CHAPTER XXII.
IN ELEPHANTA'S CAVES.
As she spoke some of the party began to descend. A man's voice, with adrawling accent, made some remark about its being "a beastly hole," andanother, of a heartier bass tone added,
"You've hit it, Campbell. It is a 'beastly hole,' and the beasts arecobras, at your service. They kill a dozen or so a day, here."
"Heavens!" screamed a woman, "and you expect us to go down to certaindeath there? How ungallant!"--and amid such laughter and persiflagehalf a dozen men and women descended.
"But really, are there snakes?" asked Mrs. Campbell's languid tones,curiously like her husband's, without his coarseness--for this heavy,beefy, blear-eyed man was undoubtedly the husband whom she had nevercared to mention on shipboard.--"You know I am deathly afraid of them.I should faint if I saw one."
Her voice showed real agitation, but her husband laughed uproariously.Evidently he was under the influence of liquor. The girls, after oneglance at him, shrank back into the shadow, hoping they would not berecognized by the wife. For the first time in their acquaintance ofthe woman, they pitied her. To be that man's daily companion was adegradation.
Just as Mrs. Campbell's dainty foot touched the stone floor of thecavern, the captain saw a gliding motion in the uncertain light, and,with the readiness of the man used to coping with danger, he sprangforward and struck at something dark and slender, that might have beenbut a crevice in the uneven floor. But it was no crevice. A hissingsound issued from the silent, creeping thing, and with shrieks ofconsternation the women fled back up the stairway, while Mr. Campbelland the other man leaped to one corner, to get beyond the reach of itsfangs.
"Stay where you are!" shouted the captain to his daughters. "I'llnever let it get away;" and they could hear the whistle of his laboredbreathing, and the loud whacking of his stick, as they cowered behindthe guide, white with terror.
It was over in a moment, and the reptile, inert and helpless, wasstretched half-way across the entrance room. The captain stood uprightand wiped his forehead.
"Come, girlies," he said, trying to speak cheerily, "let's get out ofhere. We've seen enough, I guess!"
Nothing loth, they quickly followed him up the steps while thetrembling men and the guide gathered carefully around the now harmlessreptile. Amid the consternation of the ladies above, who had widelyscattered in their terror, the three were about departing unnoticed,when Mrs. Campbell recognized them and called out,
"Is that you, Captain Hosmer--and did you kill that horrid snake. Imight have known it! You have a way of being on hand when you areneeded."
He lifted his cap, and, as the girls hesitated, she came up to themwith a really sweet look on her face.
"Don't hurry away, girls! You don't know how good it seems to see youagain. I have been almost homesick ever since we landed. You know theWindemeres have gone on, but I found Mr. Campbell here waiting for me.We--"
She was interrupted by a coarse laugh, and her husband appeared,ascending the steps. Turning to him, she said in a dignified tone,
"Rufus, these are Captain Hosmer and his daughters, of the'International.' I want you to meet them, then we will try andpersuade them to eat tiffin with us, provided we can think of eatingafter such an adventure!"
As she spoke he came fully into view, and suddenly flirted out one handfrom behind his coat, paying no heed to her remark. To her horror, shesaw it was the dead snake he was thus playing with, and, knowing him ofold, she turned pale.
"Rufus!" she cried warningly, backing up a step.
He gave a tantalizing laugh, and gave the repulsive thing anotherflirt, which brought it near her face. With a shriek of dismay shebroke into a run, feeling, as she did so, that she had made a greatmistake. He started after her, every step taking them further from thegroup, where she might have had protection from his vicious teasing.
"Stop!" thundered the captain, seeing the woman's wild face, "Stop, oryou'll do her a mischief," but, laughing so loudly that he could hearnothing else, the brute kept on.
Mrs. Campbell, wildly excited, could not keep up this pace long, and asshe faltered, in hopes to dodge and turn back, he drew nearer and gavethe snake a fling. It whizzed about her head, and she gave an awfulshriek of horror as she felt its slimy folds about her neck. It wastoo much! Never a strong woman, and morbidly afraid of these cobras,living or dead, she sank down in a faint, just before her amazedhusband, who nearly stumbled over her inert body.
"Bless us! If she hasn't fainted," he muttered stupidly, as he bentover her, too muddled to understand all he had done.
The captain reached them before he had done more than stupidly gaze ather, and unceremoniously flinging him one side, said, "Give her air,you brute! It's lucky for you if you haven't killed her!"
He laid her back on the grass, flinging the snake far away, and theexcited women gathered around. Just at this instant the launch soundedits summons for departure, and Captain Hosmer knew, if he would meet animportant engagement at noon, he must not let her sail without him.Meanwhile, the drunken husband was bridling and threatening, claimingthat the man had insulted him--yes, "actually had the audacity to layhands on him, begad!" The captain did not notice him any more than ifhe had been a puppy snarling at his heels.
"We'll have to go," he said to one of the women, who looked moresensible than the rest. "A little water will revive her, but anothersuch fright may be the death of her, with her heart giving out likethat. You look after her, and get her home--" He stopped. "Poorcreature! Where on earth is there a home for her?" With a sternvisage he offered an arm to each of his daughters.
"We'll have to hurry, girlies. We must leave her to her friends. Butmind me! Before I ever let one of you marry a drinking man I'll shutyou up in the hold of the old 'International,' and batten down thehatches! Do you hear?"
Neither attempted to answer, but Hope looked sober as he helped themaboard the launch, which was all steamed up ready for the start. Thefirst person they saw was the Traveler.
"Well met!" he cried gaily, as they shook hands with the cordiality ofold friends. "You've been visiting false gods, I see."
"Yes, and where have you strayed from?" returned the captain, trying tothrow off disagreeable impressions.
The Traveler mentioned a resort further on, at which the launch alsostopped for passengers, and Hope, rallying a little, remarked,
"It's odd enough! We supposed almost everybody was going on fromBombay, and we would be the only ones left, but they all seem tolinger, and appear in the most unexpected places."
"That's a way we have in Bombay," laughed the gentleman. "But I reallyhave a good reason--a delay in the preparation of my outfit. I left mycard for you this morning, with my final farewell pencilled upon it,for I expect to leave before dark. Meanwhile, have you seen LadyMoreham?"
"No, not since we landed. She is one who has seemed to drop out ofsight most unaccountably."
"I did not suppose you had, for she and Mrs. Poinsett left veryhurriedly last night."
"Indeed! For where?"
"Delhi, at first. The fact is, she joins her husband there--a friendof my own, by the way. A telegram from him hastened her going, and oneof my reasons for calling was to give you her adieux, and all sorts ofkind messages. I also left a letter from her to the Misses Hosmer atyour rooms."
"A letter for us--how charming!" cried Faith, while Hope noddedvigorously.
But the captain, with a glance at his daughters, said lightly,
"And nothing for me?"
"I think she hoped to see you, Captain, but doubtless her letterexplains everything. Did you know the old Madam is dead?"
"No! You don't say so. And is that why Lord Duncan--"
The Traveler shook his head. "I am a good deal in the dark about theparticulars, but I learned something of the drift of affairs from thehusband's own lips. I know he repented deeply of yielding suchimplicit obedience to that proud old woman's wishes. But she
ruled allof her kin with a rod of iron. And to such a nature as Lady Moreham'sthe constant restraint, the sarcastic comments, and the vigilanttraining to which she was subjected, must have been terribly irksome.I can at least vaguely understand it, and I have her permission to askyou for her side of the affair."
"Yes," assented the captain. "Well, well I am glad the embargo isremoved. It was that separation that the old dame insisted upon, whichbroke her heart. It was bad enough to be so completely cut off fromall her own family, but when her husband, himself, consented that sheshould be banished for a season, to be properly molded and made over byMrs. Poinsett, while he traveled in foreign lands, it was the lasthold. She never could grip her anchor to any faith in God or man, fora time, and I think she hated everybody--at any rate everybody in thearistocracy."
"And we thought her proud of her rank!" murmured Faith. "Do youremember that first day when we called her 'a specimen of Britisharistocracy,' Hope?"
"I remember when _I_ did," was the honest answer. "It was a foolishthing to say, and I have regretted it ever since."
"We can never judge with absolute correctness," mused the Traveler,with his kindly smile.
"But papa, hasn't she any home relatives left to her--not even asister?" asked Faith, and unconsciously her arm stole about the waistof her beloved twin.
"I hope she has," was the answer, as the rugged sailor's face turnedfondly towards the two. "I have a notion that her letter will explainhow, all unconsciously, my little girls have been a link between herand her dear old home."
"We?" cried both, "how wonderful! How could we? Do tell us!"
"Let the letter tell," said the captain, and the Traveler remarked in areverent tone, as he gazed thoughtfully over the beautiful sheet ofwater,
"We journey side by side, and our lives meet and separate withoutapparent thought, or design. It is God who writes the completed story,and seals the sequel with His own 'AMEN.'"
THE END.
All Aboard: A Story for Girls Page 22