CHAPTER XXVI. DOWN AMONG THE DEAD.
Ixtli spoke with a degree of earnestness which left no room for doubt,even if the young man's own keen sense of hearing had not given warningbut an instant later.
Ominous sounds came from the entrance, which had served them but sobrief a time gone by, and Bruno knew that, even if they had escapedbeing seen while thus attempting to win such a gruesome refuge, thepossibility of their having elected just such a line of flight hadoccurred to some of the redskins.
Gillespie heard the heavy doors open, then clang to again. He was fairlyconfident that some of the Aztecs had entered, although as yet the utterdarkness hindered further recognition.
"What next, Ixtli?" he whispered, lips almost touching the face of hisyoung guide, as they stood close together in the mirk. "They can't takeme alive! Is it fight, or--"
"No fight yet," gently breathed the Aztec in turn. "Dey look, dat notmake sure find. Dey try see; we try not see all time. Dey come, wego,--like dis!"
Catching a hand within his own clasp, Ixtli led Bruno away in that utterdarkness, seemingly well acquainted with the lay of the ground, althoughit quickly became evident that there must be more than one directpassage. Bruno felt convinced that there were other chambers turning atright angles to their present course, though it might have bothered theyoung man to give entirely satisfactory reasons for such belief.
Ixtli did not flee fast nor far, in that first spurt, pausing shortlyto turn face towards the rear, a low, musical chuckle coming through hislips.
"Dey come look, got no eyes for see in dark," he explained, barely loudenough for Bruno to catch his meaning. "We play fool dem all; dat befun; heap fun all time over!"
Ixtli was scarcely as precise of speech while under the influence ofexcitement as when he had ample time in which to pick and choose hiswords; but there was little room for mistaking his meaning, which, afterall, is fairly sufficient.
But this time the young brave was in error, for only a few moments laterboth fugitives caught sight of a dim light in hurried motion far towardsthe entrance to these underground crypts. That warned them of addedperil, and Ixtli's chuckle died abruptly away.
"They'll fetch us now," grimly muttered Bruno, shaking his fairlyathletic shoulders and fingering the knife at his belt as though makingpreparations for an inevitable struggle. "All right. They may kill, butI'll furnish some red paint for my tombstone, anyway!"
It may be doubted whether Ixtli fully appreciated this conclusion, yethe divined something of what was spoken, and made swift response:
"No kill yet. Dey look, we hide. Mebbe not find. Mebbe play fool allover--yes!"
"Where can we hide that lights won't ferret us out, though? If a fellowmight only have the same advantage; here in this darkness I'm not wortha sick kitten!"
Just a bit disgustedly came the words, but Bruno was not giving overin weak despair. No matter how vast the odds might show against him, hewould put up a gallant fight as long as he could lift his hand or strikea blow.
Still, he was by no means anxious for the crisis to arrive. He would farrather run than fight, under existing circumstances; but whither, andhow?
Ixtli took it upon himself to solve the perplexing enigma, in a whisperbidding his white brother follow with as little sound as might be, oncemore hurrying away through the gloomy blackness, which was by no meansrendered more agreeable to Bruno by that fleeting glimpse of the deadmen's bones.
There was little room left for doubting the truth. Their presence in thedeath-cells surely was more than suspected, judging from the actionsof yonder redskins, who flashed the light over and into each angle andcorner, each niche and jog, where a human being might possibly seekconcealment.
They were not so many in number, but still a larger force than couldwell be met with success by two youths, even granting that Ixtli wouldturn lethal weapons against his own people, which Bruno felt was by nomeans a settled fact.
For some little time the young men kept without that limited circle oflight, watching each movement made by the searchers, and at the sametime taking care that none of the little party stole a dangerous marchupon them by hastening in advance of the lights.
Ixtli apparently enjoyed the affair, much as a child might a successfulgame of I-spy, for he emitted occasional chuckles, and let fall softwhispers which, if caught by other ears, certainly would not have deeplybenefited the fugitives when captured.
Thanks to that slow progress, rendered thus by the care and minutenessof the search, Bruno began to marvel at the extent of the catacombs, andalmost involuntarily calculate how many centuries it must have taken toaccumulate such enormous quantities of remains. For, thanks to yonderprying light, he could see how high those grim relics of perishingmortality were piled up in tiers, with here and there upright skeletonsin position of greater prominence.
Perhaps Gillespie might have been better able to appreciate Ixtli'samusement had he even an inkling as to how this game of hide-and-go-seekwas fated to end. That an end must come, eventually, was a foregoneconclusion. And then?
He ventured to ask Ixtli how they were to escape detection when theycould retreat no farther, but before an answer could be fairly shaped,that end seemed actually upon them.
Without sound or warning of any sort, another bright light showed at aconsiderable distance in the opposite direction, and, as Bruno staredthat way, he made out several armed warriors who appeared to be engagedin that same occupation: searching that city of the dead for the living!
Thus caught between two fires, there seemed only one course to pursue,and, with the courage of his fathers, Bruno spoke in low, grim tones tohis young guide:
"No use for you to join in the mix, Ixtli. I'll do the best I know how,but if I can't make the riffle, if I go down for good and all, I ask youto convey the news to my friends. You will?"
But Ixtli was not at the end of his resources, and gripping a wrist, heurged Bruno towards yonder second light, speaking hastily as they movedalong towards the edge of that wide passage. "No fight, yet. Besthide; mebbe no find; dat best try first. Den Ixtli fight like whitebrother,--fast!"
There was time for scant speech, for just then the two parties seemed,for the first time, to catch sight of each other, and while the bravebearing the rude lantern still maintained his slow movements, searchingwell as he came, the other Indians came in advance, giving the fugitivesbarely time in which to crouch down under temporary cover.
The moment these enemies had passed them by, Ixtli urged Bruno on, then,in swift whispers, instructed him how to perfect his hiding, evenaiding the young paleface into one of the upright crypts, back of a grimskeleton, the mouldering blankets assisting in covering the one of fleshand blood.
After like fashion, the Aztec sought cover on the opposite side of thepassage. None too quickly, either; for now the single searcher drewdangerously nigh, peering into every practicable hiding-place on eitherside, before moving onward.
Little by little he drew closer, while the other band of searchersapparently turned off into a side passage, or large chamber, sincenothing could be seen or heard of them by the fugitives.
In all probability, Ixtli's bold ruse would have proved a completesuccess, for the Aztec warrior showed no suspicion as he drew nearer;but it was not to be thus.
Fairly holding his breath, lest he disturb some of the dry bonesimmediately in front of himself, Bruno waited and hoped, only to feelhis blood chill, and his heart fail him, as a sickening horror creptover his brain; nor was that the only creeping thing,--worse luck!
Past all room for doubting, his entrance into that crypt had disturbedthe repose of a snake of some description; for now he could feel theloathsome reptile crawling slowly up his back, turning the skin beneathto scorching ice in its horrid passage.
One horrible nightmare minute that lasted, then the serpent paused uponhis shoulder and biceps, touching his cheek with nose, then drawing backits ugly head to give an ominous hiss.
Human flesh and blood could endu
re no more, and Bruno flung the snakeviolently off, striking forcibly against that mass of dry bones as hedid so. With a rattling clatter, the skeleton lost its frail coherenceand tumbled outward, leaving Bruno fairly exposed within the niche.
With a cry the Aztec warrior turned in that direction, but ere he couldfetch his light to bear upon the right spot, Ixtli sprung forth to therescue, hooting like a frightened owl, as he dashed the light to earth,and, at the same time, deftly tripping the Indian headlong.
Swift as thought itself he followed up the advantage thus won, smitingthe fallen brave heavily upon the crown with a clubbed thighbone,depriving him of sensibility for the time being at least. And thensnatching up the still burning light, he called, in guarded tones, tohis white friend:
"Come, brother, play hunt, now! Fast--not stop here; dat bad for you seeby dem so soon. Dat good you go--like dis way!"
Scarcely realising just what fresh ruse the Aztec had in mind, but farfrom recovered from that horrible fear of death from poisonous fangs,Gillespie submitted, Ixtli hurrying him away, turning off into whatappeared to be a side passage, less spacious than that to which they haduntil then confined their retreat.
The young Aztec hastily explained his present scheme, which was to playthe role of searchers as well; and scarcely had he made that projectknown, than another difficult test was offered their courage.
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