CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
A BI-STARTLER.
"What's that?" cried Jack, starting up into a sitting position, to faceNed, who rubbed his eyes and stared.
"I dunno, sir; sounded to me like a horrid shriek."
"Yes; that was what woke me, Ned," said Jack in an awestricken whisper."It sounded like some one being killed."
"There it is again!" cried Ned, as a harsh, shrill sound arose fromclose at hand, to be followed by a chorus of discordant cries, whichseemed to run in by them to be echoed and made more hollow and strange.
"Talk about sharpening saws," said Ned, as he hurriedly began to dress,"why that's lovely to it. Cockatoos, that's what it is. Good job it'sdaylight, or I should have been thinking that we'd come to sleep in anawful place."
"I couldn't make out where we were, Ned, for some time. Did you sleepwell?"
"I dunno, sir. Don't know nothing about it, only that I lay down andsnuggled the sand over me a bit. Next thing I heard was those birds.How did you get on, sir?"
"Slept! oh, so soundly!"
"And feel all the better for it, sir?"
"Yes--no, my head aches and feels sore from the blow."
"Ah, I should like to have a turn at those chaps, Mr Jack, sir; I owe'em one, and you owe 'em one too. Perhaps we shall get a chance to pay'em some day."
"I hope not," said Jack, who was hurrying on his clothes.
"You hope not, sir?"
"Yes, of course. I hope we may never see or hear anything of themagain. And perhaps they're waiting on the mountain side to seize us assoon as we go out of this cave."
"Then we mustn't go out till they're gone, sir. Clothes pretty dry,sir?"
"Yes, Ned, they seem quite dry; but I want to bathe."
"What, again, sir? I got washed enough last night to last me for a bit.Fine place this would be to bring a cargo of umbrellas, if there wasany one to buy 'em. I never saw it rain like that."
"Oh, Ned--Ned, do try and talk sensibly," cried Jack. "How can you makejokes when we are in such danger?"
"I dunno about being in danger now, sir. We're pretty safe at present.I say, sir, this must be the way down into the kitchen," continued Ned,as he went on dressing, and trying to peer into the darkness of thecavernous place. "My word, can't you smell the black beadles?"
"I do smell something," replied Jack thoughtfully. "It must bevolcanic."
"Beadly, sir. There, it's quite strong." At that moment from fartherin a fluttering and squealing sound was heard, and Ned started back."There, sir, I said so. Mice and rats too."
"Nonsense; it is the great fruit bats."
"What, those we see of a night, sir, bigger than pigeons?"
"Yes; this is one of their roosting-places."
"And do they smell like beadles, sir?"
"Yes; very much like. But now, Ned, what shall we do next?"
"Well, sir, if I did what I liked I should choose a good breakfast; butas I can't, what do you say to going a bit farther in here to see whatit's like?"
"Not now. I want to make out whereabouts we are, and whether the blacksare on the look-out for us still; and then I want to communicate with myfather; he must be horribly anxious about us, Ned."
"Yes; I expect he thinks we've gone down some hole, sir, and it strikesme he'll be saying something to the doctor for going and leaving usbehind."
"I'm afraid that it was our fault, Ned, for not keeping up."
"Well, sir, we can't help it now. Next best thing is to get back to theyacht, so as soon as you're ready we'll make a start; but I'm afraid itwill be a long walk before breakfast."
"Terribly long, I'm afraid."
"But there's always a good side to everything, sir, even if it's alooking-glass," continued Ned philosophically. "We're better off thanyou might think."
"I can't see it, Ned."
"Why, we've got no guns, nor wallets, nor cartridges to carry, sir. Nowthen, will you lead?"
"Yes; be cautious. We don't know but what some of the blacks may benear."
"That's true, sir. First thing I s'pose is to get what old Lenny callsour bearings."
"Yes; we must find out where we face," said Jack, and he advancedcautiously to the cavern's entrance, and began to peer round warily fordanger.
But there was no sign of any. They were very high up, the morning wasclear, the sun was gilding the vapours which rose from the rifts andvalleys, and the sea glittered gloriously. Far below they obtainedglimpses of the reef with its fringe of foam; but not a murmur of thebeating waves reached them, while overhead, partially hidden in clouds,the crater of the volcano showed some of its craggy slopes, and theforest beneath seemed to be less dense.
"I can't make out where we are, Ned," said Jack at last. "Yes, I can;we have worked round more to the south, and must have done nothing butget farther and farther away from the yacht."
"Think so, sir? Let's see; we anchored east side first, then we wentround and anchored west, and you say we've been travelling south. Well,I dare say you're right, and that means we must keep to the west again.Why, those black fellows must have taken us out of that little valleyand put us in another one. I must say it's rather puzzling, sir. Butyou lead, and I'll follow, for it's of no use for me to pretend to beable to steer."
Jack made no reply, but stood looking downward, seeing nothing of theglorious prospect below, his mind being taken up with thoughts of tryingto hit the head of the ravine up which they had travelled, for he knewthe difficulties attendant upon going down another, to be led right tothe edge of the lagoon, with the puzzle before him of not knowingwhether to travel to right or left.
"There's that flock of shriekers coming along below there, Mr Jack,sir," said the man, breaking in upon the lad's reverie. "No, it ain't:it's pigs. I can see 'em, sir; there they go. My word, I wish I had agun, and they came within reach; I'd have a shot at one of 'em, andbefore long it would be roast pork for breakfast. See 'em, sir? Therethey go."
They were plain enough to see at times, a drove of twenty or so, of allsizes, down to quite small porkers, as they raced along over the openpatches, and then disappeared in amongst the trees, to re-appear oncemore as they made for the denser portions of the forest.
"Why, there's one left behind, Ned," said Jack suddenly. "It looks asif it was lame."
"Why, it has broken down. Look, sir, how it keeps limping. I say, wemust have him. We can't let a chance like that go when we're starving.Keep your eye on the spot, sir, while I try and hit off some mark toknow him by."
Jack's response, as Ned moved to get into a better position forobservation, was to leap upon the man and drag him back into theentrance of the cavern.
"What did you do that for, sir?" he cried angrily.
"Couldn't you see what was coming?"
"No, sir," cried Ned surlily; "could you?"
"Go down on hands and knees to that block of stone lying there, and peepover cautiously."
Ned obeyed in an ill-used fashion, and dropped down again to crawl backinto the cavern.
"Oh, I say, Mr Jack, seven or eight of them."
"I only saw two."
"Quite what I said, sir. They must have been hunting the drove, andspeared the one that hung behind. Now, then, they'll be stopping tocook and have another feast. Suppose they come in here to make thistheir kitchen? Hadn't we better slip out at once and make a run forit?"
"Run for it?" cried Jack. "How can we up here, where it is all slowclimb? No, we must keep in hiding."
"But suppose they choose this place and come here?"
"Not likely, Ned. If they do we must go farther into its depths."
"Ugh!" cried the man with a shudder. "I want to get out of the hole.It's hot and steamy, and unnatural. I believe some of the melted stuffcame out this way."
"What, the molten lava? Of course," said Jack coolly. "I don'tunderstand much about it, but it's plain enough that this was all liquidmolten matter once, and that it ran out along here."
/> "What, this rock, Mr Jack? Do you mean melted like lead and runningdown?"
"Of course."
"Oh, I say, Mr Jack, is this a time, with black Indians close at hand,to go stuffing a fellow with cranky tales?"
"I am only telling you the simple truth, Ned."
"But hard stone can't melt."
"Yes, it can, if the heat is great enough. This was all running likemolten metal once, this part under our feet."
"And what about this where we are, sir?"
"It seems to me, Ned, as if it were the cindery froth on the top, thatwas full of gas and steam, so that when it cooled it left all theseholes and cracks and crevices. Look at that piece lying there; onlythat it's of a beautiful silvery grey, it looks just like one of thepieces of cinder which pop out of the fire."
"Want a pretty good-sized fire for a piece like that to pop out of,sir," said the man scornfully.
"Well, it must have been a good-sized fire when this great mountain wasin eruption, and the red-hot lava boiling over the sides of the craterand running down."
"But do you really think it ever did, sir?"
"I have no doubt about it whatever. Look at that piece lying halfburied in the black sand. What is that?"
"Looks like black glass, sir," said Ned, kicking a piece of obsidian.
"Well, it is volcanic glass. How could that have been made withoutheat?"
"I dunno, sir. It caps me."
"You said the place was hot."
"No need to say it, sir. I'm as hot as hot. Brings me out in aprespiration."
"St! don't talk so loudly, Ned. The place echoes so."
At that moment the man laid his hand upon Jack's arm and pointeddownward.
The lad followed the direction of the pointing hand, to see that a groupof the blacks were coming in their direction, and for the moment Jackfelt that they must be seen, until he saw that they were standing wellin the shadow.
His first impulse was to catch Ned's arm, stoop down and hurry away toreach the shelter of the trees, but Ned stopped him.
"No good, sir. We should be seen. Let's go right in here."
"What, to be trapped?"
"They mightn't come in here, sir, and if they did, perhaps they couldn'tfind us. Anyhow they're sure to see us and come after us if we gooutside."
The wisdom of the words was evident enough, and with a sigh Jack drewback with his companion, startling some birds from a shelf where theyseemed to be nesting within reach of his hand, and sending them rushingout uttering their alarm notes.
"Are we in far enough, Mr Jack?" said Ned.
"No: any one could see us here. Come along."
They went on inward for another twenty yards, the mouth of the entrancestill being in full view. It was awkward travelling, the black sandhaving given place to loose pieces of scoria and obsidian, some piecesof which crackled under their boots, and took revenge by entering intothe soles. As they went in the place widened out, but remained muchabout the same height overhead, the highest portions of the roof beingnearly within touch of Ned's hand.
Here the latter stopped again.
"Don't let's go any farther, sir," he said nervously. "Don't you feel abit frightened?"
"Of course I do. It would be horrible if they caught us again. Theywould kill us."
"Yes, sir; most likely," said Ned. "Be awkward, wouldn't it? But don'tyou feel scared-like about this great black hole?"
"Scared? No; I like it, Ned."
"Oh, no, you don't, sir. You can't. Don't say that. There! There itis again. Just over your head."
He shrank back with his fist doubled as if prepared to strike.
"What is it?" cried Jack, startled now.
"I dunno, sir. Let's go back," cried the man in an agitated whisper."It's very horrid though. There's lots of 'em shuffling and scramblingabout in the cracks and holes, staring at you with their wicked-lookingeyes, and more 'n once I've seen 'em flapping their wings. I don't likeit. Let's go back."
"Go back to be taken? Impossible. Look, they are only bats."
"Bats with wings a yard across, sir? Oh, come, I know better thanthat."
"What are they then?" said Jack angrily.
"Oh, I dunno, sir. Something horrid as lives in this dreadful place.They make me feel creepy all down my back. I'd rather have a set-towith one of the ugliest blacks yonder."
"I tell you they are bats--the great fruit bats. Why, Captain Bradleighpointed them out to me the other night, flying overhead in the darknessjust like big crows."
"Are you sure, sir? There, look at that thing staring down at you andmaking noises. Mind, pray, Mr Jack, sir, or he'll have you. Perhapstheir bite's poison."
"They will not bite if we leave them alone. They are flying foxes."
"Flying wolves, I think, sir. I say, hadn't we better go back?"
"No," said Jack firmly. "Why, Ned, are you going to turn coward?"
"Hope not, sir; and that's what worries me--me being a man and feelingas I do, while you're only a boy and don't seem to mind a bit. Iwouldn't care so much if you were frightened too."
"Well, I am frightened, Ned--horribly frightened, but not of the flyingfoxes."
"But you don't seem to mind what might be farther in, sir," said Ned,staring wildly into the darkness ahead.
"Oh yes, I do," replied Jack. "I'm afraid we might slip down into somehorrible black pit; but we need not if we're careful."
"Ah, you don't seem to understand me, sir, and I don't quite understandmyself. I suppose it's from only being half myself again, for one of myarms is no good at all. That's what makes me feel a bit cowardly like."
"Yes, of course, it makes you nervous," said Jack quietly.
"There! Feel that, sir?" whispered Ned in a horror-stricken voice.
"That hot puff of air? Yes, it's curious. I suppose it would growwarmer the farther we went in."
"And you taking it as cool as can be, sir," said Ned in a voice full ofreproach.
"Well, why not? We've only got to be careful, just as we should have tobe if we were climbing up to the crater. There would be hot steamypuffs of air there, and--Quick, don't speak. Take hold of my hand, andlet's go softly right in."
Ned did not hesitate, but obeyed at once, and they walked softly on intothe darkness ahead, for from apparently close behind them--though thespeakers had not yet reached the mouth of the low cavern--there came theconfused angry gabble of many voices, and on looking back Ned saw themouth of the place darkened, and it seemed as if the enemy were about tocome in; but some were apparently hesitating, and protesting against itsbeing done.
Ned's dread of the unseen departed at sight of the seen, and he walkedfirmly onward, gripping Jack's hand tightly.
"Come on in, sir," he whispered; "they're after us. Let's get into adark corner, and let 'em have it with stones--some of these sharp bits."
Everything seemed to point to the fact that they must either get rightinto the depths of the cavern and trust to finding a place ofconcealment, or stand on their defence as Ned suggested, and meet theirenemies with stones.
They must have retreated quite fifty yards over the sharp crackingfragments, when the light which shone in upon them from the mouthsuddenly ceased, and looking round for the cause, they found that thepassage had made a sudden turn, so that they had to go back three orfour yards before they could catch sight of the enemy.
That which they saw was enough to startle them, showing as it did theimminence of their danger, and that the blacks were probably coming insearch of them, under the belief that they were in hiding. For one,evidently the leader, was in advance, with bow and arrow in hand readyto shoot, and his companions held their spears prepared for action asthey came on in a stooping attitude.
"Shall we shoot at 'em?" whispered Ned, feeling now in the presence ofdanger.
"No. Let's get a little heap of stones and be ready to throw when theyare well in reach."
"Oh, if I could only use my other
arm!" muttered Ned. "Come on then,sir. They can't see us now. Perhaps there's a narrower place fartherin, and the darker it is the better for us and the worse for them."
The change in the poor fellow was wonderful. He did not seem like thesame. It struck Jack for the moment, but he had something else to thinkabout, and he followed his companion quickly, at the risk of slippinginto some precipitous place.
It was too dark to see much when they stopped again, but they could feelplenty of rough pieces of stone beneath their feet, and the place wasnarrow enough to make the chances of a successful defence greater.
"It's an ugly job, Mr Jack, sir," said Ned, "and I feel precious shakyabout my throwing, though there was a time when I'd hurl a cricket-ballwith any man I knew. If they think they're coming nobbling us aboutwith their war-clubs and getting nothing back, they're precious wellmistaken, so scuffle up all you can, and--Oh! Murder!"
Ned dropped down on his face, and Jack crawled against the wall, for atthe first attempt made to pull a stone from a heap there was a sharprustling sound, a little avalanche of fragments was set in motion, andthey fell with a tremendous splash into some subterranean naturalreservoir; a loud reverberation followed, and instantaneously, as theechoes went bellowing out through the passage by which the fugitives hadentered, there was a strange rushing fluttering, and the sound as of aroaring mighty wind unchained from some vast chasm where it had lain atrest.
Jack felt the wind touching him as it passed. Then in a flash he knewthat it was caused by the beating of thousands of wings, and then, withhis heart beating heavily, he was listening to an outburst of shrieksand yells, and lastly nothing was to be heard but Ned groaning andmuttering:
"Oh dear! oh dear! it 'd frighten any man, let alone a poor chap who'sbeen wounded mortal bad!"
A few minutes of time only were occupied by the whole of what tookplace, from the first rattle of the stones to Ned's piteousejaculations, and Jack crouched there listening till the poor fellowexclaimed--
"Mr Jack, sir, where are you? Don't say you're dead."
"No, Ned, I won't."
"Oh, my dear lad, where are you then?" gasped the poor fellow wildly.
"Here, quite safe; but don't move, there must be a terrible gulf closebeside you."
"Yes, sir, and I thought it had swallowed you. I say, is it all overwith us?"
"I hope not," said Jack quietly. "But listen, Ned; can you hear theblacks?"
"Hear 'em! No, sir. My ears seem full of the shrieks and cries ofthose things as they tore out of the place, and you would stick out thatthey were bats. Phew, can't you smell 'em?"
"Yes, plainly enough; but it was not the bats made those noises, it musthave been the blacks."
"No, no, sir, it was those horrid things. I felt 'em hitting me withtheir wings as they swooped by."
"Nonsense, nonsense. They were scared by the noise of the stonesfalling, and the echoes, and it seems to me that they scared the blacksas well as us, and they have run out again."
"What!" cried Ned. "You don't mean that, Mr Jack?"
"But I do. Ned, they've gone."
"Well! and I was only just before thinking that I was getting over beingso shaky and nervous, and not so queer about myself, and then for me tobreak down like that. Of all the cowardly cranks I ever did comeacross! Oh, I say, Mr Jack, sir, ain't you ashamed of me?"
"I'm quite as ashamed of myself, Ned. I don't know who could help beingfrightened; my heart's beating tremendously still. But they've gone,Ned, I feel sure."
"Well, I believe they have, sir, 'pon my word. But I say, Mr Jack,sir, don't be offended at what I say."
"Of course not. Say it quick."
"It's on'y this, sir; are you the same young gent as sailed with us fromDartmouth a short time ago? because you cap me."
"Here, give me your hand," cried Jack. "No; stop. Don't move. Youmight slip. Can't we get a light?"
"Light, sir? Yes; of course. I've got a little box of wax matches inmy pocket."
There was a faint rustling sound in the darkness, and then Ned uttered agroan.
"Lost them?"
"No, sir; here they are, but I forgot about the rain last night. Theymust be all soaked and spoiled."
"Try one."
"Yes, sir, I'll try. But I say, Mr Jack, this is like being in a mine,and it must be fiery, as they call it, being so hot. Will there be anydanger of an explosion from gas?"
"Oh, surely not. This isn't a coal-mine, but a sort of grotto under aflow of lava. Try if one of them will light."
"All right, sir. I say, they rattle all right, as if they were hard."
The box clicked as Ned opened it; he took out a match, rubbed itsharply, and there was a faint line of phosphorescent light.
"No go, sir; just like one of them fishy things we get alongside."
"Try another."
_Whisk_--_crick_--_crick_--_crack_--and a flash of light.
"Hooray!" cried Ned, as the tiny taper blazed up and burned steadily,showing that the holder was close to the edge of a huge chasm, downwhich a couple of strides would have taken him, and as the light burnedlower Jack crept quickly to where Ned still crouched by the side of thepassage.
"Why, Ned, I could not see much, but this opens out here into a vastplace."
"Yes, sir; I got a glimpse of it. Shall I light another match?"
"No, no, save them."
"But we ought to get out of here as soon as we can, sir."
"Of course, but we shall see a faint gleam from the entrance directlyour eyes have grown used to the change."
"Shall we, sir?"
"Of course."
"Well, I don't want to show the white feather again, but I can't helpfeeling that we ought to be out of this."
"Wait and listen."
"Can't hear nothing, sir," said the man after a minute's pause.
"No, and I can see the faint dawn of light there gleaming against thewall yonder. Let's begin to go back very quietly in case the blacks arestill there."
"I'm more than ready, sir."
"Then lead on, Ned."
"Mean it, sir?"
"Yes, go on."
Ned rose, and Jack followed suit, to begin stepping cautiously on, tillby slow degrees they reached the sharp angle in the passage, and couldlook straight out to the entrance and see that all was clear, whilethere before them was the bright sunny sky, and away in the distance thegleaming sea.
"I say, who's afraid?" cried Ned excitedly. "But, Mr Jack, sir, what arum thing darkness is! I felt twice as much scared over that as I didabout the niggers, and--Oh, I say, look at that!"
Before the lad could grasp what he was about to do, Ned ran forwardtoward the light till he was half-way to the mouth of the cavern, whenJack saw the dark silhouette-like figure stoop down again and again, topick up something each time, and he returned laughing, bearing quite abundle of spears, bows, and arrows.
"There, I was right," cried Jack; "they were frightened--so scared thatthey dropped their weapons and ran."
"Yes, sir, and set us up with some tools. Oh, if it had only been ourguns!"
Jack at Sea: All Work and No Play Made Him a Dull Boy Page 31