The Missing Ship Part 27

Ellen laughed. "I am very ungrateful," she said, "but I cannot allow you to be placed in any danger on my account: you make me feel uncomfortable, if not nervous, and I am almost inclined to be angry with you for your disobedience."

Archie at length rode on, though very unwillingly, and the hill being pa.s.sed the road now struck more inland, sometimes leading over slight elevations, and at others along the levels for some distance, when the steeds, trained to a Spanish amble suitable for a tropical climate, got quickly over the ground. The groves of tall trees threw a shade across the road which prevented the heat from being overpowering. Before the sun had attained its full strength a rocky hill rose before them with a wood at its base; here they found a tent already pitched, and a fire at a little distance from it. A number of black servants, who, it appeared, had been sent on before, were busily engaged in cooking breakfast.

"De tent for de missee," said a black, Quambo by name, who acted as under-butler to old Martin, coming forward. "Dey rest dere till de carriages come if dey like."

The gentlemen threw themselves from their horses, eager to a.s.sist Ellen and Miss Pemberton to dismount, the lieutenant rushing forward and offering his hand to the former, who accepted it with a smile which sent a pang of jealousy through poor Archie's breast, the gallant major helping f.a.n.n.y from her horse. While the young ladies took advantage of the tent to rest--for the ride had been much longer than they had been accustomed to take, and they felt somewhat tired--the gentlemen, lighting their cigars, strolled through the thick wood towards the entrance of the cavern. On their way they pa.s.sed a large lagoon of stagnant water, surrounded by trees, every branch and leaf reflected on its mirror-like surface with a peculiar clearness. They could discover only two holes, which looked like the upper parts of arched doorways.

Between them, in the face of the rock, was a niche in which a statue might have been placed, while just below it was a basin or hollow in the rock, which appeared to have been formed by art for the purpose of holding water.

"I shouldn't be surprised if the Spaniards had made a sort of chapel here when they had possession of the country," observed Lieutenant Belt.

"See, that niche looks as if a figure of the Virgin Mary, for instance, had been placed there. This basin was evidently made to hold what they call holy water. They had probably made an attempt to convert the Indians by introducing their worship, but finding them obdurate and unable to comprehend its mysteries, put them to death as a punishment.

From an account I read the other day, the island, when first discovered by Columbus, was thickly populated; but in the course of a few years, after the Spaniards took possession, the greater number of the natives had been murdered or expended in some other way."

The rest of the party agreed with him. As they were all getting hungry, they returned to the camp, where, in a s.p.a.ce which had been cleared by the servants, a tablecloth had been spread, and was already covered with viands, cushions and mats being placed around on which the ladies could recline. The carriage party soon arrived, and Mr Twigg, in his cheery voice, summoned his guests to breakfast, which consisted of numberless West Indian delicacies. In spite of the good appet.i.tes their ride had given them, most of the party were too eager to explore the cavern to pay them that attention they undoubtedly deserved. After the gentlemen had smoked their cigars, and the ladies had put on costumes more suitable for the object in view than their riding-habits, headed by Mr Twigg the party set forth, Major Malcolm escorting Miss Pemberton, and Ellen being attended by Archie and Lieutenant Belt, who was determined no longer to be cut out. Mr Ferris had taken charge of Mrs Twigg, who confessed that had not the girls required her as a chaperone, she would rather have remained at home.

"Martha, indeed, particularly wanted me not to come," she remarked.

"She seemed unusually put out about something or other. Whether she fancied that the children were not as well as usual, or for some other cause, I could not guess; but they appeared to me to be so perfectly happy that I did not think it necessary to listen to her. She urged, however, that we should come back before dark, and Mr Twigg agreed that it would be important to get by the cliffs before sunset; after that, the ride is so easy, and we know it so well that there can be no danger."

This was said as they were proceeding through the wood. Mr Ferris agreed that it would certainly be advisable not to delay their departure after they had explored the cavern and taken luncheon, and that it would be better to endure the heat of the afternoon than to run the risk of travelling in the dark. An experienced guide and a supply of torches, consisting of bundles of candlewood split into small strips, had been provided. The party stood before the face of the rock.

"What, are we to go in there?" asked Miss Pemberton, in a tone of dismay.

"I am afraid that we shall discover no other mode of ingress," said Mr Twigg, as the guide, with the torches under his arm, crept through the larger of the two openings. "Come, Archie, do you and the rest of you go next," he said, turning to the two book-keepers, "and hail when the torches are lighted. You will a.s.sist to sweep the pa.s.sage."

Archie, not very well pleased, obeyed his superior, and in a short time the voices of the young gentlemen from within were heard shouting, "All right!" The gallant lieutenant next went down on his hands and knees, his long legs disappearing through the entrance. The major stood bowing to Mrs Twigg, who seemed to consider that it was her duty to go next, that she might be ready to receive her charges; they, laughing, quickly followed her, the major and the other gentlemen bringing up the rear.

They found themselves in a circular vestibule about twenty feet in diameter and fourteen in height, with an irregular concave ceiling covered, as were the sides, with innumerable glittering stalact.i.tes, reflecting on their polished surfaces the light of the torches held by the guide and the young book-keepers, who stood round in a circle, flourishing them over their heads. Several columns of stalact.i.te forming arches overhead gave the cavern, the appearance of a Gothic chapel, while between the pillars various openings led into avenues which diverged in different directions, apparently running far away into the interior of the mountain.

"See, there sits the presiding genius of the cavern," said Mr Twigg, taking a torch and advancing a few steps towards an object which had a wonderful resemblance to a statue carved by the sculptor's hand. It was that of a venerable hermit, sitting in profound meditation, wrapped in a flowing robe, his arms folded and his beard descending to his waist.

His head was bald, his forehead wrinkled with age, while his features were well defined, the eyes, nose, and mouth being perfect. The graceful, easy folds of the drapery and the wavy flow of his beard were especially remarkable. Mr Twigg did not say that he had gone in shortly before with the guide and artistically touched up the features by the liberal use of charcoal.

"Shouldn't wonder if the old fellow was a G.o.d of the original inhabitants of the island," said Lieutenant Belt. "Never saw anything so natural in my life."

Expressions of delighted surprise escaped from the young ladies, and even Mrs Twigg was very glad that she had come.

"But we have only seen the commencement of this magic cavern; it has more wonders to reveal to us," remarked her husband, desiring the black guide to lead on. He accordingly proceeded through one of the widest pa.s.sages in front of them, holding his torch high above his head to show its height, which appeared to be from twelve to fifteen feet. Each of the young men also carried a torch, which illumined the otherwise total darkness of the cavern, bringing out the numberless objects hanging from the roof or appearing on either side--canopies studded with bright gems, festoons of sparkling icicles, rostrums and thrones, busts of warriors and poets. Here were skulls grinning from the wall; columns of every order of architecture; fonts and basins, some holding water; and a thousand other representations of works of art. Here and there other pa.s.sages struck off to the right or left, adorned in the same curious fashion. Most of the arches and columns appeared to consist of a greyish marble, and were wild and curious in the extreme. Some of the pillars were perfect, sustaining apparently the ma.s.sive superstructure; others were only half formed; and many were but just commenced by the dripping of water from above. Several of the apartments were cellular; others s.p.a.cious and airy, having eyelet holes through the roof, which allowed the escape of noxious vapours, and a.s.sisted greatly to ventilate the cavern. The ground beneath their feet was of a soft nature, deep and yielding, and had a peculiar smell. As they advanced, thousands of bats flew out from among the crevices of the rock, disturbed by the light of the torches and the voices of the visitors, which echoed through the pa.s.sages and vaulted roof. They had not gone far when the guide stopped short, and an exclamation of alarm escaped him.

"What is dem? Did you see dem, ma.s.sa?" he asked of Archie, who was by his side. The rest of the party, who were close at his heels, saw numerous dark forms flitting by at the further end of a pa.s.sage directly in front of them, while unearthly sounding voices reached their ears.

"Those must be shadows cast by the light of our torches," observed the major; "the sounds are merely echoes."

"No, no, ma.s.sa, dey duppies," cried the guide; "de echo nebber take so long to come back to us."

Still the major was not convinced, although Mr Twigg suspected that they had disturbed an a.s.sembly of negroes, who, not expecting that the cavern was about to be visited by strangers, had met there for some purpose or other. It was some time before the guide recovered his courage.

"Come along," said Archie; "if they were duppies they will be afraid of interfering with white people, and if black fellows, they are still less likely to trouble us."

The other young men, who were always ready to follow Archie, insisted on the guide going on; but he let them proceed in advance, directing them which way to take. They had gone some distance further, pa.s.sing the entrances of several more pa.s.sages, when the guide cried out, "Stop, atop, ma.s.sa; we got furder dan I tink." Scarcely were the words out of his mouth than Archie and his torch disappeared, and before they could stop themselves, two of his companions fell over. The ladies shrieked, supposing that the young men had fallen down some frightful hollow; but the shouts of laughter which followed soon rea.s.sured them, as did the a.s.sertions of the guide, that there was no harm done. It was found that they had merely gone done a descent of four or five feet, and had quickly again picked themselves up. The guide followed them, and the ladies, a.s.sisted by the gentlemen, easily leaped down to a lower level of the cavern. They continued their walk without further interruption, till daylight streamed down upon them from above, and they found themselves in an open area, with steep rocks covered with trees surrounding them on all sides. This area, as nearly as they could conjecture, lay about a quarter of a mile from the entrance of the grotto. From it numerous other pa.s.sages branched off, into one of which the guide led them. They shortly came to a magnificent circular chamber with a vaulted ceiling eighteen feet or more in height. The most curious feature was the straight taproot of a tree which descended from above, about the size of a cable, uniform in shape from the top to the bottom. It had apparently made its way through a cleft in the rock, and penetrated downwards till it reached the floor of the apartment. On one side was an opening into a narrow pa.s.sage, which the guide endeavoured to dissuade the gentlemen from entering. Archie, however, who had become excited, and considered himself the leader of the party, insisted on going forward.

"Don't go, ma.s.sa, don't go; you'll fall down deep well and nebber come up again," shrieked the guide. Archie and his companions, notwithstanding this warning, pushed forward, holding their torches well before them. The pa.s.sage became more and more contracted, till they reached an upright ledge of rock rising like a parapet wall almost breast high. They climbed up it, but on the other side it sloped rapidly down, and Archie, bold as he had become, thought it prudent to draw back; but instead of doing so he found himself slipping forward, and would have been unable to stop had not one of the other book-keepers caught hold of his coat and a.s.sisted him to scramble up again. Just then the guide came up. "Ma.s.sa, you not know what you escape," he exclaimed. "See." And he threw a stone, which, after descending for some seconds of time, was heard to plunge into water, the noise echoing backwards and forwards amid the rocks which formed the side of the chasm. Archie shuddered as he thought of his merciful escape. Other stones of larger size being thrown in produced a loud, hoa.r.s.e sound which reached to a considerable distance.

"What a fearful uproar you would have made, Archie, if you'd taken a leap into the chasm!" said one of his companions.

"Don't talk of it, man; it is a lesson to me for the future to look before I leap," was the answer.

"No, ma.s.sa, as I say, you nebber come up again, unless you pop up in de sea," observed the guide. "Dat hole full ob salt water and full ob big fish; but I nebber gone down, and nebber intend to go--he, he, he!"

Further exploration in that direction having been cut short, the party turned back, slowly to retrace their steps, occasionally entering for a short distance some of the numerous avenues which they discovered as they proceeded; but they were all apparently much like those they had already visited. The ceilings were incrusted with stalact.i.tes, between which in several places the fibrous roots of trees and plants forced their way downwards through the interstices; in many places honeycombed rocks formed the roof-work of the grotto; and in others, where openings appeared towards the sky, the ground was strewed with various seeds and roots, that of the bread-nut especially being in great abundance.

Reptiles, too, of curious shape were seen scuttling away, disturbed by the intruders--toad, snake, and lizard forms, all curiously covered with incrustations. The parts of the cavern open to the air were delightfully cool, and Lieutenant Belt proposed that they should send for their provisions and lunch in one of the larger apartments. His motion, however, was overruled, the ladies especially objecting to sit down with the bats flying overhead, and the creatures they had seen crawling about round them. Still, they all lingered to examine more particularly the numberless curious formations, unwilling to bid farewell to the grotto, which few of them were likely again to visit.

Perhaps, too, they hesitated to commence the undignified exit which they would have to make. The torches being nearly exhausted, Mr Twigg, looking at his watch, announced that it was time for luncheon.

"After which we must not delay in commencing our homeward journey,"

observed Mr Ferris, who had remembered Mrs Twigg's warnings.

With much laughter, Major Malcolm on this occasion leading the way, the whole party crept in succession through the opening of the cavern, and stood at length in the free air, their sensations reminding them of the feeling experienced on entering a hot-house. Major Malcolm had scarcely for a moment left f.a.n.n.y Pemberton's side; he now escorted her back to the camp. His first inquiry of the servants was whether they had seen any strange negroes in the wood. The blacks all declared that they had not; but his own man, who had made an excursion by himself to the side of the lagoon, stated that while he was looking towards the rock he saw some dozen or twenty black fellows steal out of a small opening and run off in an opposite direction, evidently, as he supposed, endeavouring to keep themselves concealed.

"Were they armed?" asked the major.

"Yes, sir; each man had a weapon of some sort--a spear or bow--in his hands, and two or three had firelocks," was the answer.

"That looks suspicious," thought the major; and he mentioned what his man had told him to Mr Ferris, who became very grave.

"Fortunately the fellows don't consider us enemies, or they might have shot us down with impunity," he observed. "There is something going forward among the blacks, I fear; and at all events the sooner we are on our return home the better."

An ample luncheon of fish, flesh, and fowl, vegetables, and fruit of every description had been prepared. It was hurried over somewhat rapidly; the servants were directed to pack up and proceed on their way homeward; and as soon as the tent was struck, the steeds, which had been tethered in the shade with their heads in nose-bags, were bridled and saddled.

"To horse! to horse! ladies and gentlemen," shouted Mr Twigg. "We must brave the heat and dust, instead of riding home by moonlight as we proposed; we shall enjoy the cool evening all the more on our arrival."

The younger members of the party, who had heard nothing of the cause which had created anxiety in the minds of Major Malcolm and Mr Ferris, were somewhat surprised at the summons, but quickly prepared to start.

"Let me a.s.sist you to mount, Miss Pemberton," said Major Malcolm.

Leading forward her horse, and placing his hand a little above the ground, he dexterously lifted her into her saddle. Lieutenant Belt, imitating his example, brought forward Ellen's steed, and was delighted to find that she accepted his services, poor Archie being compelled to fall into the rear. The party on horseback led the way, the carriages rattling after them. Major Malcolm, who once having gone a road never forgot it, rode on with Miss Pemberton, Ellen and her cavalier following close behind them. They had just pa.s.sed the cliff, when, the road being broad and level, f.a.n.n.y proposed a canter. They had ridden on about a mile further, when they saw, beneath the shade of the tall trees directly ahead, a horseman galloping at full speed towards them. As he approached he was seen to be a white-headed negro, his hat, which just then blew off, exposing his h.o.a.ry locks.

"He is old Martin, Mr Twigg's butler," exclaimed f.a.n.n.y. "What could have made him come out to meet us in so great a hurry?"

"Where Ma.s.sa Twigg?" exclaimed the old man. "I tank Heaven I meet you so soon."

"He is close behind," answered Major Malcolm. "I trust that you are not the bearer of bad news?"

"Yes, sar, I bring berry bad news: we all hab our troats cut and be murdered and burnt before dis night," answered old Martin, who had fastened a huge silver spur to one of his heels, and had caught up a slave-driver's whip. Without waiting for further questions he galloped forward, leaving Major Malcolm and Miss Pemberton as ignorant as at first of what had occurred.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

MR. TWIGG RIDES FORWARD TO PREPARE FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE HOUSE--THE REST OF THE PARTY FOLLOW--ENCOUNTER A PARTY OF BLACKS--PROVE TO BE FRIENDS--THE OVERSEERS INCREDULITY--PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENDING THE HOUSE--DOUBTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE REPORTS--A FRESH ARRIVAL BRINGS ALARMING NEWS--MR. HAYWARD'S ACCOUNT OF HIS ESCAPE--SCOUTS SENT OUT--ALL HANDS LABOUR AT THE FORTIFICATIONS--MAJOR MALCOLM AND A PARTY SET OFF FOR WALTON HALL--THE INSURGENTS APPEAR AND ATTACK THE HOUSE--DRIVEN BACK--THE SIEGE--PROVISIONS AND WATER BECOME SCARCE--A SORTIE TO OBTAIN WATER--THE INSURGENTS ATTEMPT TO BURN THE STOCKADES--DRIVEN BACK BY BELT AND ARCHIE--ANOTHER SORTIE TO DIG YAMS--ARCHIE CAPTURED BY THE REBELS.

Mr Ferris was acting as charioteer to Mrs Twigg, and took the lead of the carriages.

"What's the matter?" she cried out, as she caught sight of old Martin galloping up, dreadful surmises, however, entering her mind.