takethe gold. If you do what I say you get way and I may give you one littlebit of gold as a--a souvenir."
"You expect us to carry gold!--when we are trying to escape with Mr.Gray who is feeble?" Bill snapped at Pizzara.
"Yes!" replied Pizzara. "I have select gold that is carve very pretty:it is not too heavy with so many. It will sell very high for the art andnot for the gold, as your scholar will say when he see what I havechoose."
He lifted the revolver as Bill's fists doubled.
"You are a beast!" said Mr. Whitley. "A beast who----"
"Who drive beast of burden! Come and I load your backs!"