The River of Darkness; Or, Under Africa
Page 16
CHAPTER XV.
THE PURSUIT.
"Now for it," cried Canaris. "Don't be scared. In two minutes we'll beout of reach of these fiends."
His appearance belied his words, for he was trembling with fright. Therope about Melton's legs had not been loosened, and he was instantlylowered on the other side. In less time than it takes to tell, Guy andCanaris had joined him, and all three felt the solid earth beneath theirfeet again.
The situation was now extremely critical. The tomtom still rang out fromthe palace, and the drums were beating in the watch-towers, though theirvolume of sound could be heard but faintly above the constantlyincreasing roar of the maddened people.
The fugitives had scaled the wall at a point on the western side ofthe city very close to the southern angle; the western gate was stillmore remote, and from these gates the pursuit must come.
That it would come quickly no one could doubt, for the rabble ofSomalis who had led the chase through the market-place had by this timereached the gates with the tidings of the fugitives' escape over thewall.
Canaris took a bag and a rifle and Guy followed his example.
Not a second of time was lost, but, turning to the southwest, theydashed down the long, slanting hill toward the valley that opened clearand distinct at their feet. Their ears rang with the horrid din andturmoil, and this spurred them on to greater efforts as they plungedforward with great strides.
At the angle of the wall stood a watch-tower, and from this coign ofvantage the guards saw the fleeing fugitives, outlined by thetreacherous moonlight.
Crack! crack! crack! rang their rifles, and the bullets whistled keenlythrough the air, but the flying figures went straight on and speedilyvanished over the crest of the hill.
The valley beneath the town was skimmed across, and then, scaling a lowstone wall, they plunged into the shadow of a big plantation and ran onbetween rows of limes and coffee trees.
Guy feared that the Arabs who owned these orchards would join in thepursuit, but Canaris assured him that there was little danger of that.An uproar in the town, he declared, was always the signal for thedwellers outside the walls to shut themselves in their houses.
A danger from another source, however, threatened them, for with afurious growl a great dog came bounding on behind, and by his loudoutcry made the location of the fugitives very plain to their enemies.
The brute persistently followed them up, snapping at their heels, andbaying loudly. No stones could be found, and to use firearms would onlymake matters worse. On the farther side of the plantation, however, thedog stopped and uttered a long-drawn howl that was caught up in echoesacross the valley.
"I'm giving out," cried Melton faintly. "You'll have to leave me."
Canaris turned on him fiercely.
"Do you hear the mad fiends howling behind us? They are scattering overthe country, and if we are caught, good by," and he whipped his handacross his throat. "You must keep up, only half a mile more, and I'llhide you so securely that the fiends can never find us."
"Year hear?" added Guy. "Only half a mile more, Melton, and then rest."
But all this encouragement was of little use. Forbes was suffering nowfrom the reaction, and his strength was almost gone. A sound of shoutingsuddenly rose from the valley, and taking Melton by the arms they fairlydragged him along.
A hill now loomed up before them, and clutching stones and limbs oftrees they made their way painfully to the summit.
Looking toward the town they could see torches moving to and fro acrossthe valley, and twinkling through the leafy avenues of the plantation.
Their old enemy, the dog, began to howl again, but a rifle-shot speedilycut his career short.
As they hastened down the western slope of the hill the sound of waterbroke on their hearing, and then the stream came in view, a swift andnarrow torrent brawling over rocks and ledges.
Guy ran ahead, and filling his helmet, offered it to Melton, who drankdeeply.
"I feel like a new man," he cried; "that was splendid."
Canaris now led them down the stream for some distance until a shallowplace permitted them to wade across. The valley had become a gorge. Thesloping hills gave way to great frowning masses of rock so high and soclose that no moonlight pierced the shadows. Finally the Greek stoppedand pointed above his head.
"We must climb the rocks," he said. "Are you equal to it?"
Melton looked dubiously at the steep side of the gorge, but before hecould reply Canaris started up, and he had no alternative but to follow.Guy came close behind to catch his friend if he should give out.
The ascent, however, was not so bad as it looked. Canaris picked hisway with great skill, winding along the face of the cliff in a zigzagmanner. Had it been daylight dizziness would have caused them to losetheir heads, for the gulf below grew deeper every moment, and at placesthe path was but a foot wide.
At length Canaris climbed over a big rock that barred the way, and thenassisted Melton and Guy to the top.
"Here we are," he said cheerily, "and just as safe as though we were inthe Acropolis at Athens."
They stood on a small plateau, protected by a low parapet of jaggedrocks that extended in a half circle. The top of the cliff was closeover their heads, and behind them was a natural grotto scooped concavelyout of the solid rock. It was a perfect hiding place and a splendidpoint of defense in case of an attack.
Melton dropped feebly on the stone floor, and Guy and the Greek sat downagainst the parapet. Reaction had come to all of them. Now they werereally safe, the terror and excitement of the flight was visible ontheir faces. Their clothes were soaking wet, and the perspiration rolleddown their cheeks.
"Look," exclaimed Canaris, leaning over the parapet, "look down there!"
He pointed into the gorge, and Guy, glancing down, saw torches flaringagainst the rocky walls, revealing in their glow dark, swiftly-movingfigures, and weird shadows dancing on the waters of the torrent.
Canaris observed Guy's expression of alarm, for he said calmly: "Don'tfear. We are perfectly safe; try and sleep some; you need rest badly."
Canaris stretched himself out flat, and, after making sure that Meltonwas sleeping--for the poor fellow's weariness was greater than the painof the wound--Guy, too, lay down on the hard rock, and fell instantlyasleep.
Dawn had been very near when they reached their hiding place. Throughthe early hours of the morning they slept on, heedless of the loudcries, the sounds of anger and wrath that floated up from the shadows ofthe gorge, and when the sun was past its meridian, Guy awoke. Canarisstretched himself and sat up at the same time.
Their first thought was of Melton. He was still sleeping, but it was arestless, uneasy slumber, for he tossed about and moaned.
The heat was now very great, and they suffered terribly from thirst. Farbelow they could hear the water rushing over its stony bed, and thesound was maddening.
Even had one dared to attempt that perilous descent in the broad lightof day, there would have been danger from another source, for all thatafternoon Somalis and Arabs in large and small parties passed up anddown the gorge, even scanning at times the rocky sides of the cliff, butnever for a moment suspecting the close proximity of those they sought.
At last Melton awoke. He was weak and feverish. His wound had opened,and his clothes were heavy with stiffened blood. He complained bitterlyof thirst, and talked at times in a rambling, excited manner.
"He's in a bad way," said the Greek. "We must leave here as soon asnight comes, and as he is too ill to walk, he must be carried."
"What do you propose to do?" asked Guy.
"Well," rejoined Canaris, "we shall travel only at night. If all goeswell, we will be fifty miles distant in four or five days, and on thefifth night we shall reach our journey's end."
"Our journey's end?" queried Guy.
"Yes; of our land-journey at least, for we shall then be at the entranceto the underground
river."