Aunt Jane's Nieces on the Ranch

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER XIV--PRISONERS OF THE WALL

  Mildred silently turned and regarded her companion. Her eyes were nothard and cold now. They were glowing with anxiety and terror.

  "Cannot we get out?" demanded Inez.

  Mildred shook her head.

  "Not the way we came in," she replied. "I remember now that Cristovalwarned me never to close the door behind me; but I forgot to tell youthat, so you are not to blame."

  Inez looked down at baby, who had again fallen asleep, snuggled close toher breast. Her fear at this time was not for herself. It was dreadfulto think of the danger she had placed the darling baby in--the child shewould have died rather than injure.

  Mildred saw the look and read its anguish. Her own cheeks blanched for amoment, but there was an inherent quality of courage in this girl thatforbade her to despair. Speaking as much to herself as to Inez she said:

  "We were able to open this adobe door only by pressing downward on ablock of the floor outside, which released a catch which is securelyhidden in the lower edge of the opening--where I cannot reach it. So,unless some one knew the secret and could press that block in thenursery, the door cannot again be opened."

  Inez staggered to a stool and sat down.

  "Must we stay here always?" she pleaded piteously.

  "I think not. I am _sure_ not, Inez. They will find some way to breakthrough the wall and rescue us."

  "But no one knows we are here!"

  "True. Well, I believe there are other ways to get out of this hollowwall, besides the opening we came through. I am quite certain I was toldthat Senor Cristoval could enter from his room, on the second floor; andperhaps there are other entrances. Stay here and keep baby quiet and Iwill make an examination of our prison."

  As she started to ascend the stairs Inez arose to follow her.

  "Let me come, too," she begged. "I am afraid to stay alone."

  "Very well; but try not to waken baby."

  The stairs were built the full width of the space, completely blockingit at that end. At the top they stepped into another narrow room, whichwas not over the lower one but extended farther along the wall. It was,indeed, extraordinary to note how comfortable the genius of that ancientCristoval who had planned the place, had made this originallycomfortless corridor-like room, for room it was despite its narrowconfines.

  The ceiling was high, and light and air were admitted by gratings placedat the top, letting onto the bastion of the roof, where they could notbe observed by those below. The gratings were covered by projectionsthat kept out the rain and dew. On the floor was a thick carpet,somewhat musty and dusty now, and at the far end was placed a couch withsilken curtains. This was still piled high with bedding and pillows andwas boxed in, the full width of the passage, with elaborately carvedwoods. Upholstered seats, rather narrow but long and quite comfortable,were built against the wall and supported by richly carved frames ofebony and panels of cherry. There were pictures upon the walls; oilpaintings of quite good quality. A sort of wall-cabinet and some smallbrackets supported numerous hooks, ornaments, and several boxes of metaland sandalwood, which last Mildred eyed expectantly but had now noleisure to examine.

  The girls were both awed by this discovery, for Mildred had never beenpermitted to mount the stair to this room when Senor Cristoval hadallowed her to peep into the lower passage. The intense silence lent aweirdness to the place that was at first quite disconcerting. A gray ratscuttled along the carpet, causing them to jump and cry out, and thendisappeared somewhere beneath the couch. Inez, trembling with nervousfear, hugged the baby with one arm and clutched Mildred's arm with theother, and then they sat together on one of the cushioned seats andtried to collect their thoughts.

  Mildred reflected that no person had entered this place for at leasteight years, for it was eight years since the last Cristoval had passedto his fathers. Yet, aside from the dust, everything seemed in anexcellent state of preservation. The secret room had been fitted up byits builder more than fifty years before and much of the furnishingsmust have been placed there then.

  "My first task," she said to Inez, "must be to make a thoroughexamination of this place. Since there is no one to help us, we musthelp ourselves, and any weakness at this time would be fatal."

  With this she rose and carefully began to inspect the walls. The heavycarpet was merely laid flat on the adobe floor and she raised it hereand there and tested the blocks to see if any was movable. There was nomeans of reaching the ceiling but an opening there was out of thequestion.

  Near the center of the room, on the inner wall and about two feet fromthe floor, was a square of wood firmly embedded in the adobe. This, shethought, might possibly be a means of egress or ingress, so she testedit eagerly, pressing not only upon the wood but on all the blocks ofadobe near it, in the endeavor to discover a hidden spring or some otherclever mechanical contrivance which would prove the "open sesame." Butthe panel and the wall defied all her efforts and she finally concludedit was solid planking placed there to support the wall or to allowcupboards or shelves to be nailed against it.

  Another similar place, where a huge panel of plank was set in the wall,she found at the very end of the passage, beyond the couch, and was onlyable to reach it by mounting the bed and climbing over the bedding. Thispanel was also immovable and she decided it could not be an openingbecause the wall beyond it was doubtless solid. This space beyond thebed, where the room ended, contained a huge chest of quaintly carvedoak. As she saw the chest her heart gave a great bound and forgettingfor the moment her desire to escape she reached down and raised the lid.

  Then her face fell. Despite the dim light in this corner, which she hadgrown somewhat accustomed to in investigating the panel, she could seethat the chest contained merely papers, with which it was half filled.This might be the accumulated correspondence of the Cristovals, of nouse to any but themselves, and losing all interest in the chest sheclosed the lid and again crossed over the high bed to Inez.

  The result of this investigation, which had consumed a full hour, sothorough had she been, convinced Mildred that there was no immediate wayfor them to leave their prison. So she began to plan how they might keepthemselves and baby Jane comfortable until they were rescued.

  The bottle of milk, which Inez still held in her hand, was a preparedfood of a highly nourishing quality. The contents of the bottle hadscarcely been touched by baby when, rousing from her sleep, she had beentaken up and comforted by Inez until slumber again overtook her. UsuallyJane consumed two bottles of such food each day, and another during eachnight.

  Mildred looked at her watch and found it was nearly four o'clock. With alittle care in its administration the baby's food might last untilmorning, but not longer. For themselves, they must be content withoutfood, unless--

  She decided to search the boxes and shelves while daylight lasted, andbade Inez place the sleeping infant on one of the cushioned seats andsupport it with a pillow brought from the couch. Then the two girlsbegan to take down the boxes from the shelves and explore theircontents. Some were of tin and square in shape; others were round, likecanisters.

  In one they found some tea and in another a small quantity of loafsugar. There was no other food, except a few cracker crumbs in thebottom of a tin.

  Leaving Inez to sit beside baby, Mildred next visited the room below.Here the light was more dim, but she discovered a box of waxcandles--two or three dozen in number--and a quantity of matches in asmall iron safe. She tried these last and after several attempts managedto light one of them and with it light a candle. The matches were atleast eight years old, but there was not a particle of dampness in theplace and so they had not greatly deteriorated.

  A broad slab of redwood, hinged and fastened to the wall byturn-buttons, was made to let down and serve as a table. When Mildredlowered it she found that it covered a small recess or cupboard in thewall, in which stood three tin cans. One was labeled "tomatoes" and theother two "corn."

  Here was food, of a certain sort; bu
t the cans were tightly soldered andthere seemed to be no tool that might be used to open them. Although theplace was littered with many small articles there was nothing else amongthem that especially interested the girl. Two sabers were crossed uponthe wall over the table, and below them hung a big revolver. A panamahat, yellowed with age, hung upon a peg. A broom made of palm fiberstood in a corner.

  Mildred returned to the upper floor, carrying with her several candlesand some matches.

  "Inez," said she, "we must make the best of our misfortune. I hope thatbefore long we shall be rescued, both on baby's account and on our own.There are some tins of tomatoes and corn down stairs, but nothing thatbaby could eat. However, we shall suffer more from thirst than fromhunger, as there is not a drop of water in the place."

  Inez had been thinking during Mildred's absence.

  "Can we not scream, and so make them hear us?" she asked.

  "I have thought of that and we will make the attempt. The servants areall in the opposite wing, so it is useless to try to arouse theirattention; but when Mr. and Mrs. Weldon return, with the others, theymay be able to hear us and so rescue us."

  "When will they be back?" Inez inquired.

  Mildred considered this question.

  "I heard them say they were to stay in town for luncheon, but Mrs.Weldon remarked that they would be back soon after. I think, Inez, theymay already have returned and even now may be searching for us. Stayhere, and I will go below, so as not to disturb baby, and call."

  She went again down the steep stairs to the lower room where, standingnear to the place where they had come through the wall, she uttered asharp, shrill cry, such as she thought might penetrate the thick blocksof adobe. The sound echoed with startling reverberations through thesecret chambers and baby Jane, wakening in affright, set up a series ofsuch lusty screams that it seemed as if they ought to be heard a mileaway.

  Inez did her best to soothe and quiet the baby, but succeeded only whenshe had given little Jane the precious bottle of milk.