holy," said he.
"And not feeling very hungry, either," exclaims Dolly Venn, who hadbegun to cough in the steaming vapour, which we laughed at. I wasanxious about the lad already, and it didn't comfort me to hear SethBarker breathing like an ox and telling me that it should be clearer inthe valley.
I said, "Yes, it might be," and all together we began to march again. Asharp walk carried us from the hill path through the tangle of bushesinto the woods wherefrom danger first had come to us. The night had setin by this time and a clear moon was showing in the sky. Rare andbeautiful, I must say, that moonlight was, shimmering through the hazyblue vapour and coming down almost as a carpet of violet between thebroad green leaves. No scene that I have witnessed upon the stage of atheatre was more pleasing to my eyes than that silent forest with itslawns of grass and its patches of wonderful, fantastic light, and itsstrange silence, and the loneliness of which it seemed to speak. Soawesome was it that I do not wonder we went a considerable way insilence. We were afraid, perhaps, to tell each other what we thought.When Peter Bligh cried out at last, we started at the sound of hisvoice as though a stranger hailed us.
"Yonder," cried he, in a voice grown deep and husky; "yonder, captain,what do you make of that? Is it living men or dead, or do my eyesdeceive me?"
I stopped short at his words and the others halted with me. We were ina deep glen by this time; and all the surrounding woodland was shutfrom our sight. Great trees spread their branches like a canopy aboveus; the grass was soft and downy to the feet; the bewitching violetlight gave unnatural yet wonderful colours to the flowery bushes aboutus. No fairy glen could have showed a heart more wonderful; and yet, Isay, we four stood on the borders of it, with white faces and blinkingeyes, and thoughts which none would change even with his own brother.
Why did he do it, you ask? Ah, I'll tell you why.
There were three men sleeping in the glen, and the face of one wasplainly to be seen. He lay upon his back, his hands clenched, his limbsstiff, his eyes wide open as though some fearsome apparition had cometo him and was not to be passed by. Of the others, one had dropped facedownward and lay huddled up at the tree's foot; but the third was in anatural attitude and I do believe that he was dead. For a long time westood there watching them--for he whose eyes were to be seen utteredevery now and then a dismal cry in his sleep, and the second began totalk like a man in a delirium. Spanish he spoke, and that is a tongue Ido not understand. But the words told of agony if ever words did, and Iturned away from the scene at last as a man who couldn't bear to hearthem.
"They're sleeping," said I, "and little good to wake them, if Miss Ruthspeaks true. Come on, lads--the shore's our road and short's the timeto get there."
Peter Bligh reeled dizzily in his walk and began to talkincoherently--a thing I had never heard him do before in all his life.
"They're sleeping, aye, and what's the waking to be? Is it the madhouseor the ground? She spoke of the madhouse, and who'll deny, with reason?There was air for a man in the heights and no parlour plants. I walkedforty miles to Cardiff Fair and didn't dance like this. Take bread whenyou've no meat, and, by thunder, I'll fill your glasses."
Well, he gabbled on so, and not one of us gave him a hearing. I had myarm linked in Dolly Venn's, for he was weak and hysterical, and Ifeared he'd go under. Seth Barker, a strong man always, crashed throughthe underwood like an elephant stampeding. The woods, I said, couldshow us no more awesome sight than we had happed upon in the hollow;but there I was wrong, for we hadn't tracked a quarter of a mile whenwe stumbled suddenly upon the gardens of the bungalow, and there, lyingall together, were five young girls I judged to be natives, for theyhad the shape of Pacific Islanders, and, seen in that strange light,were as handsome and taking as European women. Asleep they were, youcouldn't doubt it; but, unlike the white men, they lay so still thatthey might have been dead, while nothing but their smiling faces toldof life and breathing. They, at least, did not appear to suffer, andthat was something for our consolation.
"Look yonder, Dolly lad, and 'tell me what you see," said I, though,truth to tell, every word spoken was like a knife through my chest;"three young women sleeping as though they were in their own beds.Isn't that a sight to keep a man up? If they can go through with it,why not we--great men that have the sea's good health in them? Bear up,my boy, well find a haven presently."
I didn't believe it, that goes without saying, nor, for that matter,did he. But wild horses wouldn't have dragged the truth from him. Hewas always a rare plucky one, was little Dolly Venn, and he behaved assuch that night.
"Better leave me? sir," he said; "I'm dead weight in the boat. Do yougo to the beach, and perhaps the ship will come back. You've beenvery kind to me, Mister Begg, so kind, and now it's 'good-bye,' just'good-bye' and a long good-night."
"Aye," said I, "and a sharp appetite for breakfast in the morning. Didyou ever hear that I was a bit of a strong man, Dolly? Well, you see, Ican pick you up as though you were a feather, and now that I have gotyou into my arms I'm going to carry you--why, where do you think?--intoRuth Bellenden's house, of course."
He said nothing, but lay in my arms like a child. Peter Bligh hadfallen headlong by the gate of the bungalow, and Seth Barker was aboutraving. I had trouble to make him understand my words; but he took themat last and did as I told him.
"Open that door--with the bludgeon if you can't do it otherwise. Butopen it, man, open it!"
He drew himself up erect and dealt a blow upon the door which mighthave brought down a factory chimney. I ran into the house with DollyVenn in my arms, and as I ran I called to Barker, for God's sake, tohelp Mister Bligh. There would be no one in the house, I said, andnothing to be got by whispers. We ran a race with death, and for themoment had turned the corner before him.
"Get Mister Bligh to the house and bar up the door after you. The fogwill fill it in five minutes, and what then? Do you hear me, SethBarker--do you hear me?"
I asked the question plainly enough; but it was not Seth Barker whoreplied to it. You shall judge of my feelings when a bright lightflashed suddenly in my face and a pleasant voice, coming out ofnowhere, said, quite civilly:
"The door, by all means, if you have any; regard for your lives ormine!"
CHAPTER XII
THE DANCING MADNESS
It was a great surprise to me that here should have been one of EdmondCzerny's men left in the bungalow; and when I heard his voice I stoodfor a full minute, uncertain whether to go on or to draw back. Thelight of the lamp was very bright; I had Dolly Venn in my arms,remember, and it was all Seth Barker's work to bring in Mister Bligh,so that no one will wonder at my hesitation, or the questions I put tomyself as to how many men were in the house with the stranger, or whatbusiness kept him there when the island was a death-trap. Thesequestions, however, the man answered for himself before many minuteshad passed; and, moreover, a seaman's instinct seemed to tell me thathe was a friend.
"Walk right in here," he cried, opening a door behind him and showingme a room I had not entered when I visited Mme. Czerny. "Walk right inand don't gather daisies on the way. You've been on a pleasure cruisein the fog, I suppose--well, that's a sailor all the time--just all thetime."
He opened the door, I say, upon this, and when we had followed him intothe room he shut it as quickly. It was not a very large apartment, butI noticed at once that the windows were blocked and curtained, and thathalf the space was lumbered up with great machines which seemed made upof glass bowls and jars; while a flame of gas was roaring out of aniron tube, and a current of delicious fresh air blowing upon our faces.Whatever we were in for, whether friendship or the other thing, a mancould breathe here, and that was something to be thankful for.
"We were caught in the woods and ran for it," said I, thinking in timeto make my explanations; "it may have been a fool's errand, but it hasbrought us to a wise man's door. You know what the lad's trouble is, oryou wouldn't be in this house, sir. I'll thank you for any kindness tohim."
He turned a ple
asant face towards me and bade me lay Dolly on the sofanear the flaming burner. Peter Bligh was sitting on a chair, swearing,I fear, as much as he was coughing. Seth Barker, who had the lungs of abull, looked as though he had found good grass. The fog wasn't made, Ido believe, which would harm him. As for the doctor himself, he seemedlike a perplexed man who has time for one smile and no more.
"The lad will be all right in five minutes," said he, seriously; "thereis air enough here, we being five men, for," he appeared to pause, andthen he added, "for just three days. After that--why, yes, we'll beginto think after that."
I did not know what to say to him, nor, I
The House Under the Sea: A Romance Page 17