The Mystery Boys and the Inca Gold

by Van Powell

  CHAPTER XXIX AT THE CISTERN

  Although dawn was streaking the heavens with its colors, it was stilldusk in the valley and pitch dark in their open cut.

  "We are nearly there!" said Caya, coming forward in the dim line to helpCliff with his father: she took his statue in spite of her own burdenand they hurried all they could.

  From somewhere in the distance ahead they heard shouts.

  "Can we make it?" panted Mr. Whitley.

  "It's a question of minutes," gasped Bill. "Seconds, maybe! Hear that!"

  As they neared the place where the great sluice gate of that particulardistributing aqueduct was located they heard the shouting of men and therumble of something--was it a huge stone being lifted by their rude anduncouth mechanical methods? Was that the gurgle of water they heardbetween the rumblings?

  "Oh!" whispered Caya--"Here hangs the rope." She, in the lead, feelingthe walls, had located something hanging down.

  Her brother gave a sharp jerk, repeated it, was answered.

  "Caya first," said Mr. Whitley.

  "No," said Mr. Gray. "William--Bill first!"

  "He can help pull up the rest," Cliff urged. "My father can't climb, hewill have to be drawn up."

  "Hurry, then, Bill," said Mr. Whitley. In the darkness they began tofeel the rope twitch and jerk, and heard the scrape of boots feeling fora foothold on the fairly rough side of the aqueduct. Then, far up theside they saw, in the light from the reddening sky, Bill, monkeylike,climbing like a sailor.

  Soon the rope came down again. There was a loop at its end. "Sit in theloop and hang on," Cliff and Mr. Whitley both urged.

  "No," said Mr. Gray. "I am not going until the girl is safe." Caya waslifted for there was no time for argument. Bill and the eager father ofthe girl swung her in quick jerks upward.

  Then the rope came down. "Wait!" said Pizzara. "Why not send the gold upnow? I have tied the bundles together----"

  A sharp push flung him aside. Mr. Whitley was at the end of hispatience, seeing this man willing to risk their lives in preference torisking his gold. "You can send it up before you come," he said.

  There was a more ominous rumbling close at hand and they began to swarmup the rope as soon as the old man was safe. But Pizzara hung back. Therest were climbing like sailors, for there came the sound of waterbeginning to seep around an obstruction and there was a tiny wet poolrunning along under foot. While they climbed Pizzara took his finalchance with his Fate or luck or patron Saint's protection for he waiteduntil he had made all the woolen thongs into a big knot and had swungthat to the end of the rope: then he saw that he had no time to waste,for there was the beginning of a swirling torrent at his feet that swunghim up and off his balance as he gripped the rope and began to surgeupward. When his face topped the edge of a narrow step on which theothers waited, he wore a sardonic grin which the growing light showed.

  "I save the gold," he said. "Haul him up."

  Cliff thought that Mr. Whitley was going to prevent that but Billtouched his arm: whispered, "Not yet--we will need the rope!"

  They hauled up the gold, then, and were told to inch their way along thenarrow ledge for a few feet to where, in the side wall, through longdisuse, a great part had crumbled out, leaving a sort of rude cave,uneven of floor and jagged on its sides, but deep enough to enable themall to retire into the darkness at the back and be reasonably sure ofnot being seen. The rope was also out of sight and as they heard theroar of the waters rushing into the aqueduct, Cliff sighed.

  "All that lovely woven stuff will be ruined," he said. "I feel ashamedof myself in a way for being partly the cause of so much destruction."

  "It is Pizzara's fault, not yours," Nicky said. "If he hadn't touchedthe gold they might not have flooded the tunnel to stop us. If we hadtraveled light we could have been here sooner and we might haveoverpowered the gateman and prevented the opening of the gate."

  "That is how to thank me when I save your life!" growled Pizzara.

  "Little you cared for us," flared Nicky. "Only for the gold we couldcarry. You'll get paid back for that, some way."

  Mr. Whitley's hand warned him to be silent. This was no time nor was itthe place for quarreling or anger.

  "Judge not----" he warned. "There is a Higher Power to attend to that,Nicky."

  "Yes, you are right," Nicky admitted. "I'm sorry I spoke."

  Caya's father had brought a little food, having had time to do no morewhen his son had raced home to plan with him for their rescue.

  They ate and felt better.

  "How do we get out of here?" Bill asked Caya's brother.

  They must wait until night, he said, and then they could creep aroundthe ledge to a place where there were steps, and if they could elude theguard there they could get to the level ground and make for the hills.

  "But there is no way out of the valley when we get to them," objectedBill. "We don't know about the secret pass."

  "Ah!" said Pizzara. "There, again, I am noble to save. I take you. Whenthe high priest tell nobles to guard one place more than all other Ifollow. I shall save you even when you call me bad name."

  Which only proved it true that one can never hate any man because it isnever possible to tell when a seeming enemy may prove one's best friend.No matter how base Pizzara's motive might be, he was made an instrumentin the hands of a higher power than hate, and he was to prove also thatthere is a law of exact justice, that what one gives, in his thoughts,whether love, hate, lust, envy, greed or generosity, it returns to himin some way and at some time.

  The day was irksome, even with the thrills of seeing soldiers scoutingaround the reservoir: one even started to walk a little way along theledge from the stairs of rough stone at the gates, but as the Incas hadturned more water into the cistern and it was slowly raising the leveltoward the ledge he did not go far.

  The water itself became a menace before night, for it was almost levelwith their small, deep cavern; but its rise was slow and would be unlesssome one cut off the flow into the tunnels, which must happen soon.

  It would be a question for them of whether dark came before the waterlevel flooded the break in the stone and swept them out into thecavernous cistern.

  The water came almost to the edge and then receded as the gate to thereserve supply in the mountains was closed.

  Then darkness came, and they started on the most perilous part of theirjourney, edging around the ledge. Fortunately for them it was dry andnot slippery.

  Again Pizzara showed that lust was stronger than caution for he electedto remain in the cavern until they got out; they were then to proceed toa point above the cavern, lower the rope and pull his gold and himselfup that way.

  They could not refuse for he knew the secret passes.

  Finally they were all safe and again they resumed their golden burdens.Caya, who could not stay in the valley without danger of death when shewas discovered, had decided to go with her brother, who was alsoendangered. Their plan was to seek her shepherd and his mother in thehills and to stay there for a while. Perhaps Caya might stay and make ahome for him, who could say? She was shy as she said it. Bill told theothers of the plans the Indians made, and they all turned away insympathetic silence as Caya and her brother bade farewell to the stern,proud old father and the clinging, sobbing mother who had braved everydanger of discovery to steal close enough to know that all was well andto say goodbye.

  But in due time, they were done and again the party walked along underthe stars, on open ground and in constant danger of detection--but,happily--perhaps because the Incas supposed that the tunnel flood hadserved its purpose--they were not seen.

  Again, near daybreak, they were in the mountains, and well hidden in adeep crevasse into which light never penetrated.