BURIED IN THE CAVE
The two boys looked suspiciously at Matt as he advanced, but neither
words of cheer nor resentment came to their Lips. A few days ago Glen's
greeting would have been quick and stinging. His silence spoke well for
the first lessons of self-control. Apple felt so keenly Matt's injustice
to Glen that the cordiality which was his natural offering to good and
bad alike was completely choked.
But another splash caused all three to turn their looks again to the
entrance and in a moment another head bobbed in sight. It was
Chick-chick this time.
"'Lo, fellers!" he called out cheerfully. "D'ye know it's rainin' in
solid sheets outside. Jest had to get in out of it. Old Matt, he's
follerin' you. I's follerin' Matt. He dived. I dived. 'Tain't much drier
in here than outside but anyway ye don't need umbrellas. Mighty little
bit of openin' ye came through there. Skinned me elbow, I did."
"Come up here, Chick-chick," invited Apple. "We can use you. It's dry up
here. And I don't know why you came, Matt, but since you're here you
might as well help, too."
"I came to see what you were doing," said Matt. "I knew you didn't go
out of camp in your bathing suits just for nothing and anyway I wanted
to see if I could track you."
"Didn't bring your bread-box 'long, did ye, Matt?" asked Chick-chick
innocently.
"Maybe I'd have better luck finding things if I was a confederate of
those that hid them."
Was Matt trying to intimate that Glen had found the cave because of some
confederacy with the Jervice gang? Glen felt his anger rising.
"That's enough of that," said Apple. "If you fellows want to help you
can take turns one on top and one in the water. Come on up,
Chick-chick."
With four pairs of hands they made quicker progress. Both the additional
workers were strong and active, and Matt especially was urged on by the
desire to show that he could do as much or a little more than any one
else. Suddenly he stopped in his work and looked about in evident
perplexity.
"What's the matter?" asked Apple. "Too much cold water? Maybe you'd
better get out of it for awhile."
"Yes, there's too much of it, and it's too cold too. But what's
bothering me is why there's so much. It was up to my waist when I began
work. Then I threw down a big rock a foot high and stood on it and now
it's more than waist high again. It must be rising."
"I thought we were getting this pile pulled down awfully quick," said
Glen. "That's what's made it. The water has risen up to cover it."
Chick-chick straightened himself up and looked around in the gloom. Then
he lifted the lantern by the light of which he had been working and
swung it far over his head.
"Where's the opening we came in at?" he shouted.
They all looked in the direction where they expected it to be but not
even the faintest glimmer of daylight shone in to tell of an opening.
"Do you suppose we've worked away here so long that it has got to be
dark without our knowing it?" asked Apple.
"No. 'Tisn't more'n an hour since Matt and I invited ourselves in,"
objected Chick-chick. "Wasn't much past four then."
"It's the rising water," said Matt. "I was so busy and it came up so
gradually I didn't notice it. The creek must be rising from the heavy
rain."
"Another thing is we've thrown so much rock and rubbish down there that
we've probably choked up that outlet below. There's no sign of it now,"
observed Glen.
"Say, fellers, I'm gettin' homesick," said Chick-chick. "Let's get out
o' here."
"All right for me, Chick-chick," said Apple. "I'm not much of a swimmer
in the dark. You lead the way."
"Not for Chick-chick. I'm no water-witch nor a pathfinder, I ain't.
'Twouldn't do for humble bug-hunter to take such honor. Let Matt and
Brick draw straws for it."
"I'm willing to try it," Glen volunteered.
"I'm not afraid of it," said Matt, his natural bravery pushing him to
the front at such a crisis. "Let me try."
"I hold big rock in one hand an' little rock in t'other. Fellow that
guesses big rock goes," said Chick-chick.
"Right!" said Matt.
"An' Brick guesses left," said Chick-chick for Glen. "Matt gets the
try."
Matt waited for no counsel.
"I know just about where the opening lies," he said, stepping on the
pile of masonry. "I'll dive clear through the passage."
With a quick spring he disappeared beneath the turbid water.
The boys waited an anxious minute, swinging their lanterns far out over
the current. Suddenly Glen thrust the lantern he held into Apple's hand
and made a quick jump into the swirl of waters. He was up in a moment
with a heavy burden.
"It's Matt!" he cried. "I saw his hand sticking out of the water and
jumped for it. He's hurt himself."
The boys were down by his side in a moment, Apple holding a lantern high
above his head.
"We must get him up on one of those ledges," said Glen. "He's breathing,
but he isn't conscious."
It would have been a hard task under ordinary circumstances, but in
their excitement the three scouts made light work of it. One ledge
shelved down toward the water making their ascent easier, and from there
they managed to lift the injured boy still higher, well out of reach of
the water.
Blood was pouring persistently from a wound in the scalp, but with his
knowledge of "first aid" Apple was able to stop this quickly by making
pressure. They had no bandage material of any description but they took
turns in making pressure with their fingers until the blood seemed
inclined no longer to flow and the wound showed a tendency to be covered
by a firm clot. Matt came to himself for a few minutes, spoke a few
half-conscious words and then drifted off again into quiet; but this
time it seemed more like the quiet of sleep so they made no effort to
disturb him.
"He must have hit his head against something pretty sharp when he
dived," said Glen. "I'll go more carefully and just swim gently along
the side where the opening ought to be and reach out with my hands for
it."
But while they were attending Matt the water had made a very appreciable
rise. It would scarcely be possible to feel along the edges now. The
water was too high.
"I'll have to swim under water, fellows," said Glen.
"Don't ye do it, Brick," advised Chick-chick. "You don't want to chance
Apple and me having to make another rescue, with Matt on our hands
already."
"You won't have to make any rescue. I'll swim easily and feel well in
front of me."
"I don't like you to try it," said Apple. "We'd be in an awful fix if
anything happened to you. There's no danger of the water coming up on
these ledges, and it's bound to go down when the rain is over and the
creek drops."
"Cheerful lookout, waiting here for that," said Glen. "The folks at the
camp will go crazy if we don't show up by night. I've got to get out to
carry the news and get help for Matt."
He jumped into the water without further argument and soon they could
dimly see him feeling his way along the edge of the cave. It seemed a
terribly long time before he came back.
"Haven't found it yet," he said with an attempt at cheer. "It seems as
if it ought to be easy enough to find a two foot opening but the top
shelves down pretty sharp just there and the opening is now probably
five or six feet from the surface. It's mighty discouraging to swim
around under there and not find anything. I must rest up a bit."
"Why are you putting that light out, Chick-chick?" asked Apple.
"We c'n see jest's well with one as two, an' I've an idea we may need
it wuss later on," replied Chick-chick, significantly.
"You're not getting scared, Chick-chick?" said Glen.
"No, I'm not gettin' scared. I'm just tryin' to use me thinker a bit. We
got a boy here that may need 'tention. Won't do to be without light. You
fellers got any matches?"
"Yes, I have some," said Apple. "I've kept 'em dry, too."
"All right, then. If Brick has to quit experimentin' in the water
without findin' anything, we'll put out t'other light, too, an' just use
'em when we need 'em. This water's goin' to go down sooner or later, but
while we have to wait a light when we need it will be awfully handy."
"I'm not through, yet," said Glen. "As soon as I find that opening I'll
run to camp and get a rope, and we'll have you fellows out in no time.
I've got marks outside to show me how to get back in all right."
Glen stayed away longer the next time, but he came back, shivering and
exhausted.
"I'm afraid it's no good for awhile, fellows," he admitted. "Once I
thought I had it but a big log barred the way. Then I thought I'd feel
where the current rushed in strongest and try there, but it's strong
everywhere."
Just then Matt stirred and tried to rise but was held back by Apple.
"My head aches!" he murmured. "I can't find it."
"All right, Matty, old boy. You did your best. Lie back and go to
sleep."
"I've slept enough," he declared. "What's the matter? Didn't we get out
of that cave?"
"No. But it's all right. We'll get out after awhile. You just lie back."
"I'm all right now. Let me up. I remember diving and that's all. Who
pulled me out of the water?"
"It was Brick, and it's just as good you should know it," said Apple.
"He saw your hand waving around and jumped for you."
"It was easy enough," said Glen. "The water was only about shoulder high
then."
"I would have done it for you," said Matt. "But I don't know that you
had any cause to do it for me. It makes me feel pretty small after I've
been such a beastly prig. I'll get even with you some way but I don't
know how. Let me try diving for that hole again."
"Too big hole in yer head," objected Chick-chick. "The water 'd wash
all your brains out. Awful strong current down there."
"Better not stir much," counseled Apple. "There's quite a bad cut you've
got on top and we had a time getting the bleeding stopped. If you move
about much you're likely to unsettle the clot and start it again. Better
lie still."
"But I'm not just going to lie down and die here. I want to get out."
"Easy now, Matt. You don't help us by acting that way and you won't help
us if you get your head started again either. Look at that water.
Brick's worked in it till he's just about all in. You can't do any
better than he."
"Who says I can't?" he cried, bristling at once.
"I'd say you can't if 'twould do any good," replied Chick-chick. "That's
no way to act at such time 's this. Ye ain't bein' like a man or a
Christian. See, ye've started the blood again and it's trickling down
your face. Now lie down."
In the face of such conditions Matt had sense enough to desist from
further opposition. He lay down again and soon the bleeding stopped.
"Chick-chick," he said, in subdued tones. "I give you leave to kick me
if I act the fool again."
"There wouldn't be any pleasure in it, now," said Chick-chick. "Hold
your offer till we get t' camp if ye want t' please me. What I say is
let's put all lights out and everybody go to sleep."
"Suppose the water comes up on us," objected Matt.
"It won't. It can't rise much higher'n the creek level an' we're way
above it now. Let's go to sleep."
"I can't," Matt still objected.
"What's matter? Head hurt ye?"
"Not so much. And I don't mind it so bad when we're all awake talking,
but I'm afraid to have us go to sleep."
"You 'fraid, Brick?"
"No," said Glen. "I'm too tired."
"You 'fraid, Apple?"
"No, I'm scared, but I'm not afraid. But I don't wonder so much at Matt.
I know how I'd be if I didn't know God had a firm hold of me, right now.
Let's sing a little."
He started a familiar camp song, and from one song they went to another.
When they were singing "Where He leads me I will follow" Chick-chick
held up his hand.
"Matt's asleep," he whispered. "I'll bet his head's made him 'bout half
crazy. Hope he sleeps till morning."
How many hours they slept they could not tell, for there were no
timepieces. They would rouse, turn over, and drop asleep again, for each
one was determined to sleep away as much of the waiting time as
possible. It was probably early morning when at last Glen arose,
stretched himself and carefully lighted a lantern.
"It's going down, boys," he announced. "The opening isn't uncovered yet,
but it's two or three feet lower than it was last night."
They were all wide awake now, and all leaned over the ledge to form
their own opinion.
"The current seems to run differently," said Glen. "It acts as if the
rock we threw in has stopped up the old outlet and it was running back
of the heap we pulled down instead."
"Yes, sir. Strikes me just that way," said Chick-chick.
"I'm going to take the other lantern and explore a little," said Glen.
"You fellows needn't come. I'll holler if I find anything."
He disappeared behind the ruined arch, swimming and wading, but he was
back in a minute, all excitement.
"There's a regular passage out this way, fellows. Seems to go clear
through the Mound. The water's rushing down in a torrent. Come and
see."
They needed no invitation, for they were down before he finished
speaking. Around the crumbled masonry he led them, and pointed to an
opening like a natural tunnel which, seemed to lead far into the bowels
of the earth.