by James Otis
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE CATASTROPHE.
To extricate Neal from his disagreeable position was a long, but not adifficult operation.
It appeared as if the earth Poyor had dug up from the middle of thefortification was all heaped above him in such a manner that he could donothing in his own behalf, and it was only necessary to dig this away.
"What could have happened to upset things so thoroughly?" he asked,staggering to his feet, and being obliged to sit down very suddenly lestthe wind should blow him down.
"As near as I can guess there has been a land slide," Cummings replied."I believe it began at the ledge under which the Indians were hidden,and how far it extends no one can so much as guess until it is possibleto get a view of the country."
"Are you not afraid of an attack?" Teddy asked.
"Not while this storm is raging. Stand up for a moment, and then you cansee whether those fellows would make much headway trying to reach us."
The wind was blowing furiously, and the rain falling in great volume.Now and then the little party cowering close together for mutualprotection, would be struck by a perfect shower of pebbles and wet sandwith such force that, had they been in a standing position, all wouldhave been overthrown, and it really required considerable exertion toremain in one spot.
The ammunition, or rather, the greater portion of it, had been left nearthe front wall of the fort, and the chances were that it was destroyedby the water or scattered beyond finding.
Teddy was the first to think of this misfortune, and he said in a toneof despair:
"There's little hope now that we can hold the enemy in check even for anhour, in case they should make an attack, for I don't believe we havetwenty cartridges left."
"And but two guns, for I lost mine when I was blown down the side of themountain," Neal added.
"Don't make the mistake of searching for trouble," Cummings interrupted."It is sufficient to know that we are alive and uninjured. The Indianswill not bother us for some time."
Not until considerably past midnight did the rain cease falling; but thewind storm still continued, and Poyor said, speaking for the first timesince the party were united:
"It will not be possible to leave here until sunrise. Those who cansleep should try to do so, for we may have a hard day's work before usto-morrow."
"I should as soon think of sleeping during a battle," Teddy replied witha shudder. "The suspense is worse than actual danger."
"What can you be afraid of just now?" Jake asked.
"At this particular moment, nothing: but I feel positive that when thesun rises we shall find ourselves surrounded by the Indians."
This was not a pleasant subject of conversation, and it was dropped asif by mutual consent.
The wind seemed icy cold, and the fugitives nestled closer together forprotection against the blast, counting the slowly passing moments untilheralds of the coming dawn appeared in the sky.
Before it was sufficiently light to distinguish surrounding objects thewind lulled, and, standing erect each looked anxiously down the side ofthe mountain, waiting impatiently for the rising of the sun.
As the misty clouds which veiled the top of the range drifted away, anexclamation of astonishment burst from the lips of all.
Where, a few hours previous, had been a band of men eager to capture orslay the white strangers, was now only a yawning chasm.
Beginning at the ledge of rocks it appeared as if a giant hand had rentthe side of the mountain apart, throwing the huge mass of earth into thevalley, uprooting or crushing trees, and making desolate for manyhundred yards what had been a perfect garden of trees, flowers andshrubs.
"Why, there must have been an earthquake!" Jake exclaimed when the firstburst of astonishment passed away.
"Hardly as bad as that," Cummings replied. "I fancy the lightning struckthe ledge, and then a regular land slide followed."
"Do you suppose the Indians are buried under that pile of earth androcks?"
"Unless they understood what damage might be done by such storms theymust be, and it stands us in hand to get away from this spot beforeothers can arrive."
"It is terrible to think of so many being killed," Teddy saidmournfully, and Jake asked sharply:
"Are you sorry we've got a chance for escape?"
"Certainly not; but no matter who they were, one can't help feelingshocked at such a catastrophe."
"It is not well for us to stay here," Poyor said before any reply couldbe made. "While looking at what we believe to be the grave of the ChanSanta Cruz army, they may be climbing the mountain to cut us off."
"You are right, Poyor. Boys, look around for the ammunition and Neal'sgun, and whether we find anything or not we must be on our journey infive minutes."
Cummings led in the search, which resulted in nothing, for even theboulders which formed the fort were hidden from view by the sand andgravel, and then Poyor advanced on the way upward once more.
Although it seemed certain the enemy had been destroyed the Indian didnot neglect any precaution. He traveled further in advance than usualand from time to time cast searching glances toward the valley where, inall probability, so many lay dead.
Now every member of the party were suffering for food. It was thirty-sixhours since they had satisfied their hunger, and during the greaterportion of this time a large amount of labor had been performed.
"I believe I could eat an iguana, and that's the most disagreeablelooking reptile I've ever seen," Teddy whispered to Neal, and the latterreplied gravely:
"It doesn't seem right to complain about being hungry after escapingfrom such a terrible situation; but at the same time I'm willing toconfess that almost anything would taste mighty good just now."
The travelers were nearing the summit of the mountain where not so muchas a blade of grass could be seen, and there was nothing for it but toendure hunger, as they were forced to, the heat, which, as the dayadvanced, seemed almost insupportable.
It was about noon when the little party stood on the highest point ofland, and, looking over a long stretch of valley and plain covered withverdure of the deepest green, saw the blue waters of the Caribbean sea,the crests of the waves sparkling in the sunlight like jewels set insapphire-colored enamel.
Never had the ocean seemed so beautiful and friendly as now, after thelong, dangerous tramp, and the boys forgot all privations anddiscomforts as they gazed at the broad expanse of water.
"If the Sea Dream was afloat and anchored off there how quickly we couldget home," Teddy cried.
"Even allowing that nothing happens to prevent our traveling ten hours aday, it will be a week before you can stand on the shore of the sea,"Cummings replied, glancing backward as if regretting that he was aboutto descend the range which would separate him from the wonders andwealth of the Silver City.
"At least, we have nothing more to fear from the Indians, and there isnow good reason to believe we shall get home at some time, which is morethan either of us could have said truthfully last night."
"We can't have that satisfaction," and Cummings turned to resume themarch. "The Chan Santa Cruz frequently go to the coast, and there areplenty living near by who may try to make matters disagreeable for us.But we must not stand here speculating; it is necessary to gain theforest below before finding anything for supper, and I'm free to confessthat either fish or meat will be very acceptable."
The thought of food caused all to forget their fatigue, and the descentwas begun, the progress being as easy and rapid as it had previouslybeen slow and difficult.
The afternoon was not more than half spent when they reached the fringeof bushes marking the forest line, and an hour later the little partywere shielded from the rays of the sun by the wide spreading branchesof enormous trees.
Now the advance was more of a hunting excursion than the ending of aday's journey, and each member of the band searched among the foliagefor something eatable.
Poyor was the one who finally succeeded in
replenishing the larder, andhe did it in a right royal manner.
While Neal and Teddy were looking for a bird which the latter declaredhe had caught a glimpse of among the leaves, the Indian started off atfull speed, returning in a short time with two armadilloes.
"Good for you!" Cummings shouted joyfully. "We'll have a first-classsupper now, with plenty to spare for breakfast. How did you manage toget both?"
"An Indian is a better hunter than the white man," Poyor said with asmile as he set about building a fire.
"Do you intend to eat those horrid looking things?" Teddy asked insurprise.
"Indeed I do, and after you get a taste of the old fellow's flesh,roasted in his own shell, you'll say it goes ahead of everything excepta morsel of fat from the back of Mr. Armadillo."
A small spring bubbled out of the ground beneath a huge logwood tree,giving rise to what would probably be a large stream by the time itreached the coast, and here it was proposed to spend the night.
To protect themselves from possible visits from wild beasts Cummings setabout collecting fuel for camp-fires, and in this work the othersassisted while the Indian played the part of cook.
While his game was being roasted Poyor searched the forest in theimmediate vicinity, and succeeded in finding a quantity of yellowishgreen fruit which Cummings explained to his companions were mangoes.
"I thought it was necessary to cultivate mangoes," Teddy said insurprise.
"Not here, although it was originally introduced from India; but it tookso kindly to the soil that one finds the fruit even in the heart of theprimitive forest. Except for the odor of turpentine, I think it the mostpleasing of all that nature has bestowed."
Just at that moment the boys were more interested in what Poyor wasdoing than regarding the fruits of Yucatan, and instantly he pulled thefirst armadillo from the fire they were ready to be served.
During ten minutes after receiving his share of the meat on a broadleaf, every member of the party ate ravenously, and then Jake said witha sigh of content, as he helped himself to another generous portion:
"I declare it is almost worth while going without grub in order to knowhow good it tastes."
"I'd rather eat less at a time, and have my meals more regularly," Teddysaid with a laugh, as he made an attack upon a pile of mangoes.
Then Cummings began to discuss with Poyor the best course to pursuewhile journeying to the coast, and the others listened in silence, forupon the decision arrived at might depend all their chances of everreaching home again.