CHAPTER XI
A NEW HEMISPHERE
With a tin pail in his hand, the captain now went to the cavern of thelake. He wished very much to procure some better water than the last thathad been brought, and which Mok must have dipped up from a very shallowpuddle. It was possible, the captain thought, that by going farther intothe cavern he might find a deeper pool in which water still stood, and ifhe could not do this, he could get water from the little stream in theravine. More than this, the captain wished very much to take another lookat the machine by which he had let out the water. His mind had been sothoroughly charged with the sense of danger that, until this had fadedaway, he had not been able to take the interest in the artificialcharacter of the lake which it deserved.
As the captain advanced into the dimmer recesses of the cavern, he soonfound a pool of water a foot or more in depth, and having filled his pailat this, he set it down and walked on to see what was beyond. His eyeshaving now conformed themselves to the duskiness of the place, he sawthat the cavern soon made a turn to the left, and gazing beyond him, hejudged that the cave was very much wider here, and he also thought thatthe roof was higher. But he did not pay much attention to the dimensionsof the cavern, for he began to discern, at first dimly and then quiteplainly, a large object which rose from the bottom of the basin. Headvanced eagerly, peering at what seemed to be a sort of dome--likeformation of a lighter color than the rocks about him, and apparentlyabout ten feet high.
Carefully feeling his way for fear of pitfalls, the captain drew close tothe object, and placed his hand upon it. He believed it to be of stone,and moving his hand over it, he thought he could feel joints of masonry.It was clearly a structure built by men. Captain Horn searched hispockets for a match, but found none, and he hastened back to the cave toget the lantern, passing, without noticing it, the pail which he hadfilled with water. He would have brought the lantern with him when hefirst came, but they had no oil except what it contained, and this theyhad husbanded for emergencies. But now the captain wanted light--he carednot what might happen afterwards. In a very short time, with the lanternin his hand, which lighted up the cave for a considerable distance abouthim, the captain again stood at the foot of the subterranean dome.
He walked around it. He raised and lowered his lantern, and examined itfrom top to bottom. It was one half a sphere of masonry, built in amost careful manner, and, to all appearances, as solid as a great stoneball, half sunken in the ground. Its surface was smooth, excepting fortwo lines of protuberances, each a few inches in height, and about afoot from each other. These rows of little humps were on oppositesides of the dome, and from the bottom nearly to the top. It was plainthey were intended to serve as rude ladders by which the top of themound could be gained.
The captain stepped back, held up his lantern, and gazed in everydirection. He could now see the roof of the cavern, and immediately abovehim he perceived what he was sure were regular joints of masonry, but onthe sides of the cave he saw nothing of the sort. For some minutes hestood and reflected, his brain in a whirl. Presently he exclaimed:
"Yes, this cave is man's work! I am sure of it. It is not natural. Iwondered how there could be such a cave on the top of a hill. It wasoriginally a gorge, and they have roofed it over, and the bottom of thebasin has been cut out to make it deeper. It was made so that it could befilled up with water, and roofed over so that nobody should know therewas any water here, unless they came on it by means of the passage fromour caves. That passage must have been blocked up. As for the greatopening in the side of the cave, the rocks have fallen in there--that iseasy enough to see. Yes, men made this cave and filled it with water, andif the water were high enough to cover the handle of that machine, as itwas when I struck it, it must also have been high enough to cover up thisstone mound. The lake was intended to cover and hide that mound. Andthen, to make the hiding of it doubly sure, the men who built all thistotally covered up the lake so that nobody would know it was here. Andthen they built that valve apparatus, which was also submerged, so thatthey could let out the water when they wanted to get at this stonething, whatever it is. What a scheme to hide anything! Even if anybodydiscovered the lake, which would not be likely until some part of thecave fell in, they would not know it was anything but a lake when theydid see it. And as for letting off the water, nobody but the people whoknew about it could possibly do that, unless somebody was fool enough totake the cold bath I was obliged to take, and even then it would havebeen one chance in a hundred that he found the lever, and would know howto turn it when he did find it. This whole thing is the work of theancient South Americans, and I imagine that this stone mound is the tombof one of their kings."
At this moment the captain heard something, and turned to listen. Itwas a voice--the voice of a boy. It was Ralph calling to him. Instantlythe captain turned and hurried away, and as he went he extinguished hislantern. When he reached his pail of water he picked it up, and wasvery soon joined by Ralph, who was coming to meet him over the bottomof the lake.
"I have been looking for you everywhere, captain," said he. "What haveyou been after? More water? And you took a lantern to find it, eh? Andyou have been ever so far into the cave. Why didn't you call me? Let mehave the lantern. I want to go to explore."
But the captain did not give him the lantern, nor did he allow him to goto explore.
"No, sir," said he. "What we've got to do is to hurry outside and helpget supper. We must wait on ourselves to-night."
When supper was over, that evening, and the little party was sitting outon the plateau, gazing over the ocean at the sunlit sky, Mrs. Cliffdeclared that she wished they could bring their bedding and spread it onthe ground out there, and sleep.
"It is dry enough," she said, "and warm enough, and if there is reallynothing to fear from animals or men, I don't want ever to go inside ofthose caves again. I had such horrible fears and ideas when I wassitting trembling in those dismal vaults, expecting a horde of humandevils to burst in upon us at any moment, that the whole place ishorrible to me. Anyway, if I knew that I had to be killed, I wouldrather be killed out here."
The captain smiled. "I don't think we will give up the caves just yet. I,for one, most certainly want to go in there again." And then he told thestory of the stone mound which he had discovered.
"And you believe," cried Mrs. Cliff, leaning forward, "that it is reallythe tomb of an ancient king?"
"If it isn't that, I don't know what it can be," said the captain.
"The grave of a king!" cried Ralph. "A mummy! With inscriptions andpaintings! Oh, captain, let's go open it this minute, before thoseblackies get back."
The captain shook his head. "Don't be in such a hurry," he said. "It willnot be an easy job to open that mound, and we shall need the help of theblackies, as you call them, if we do it at all."
"Do it at all!" cried Ralph. "I'll never leave this place until I do itmyself, if there is nobody else to help."
Miss Markham sat silent. She was the only one of the company who hadstudied the history of South America, and she did not believe that theancient inhabitants of that country buried their kings in stone tombs, orfelt it necessary to preserve their remains in phenomenal secrecy andsecurity. She had read things, however, about the ancient peoples of thiscountry which now made her eyes sparkle and her heart beat quickly. Butshe did not say anything. This was a case in which it would be better towait to see what would happen.
"Captain!" cried Ralph, "let's go to see the thing. What is the use ofwaiting? Edna and Mrs. Cliff won't mind staying here while you take me tosee it. We can go in ten minutes."
"No," said Mrs. Cliff, "there may be no danger, but I am not goingto be left here with the sun almost down, and you two out of sightand hearing."
"Let us all go," said Edna.
The captain considered for a moment. "Yes," said he, "let us allgo. As we shall have to take a lantern anyway, this is as good atime as another."
It was not an easy thing for the two ladies to get ove
r the wall at theend of the passage, and to make their way over the rough and slipperybottom of the lake basin, now lighted only by the lantern which thecaptain carried. But in the course of time, with a good deal of help fromtheir companions, they reached the turning of the cave and stood beforethe stone mound.
"Hurrah!" cried Ralph. "Why, captain, you are like Columbus! You havediscovered a new hemisphere."
"It is like one of the great ant-hills of Africa," said Mrs. Cliff,"but, of course, this was not built by ants I wonder if it is possiblethat it can be the abode of water-snakes."
Edna stood silent for a few moments, and then she said, "Captain, doyou suppose that this dome was entirely covered by water when the lakewas full?"
"I think so," said he. "Judging from what I know of the depth of thelake, I am almost sure of it."
"Ralph!" suddenly cried Mrs. Cliff, "don't try to do that. The thing maybreak under you, and nobody knows what you would fall into. Come down."
But Ralph paid no attention to her words. He was half-way up the side ofthe mound when she began to speak, and on its top when she had finished.
"Captain," he cried, "hand me up the lantern. I want to see if there isa trap-door into this affair. Don't be afraid, Mrs. Cliff. It's as solidas a rock."
The captain did not hand up the lantern, but holding it carefully in onehand, he ascended the dome by means of the row of protuberances on theother side, and crouched down beside Ralph on the top of it.
"Oh, ho!" said he, as he moved the lantern this way and that, "here is asquare slab fitted into the very top."
"Yes," said Ralph, "and it's got different mortar around the edges."
"That is not mortar," said the captain. "I believe it is some sort ofresin. Here, hold the lantern, and be careful of it." The captain tookhis jack--knife out of his pocket, and with the large blade began to diginto the substance which filled the joint around the slab, which wasabout eighteen inches square. "It is resin," said he, "or something likeit, and it comes out very easily. This slab is intended to be moved."
"Indeed it is!" exclaimed Ralph, "and we're intended to move it. Here,captain, I'll help you. I've got a knife. Let's dig out that stuff andlift up the lid before the darkies come back. If we find any dead bodiesinside this tomb, they will frighten those fellows to death, if theycatch sight of them."
"Very good," said the captain. "I shall be only too glad to get this slabup, if I can, but I am afraid we shall want a crowbar and more help. It'sa heavy piece of stone, and I see no way of getting at it."
"This isn't stone in the middle of the slab," said Ralph. "It's a lotmore resinous stuff. I had the lantern over it and did not see it. Let'stake it out."
There was a circular space in the centre of the stone, about eight inchesin diameter, which seemed to be covered with resin. After a few minutes'work with the jack-knives this substance was loosened and came out in twoparts, showing a bowl-like depression in the slab, which had been so cutas to leave a little bar running from side to side of it.
"A handle!" cried Ralph.
"That is what it is," said Captain Horn. "If it is intended to be lifted,I ought to be able to do it. Move down a little with the lantern, andgive me room."
The captain now stood on the top of the mound, with the slab between hisfeet, and stooping down, he took hold of the handle with both hands. Hewas a powerful man, but he could not lift the stone. His first effort,however, loosened it, and then he began to move it from side to side,still pulling upward, until at last he could feel it rising. Then, witha great heave, he lifted it entirely out of the square aperture in whichit had been fitted, and set it on one side.
In an instant, Ralph, lantern in hand, was gazing down into theopening. "Hello!" he cried, "there is something on fire in there. Oh,no," he added quickly, correcting himself, "it's only the reflectionfrom our light."
The Adventures of Captain Horn Page 11