THE MOUNTAIN PASS.
OUR outward voyage was slow. Tempests and provoking calms delayed us
so much that 'twas not until the twenty-eighth day after leaving
Spithead that we sighted Yucatan. Thence, without espying any other
craft, we ran into the great bay of Campechy, where we encountered a
storm known as El Norte for the space of three days, which drove us
out of our course and into a hazardous position on a lee shore.
Finally we came to a secure anchorage at the mouth of a little river
some twenty leagues from the city of Vera Cruz. As far as we could
see, the district was uninhabited. There might be Indians dwelling in
the forests, but there were no signs of any Spanish settlements, for
which we were indeed thankful.
We then held a council of war, and, after much careful deliberation,
decided to land seventy men under the orders of my father to make the
expedition to the mine.
The _Damsel of Lyme_ was therefore dismantled and anchored in a
secluded creek, while the _Nonsuch_, under Captain Staynton, was to
cruise in the offing, putting into the river at certain fixed times
on the chance of picking up the expedition on its return.
At first we hoped to be able to ascend the river in boats, but at
less than a league from its mouth we found it so encumbered with
rocks and so rapid in its course that such an expedient was
impossible.
It was on the last day of June, every man heavily laden, the
expedition set out on its hazardous enterprise, Jack Staynton, at his
earnest request, accompanying us.
On the second day we fell in with a party of Indians who, on being
offered payment, and finding that we were not the dreaded Spaniards,
readily provided us with men and mules, for though 'twas less than a
hundred years since the first horse was seen in this part of the
world, both horses and mules were to be had in plenty.
On and on we toiled, for the sun was broiling, but every day found us
higher above the sea, till in the evening of the ninth day we saw a
range of snow-capped mountains, from some of the peaks of which thin
columns of smoke were issuing.
"Yonder is the burning mountain they call Huitzel!" exclaimed my
father, pointing to the loftiest of the smoking peaks. "We have done
well, for almost under its shadow lies the mine of San Luis. Courage,
men; all being well, every one of you will have enough and to spare
for the rest of your lives."
With that the seamen took heart, for the long journey into the
unknown and the thought of being separated from the sea had tried
them sorely. But, on the other hand, the Indians showed signs of fear
at the burning mountain, and nothing would induce them to go farther.
Finding threats and promises equally useless, we had no course but to
leave them behind. They readily consented to wait till our return;
so, taking the baggage animals with us, we entered on the final
stages of our outward journey.
Now 'twas up and up, passing through grim defiles, so narrow that
save for a brief two hours the sun's rays never shone upon the arid
path, while any of the boulders that hung menacingly over the edges
of the precipice on either side would assuredly seal us up in a
fearful trap should they topple from their precarious bases.
Anon the way would trend round the face of a tremendous cliff, midway
'twixt summit and base. Often the path was barely two feet in width,
and a false step would have sent us headlong for a distance of thirty
fathoms. At some of the narrowest parts a man would crawl carefully
with a rope round his middle, and on gaining more secure foothold
would steady the cord whilst his comrades trod the dizzy path in fear
and trepidation. Yet the mules, heavily laden as they were, traversed
the hazardous way with seeming ease, their unshod hoofs finding a
safe foothold on the slippery rock.
"'Twill be but another hour to sunset," remarked my father, as we
halted at a wide recess that cut deep into the mountain. "Now comes
another perilous journey, much like the last. 'Tis half a league in
length. What say ye, men? Shall we push on and gain the level ground
ere night, or camp here?"
"We'll push on, sir, if you give the word," shouted several of the
seamen, for they were right glad to have done with the dizzy path,
e'en though they were used to going aloft in a gale of wind.
"So be it then," replied my father. "'Tis the last difficult portion
of our journey."
Slowly the men who formed the advanced guard filed along the awesome
path. Next came the mules, with my father, Jack and I, and the rest
of the men bringing up the rear.
Presently the train of mules came to an abrupt halt. One of their
number, being unable to pass the projecting ledge by reason of its
package slipping to one side, obstinately refused to move, nor could
we get to it on account of the other animals, whose baggage hung well
out over the edge of the abyss.
At length the mule knelt down, and the others walked carefully over
it, till we were able to come up to the spot where it had been
stopped.
"The baggage must go!" exclaimed my father. "Do you, Jenkins, cut the
bundle adrift."
With that one of the seamen lashed a rope round him, and gave the
other end to his comrade to hold. Then, knife in hand, he crept
cautiously along the narrow ledge to free the animal of its burden.
He had all but succeeded when the mule, starting to its feet, lashed
out with its hind legs, striking Jenkins full in the chest. The next
instant man and mule disappeared over the edge of the precipice.
With a jerk that well-nigh capsized the men who were holding it, the
rope tautened, having fortunately caught in a small projection at the
brink of the chasm. Twenty feet below us our unfortunate comrade was
swinging helplessly at the rope's end, his breath well-nigh knocked
out of his body by reason of the kick and the fall.
'Twas, indeed, a desperate situation. At any moment the rope might
slip over the rock that held it, and, running back, would jerk from
their precarious foothold the men who had hold of it.
"Can you climb, Jenkins?" asked my father, leaning cautiously over
the edge of the cliff.
"I've not the strength to raise my hand, sir," panted the man. "Can
you lower me to the bottom?"
"There's not enough rope. Besides, how could we draw you up again?
We'll have you with us in a trice, never fear."
It was an easy matter to encourage the unfortunate seaman, but a
difficult one to extricate him from his plight.
Crawling along the ledge till he came to the knob of rock that held
the rope, one of the seamen made the discovery that there was a deep,
narrow cleft in the path close to the base of the cliff that rose
above it on our right. Into this he drove his dagger till only the
hilt was visible.
"Can you pass another rope for'ard, sir?" he asked. "We'll reeve a
bight, and lower that to Jenkins as well."
In a few minutes another rope, passing round the hilt of the dagger,
was lowered to the now well-nigh exhausted man. Then, gripping the
hilt of the weapon firmly with his hands, the seaman gave the word to
haul away handsomely. But barely had the others taken the strain when
they were called upon to stand by.
"The rock will cut the rope through like a knife," said the seaman.
"We must needs put something down to ease the chafe."
So saying, he stripped off his coat and doublet and, wrapping them in
a bundle, placed them under the rope where it grated against the
sharp edge of the rock. Once again the others hauled slowly, and to
every one's relief we saw Jenkins' head and shoulders appear over the
ledge.
But the task of assisting him upon the path was one of extreme
difficulty, since a man had barely room to brace himself for the
effort. Yet 'twas done, greatly to our joy, and the rescued man lay
stretched upon the narrow ledge, weak and helpless, but safe.
By this time it was dusk, and in a very few minutes the short
tropical twilight would give place to intense darkness. With the
utmost dispatch we proceeded on our way, crawling and worming along
the dangerous path.
Suddenly a loud noise like the exaggerated whirr of an axe against a
grindstone smote on our ears.
"Lie down, every man of you!" shouted my father, and immediately we
all obeyed, wondering what would happen.
Then, like the rush of escaping waters, a fearful whirlwind swept
along the face of the cliff. Had we been standing we should have been
inevitably swept off the narrow path. As it was, we could only lie
close, wondering how the advance party and the mules were meeting
these conditions.
For full five minutes the blast continued, bringing with it thick
clouds of dust from the arid valley below, till our eyes were
smarting painfully with the irritating grit.
Then, almost as suddenly as it had come, the wind ceased, and all was
perfectly still. It was now pitch dark, and willy-nilly we were
compelled to stay where we were till dawn.
Presently the dull rumble of distant thunder echoed through the
gorge, and ere long lightning began to illumine the sky at frequent
intervals.
Then the wind rose again, but no rain fell. Vicious flashes of
lightning played across the face of the cliff. At one moment we could
see everything around us with startling clearness; at another we were
enveloped in the inky blackness, while the rock under us vibrated
with the deafening crashes of the thunder.
Thus we spent a horrible night, and were greatly rejoiced when the
storm passed away, and the distant snowclad peaks grew rosy under the
rays of the rising sun.
We found the rest of the expedition safe and sound, with the
exception of a mule that had been struck by lightning. They were
awaiting us on a gently sloping platform at the far end of the pass,
having gained this more desirable camping-place while we had been
engaged in effecting the rescue of the seaman Jenkins.
After breakfast the march was resumed, my father heading the column,
since it was necessary to take the right track out of many divers
turnings. The road was now comparatively broad, so that four men
could comfortably walk abreast, but at almost every half-mile there
was a fork, so that without the aid of a map one could easily have
taken twenty wrong turnings; while everywhere the road was ankle-deep
in sand and dust.
Yet with the utmost confidence my father led the way. On the return
journey there could be no difficulty, since the forks ran in the
direction we were taking.
Presently we came abreast of a long cleft in the rock, so narrow that
a man would have trouble to edge his way through without turning
sideways.
"Unpack the mules, my lads!" exclaimed my father in a loud voice.
"Here is the mine!"