Charge! Part 52

"Yes, it will," I roared, for there was a despairing tone in those last words. "Plenty more. Look out!"

I lowered away, and then shouted again:

"That enough?"

"Yes," he said, with a little more spirit in his tone; "it's long enough, but quite out of my reach-a couple of yards away, and I dare not move."

"I'll swing it to and fro till it comes close. Look out! Here goes."

I began to swing the rope; and as it went to and fro it sent small stones rattling down and then splashing into the water, making me shiver. But they evidently fell clear of Denham, who sent a thrill of encouragement through me when he now spoke more cheerily.

"That's right," he said, and his words were repeated by the echoes. "A little more-a little more. No. Harder. It keeps catching among the stones. Give a good swing."

I did as he told me, and then nearly let go, for he uttered a wild cry, almost a shriek. The next moment there was a peculiar rattling sound; the lamp flashed out brilliantly and lighted up the shaft; there was a sharp hiss, followed by a splash, and then all was in darkness.

"Denham!" I yelled, and I let the rest of the rope run through my hands till it could hang taut, meaning to slide down it and go to his a.s.sistance, for I was sure that all depended upon me now. I was already changing my position, when-my sinking heart, which seemed to suggest that I was about to descend to certain death, giving a sudden bound, and I felt choking-Denham spoke again.

"I couldn't stop the lamp," he said; "the rope caught it and knocked it off the ledge; but I've got hold."

"Hurrah!"

I suppose I shouted that word, but it came out involuntarily. Then I listened, my heart beating painfully, for I could hear the poor fellow moving now, but, as it seemed, sending stone after stone rolling and splashing into the water.

However, nerved into action again, I did as he bade me, all the time fearing it was too late, for he shouted hoa.r.s.ely:

"Pull up, Val-pull! I'm going down."

My hands darted one over the other, the slack seeming endless as I heard a low rushing sound mingled with the splashing of falling stones. Then there was a sharp jerk at my wrists, and the rope began to glide through my hands till I let one leg drop from where my foot rested against the edge of the shaft-mouth, and quick as thought flung it round the rope so that my foot and ankle formed a check; with the result that I was nearly jerked off my seat before the rope was stopped.

"Ah!" came from below, and I heard no falling of stones now; but there was a splashing and dripping sound which for the moment I did not understand. Once more I thought all was over, for the rope seemed to slacken; but hope came again.

"Pull up steadily," came in firmer tones; and, though I could not see, I supposed that Denham had drawn his feet from the water and was trying to climb up the rope. I knew it was so directly, for he spoke.

"I've got the rope well under my arms," he panted out, "and if you keep hauling gently, I think perhaps I can climb up the side; but you must be ready for a slip. Can you pa.s.s it round anything?"

"Yes," I said; and as the rope was eased I got both legs back into their position again, thus hindering my power of hauling dreadfully, but guarding against the rope being dragged down again rapidly by pa.s.sing it over my right leg and under the left.

"Are you sure you can hold on if I slip?" said Denham now.

"Yes, if you come slowly. The rope's strong enough, and I'll get it up a yard at a time, so that's all the distance you can pull."

"Ah!" he cried; "then I can use both hands, and climb with more confidence. Now then, I'm coming up."

"Ready!" I shouted; and I toiled on with the perspiration moistening my hands as I steadily hauled with my right and left alternately, gaining a foot with one and making it secure over and under my legs with the other. All the while I could hear him painfully climbing as if gaining confidence with every yard he came nearer the surface.

"Now rest," he said, and I could hear him breathing hard.

Stones had fallen again and again as he climbed; but I was getting accustomed to their rattle and sullen plunge, for so long as the rope proved true they were robbed of their terrible meaning. Just, however, as my poor comrade said he meant to take a rest, there was another sharp jerk which told that his foothold had given way, and for a moment or two I was wondering whether I could hold on, as I listened to the falling of many stones. Once more he gained a good footing, and from where he half-hung, half-lay, he began to talk slowly about his position.

"It's like climbing up the side of a house built of loose stones," he said in a low tone; "but I mean to do it now if you can keep hold of the rope firmly."

"I can," I said.

"Ah! It's a horrible place, Val; but you give me confidence. Now then, I'm rested. Can you haul up more quickly? I want to get it done?"

"No," I said quietly; "I can only just make the rope safe."

"Very well. Go on as you like. There, I'm going to begin."

"Go on," I said; and once more the painful climb went on, with the stones falling and splashing, and the sound of Denham's breath at times coming to my ears in sobs which seemed terribly loud. It did not last many minutes; but no more agony could have been condensed into hours, and no hours could have seemed longer than the interval during which I strove to save my companion from death.

However, all things come to an end; and at last, when I was nervously on the qui vive for another slip, and just when Denham seemed to be creeping painfully up, though still many feet below, I suddenly felt one of his hands touch my ankle, and the other get a good grip of the rope where it lay cutting into my leg. Then I heard his feet grating and sc.r.a.ping against the side, and my heart leaped as he threw himself on his side away from the mouth of the hole, and lay perfectly still.

"Ah!" I cried; "at last!" and, freeing my legs from the rope, I moved painfully after him; but at the first attempt I felt as if the darkness was lighting up, flashes played about my eyes, there was a horrible swinging round of everything in my head, and I sank down, crawled aside a little way instinctively to get from the shaft-mouth, and then for a few moments all was blank. Not more than a few moments, however, for Denham roused me by speaking.

"Is anything the matter?" he said.

"Matter?" I replied, as the absurdity of his question seemed to surprise me. "Oh no, nothing at all the matter, only that my head feels as if it had been crushed by a stone, and we had just saved ourselves from the most terrible death that could have come to two poor wretches who want to live. It's very comic altogether-isn't it?"

Denham sat in silence, and we could hear the firing still going on. At last he spoke with a low, subdued voice.

"Yes," he said, "we have escaped from a horrible death. Val, old fellow, I shall never forget this. But don't let us talk about it. Let us talk about who did it. Some one must have struck at us and knocked us down that hole."

"Yes," I said; "and there's only one 'some one' who could have done it."

"That renegade Irishman?"

"Yes," I replied. "It seems like this: he couldn't have got away, but must have been in hiding here. He couldn't escape the watchfulness of the sentries, I suppose."

"No; and he must have managed to get that rope to let himself down from the walls."

"To let himself down into a place where he could hide, I think," was my reply.

"For both purposes. But what a place to hide in!" said Denham, with a shudder. "He could not have known what he was doing, or he would not have gone down."

"I believe he went down and was afraid to stay. Of course he was hiding somewhere here when we came along with the light."

"And then struck us down. Are you much hurt?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I forgot all about it for the time in the excitement of trying to escape. How are you?"

"My head hurts me badly now. I believe I was struck with a heavy stone."

"Of course. That was the wretch's trick, and how he served poor Sam Wren. Here, let's go to the hospital. I feel as if I want to see the doctor."

"Yes," said Denham faintly. "I hope he has no more wounded after all this firing."

Denham rose to his knees in the darkness, and I did the same, bringing on the giddy feeling once more, so that I was glad to lean against the wall of the great pa.s.sage.