The Great White Queen: A Tale of Treasure and Treason

by William Le Queux

  CHAPTER XXX.

  TREASURE AND TREASON.

  AT Omar's request a few days later I accompanied him alone through aprivate exit of the palace, and ere long we found ourselves unnoticedbeyond the ponderous city walls, where two horses, held by a slave, wereawaiting us. Mounting, we rode straight for the open country, and notknowing whither we were going or what were my companion's intentions, wesoon left the great city far behind. For fully three hours we pressedforward, my companion avoiding any answer to my questions as to our goal,until about noon we came to a rising mount in the midst of a beautifulcountry with palms and scattered orange-groves.

  The scene was a veritable paradise. Beautiful fruits peeped from betweenthe foliage, and every coloured, every scented flower, in agreeablevariety intermingled with the grass. Roses and woodbines, very much likethose in England, appeared in beauteous contention; while beneath greattrees were rich flocks of birds of various feather. At the foot of thehill ran a clear, transparent stream, which gently washed the margin ofthe green whereon we stood. On the other side a grove of myrtles,intermixed with roses and flowering shrubs, led into shady mazes; in themidst of which appeared the glittering tops of elegant pavilions, some ofwhich stood on the brink of the river, others had wide avenues leadingthrough the groves, and others were almost hidden from sight byintervening woods. All were calculated to give the ideas of pleasurerather than magnificence, and had more ease than labour conspicuous.

  "Beautiful!" I cried, gazing entranced upon the scene.

  "Yes. From the moment we left the city and passed through the ancientgateway that you admired, we have been riding in my private domain. Here,as far as the eye can reach, all is mine, the garden of the Sanoms. Butlet us hasten forward. It was not to show you picturesque landscapes thatI brought you hither. We have much to do ere we return."

  Skirting the stream, where flocks and herds stood gazing at their ownimages and others drinking of the transparent waters, we found the river,growing wider, opened into a spacious lake which was half surrounded by arising hill. From the lake, higher than the river, ran a glitteringcascade and over the pendant rocks fell luxuriant vines and creepingplants. At the opposite extremity of the lake, which by its pure watersexposed the bright yellow pebbles on which it wantoned, two streams rantowards the right and left of the hill and lost themselves amidst thegroves, pasture and hillocks of the adjacent country. The prospectsaround us were beautiful and enchanting. Lofty trees threw a delightful,welcome shade, and the hill-side seemed covered with flowering shrubs,which grew irregularly except where a torrent from the summit, now dry,had during ages worn out a deep hollow bed for its rapid passage anddescent.

  There were no roads or beaten paths in this secluded portion of the royaldomain, neither could there be seen any traces of habitation.

  "Deep in yonder lake," said Omar, drawing up his horse suddenly andswinging himself from his saddle near the spot where the waters,springing from beneath some green, moss-grown rocks, fell with gentlemusic into the river--"deep in yonder lake there lies a hidden mystery."

  "A mystery!" I cried. "What is it?"

  "Have patience, and I will reveal to you a secret known only to myselfand to the Naya; the secret that I told you must be preserved."

  "But you say it is buried beneath these waters!" I exclaimed, puzzled."How will you reveal it?"

  "Watch closely, so that if occasion arises you will remember how toexactly imitate my movements," he answered, and when we had tethered ourhorses, he led me away from the edge of the lake up the hill-side somedistance to where a number of points of moss-grown rock cropped up out ofthe turf.

  After searching among them for some minutes he suddenly stopped beforeone that rose from the ground about three feet and was perhaps ten yardsin circumference, examining it carefully, at last giving vent to anejaculation of satisfaction.

  "You see this rock, Scars!" he cried. "Does anything about it appear toyou remarkable?"

  I bent, and feeling it with both my hands, carefully examined its side,top and base.

  "No," I answered, laughing. "As far as I can detect it is the same as theothers."

  "You would never guess anything hidden there?" he asked, smiling.

  "No."

  "Well, watch and I'll show you." And with these words the Naba of Moapproached the rock at a point immediately facing me, and placing hishands upon the side, about two feet from the ground, drew out bodily aportion of its lichen-covered face about eighteen inches square, that hadbeen so deftly hewn that when in its place none could detect it had everbeen removed.

  Peering into the cavity thus disclosed I saw, to my surprise, whatappeared to be a small iron lever, thickly rusted, descending into somecog-wheeled mechanism of a very complicated character.

  "Now, watch the lake while I reveal to you its mystery," my companionsaid, placing his hands upon the lever. With a harsh, grating noise itfell back beneath the weight he threw upon it, and the harsh jarring ofcog-wheels revolving sounded for a few moments beneath our feet. Then, ashe set the mechanism in motion, my gaze was fixed upon the lake and Istood aghast in wonderment.

  As the lever was drawn and the rusty cogs ran into one another, the wholemass of rock damming the lake above the small cascade where it fell intothe river, gradually rose, like a great sluice gate, allowing the watersto escape and empty themselves, roaring and tumbling, into the windingriver beside which we had journeyed. It was an amazing transformation, asimposing as it was unexpected. A few seconds before, the river, shallowand peaceful, fed by its tiny cascade, rippled away over its pebbly bed;now, however, with the great volume of water from the lake it rose sorapidly that the swirling, boiling current overflowed its banks,sweeping everything before it.

  Nor was this the only result of pressing the lever, for at the oppositeend of the lake a similar outlet opened, and as I looked I saw the waterfalling with a rapidity that was astounding. Hydraulic power wasevidently known to these strange semi-civilized people, yet the actualmeans by which the lake was so rapidly emptied I was unable to discover,all the machinery being hidden away in some subterranean chamber.

  "By what cunning device is this accomplished?" I inquired of Omar, whostood regarding the disappearing flood with satisfaction.

  "This mechanism was invented ages ago by one of my ancestors," heanswered. "Its exact date no man can tell. But here water is givenmastery over itself, and so careful was its constructor to preserve thesecret of its existence that the slaves and workmen, all criminals, werekept close prisoners during the whole time they were at work, and on itscompletion they were all, without a single exception, killed, in orderthat none should know the secret save the reigning Naba and his heir."

  "They were murdered then!"

  "They were all criminals who for various serious crimes had beencondemned to death. It is said they numbered over two hundred," Omaranswered.

  But even as he had been speaking the water of the lake had so drainedaway that its clean stony bottom was now revealed, the pebbles beingexposed in large patches here and there, while the deeper pools remainingwere alive with water-snakes and fish of all kinds. There seemed butlittle mud, yet in the very centre of the great basin was a patch ofpebbles and rock higher than the remainder, standing like a small islandthat, before the lever had been touched, had been submerged. Leading theway, Omar descended to the edge of the lake, skirted it for some littledistance, until he came to a long row of flat stones placed together,forming stepping-stones to the miniature island.

  "Come," he said. "Follow me," and starting off we were soon crossing thebed of the lake, being compelled to advance cautiously owing to theslippery nature of the weeds and water-plants that overgrew the stones.On gaining the island, however, a fresh surprise awaited me, for Omar,halting amid the mud in the centre, exclaimed:

  "Watch carefully, Scars. You may some day desire to act as I am acting;but always remember that here any undue hurry means inevitable death."

  "Death! What do you mean?"

 
; "Wait, and you shall see," he replied, as stooping suddenly he turned upthe sleeves of his royal robe and groping with his hand in the mud, atlast discovered an iron ring, green with slime, which, grasping with bothhands, he slowly twisted many times. A hissing sound was emitted, as ifthe action of untwisting the ring relieved some heavy pressure, admittingair to a chamber that had been hermetically sealed. This surmise was, Iafterwards learned, correct. The unscrewing of this ring caused the sidesof a plate embedded in the mud to contract, and air, so long excluded,entered the mysterious place below.

  In a few moments, having paused to wipe the perspiration from his brow,Omar, again grasping the slippery ring, gave it a sudden jerk and by thatmeans lifted the covering from a circular hole descending into animpenetrable darkness, but bricked round like a cottage well in England,and having projecting pieces of iron, forming steps.

  "Now," exclaimed Omar, as together we peered into the mysterious opening."To descend at once would mean certain death."

  "How? Is the air below foul?"

  "Not at all. The ingenuity of my ancestor who constructed this place madearrangements to avoid all that. The danger arises from a contrivance hedevised by which any person attempting to explore it and being unaware ofthe means to guard against death, must be inevitably swept into eternity.Now, in order to give you an illustration of this danger I will show youthe result of any adventurous person stepping down."

  Taking from the mud a long iron bar, which he observed incidentally waskept there for the purpose of guarding against death, he reached down theshaft and placing the end of the bar upon the third step, threw his wholeweight upon it, saying:

  "We will suppose you have descended until your feet stand upon this step.Now, watch."

  As the weight fell upon the step it gave way so slightly as to be almostimperceptible, but suddenly from hidden cavities around the well-likeshaft there came six rings of long, sharp steel spikes, set inwards,three above and three below, which, contracting as they came forward, metand interlaced. In an instant I recognised what terrible fate would bethe lot of any adventurer who dared to enter that dark shaft. The actionof stepping upon that fatal projecting iron released hydraulic pressureof irresistible power, and the unfortunate one, unable to ascend ordescend by reason of the danger being above and below, must be impaledby a hundred cruel spikes, sharp and double-edged like spears, while thebands whereon they were set must crush his bones to pulp.

  I looked at this terrible device for producing an agonizing death andshuddered. The precautions taken to prevent anyone entering the placewere the most elaborate and ingenious I had ever seen. Even if any personlearnt the secret of draining the lake, the shaft leading to themysterious subterranean place was unapproachable by reason of thisextraordinary mechanical device.

  During five minutes the spikes remained interlaced, then automaticallythey disengaged themselves, and slowly fell back into the cavity runninground the brickwork, wherein they remained concealed.

  Thrice again did Omar repeat this action of pressing the bar upon thestep, each time with an exactly similar result, chatting to me the while.Then, when for the third time the spikes had fallen back into theirplaces, he said:

  "Now the secret to avoid this and lock the mechanism is to turn back thislittle lever and place it in this catch, so. This cannot, however, bedone unless the step has been pressed three times."

  And bending over he showed me another tiny lever thickly encrusted withrust, secreted behind a movable brick in the first tier below the lake'sbottom. This he placed in position, securing it in a niche so that itbecame immovable.

  "Now," he said, "we may descend without fear," and with these words kneltdown, and after lighting a torch he had brought with him, commenced thedescent into the cavernous gloom. I quickly followed, my feet restingfor a brief instant upon the fatal iron projection, but no spikes cameforward, for the terrible mechanism was now locked. Deep down into thiscircular shaft we went, the smoke and sparks from Omar's torch everascending into my face as I lowered myself from rung to rung, until atlast, at considerable depth, we found ourselves in a kind of naturalcavern. The place seemed damp and full of bad odours, to which submittingwith patience we, by a long passage, sometimes crawling under ruggedarches, sometimes wading in mud and dirt, attained the end of the cavern,where we stumbled on some narrow steps; but the torch shed little light,and we became nearly suffocated by the noisome vapours.

  "I thought you said the air was fresh here," I exclaimed good-humouredlyto my companion.

  "So I did," he answered. "I cannot make out why it has become so foul.The air-holes must have become accidentally stopped up."

  The widening ascent was so intricate and clogged with dirt and rubbishthat we worked like moles in the dark; nevertheless, by diligent industrywe gained ground considerably, yet as we endeavoured to mount, the slimysteps slipped from under us, and ever and anon we would come tumblingdown with a weight of dirt upon us.

  After various labours, however, we suddenly entered a great cavern, quitedry. From its roof hung great stalactites that glittered and sparkled inthe torch's uncertain light, while around the rough walls of this naturalchamber were heaped in profusion great heavy chests of iron and adamant.

  With the torch held high above his head Omar rushed across to the pileand bending, examined one chest after the other. Then, raising himselfas the truth suddenly dawned upon him, he cried in a hoarse, excitedvoice:

  "By the power of Zomara, we have been tricked!"

  "Tricked! How?" I gasped in alarm.

  "Cannot you see?" he wailed. "This, the Treasure-house of the Sanoms, hasbeen entered and its contents, worth a fabulous sum, have been extracted!See! Each trunk has been forced by explosives!"

  I gazed eagerly where he directed, and saw that the trunks of iron andstone had been blown open by gunpowder, for on each remained a blackenedpatch, showing plainly the means used to force the strong chest whereinreposed the magnificent jewels, the vessels of gold, and the historicgem-encrusted and invulnerable armour of the Nabas of Mo.

  "Then this is the place the secret of which the villainous old Arab,Samory, endeavoured to wrench from you by torture," I exclaimed, gazinground the grim, weird cavern.

  "Yes," he answered. "This is the Treasure house of my ancestors. Sincethe days of King Karmos each Naba or Naya has added to the great store oftreasure amassed for the purpose of the emancipation of our country inthe day of need. Only the reigning monarch and the heir have, in anygeneration, ever known the secret of how the Treasure-house can beapproached--the secret I have to-day revealed to you as Keeper of theTreasure."

  "But if you alone knew the secret, who could have ransacked the place?" Iasked. "The chests seem to have been recently opened."

  "True," he answered, and pointing to a heap of bejewelled swords,breastplates and helmets, that had apparently been hastily cast aside asthe least valuable of the great treasure, he added: "All the mosthistoric and beautiful jewels have been taken, and the gold vessels andthings of minor value left. See! It is plain that the theft wasaccomplished in all haste, for there was scarce time to sort the gemsthat are unique from those rivalled by others."

  "It certainly looks as if the jewels were secured in feverish haste," Isaid, at the same time picking up from the uneven floor a bronze oil lamplying overturned and discarded.

  Together we set about making a systematic examination of the variouschests, numbering nearly one hundred. Those fashioned from single stoneswere of great age, looking like coffins, while those of iron wereponderous caskets bound with huge bands, studded and double-locked, withgreat antique hinges of marvellous workmanship. With perhaps half a dozenexceptions the lid of each had yielded to the charge of explosive placedbeneath it, while in many cases the whole side of the casket had beenblown completely out, injuring or destroying some of its valuablecontents. Jewellery and gems, set and unset, had been strewn about andtrodden into the dust by hurrying feet, and a few that I recognized atonce as of fabulous value had been overl
ooked. Stooping, I picked up fromthe dirt a marvellously-cut ruby, almost the size of a pigeon's egg. Butthe majority of the treasure-chests had been emptied. The place had beenvisited, and the vast wealth of a nation stolen.

  "For the first time in the long, glorious history of my land has theTreasure-house been entered by thieves," Omar said, as if to himself. "Nomere adventurer can have been here; this great robbery is the result ofsome base conspiracy. The treasure of the Sanoms, renowned through thewhole world as the most wondrous collection of magnificent andunsurpassable gems, has been cleared out and the entrance re-closed in amanner little short of marvellous. To-day is indeed a sad one for Mo, andfor me. My inheritance has been taken from me."

  "By whom?" I inquired, continuing my way, examining one of the few cheststhat had apparently not been tampered with. But, as in the gloom Ihastened from one casket to another, my foot suddenly struck against someobject, causing me to lose my balance, and thus tripped, were it not forthe fact that I clutched at the corner of the great chest, I should havefallen upon my face.

  Bending to examine what it was, I was amazed to discover the body of amale slave, still dressed in the uniform of the servants of the palace,but rapidly decomposing. It was the faint sickening odour emitted fromthe corpse that had greeted our nostrils when we entered the place.

  We both bent and looked at him, astounded at discovering, still imbeddedin his back, a long keen knife. He had been struck down from behind andmurdered, while in the act of securing some of the treasure, for hisbrown withered fingers still grasped a beautiful necklet of magnificentpearls, an ornament worth several thousand English pounds.

  "That is one of the Naya's personal attendants," observed Omar,recognizing the dress, but unable to distinguish the features of themurdered man, so decomposed were they. "He perhaps participated in theplot, and to secure his silence, or his portion of the booty, hisfellow-conspirators struck him to earth."

  "But to whom is due the chief responsibility in this affair?" I asked."Surely you have some suspicion?"

  "I know not," he answered. "Besides myself only the Naya knew the secretmeans by which the treasure might be reached."

  "Then in all probability she secured it before her flight!" I cried.

  "That may be the truth," he answered in a tone of suppressed agitation."Immediately she obtained knowledge through her spies of my intention todisobey her, she may have secured the most valuable of the jewels and hadthem packed ready to take them with her if compelled to flee. Yet somehowI cannot believe she has done this, for their removal must have attractedattention. No, I believe we shall have to look in another quarter for thethief." Then, bending again to examine the hilt of the knife embedded inthe body of the unfortunate slave, he added: "That poignard was hers. Shecarried it always in her girdle, and it seems, after all, as though thisman was her confidant and assistant, and that here alone she closed hislips by murdering him. Yet to her, life was more valuable than thetreasure, and I cannot believe that she risked detection and capture inorder to secure what she might afterwards obtain by the assistance ofhirelings."

  "A dark tragedy has certainly been enacted," I said, glancing around thegruesome place with its gloomy corners and crevices where the blacknesswas impenetrable. "The theft has been accompanied by a secretassassination at some coward's hand."

  "Yes," he exclaimed, standing with folded arms and chin sunk upon hisbreast. "The great treasure, belonging not only to our family but to ournation, has been stolen, and I swear by Zomara's power that I will seekout the thief and recover it. I am Naba, and it is my duty to my peopleto restore their wealth to its hiding-place. Each successive ruler hasenriched his country by making additions to the store of jewels, and itshall never be recorded that on finding the most valuable of ourpossessions stolen, I made no effort to trace and recover them. True,they have been abstracted in a manner almost miraculous for ingenuity andrapidity, but from this moment I will not rest until they are recovered.And you, Scarsmere, as Keeper of the Treasure-house, shall assist me."

  "I am ready," I answered, excited at the prospect of this new task beforeus. "We will spare no effort to seek the thief and recover the Treasureof the Sanoms. It is, as you declare, a duty, and I am ready and anxiousto commence the search."