HAL A PRISONER
"Oh, he's dead! Hal's dead, and that's his ghost screaming!" moaned
Frank Bowler as he writhed in mental agony at the feet of Dr. Byrd.
The latter stooped and lifted the boy gently to his feet. Then he took
him by the hand and led him down stream beyond the noise of the
waterfall.
"Nonsense, Frank. If that's his voice, he's alive and very lusty, and
we're going to get him out as soon as we find out where he is. But what
does all this mean?"
"No, no, that's his ghost; I know it is," insisted the boy still wildly.
"Don't let them hang me, Dr. Byrd! Don't let them hang me! I won't do it
any more."
"Won't do what any more?"
"Threaten to clout anybody on the jaw," sobbed Frank, who now for the
first time that evening found it possible to shed tears, and they came
in a flood. But at last he found his voice between sobs and continued.
"I kicked the plank and he fell down in the waterfall. He's drownded; I
know it. I saw him fall. Please, doctor, don't let 'em hang me."
"Get that out of your mind, my boy," reassured Dr. Byrd. "Nobody's going
to hang you, whatever you did. They don't hang boys of your age. But I
don't understand you."
This reassurance that he was not in danger of the gallows gave the boy
better control of himself and he was able to tell his story less
hysterically. Through a series of pointed questions the doctor finally
drew from him all the details regarding the discovery of the cave behind
the cataract and Hal's attempt to get into it, and then he announced:
"Well, the mystery is explained at last. Don't worry, Frank. Hal isn't
drowned. He's safe behind the waterfall and we'll get him out as soon as
we can."
"But I saw him fall," insisted the boy, his eyes staring wide with
wonder.
"No you didn't," replied the doctor. "It was your imagination that
caused you to think you saw him fall. He was probably on the ledge
beyond the cataract and staggered as he stepped from the plank."
This was the true explanation, and takes us back to Hal when he was
entrapped. He saw what his companion had done and attempted to reassure
him that no serious damage, beyond the loss of the plank, had resulted;
but Frank darted away in terror almost instantly.
Hal watched the fleeing boy with puzzled amusement at first. He could
not understand why he should have run away so hurriedly. He did not know
that Frank believed he had killed his friend, but supposed the impetuous
lad was hastening away for assistance. However, it seemed strange that
he should not have tried to tell Hal his intentions.
Having no fear as to the outcome of his adventure, Hal began to look
about him. But the cave was dark, except close to the roaring water, and
he was able to see but little. He was afraid to venture far back lest he
step into a pit or over an underground precipice. So he decided to wait
where he was until help arrived.
Presently his eyes fell again on the supposed bag of souvenirs, and he
stooped over and picked it up. Yes, there was no mistake about it; the
object was a bag of soft leather and contained half a peck, seemingly of
small stones or quartz. The string, run through a dozen eyes near the
opening, was tied, and as it was too dark to see, he did not open it.
Help would come to him in a few minutes and he would turn the bag over
to Dr. Byrd for further inspection.
But help did not come in a few minutes. Half an hour passed and Hal
began to wonder a little. He had reasoned out an explanation of Frank's
sudden departure, so that had ceased to puzzle him. Frank was very
impetuous, and undoubtedly had realized at once that it would be
useless, on account of the noise of the waterfall, to attempt to talk
with the prisoner, so he must have decided instantly that the only thing
for him to do was to run for assistance before it became too dark.
But as the shades of the cañon grew heavy and no rescuers appeared, Hal
became uneasy. Probably an hour had elapsed since he was trapped in this
place, and he was becoming alarmed. What could have happened to Frank?
Had he fallen into the river and--no, that could not be. Hal had watched
him until he passed the deep part and sat down near the fording place to
pull off his shoes and stockings. Frank had crossed the river, no doubt.
Another half hour elapsed and the prisoner was ready to give up hope for
the night. Something had happened to prevent Frank from carrying the
news to Mr. Porter, or else it was deemed too dark to attempt a rescue
at once. The west shore was pretty steep and a single misstep in the
dark might plunge one into the water or onto the rocks, ten, fifteen or
twenty feet below. Possibly some one had been sent back to the school
for lanterns.
Several times he wished he had some matches in order that he might
explore the cave and examine the contents of the leather bag, but Dr.
Byrd never permitted his boys to carry any. The buildings of the school
were lighted by a small electric plant connected with the shops, and
they were heated with steam pipes and radiators, so that there was
little call for the use of matches on the part of anybody at the school.
Moreover, the doctor had absolutely forbidden the use of cigarettes at
Lakefarm, and matches are very necessary to the habit.
The waterfall was almost as effective as a stone wall would have been in
shutting from view the light of the moon in the cañon. However, from the
point where he had crossed over on the plank he could look out and see
dimly the shadowy contour of the mountain. Then, gazing upward at an
angle, he could see a few stars shining dimly.
Hal spent some time gazing out through this opening. At first he looked
for the approach of rescuers, but as time grew into more than an hour
and nobody appeared, he continued to gaze because it was more pleasant
to do so than to rest his eyes on the darkness of the cave.
Once only he yielded to an impulse to make an exploration of his prison.
This he did because he had become extremely tired of standing in one
position so long. Indeed, he was almost ready to pitch over into the
falling water when he finally dropped to his hands and knees and began
to feel about him.
The floor of the cave was fairly smooth, but so damp that his trousers
and underclothing became wet to the skin at the knees in a short time.
This, however, did not bother him, and he continued his exploration for
several feet back.
Satisfied with this he arose to his feet and went through a few simple
calisthenic exercises that he had learned at Lakefarm. This warmed him
up and he returned to the edge of the cave. He would have been glad to
lie down and sleep until morning, but the uncomfortable dampness of the
floor and the fear of catching a bad cold caused him to remain erect.
How much longer he continued to stand and look out, principally at a
handful of stars, he did not know. It was a monotonous occupation, and
he found it wise to stand back several feet for fear lest, in a moment
of dizziness or drowsiness, he lose his balance and pitch forward and
down with the falling water. Suddenly, however, he became very wide
awake and attentive, for several lights were approaching some distance
down stream on the right shore.
Apparently they were lanterns. At once Hal surmised correctly who
carried them and was certain that they were coming to his rescue.
Probably Frank was with them, he further reasoned.
But when he saw the lights separate, two coming upstream and two going
down, he was puzzled. What could this mean? Why did they not ford the
river at once and come up on the other side? Here was the only place to
help him out of his prison.
He could see the lights of Dr. Byrd and Mr. Porter until they approached
close to the cataract, when the falling water shut off his view of them.
They remained out of his sight, however, for presently they walked down
stream again, stopping near the rapids. The light of their lanterns made
their forms fairly distinct.
Presently Hal saw the other two men from down stream rejoin them. He
looked closely for a fifth member of the party, a boy, but was
disappointed. As he observed the four now engaged in a seemingly puzzled
discussion, the waterfall prisoner decided that it was time for him to
do something to attract attention. Was it possible that they did not
know where he was? The idea seemed ridiculous; and yet what other
explanation of their manner and actions could be given?
So he let out a lusty scream, and then watched for its effect.
Apparently it had none, so he gave another and another. The men
continued their discussion, paying no attention to his cries. Hal
guessed that the sound of his voice was drowned in the noise of the
waterfall. This conclusion threw him into despair. All sorts of direful
forebodings now crowded his brain. Maybe Frank was drowned after all,
and the searching party was looking for both of them. If this was true,
they would drag Frank's body from the river, while he, Hal, would be
left to starve to death behind the cataract because he was unable to
make his presence known.
This fear set him almost wild, and he continued to utter scream after
scream, until his throat became so irritated that he had to quit. Then
he caught some of the falling water in his hand and drank it and his
throat felt more comfortable.
Meanwhile the entire search party came upstream again and disappeared,
remaining out of Hal's sight a long time. During the entire hour and a
half that they spent in the timber, the boy kept up a succession of
screams and cries for help. Naturally the uncertainty of the situation
had a depressing effect on him, but he set his teeth and would not give
up. Daylight surely would bring hope. But daylight was many hours off.
Finally Dr. Byrd and his companions returned within Hal's range of
vision. He saw the lights and the men move down the river, and watched
them as they raked the bed of the stream along the shore, but could not
make out what they were doing. He continued his cries for help; he
pitched his voice in every possible key, instinctively realizing that
certain keys were more readily drowned in the roar of the waterfall than
others. Then followed the puzzled discussion over these cries, and it
was not long before the boy knew that he had attracted attention.
He saw them approach the cataract again, then go back, engage in another
discussion, cut some clubs in a thicket, and return once more to the
waterfall. They passed beyond his vision, as on former occasions, and
before long he caught Mr. Porter's shrill "Oh, Hal, where are you?"
"Behind the waterfall," replied the boy in his highest pitch. But he put
most stress on the first word, which was the only one caught distinctly
by the rescuers.
Then Hal witnessed the discovery of Frank, who was standing just within
his range of vision. As the light of the lanterns was thrown on that
frightened youth's face, Hal saw him fall down before the doctor, who
picked him up and led him down stream, while the others followed.
From this moment he watched proceedings with new sensations of wonder.
He could see that Frank seemed to be telling something to the men. But
they did not listen long to his story. They seemed suddenly to decide on
a course of action; they walked farther down the stream to the fording
place where two of them pulled off their shoes and waded across, still
carrying the lanterns. One of them also took with him one of the rakes,
which Hal supposed to be merely a long pole.
They reached the western bank and climbed up on the steep shore. Then
they picked their way carefully toward the cataract. Hal was certain now
he was about to be rescued. His cries for help were no longer needed,
and he waited in silence.
The two men's progress along the difficult shore was slow, but finally
they reached the flat rock close to the waterfall. By this time Hal
could distinguish the features of the two men in the light of their
lanterns and also observed that the "pole" carried by Pepper was a rake.
The man with Pepper was Dr. Byrd.
On reaching the rock, the janitor-chauffeur hooked his lantern onto the
rake and extended it toward the fall. Finding the thin section of the
cataract, he thrust it through and Hal seized both lantern and rake
eagerly.
Disengaging the light from the garden implement, Hal was about to pass
the latter back when he caught sight of a piece of paper tied to it. He
set the lantern down, broke the string around the paper, and spread out
the latter close to the lantern, taking care lest he tear the wet
note-book leaf. Then he read the following:
"Mr. Frankland and Mr. Porter have gone back in the automobile
for some planks to make a bridge. Can you make yourself
comfortable in there until morning? Answer.
Dr. Byrd."