The Crystal Hunters Part 29

Conversation was impossible, but the guide shouted a few words of encouragement to the mule, and from time to time waited for Saxe to come close up, when he shouted an inquiry or two in his ear.

"Yes, all right," cried Saxe, who gained encouragement from the calm matter-of-fact way in which the guide went on; while, just dimly-seen as the gorge curved and wound, the mule trudged on, twitching its ears and evidently caring nothing for the turmoil and rush just below.

"I half wish he had proposed the rope, though," thought Saxe, as they went on, with the various familiar parts seeming terrible enough, but very different to when he came through with the horrible feeling that Melchior was lost, and that at any moment they might see his body whirling round in one of the pools.

These were not so striking now, for in most of the places, as he peered down through the gloom and mist, the water was above the overhanging, cavernous holes, and the peculiar eye-like aspect of the one particular spot which had fascinated him so deeply was entirely hidden.

"It wasn't such a very great thing, after all, for Melchior to do," he thought, as they went on. "He has had plenty of practice, and had been before. I believe I could go through by myself."

"But I shouldn't like to," he added, after a few moments' thought; for he had to go along more carefully, in obedience to a sign from Melchior, the rock being slippery as they descended lower in the part they had now reached, and it suddenly dawned upon him that the water must have been over where he stood not perhaps many hours before.

It had the effect of coming up higher, and he was startled for the moment, fancying that the flood was rising; but he grew confident as he saw the mule clearly now, where the gorge wound off to the left and then turned again to the right, so that as the mule pa.s.sed the corner and disappeared the water was only a few inches below its hoofs.

Then Melchior pa.s.sed round and out of sight, and Saxe's own turn came, and he followed into one of the gloomiest parts of the rift. And here the ledge still descended slowly till the water began to wash over the path; then, as he looked anxiously forward, he could dimly see that at every step the water splashed beneath the animal's hoofs, and the next minute it was standing still, with the guide close up behind.

Saxe stopped short, after feeling his way for a step or two with the handle of his ice-axe, while he leaned a little against the steep wall; and Dale came up and touched his shoulder, bending down to shout in his ear.

"I can't see from here. Is the path more covered where they are?"

"I don't know,--I think so," Saxe shouted back, his voice seeming to be swept away by the rushing noise that appeared to accompany the water as it hurried along.

The guide's figure was indistinct in the mist of spray, and the mule's seemed lost in the rock, so similar were they in tone; but the spectators could just make out that Melchior was doing all he could short of blows to urge the mule on, and that it was stubbornly refusing to stir.

"You must go on, or let me pa.s.s you, Saxe," shouted Dale: "I want to speak to the guide."

"It gets deeper here," cried Saxe: "it's over my ankles, and the water feels like ice."

"Never mind,--go on; keep as close to the wall as you can. Shall I get by you?"

"No," said Saxe stoutly; "I'll try."

He waded along the shelf, with the water getting deeper still; and now he could feel the curious sensation of the rushing stream bearing against his legs, which were immersed half-way to his knees; and at every step he cautiously sounded, to make sure where he should plant his feet.

Before he had gone many paces, Melchior had returned to meet him; and as Dale closed up the guide shouted:

"I can't get him along, sir, and I dare not make him restive by a blow."

"No, no--of course not. But the water?"

"It is deeper farther on, herr--I think about a foot--and he will not move."

"It is impossible to back him, of course?"

"Oh yes, herr; and he cannot turn."

"Then we must get by him and go on and leave him to follow."

"Impossible, herr," yelled Melchior. "If we tried he might kick."

"Go and coax him."

"It is no use, herr. The poor beast is right. He says in his way that it is not safe to go on, and that we must wait."

"Wait in a place like this!" cried Dale. "The water is icy, and the noise deafening. Can you recollect how much the path goes down beyond the mule?"

"I don't think it goes down at all, herr."

"Then the water must be rising," cried Dale excitedly; and the guide nodded.

"We must not be caught in this terrible trap. I thought the water was sinking."

"It was, herr; but there must have been a fresh fall of rain at the other end of the lake, and it is rising now fast."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

A GRAVE PERIL.

"Then we must get back at once. But the mule?"

"We cannot move him, herr. It is impossible to do anything, and he must stay. The water may not rise high enough to take him off his legs. If it does he must go down with the stream and get out himself below yonder. I would say stay, but if the water rises to our waists, we should not be able to stand against the stream."

"Try the mule once more," said Dale. "We may get through."

The guide waded carefully back along the ledge-like path, and they could dimly see him patting and coaxing the beast, but with no effect whatever; and they stood there impatiently waiting till he returned to them, but not before both Dale and Saxe were painfully aware that the water was slowly creeping up toward their knees and the position growing perilous.

"It is useless, herr," cried Melchior, as he rejoined them. "You will lead back, sir; but wait a minute,--we will have the rope."

He took it from his shoulder and rapidly pa.s.sed one end to Dale, who knotted it about his waist, while the middle was once more tied round Saxe, and finally the other end to the guide, who then made a sign, and Dale began to retrace his steps toward the lower mouth of the gorge.

Even in that little time the difference in the level of the water was very evident; and as Saxe waded along, with the stream rushing by him and seeming to give him quite a series of pushes, he could not help an excited feeling of dread filling his breast, and he wondered whether he should get out of the place alive if some sudden rush of water came down in a wave and swept them off the ledge.

It was slow work for a few minutes, till the path rose once more, and then they progressed pretty quickly till the shelf ran down again; and as Saxe went on through the gloom, feeling that the rope was kept fairly taut, another sharp bend was turned, and they came in view of the facing wall of rock, against which the stream rushed and rose up now in such a body that Melchior raised his voice loudly:

"Stop, herr!" he cried: "don't try to pa.s.s."

"No," said Dale, as Saxe and the guide closed up, "the water has increased there terribly. We should be swept away."

"Then we're shut in!" cried Saxe.

"Yes, herr; but only for a time. The waters rise quickly and fall as quickly in the schluchts. Let's get back to the highest part, where we can be dry. If we could only have reached farther on!"

He said no more, for it was hard work to make the voice heard in the midst of this terrific reverberating war of the fierce waters, but he turned and led the way back round the corner they had so lately pa.s.sed, to where the ledge was fully four feet above the stream.

Here he calmly seated himself on the damp stone, with his legs hanging down toward the dark rushing water, took out and filled his great pipe, and then looked up at his companions, as if inviting them to be seated too.

There was but little temptation to follow his example, and sit down on the humid rock; but it offered rest, poor as it was, and Saxe and Dale both followed the example set them, while Melchior calmly lit his pipe and began to smoke and wait patiently for the water to go down.