Dead Man's Land Part 33

"Yes," he continued, as they began to move back slowly, "I am beginning to want to get out of this. It makes one feel confused. I wish, though, we could hear Mak rustling through the bushes."

"How could he rustle through the bushes when there are none to rustle through? It's just like being in an awful great temple, with the tall smooth pillars supporting the roof."

"Pish! What nonsense!" cried Mark. "Let's get on. We are just inside the edge of a great forest, and what's the good of imagining all sorts of things? Come along, and let's walk fast."

Dean made no reply, and the two lads stepped out, giving up in despair all efforts to keep on in a straight line, for they had to turn to right or left every minute to pa.s.s round the huge trunk of some enormous tree.

This went on for nearly a quarter of an hour, a quarter which seemed half, and then Mark stood still.

"Dean," he said sharply, "we are going wrong."

Dean was silent.

"I say we are going wrong," repeated Mark. "If we had been right we should have been outside this horrible place minutes ago."

"Oh, don't talk like that," said Dean, in a whisper, as if afraid of being heard, when all the time his heart would have leaped with joy if he had heard some other voice. "Listen," said Mark.

"Ah! What can you hear?" cried his cousin. Mark was silent for quite a minute. "Nothing," he whispered, at last. "It's so awfully silent."

And the lads stood listening each to his own hard breathing, both yielding to the sensation of strange dread that was creeping over them, in fact, fast losing their nerve. At last Mark spoke out with angry decision. "Don't let's be fools," he said, "and give way to this nasty sensation. But it's of no use to hide it from ourselves: Dean, old chap, we are lost!"

"Yes," said Dean faintly. "Shout!" Mark started, clapped his hand to his cheek, and gave out the Australians' far piercing cry--"Cooey!"

listened, and then quite excitedly told his cousin to try.

Dean obeyed him and uttered his shrill version of the cry. Then both stood and listened--listened with throbbing hearts for some response, no matter how distant, but listened in vain, and the silence now seemed more than awful.

"Oh, it's nonsense to take it like this," cried Mark, with another burst of energy. "Here, Dean."

"Well, what?"

"Let's look it all in the face. We know that we can't be far from where we came in. We know too that we left father and Dr Robertson just outside, and that Mak came in before us."

"Yes, yes!"

"Well, then, what is there to mind? All we have got to do is to stand still and let them find us; and if they try and can't make out where we are, they will bring all the men to help. Here, let's lean up against one of the trees a bit and listen and think."

"Can't!" said Dean pa.s.sionately. "I feel that if I stood still I should go mad. Let's keep on trying."

"Yes," said Mark excitedly, "let's keep on trying. Will you go one way, and I will go the other, and the one that finds the way out can cooey."

"No," cried Dean feverishly, "don't let's separate. We must keep close together."

"Yes," said Mark, "we must keep close together. Come on, and let's walk quickly."

They started off, with Mark leading, and for quite half an hour they threaded their way in and out amongst the huge pillar-like trunks, which seemed to have grown closer together and looked as though if they were left undisturbed for a few years longer they would all join together and form an impenetrable wall. Then with the darkness seeming thicker than ever, they stopped short and stood hand in hand.

"Dean," said Mark, at last, and he looked at his cousin's dimly-seen face, "do you know what we have been doing?"

"Yes: making it more difficult for them to find us."

"Yes, that we have," said Mark; "and yet it seemed so impossible, just as if after walking in we had nothing to do but to walk out again; and here we are, thoroughly lost."

"But it only means," said Dean, trying to speak firmly, but failing dismally, "being lost for a few hours or so, or at the worst having to stop all night."

"Without food or water!" said Mark bitterly. "And what about the wild beasts?"

"Not a place for lions," said Dean.

"No, I know that; but doesn't it seem to you like what we have read of, about men being lost in the Australian bush?"

"But this isn't the Australian bush."

"No, it's bigger--as much bigger as those trees are than the Australian bushes."

"Well, you are a nice comfortable fellow, Mark, to come out with!"

"Yes, I am, aren't I? It was stupid of me. But there, I am going to be plucky now. Let's have another try."

"Yes, try again," said Dean; "but it seems stupid, and may mean getting farther and farther and more hopelessly lost."

"It can't be, and it shan't be!" cried Mark. "Oh, what stuff! Let's shout again--shout till we make Mak hear us and come to our help. Now then, both together. What shall we cry?"

"Cooey, of course," cried Dean; and joining their voices they called at close intervals again and again till they were hoa.r.s.e, while at every shout it seemed as if their voices rebounded from the solid surfaces of the trees instead of penetrating or running between them. And then as their voices failed they started off again in and out amongst the natural pillars, growing more and more excited and dismayed, till they felt that they could go no farther--absolutely lost, and not knowing which way to turn, while the darkness above them seemed blacker than ever and the dimly-seen trees that closed them in on every side began to wear the appearance of an impenetrable wall.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

AMONG THE PIGMIES.

In utter weariness the two boys now stood their guns up against the nearest trees and let themselves sink together upon the thin bed of moist leaves that had not been eaten up, as it were, by the root action of the trees, glad of the relief to their now weary limbs, and for some time they sat in the silent darkness, utterly stunned--minutes and minutes, possibly half an hour, before Mark started to his feet, and, nerved by his cousin's movement, Dean followed his example.

"Hear someone coming?" he cried, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"No!" raged out Mark.

"What are you going to do, then?"

"What we ought to have done hours ago. We must have been asleep."

"Asleep! No."

"Well, our brains must have been. There, catch hold of your gun."

As the boy spoke he seized his own by the stock, held it up with one hand as high as he could, and fired, with the sound thrown back as their voices had been by the trees. Then they sat and listened.

"Shall I fire?" asked Dean, at last.

"No; wait a few minutes;" and Mark rested his piece which he had discharged upon a projecting b.u.t.tress-like root of the nearest tree.