The Prisoners by the Mount
Silently the two men clasped hands. Mackay could not trust himself to
speak, so strong was his emotion at meeting his old leader in the flesh
after having given him up as dead for over a year.
"Yes, I knew you would come, Jim," repeated Richard Bentley, the
explorer, "and month after month I have watched for you on the
mountain-top, hoping yet fearing for your coming."
"But the bones?" murmured Mackay, questioningly. "I--saw--the bones?"
Bentley smiled. "I wouldn't have thought it of you, Jim," he said, his
eyes twinkling with amusement. "But I see you must have fallen into the
error you used to preach so much against. Where were your powers of
observation? I am sure you would have known the difference between
camels' bones and human bones if you had examined them. But I know how
you must have felt, old man, and I don't wonder at your mistake at such
a terrible moment. They burnt the camels, Jim, because they could never
take them through the passage in the mountain----"
"Whaur is ma auld enemy?" roared an interrupting voice, and a lithe
figure in savage habiliments spun into the midst of the group, blowing
tempestuously. The impetus of his flight down the steep hillside was
only brought to a close when he bounced against Mackay like a weighty
stone from a catapult.
"I kent it was you! I kent it was you!" he cried, in honest delight; "I
couldna mistak' that sweet visage o' yours even though it's half changed
its colour."
"Stewart, you red-heided rascal, you've knocked the wind clean oot o'
me," replied Mackay, sternly, shaking his aggressor's hand nevertheless
with hearty warmth. "I might have known that nothing could have killed
you."
Two others now pressed up, their sun-tanned and bearded features fairly
glowing with delight. They were Phil, the geologist, and Pioneer Bill,
the bushman of Bentley's party, and their joy at seeing their lost
comrade again was affecting in its sincerity.
Emu Bill was the next to approach. "I knew you wouldn't be long after
me, Mac," he said, "but I'm blowed if I expected you to bounce through
so sudden. Bentley, here, mesmerized the nigs that scooped me in, or I
should have been dead meat by this time. They seemed mighty unwilling to
let me go, all the same, an' I was a bit anxious 'bout your reception, I
was."
Meanwhile Bob stood a little way apart, his heart filled with gladness
at the happy reunion. Jack and the Shadow were calmly leaning on their
rifles, and keeping a watchful glance on the old chief, who in turn was
eyeing the boys with a smile on his wrinkled countenance. About a
hundred yards behind him his massed warriors stood, silent and grim.
"I reckon we should go an' wash the filthy black off our faces," said
the Shadow to Jack; "it feels mighty uncomfortable, it does." Then he
gazed at his companion in surprise. "Why," he cried, "you're face is
marked like the bars o' a cage. What has you been doin' to it?"
Jack laughed. "I had forgotten that we ought to be black," said he, "or
I could have told you that yours was like the moon under partial
eclipse."
"And how about mine?" asked Bob.
"Clean washed off," answered Jack. "But look at Mackay; isn't his a
treat? It's striped like the zebra in a circus."
Mackay heard the remark, and put up his hand to his cheek. "Well, well,"
he said, in disgust, "here I was fancyin' myself to be black as the ace
o' spades. No wonder the niggers thought there was something no' right
about our get-up. It must have been the water dripping from the roof o'
the passage." Then he turned to Bob. "It's a good thing we passed that
last batch inside the tunnel, Bob."
Bob nodded gravely, then discarded his cumbersome robe, and straightened
out his sinewy form with a sigh of relief.
"Now, boys," said Mackay, quietly, addressing himself to Bentley and his
comrades, "I want to introduce to you my three young comrades, who have
stuck by me on a journey that has tried the nerves and beaten some o'
the finest explorers who ever tackled the desert. Come forward, Shadow,
an' you, Jack--a pair o' reckless young rascals, true as steel, an'
without fear----"
"I say, boss," protested the Shadow, "do let me have a scrimmage wi' a
nigger or two, just to show how brave I really is. I is just burstin'
wi' bravery----"
Jack at this stage dragged him aside.
"And you, Bob," continued Mackay, and his voice unconsciously became
softened, "what can I say for you? Only this, my lad, that without you
this expedition would never have reached the mountain. To you belongs a'
the credit that my auld friends here shower upon me----"
"No, no," broke in Bob, hastily; "it is just like you to say so, but
I'll not allow it. I was only the navigator under your supervision."
Mackay placed his hand on the youth's shoulder. "Bob," he said gently,
"I have a confession to make. I'll admit that I ken how to handle a
sextant an' read the vernier, but beyond that I canna go. I wasna able
to check your observations, my laddie, but I was afraid to tell you
before, lest it might make you nervous to ken that a' our lives depended
on your skill. Here now, at the end o' our journey, I wish to give you
the credit which is your due."
Bentley smiled as he grasped Bob's hand. "Sextant or no sextant," he
said, "you couldn't go far out in Mackay's company, my boy. I know him
of old. But why, your face seems strangely familiar to me; surely----"
Mackay shrugged his broad shoulders, and smiled a happy smile.
"You hand on a bit, Dick," he said. "I have a few words to say to Bob
which I hesitated to speak earlier, for--for obvious reasons. Do you
remember when I first met Jack and you, Bob?" he asked.
"I should say so," answered Bob, fervently. "I have had cause to
thank----"
The big man shook his head deprecatingly. "And do you know why I, who am
a--a very unsociable individual at the best, encouraged you in your
wish to go out to Australia, an' even offered you the extraordinar'
advantage o' my company on the journey? No, of course you don't. It was
because I knew that uncle you spoke of, my lad."
"You knew him?" cried Bob. "But you didn't say----"
"I thought he was dead," broke in Mackay, gravely; "but I was mistaken.
He was, an' is, vera much alive--an' his name is Richard Bentley
Wentworth."
"Great Heavens!" ejaculated Bentley, gazing at Bob earnestly. "Can it be
true? But of course it is. How could I have been so blind."
Then the scales fell from Bob's eyes. "Uncle Dick!" he cried, rushing
forward.
"My dear, dear lad," murmured the explorer, clasping him in his arms.
"This is the first happiness I have had for ten years. You are a worthy
son of a worthy father, my boy. Thank God I have lived to see you."
To say that the onlookers to this strange scene were surprised would ill
express the state of their feelings. They were simply thunderstruck.
Then Jack found his voice. "Hurrah!" he shouted, in an ecstasy of glee,
and hurried to clasp his comrade's hand. Eagerly they all crowded round
to offer their congratulations, and Mackay stood alone, a smile of
peaceful contentment stealing over his grim old features.
"Yes," he muttered, "there is some satisfaction in the wanderer's life
after a'. Bob steered us here, which was right, but Mackay will be the
man to lead the back trail through the mountain."
"I fully believe you, Jim," said a voice at his elbow, and Bentley laid
an affectionate grasp upon his arm.
The whole of the little drama had been enacted within the space of a
few minutes, and the actors therein had apparently become oblivious to
the fact that a band of impatient blacks were drawn up in aggressive
order at no great distance. They were not allowed to remain long in this
blissful state, however, for the aged chief suddenly hastened forward,
and shrilled a few words to Bentley, which had the effect of arousing
that happy man to a true sense of his responsibilities. He answered the
old warrior in an odd monosyllabic language, which he spoke with perfect
ease, much to the astonishment of the youthful members of the group, who
had never before heard a white man converse so fluently in the savage
tongue. For some moments they held high consultation thus, and Bob was
quick to observe a shade of dire uneasiness steal over the features of
his newly found relative; and he noticed, too, that the natives in the
background were gradually drawing nearer and nearer, while loud, angry
mutterings filled their ranks.
It was at this stage that Stewart whispered something into Mackay's ear
which made that gentleman frown deeply, hesitate for a brief instant,
then surreptitiously remove the magazine of his rifle; and his three
companions, obeying a signal from his eye, quickly unloaded their
weapons and secreted the cartridges. Bentley seemed to have been
conscious of these proceedings, for it was only when the firearms had
been rendered harmless that he turned and addressed the party.
"I don't wish to alarm you, boys," he said, "but the king, who has
always been a good friend of mine, tells me that his warriors are
getting beyond his control, and nothing short of a miracle can save us.
You killed four of them, you see, and wounded about a dozen more, and,
by their law, a life must pay for a life."
"That's vera comforting," grunted Mackay, preparing to reload his rifle
afresh, and glaring savagely at Stewart the while.
"Don't! For Heaven's sake don't do that, Jim," exclaimed Bentley. "Lay
down your rifles, and I'll try and talk them over."
Reluctantly each proffered his deadly weapon to the king, who received
it with unconcealed joy.
"We've still got our revolvers," whispered Jack to Stewart, who was
looking very sorrowful indeed.
Yet still the warriors came surging on, despite their old king's
frenzied expostulations. In vain he displayed the trophies he had
received in proof of the good intentions of the visitors, and as his
followers crowded heedlessly forward, his wrath at his own impotence was
terrible to witness.
Mackay was deciding on the bold stroke of retaking the weapons from the
king's grasp, when Bentley stepped slowly out to meet the angry mob. He
was greeted with shrill yells, the dominant note of which seemed to be
fear and expectancy rather than fury.
"He'll be killed! he'll be killed!" cried Jack, making as if to dash to
his assistance.
The Shadow restrained him. "I reckon he's all right," said he. "Them
nigs is howlin' wi' terror, they are."
"What power can he have over them?" asked Bob, in awe, as he watched the
single man sway the fiery multitude with his calm words. Phil, the
geologist, who was by his side, answered him.
"Your uncle's knowledge of aboriginal tribes has stood us all in good
stead before this," he said quietly. "Listen to that cry. Can you make
anything of it?"
"It sounds like Bilya Backan," Bob said, straining his ears to catch the
prevailing shouts.
"Bilya Backan!" exclaimed Mackay. "Has Dick got that position here? Ah,
well, it means that we are safe enough so long as he keeps his power;
but I can see trouble ahead when he tries to get away."
"Why, what does it mean?" questioned Bob, in wonder.
"Mean? It means that he is the sorcerer o' this tribe, and will be
guarded night and day if they think he wants to clear out. But, hallo!
he doesna seem to be succeeding just as well as he should. It seems to
me I'd better be sorcerer number two, an' devise an opportune miracle."
Bentley, indeed, appeared to have great difficulty in quelling the
unruly spirit of the savage warriors. They crowded around him almost
threateningly, and brandished their bows and clubs in half-restrained
fury. The unhappy king had joined his more powerful friend, and was
lending his high-pitched voice to the uproar. Mackay unconcernedly
chipped at something he held in his hand with the point of his
sheath-knife, then stalked jauntily towards the gesticulating throng.
"Keep back, Jim! keep back!" warned Bentley. "You are the man they want
principally. Keep back, if you value your life."
"You canna kill me, Dick," laughed Mackay. "I've come over to work a
miracle to that effect."
Yet to all appearances it seemed as if the resourceful Scot was tempting
Providence to too great a degree in the present instance. The blacks
redoubled their clamour at his approach, and one false move on the part
of Bentley at this juncture would assuredly have brought about his
companion's doom, but he did not once turn his back on the truculent
band.
"What wild idea have you got?" he cried over his shoulder. "I think I'll
manage them all right. I'm telling them that the spirit of the thunder
killed their brethren for their own misdeeds."
"That's good enough," said Mackay. "But you'd better tell them you've
decided to slaughter me right off now, only that you're afraid Wangul,
the maist powerful god in their calendar, will protect me, seein' I'm an
auld friend o' his. Get my rifle from old Methuselah, Dick; let me load
it, an' shoot me with the first cartridge. Savvy?"
Bentley pretended not to hear, but he spoke out several sentences
rapidly, which evidently pleased the warriors mightily, then he signed
to the king to fetch the rifles.
"The long-barrelled one's mine, Dick," cautioned Mackay. "Ah, that's
right."
He seized his treasured weapon, and in a trice had inserted two
cartridges, and closed the breech, leaving one in the barrel. Bentley
received back the deadly firearm with evident trepidation, and once more
addressed the multitude.
"Hear ye, O my people," he cried, in their own weird tongue. "The friend
of Wangul, the mighty dweller in the waters, whose breath dries up the
land and makes it desolate, stands before you and dares the strength of
the big thunder. If it so be that he dies by the spirit which issueth
forth when the thunder speaks, then shall you work your will upon the
others. But if he lives and defies the spirit, then surely is he indeed
in the guarding care of Wangul, and must be permitted to go unhurt with
his brethren to partake of food with me in my home by the hillside."
Mackay smiled grimly as he gathered the text of the speech, but a great
roar from the assembled blacks indicated that the arrangement met with
their full approval. Bentley raised the rifle with an obvious effort,
and at the action a wild cry of alarm broke from the lips of the little
group in the rear, who had never dreamt that Mackay's promised miracle
was to take on such a deadly aspect of reality. And now the withered old
chief created a diversion. With a gurgle of joy he sprang forward and
took the rifle from Bentley's unresisting hands, and levelling it almost
against Mackay's broad chest, pulled the trigger. A terrific explosion
followed, and Bentley uttered a groan of anguish. The miracle, as he had
understood it, was to have been accomplished by his firing wide, and he
had relinquished the firearm, never thinking that the wily king of the
savages meant to do other than lay it aside with the others. To his
intense astonishment, however, and to the amazement of the massed
blacks, the "friend of Wangul" stood erect and smiling after the
thunderous reverberation had died away.
A loud cheer from his comrades behind showed how truly thankful they
were at his marvellous escape from what had looked like certain death,
but the most astounded of all present was, undoubtedly, the dusky
individual who had fired the shot; he pranced about with the reeking
rifle still in his hands, shrieking out all sorts of incantations.
Suddenly he stopped short, opened and closed the breech of the gun,
thereby forcing another cartridge into position, and, with a crafty
smile on his lips, directed the long tube at a stalwart savage standing
near, and fired. The unoffending victim uttered a yell like a wounded
dingo, and sprang several feet into the air, then subsided on the
ground, and writhed in torment with a bullet-hole clean through his
shoulder. That was enough. With droning wails of fear the natives drew
back in alarm, gazing at the man who had withstood a similar shock with
wild, staring eyes. Bentley knelt down and examined the wounded native,
then, calling two of his brethren, who came forward reluctantly, he gave
them some directions for his treatment. The king meanwhile was
grovelling on the ground, his head beating the dust, and his voice
raised in feeble lamentation; and, while he was thus prostrated, Jack
crept stealthily up and gathered in the rifles lying near.
"That will be another miracle for the old beggar to explain," said he,
when he rejoined his companions.
"You've fairly frightened the old fellow to death, Jim," remarked
Bentley, stooping over the fallen monarch. "I'll tell you about him
afterwards; but he was proof against all sorts of sorceries, and now I
shouldn't winder if he turns over a new leaf, and goes in for the
extremest forms of savagery. But come with us to our retreat. There are
many things we have to talk over to-night. This day has been a wonderful
one for all of us."
"You might tell me, boss, how you dodged the bullet?" pleaded the
Shadow, as they all walked along together.
"Yes, that is a matter I should like to understand," added Bentley.
The big man laughed. "The explanation is vera simple," said he. "There
wasna any bullet in the first cartridge; I took it oot aforehand!"
"You're just the same auld deceitfu' schemer you used to be," murmured
Stewart, sorrowfully. "I'm fair shocked at your woefu' depravity. You
would actually bamboozle the puir heathen!"
"What's that you've got inside your cloak?" demanded Mackay, slyly,
noting an odd protuberance in his corrector's garment.
Stewart beamed. "That's a vera dangerous gun, Mac, ma man," he answered
solemnly, "an' I'm takin' it awa' in case the unfortunate niggers might
dae themselves damage wi' it."
They had been so engrossed in their mutual recriminations that Mackay
had not noticed the odd logged structure which now appeared before them;
it was half hidden amid a splendid group of lime and cedar trees which
occurred in the valley, about two hundred yards to the north of the
tunnel entrance, and the waters of the beautiful lake lapped the white
sands within a few paces of it. Mackay gave a rough glance round to make
sure of his position. The sun had descended behind the frowning barrier
range, and a gloom was settling over the valley.
Bentley guessed his thoughts. "I know every foot of the country, Jim,"
he said quietly. "We'll talk over our plans to-night. What have we got
in the larder, Stewart?"
"I caught ane or twa fish this morning," answered that individual,
smilingly. "I thought we might have some visitors to keep us company."
"And there's bread made from wild bananas," added Phil. "It's not half
bad, though it will take you a little time to get accustomed to it."
Bentley pushed open the door, which was an airy contrivance composed of
light saplings interlaced with long tendril forest growths, and it swung
from above by stout plaited grassy cords.
"Enter, boys," he said, "and welcome, most heartily welcome, to the
white man's dwelling in the mystic valley of the Never Never."
Mackay mechanically raised his hand to his head as he stepped between
the portals, and a grunt of disgust forced itself from his lips when,
instead of the hat he expected to find, a few muddy feathers broke off
in his grasp. The boys, following close behind, saw the action and
laughed, yet immediately proceeded to copy his example, so strong was
the habit of civilization upon them.
The single large room within was bare, save for a rough logged table in
the middle of the floor, and sundry rude but comfortable chairs which
were scattered about.
"We sleep on the ground," explained Bentley; "we've never had the heart
to attempt building proper bunks. Have you a match, Jim?"
Mackay sought in his pocket and produced the small corked bottle in
which he carried his supply so that it might be preserved from damp, and
Bentley, with a sigh of thankfulness, applied a light to a torch of fine
fibrous sticks stuck in a crevice in the table. Bob watched him with
many questions surging on his lips.
"How do you usually get a light?" he asked at length.
"You are anticipating me, Bob," laughed Bentley. "At night we use the
flints, in the old primitive way, but in the daytime I use the lens of
my pocket microscope which was left to me. If I hold it in the sun's
rays it will light a fire of these twigs in less than sixty seconds.
That was the first thing the natives saw me do that made them marvel.
They couldn't understand how I could call down fire from heaven, and
it's one of the few things which that knowing old king of theirs hasn't
grasped yet."
In a few minutes Stewart and Pioneer Bill were busy preparing supper.
There seemed to be no lack of cooking utensils, and each vessel was most
peculiarly marked, as if it had been stamped out of the solid. Mackay,
who had thrown off his encumbering outer garb, sat gazing into the fire,
apparently lost in the depths of his thoughts; Bentley and Phil were
talking earnestly together in a subdued voice; Emu Bill roamed aimlessly
about the room; Bob, Jack, and the Shadow were glaring with wide-open
eyes at the thin metal platters with which Stewart had adorned the
table;--not one of them could find words to speak.
"Is--is it another mirage?" muttered the Shadow, at length, stretching
out a hesitating hand; then a whoop of delight burst from his lips.
"Say, boss," he cried, shaking Mackay energetically by the shoulder.
"Look! Look at this!"
Mackay awoke from his reverie with a start, and turned his head.
"Ay, it's gold, Shadow," said he, calmly. "I am no' vera surprised."
Bentley gave a whistle of annoyance. "Well, boys," he explained, "I
absolutely forgot to mention the matter, but gold is so plentiful in
this quarter that I have got quite accustomed to it, and I do believe I
had also forgotten that the stuff has such a powerful value----"
"Spin us your yarn after supper, Dick," said Mackay. "I'm as hungry as a
starved dingo just now."
"I've felt a bit sick ever since I saw them plates an' things," said Emu
Bill, pausing in his perambulations. "Howlin' blazes! I wish we could
cart the whole mountain away wi' us."
"I don't suppose you've got a bit o' tea in your pocket?" interjected
Stewart, eyeing Mackay pathetically. "No? Weel, I'll just have to mak'
up my ain concoction. It's no' vera bad when you get accustomed to it;
but I'm sair wearyin' for a ceevilized drink. I hope the flavour o' the
leaves winna disagree wi' ye; I gather them off a wee bush that grows in
the forest, but the taste is naething like the real article."
Stewart's tea, however, proved to be a wonderfully palatable beverage,
and the accompanying fare of such a highly appetizing nature that
Mackay's little party soon felt revived to their fullest energies.
"It will be something to remember that we've eaten out of golden
dishes," Jack remarked with much satisfaction. "I think I'll appropriate
a spoon as a memento."
Bentley sighed wearily. "You may be tired enough of these same spoons
before you leave here, Jack," he said.
Mackay gave a snort of disapproval, and rose from his chair.
"Load up these rifles, Shadow," he directed. "And now, Dick"--seating
himself once more--"fire away wi' your story. What sort o' place have we
struck, an' how do ye account for the natives being so different from
others? an' tell me how in the name o' a' that's wonderful, you havena
escaped long syne wi' your pockets fu' o' nuggets?"
Without hesitation, Bentley plunged into his narrative. "When you had
been about an hour away, Jim," he began, "chasing up that confounded
camel, and while we were loading the team, we were suddenly surrounded
by an army of the oddest-looking warriors imaginable. They must have
been hiding in the scrub near by us for some time, for we had no warning
whatever of their coming, and, to make matters worse, not one of us had
a rifle ready. They bore down on us without a word, and, of course,
quickly had the best of it, for they were ten to one, and were armed
with clubs and arrows. They seemed quite peaceably inclined, however,
and did not appear to be in any way anxious to exterminate us at once,
though Stewart got a crack on the head which nearly finished him."
"I did that," murmured that individual, patting the back of his skull
tenderly. "But ye shid mak' mention o' hoo I squelched a wheen o' them
wi' ma naked fist aforehand."
"They carried us away," continued Bentley, reminiscently, "though not
before they had built a huge fire beside our camp. I thought they meant
it for us; but when I saw them unloading the poor camels I knew at once
what was going to happen. It is a common custom among the most knowing
savages to burn the bodies of animals or men so as to give the
impression that the expedition had died of thirst years before. They
have deceived Government search-parties many times by that ruse, and
frightened off explorers from tackling the same supposedly droughty
quarter again. Anyhow, our captors made short work of the unfortunate
camels, scooped up every bit of our outfit, and marched on. I don't need
to speak of our surprise when we passed through the choking fumes of the
sulphur springs. We all know about them, and probably you know more than
we do, for you were camped alongside, and we scarcely got a glimpse of
the wonderful craters. The passage, too, you know possibly better than
we, for we have never been allowed to go back to the entrance, and
twenty warriors guard it night and day when there are any signs of
danger, or a strange tribe is in the vicinity. But the biggest surprise
of all came when we had an opportunity of studying the valley and its
formations, and we got that very speedily, for that curious old king of
the tribe released us almost as soon as we were brought in."
"I can remember he had some difficulty with his followers then, too,"
interjected Phil, gravely. "They weren't quite so wild as they were
to-day, but they were bad enough until you talked to them in their own
lingo."
Bentley smiled. "I could see even then," he said, "that their aged
leader had some strange scheme in hand, though it was several weeks
later before he laid his views quite clearly before me."
"And do you mean to say that you waited here o' your ain free will as
prisoners?" snorted Mackay.
"For the first little while we were interested to know what sort of
country we had reached, and then, when even the riches of the valley
began to pall on us, we suddenly realized that we could not help
ourselves. The tunnel was always well watched, but even had we got
safely through the mountain, where were we then? On the edge of an
enormous desert without food or means of transport. You must recollect,
Jim, that the camels had been killed, as probably yours have been by
this time."
Mackay started to his feet, but resumed his seat with a smile.
"It would be dark before they could venture out," he said, musingly. "We
have a good ten hours' grace yet. Hurry up wi' your story, Dick; I want
to know whether we should stay here, an' get rich quick wi' the gold oot
o' the mountain, or clear out while we have a chance."
"You forget, Jim," said Bentley, quietly, "that your chance has gone. I
tried to warn you from the summit in every conceivable manner, but you
wouldn't understand. I even scribbled charcoal messages on pieces of
wood and threw them down, and you paid no attention."
"We thought you were throwing stones at us," said Bob. "You looked so
very like a native at that distance."
"It was a miracle we didn't pop you over with our rifles," commented Emu
Bill, shortly.
"I dinna see that our chance has vanished just yet, if we care to take
it," Mackay observed, with undiminished assurance. "But go on wi' your
yarn, Dick; what I'm anxious to know is, who made that tunnel and for
what purpose?"
"First of all, let me tell you," said Bentley, "that this valley is
almost impregnable from every direction but one. Away to the north-east
there is a slight break in the circular range, but the country in that
quarter is so broken and desolate that it is almost impassable, and
certainly no explorer making an east or west course would dream of
altering his route to the south at that point. He would rather give the
mountain--if he happened to see it then--as wide a berth as possible. On
the west, as you know, Nature guards her secret very effectually, and it
might have remained undiscovered for another hundred years if you had
not escaped from the expedition as you did, and so been able to track up
the mysterious mountain afresh, and with greater caution. But now that
you are here, you may take it as a surety that you will never be allowed
to leave with the knowledge you have gained. The fact is, boys, this
valley in the heart of the Never Never land is a perfect treasure-house
of gold and gems, and it is inhabited by the remnants of a once truly
remarkable tribe. They are still infinitely superior in knowledge and
intellect to any other aboriginal race that I know, but they have been
degenerating slowly these last many centuries, ever since the upheaval,
I should imagine, which altered the aspect of Central Australia, and
separated it from Polynesia. Their environment has protected them to an
enormous degree, for their home in this natural paradise is surely all
that could be desired, but, from what I have been able to gather from
the king, they have inherited a policy of isolation, which is now almost
a part of their creed. Any unsuspecting tribe that wanders near is
attacked with the utmost ferocity, as I have myself witnessed on more
than one occasion. The early rulers of this strange little kingdom were
undoubtedly wise men, and it seems to me they were struggling towards a
kind of civilization. The tunnel was driven in their time, but whether
it was intended to provide a means of exterminating their savage
neighbours of the plains, or gradually pushed through in the course of
their excavations for gold, I haven't been able to discover, though I
rather fancy both reasons came into play. The gold has been used for all
sorts of purposes, because it can be hammered into any shape so very
easily. Its value in the outside world is wholly incomprehensible to
them."
"Do you think they have ever heard of the great world beyond the
desert?" asked Bob, who had been listening with keen interest.
"There can be no doubt about that, my lad. It's simply marvellous how
remote native races acquire their news; but they invariably get it,
though in this case there is nothing inexplicable about it, for the
cunning old king has his scouts wandering all over the country. The
dangers of the vast salt tracks have little meaning to them, for they
seem to have cultivated an instinct for smelling out any water there may
be within miles of them, and they can travel a very long way without it
if necessity arises. Their system of navigation is beyond my
understanding altogether."
"An' what do you think made the old chap so tenderhearted when you came
along, Dick?" asked Mackay.
Bentley shook his head. "I know why he didn't demolish us at first," he
said. "The tunnel had been commencing to cave in about the centre, where
the dripping water had weakened the walls, and all his warriors' efforts
at timbering it were without avail. You see, they hadn't grasped the
necessary principle of locking the timber to prevent lateral strain. I
suppose he thought the white man could make things right."
"An' it was a terrible hard job too," grunted Stewart, "for we had to
do the maist o' it in the dark. A light wouldna' burn five minutes in
the place, an' the air was enough to poison a nigger."
"After that," continued Bentley, "I seemed to get into his good graces
somewhat. I talked to him of other tribes I had met, and generally
showed such a keen interest in the welfare of his kingdom, that I
believe he altered his purpose to kill us, greatly against the wishes of
his subjects. It was then he gave out that I was the direct
representative of one of their most dreaded gods, and I've had to live
up to my reputation ever since. You saw the result of my influence over
the king to-day. Yet I've noticed the more I have tried to civilize him,
the less his warriors like him, and, to tell the truth, I expected an
open revolt against his ruling long before this. If I hadn't arrived in
time to-day I shouldn't like to think what might have happened. I didn't
expect you could possibly get through the passage, for when I rescued
Bill from the warriors they went straight back, and we climbed the
mountain to make another effort to warn you against trying. They were so
savage when I took Bill from them, that I believe they would have killed
you right away if they had met you. I don't know yet how you escaped."
"As it happened," said Mackay, dryly, "the darkness saved us when they
first came through, an' when they were returning we had fortunately made
a mistake in our direction, and got into a cross drive."
"Thank goodness we made these drives," cried Bentley, fervently.
"You made them?" echoed Mackay, incredulously.
"Yes, we made them, Jim. I tried to get the natives to help, but they
very quickly tired of the work, and contented themselves watching us
instead. I felt curious to know the width of the lode, and we just
managed to strike the walls of the giant fissure, when our picks, which
we had recovered, were worn almost to the wooden handles. I scarcely
fancied continuing operations with flint-headed implements, such as must
have been used in the main work of excavation, and, besides, I didn't
see any hope of us being able to carry away the gold we got, even if an
opportunity of escape had offered. We washed the stuff in the lake here
by hand; it decomposed very rapidly on contact with the air, and hardly
required any crushing. Stewart made all our cooking utensils out of the
results of our work, and I melted what was left. You will see it lying
over there in the corner."
Mackay looked casually in the direction indicated, but the three boys
made a dash towards the golden treasure, and after a first glance the
usually imperturbable Scot arose with a bound and followed them. There,
lying carelessly on the damp clay, were half a dozen huge irregularly
shaped masses, which glistened yellow in the dull light. Jack lifted one
in his hand with some difficulty.
"I reckon I want to lie down an' die somewhere," muttered Emu Bill,
feebly blinking his eyes at the dazzling spectacle.
"How much do you think you've got here, Dick?" said Mackay, calmly.
Bentley smiled. "Just about a hundredweight, I calculate," he answered.
"But it is no earthly good to us. We can't carry it away, even if we had
the chance."
Mackay looked perplexed, and for a few moments seemed to be struggling
with a mighty problem.
"The weight wouldna' be much among the lot o' us," he murmured at
length, "but--but it hurts me sair to think o' leaving a' that stuff in
the mountain."
"Don't let that worry you, old man," broke in Bentley hastily. "If
you've got a scheme for escape, let us act upon it without delay;
there's more than any of us will ever need in this shanty besides gold.
Show him the collection, Phil."
Without a word Phil drew forth a short, deep case made of plaited twigs
from a recess under the table, and threw open the lid, exposing a mass
of red, blue, and yellow tinted pebbles.
"There you are, Mac," said he, "they don't look anything special in
their present rough state, but they're worth a long way more than a
hundredweight of gold, and certainly very much more portable. They are
rubies and sapphires, and I think there are some diamonds among them.
There's surely enough here to go round without bothering about more,
though I can show you where to get them to-morrow if you want a bigger
stock."
"To-morrow, Phil," said Mackay, with decision, "we'll be marching along
homeward bound, if we're no' lying perforated wi' arrows in some corner
o' the tunnel. We'll help you to carry the treasure, an' maybe
afterwards we'll come back an' get some for oursel's. Isn't that right,
Bob?"
Bob nodded, then quickly dived into his pocket, and extricated therefrom
sundry rounded stones, and showed them to Phil.
"Are these any good?" he asked. "I picked them up on the other side of
the mountain the first day we arrived, and had forgotten all about
them."
"They're exactly the same, Bob," returned the geologist, with a smile,
"and they come from the same source, apparently."
"Let us know your plan, Jim, and we'll make an effort to get away if it
is possible," urged Bentley. "But I won't budge unless we agree to make
an even divide of the treasure of the Never Never." And the sharing of
the spoil was insisted upon with happy unanimity.
It was now about ten o'clock in the evening and Mackay pushed open the
door and looked out; the air was close and sultry as if presaging a
thunderstorm, and a heavy, dark cloud suspended over the little valley;
in the gloom near the tunnel several forms were to be seen flitting
about. He returned into the room with a smile on his lips.
"We're goin' to have rain, I think," he announced, "an' I shouldn't
wonder if there's a bit o' thunder along wi' it. The elements will fight
on our side, boys; we'll just give them a bit o' a start. An' now,
Dick," he added, eyeing his old leader quizzically, "did I no' see you
lookin' at us when we were blowing chunks o' Australia into the air this
morning?"
"I saw you making a tomb for poor Never Never Dave," answered Bentley,
sadly.
Emu Bill groaned and Mackay sighed deeply.
"But that was yesterday, Dick. What about this morning?"
"Yes, I noticed you this morning, too; but I only heard one explosion,
and didn't think anything of it."
"Where were your powers o' observation, Dick? We were bursting a new
entrance into the mountain." But Mackay's satisfaction at his sally was
clouded by the sad recollections aroused by his friend's first remark.
"You tell him, Bob," he added weakly. "Tell him o' our precautionary
arrangements which should stand us in good stead now."
A few minutes later a series of great pattering drops on the bark roof
of the dwelling intimated that the expected storm had burst; slowly they
came at first, then louder and louder hissed the growing deluge until it
seemed as if the floodgates of the heavens had broken loose, and a dull,
tearing roar echoed across the vale as the thunder-cloud rent in twain.
"If that doesna frighten the niggers they ought to be ashamed o'
themselves," grunted Mackay. "Now we'll go, lads, an' trust to
Providence an' our rifles for a safe journey."
They gathered up their precious freight, each taking a goodly share so
that nothing was left, and silently they filed out into the raging
night, and, with Bentley leading, groped a cautious course towards the
underground passage. Through the beating torrent they caught glimpses of
many lights in the native camps bordering the lake near at hand, and the
droning intonation of a most melancholy chant reached their ears in
occasional snatches as they hurried on their way. The natives were
invoking the favour of the mighty thunder-god who that day had smitten
one of their warriors so cruelly. At last they arrived at the opening
from which Mackay and his companions had first gazed out in wonder, and
with a united breath of thankfulness entered the yawning darkness of the
cavern.
Yet, even as they disappeared, a shrill cry of alarm sounded out above
the storm from the vicinity of the home they had just vacated, and a
chorus of answering yells showed too truly that their flight had been
discovered.
"That was the old king's voice," whispered Bentley, as the fugitives
paused for a moment to listen. "He probably called to get you to stay
the thunder. We just got away in time."
"The other end is where our danger lies," muttered Mackay. "Now, lads,
follow me, an' be as slippery as you can. Those howlin' hyenas will be
at our backs in a minute."
Blindly they stumbled on, staggering from wall to wall in their feverish
eagerness; but before they had even reached the cross-drives, the cries
of their savage pursuers were echoing along the passage close in their
rear. On, on they laboured, and now Mackay began to hesitate in his
course, so that his comrades kept pushing up in a confused mass behind
him. In the excitement which reigned they could not well understand why
their doughty leader should pause at such an inopportune moment. But
that level-headed individual knew exactly what he was doing; in another
instant he had found the rope which hung over the treacherous pit.
"Now, my bonnie boys," said he, "over you go. You, Bob, take the lead,
and walk quietly on. I'll be after you in a jiff."
"I never knew of this death-trap," breathed Bentley, hoarsely. "Jim, old
man, Heaven knows how you managed to negotiate this terrible place at
first."
"My power o' observation is strong even in the dark," chuckled the
brawny Scot. "Now, grip the rope, Dick, an' get across. Here's old
Methuselah's gang almost beside us, an' I want to stop their progress a
bit."
Bentley delayed no further, and in a flash Mackay too had leapt the
gully, but, ere he hastened after the others, he leaned out over the
unseen chasm and smote at the thick cord high overhead with his
sheath-knife, then he gathered up his burden and struggled after his
companions. He overtook them while they were yet some distance from the
sudden bend which occurred just opposite the entrance the gelignite had
made, for Bob was treading cautiously, expecting each moment to be
assailed by the warriors whose duty it was to abide by the rocking
stone. And that his fears in that direction were by no means groundless
was proved by the excited mutterings which at this moment issued from
the end of the passage, and the ominous snap of the great rock as it
closed into position was distinctly heard. The watchful blacks had
evidently been investigating matters outside, and had just returned to
their post. The clamour of the pursuing band was now most demoralizingly
loud and fierce. They seemed to be already rejoicing at the pleasing
prospect before them: their enemy was neatly caught between two fires;
little wonder that they sent out shriek after shriek of delirious
acclamation. And in the mean time the escaping party, trudging heavily
through the mire, rejoiced also that the noisy exuberance of the
warriors so effectually drowned their own hastening footsteps, and thus
prevented their near approach to safety from being made known to the
awaiting savages.
Then a yell, louder and more dismal than ever, suddenly echoed through
the cavern; it was followed by a dull plunge, and immediately a
succession of similar disturbances intimated that the all too eager
warriors had experienced a rude and ardour-cooling check. Mackay
chuckled right heartily when the success of his scheme was thus revealed
to him.
"There has been more than one o' the beggars who has jumped for the rope
an' missed," he whispered, with ill-suppressed mirth; and then only did
his comrades guess the part he had played in the natives' discomfiture.
By this time they had reached the quick turn of the passage, and Bob
felt carefully for the saving gap that would lead to freedom. The cries
of the baffled warriors in the rear now rang out through the darkness
like the wails of coyotes cheated of their prey, and their brethren
ahead, by their hoarse exclamations of dismay, were apparently
considerably exercised over the strange happening which had taken place.
"Quick, boys," said Mackay, when Bob had laid bare the opening. "Up ye
go in a hurry, an' hang on to your treasure; I'll send the rifles aloft
when you're a' through."
Bentley would have remonstrated, but the imperturbable director of
affairs was obdurate.
"I'm engineering this circus," he said sternly. "Now, out you go.
Whoop-la!"
In his own hearty exuberance he seemed utterly to have forgotten the
near presence of a part of the enemy, and his voice sounded out
boisterously as he cheered each of his companions on his way to the
outside world. For a brief instant there was absolute silence from the
extreme end of the tunnel, and Mackay knew that the inevitable rush
would speedily follow. Nor was he mistaken. With screams of rage the
blacks advanced, and the reckless man laughed aloud as they came. He
caught Jack, who alone remained, in his powerful arms and literally
hurled him into the embrace of Stewart, who stood ready to receive him.
"And now, my lads, here's the rifles," he cried, thrusting the collected
weapons out through the aperture.
"Hang the rifles! Come oot yersel'!" howled Stewart, reaching down a
massive bony fist, and grasping his comrade by the shoulder; and in this
way Mackay, clutching fast to the armoury of the expedition, was hauled
to the surface, even as the foremost of the vengeful warriors dashed
their heads impotently into the aperture through which he had been
yanked so rigorously forth.
[Illustration: "MACKAY, CLUTCHING FAST TO THE ARMOURY OF THE EXPEDITION,
WAS HAULED TO THE SURFACE"]
"There was no need for you exertin' your muscular powers in that vera
drastic fashion," reproved the latest arrival, turning, and thrusting
the stock of his rifle down into the gap with calm forcefulness.
The response which greeted his action seemed to soothe him somewhat.
"All's well that ends well," he remarked philosophically; "but before we
start congratulating oorsel's we'd better lock these twa doors an' leave
the keys on the ootside."
In a short time a very effective boulder barricade was arranged before
both entrances, the enormous rocks used for the purpose being rolled and
carried to their positions by the united strength of the party; only
when this work was completed, when the yells of the baulked warriors
sounded dull and subdued behind the solid barriers, only then did the
earnest toilers pause.
The night was beautifully clear, not a cloud was visible in the sky, and
the stars shone down with steady radiance. The rising mists from the
bubbling caldrons spread like a ghostly white veil in the near westward
distance, and ever and anon a heavy rumbling would run along the line of
the deep cavities, and fresh vapoury puffs from the craters ascended
towards the heavens. For fully a minute no one spoke; the extreme
tension on their nerves for the last half-hour had been most trying to
all, and their silence was now more eloquent of their thankfulness than
words.
"There has been no rain on this side of the mountain," said Bob, at
length, examining the rubbly surface of the ground intently.
"It would all condense inside the valley, Bob," answered Bentley. "We
are back once more in the thirsty desert of the Never Never,
and"--turning to Mackay--"we owe our escape to you, Jim; we owe our
lives to you----"
"We'll no' dwell on the subject," interrupted that gentleman, cheerily.
"I have no doubt we'll a' find oursel's in tighter corners on some other
expedition. It's fair surprisin' how often a man can warstle oot o' a
difficulty by the skin o' his teeth. I'm just a wee bit afraid that the
skin o' my teeth is gettin' sair worn at the game, but it's grand fun,
a' the same. However," he continued hastily, as an upward glance
revealed to him several dark forms on the summit outlined against the
sky, "I think I'll go and round up the camels now, so that we can start
on the homeward trail without any unnecessary delay. I've a dim idea
that the climate o' the country nearer Fortunate Spring will be
healthier for us than this."
"I is comin' wi' you, boss," cried the Shadow. "I think I know where the
leather-hided animiles are."
"All right, my lad; an' you, Jack, might unearth the stores an' the
water-bag, so as to be ready when we come back. Never mind the heavy
tools. I see the niggers have shifted the case o' gelignite we left in
sight. I hope it gives them indigestion pretty bad."
"Have ye no' got an extra pair o' breeks in the camp?" inquired Stewart,
appealingly. "I dinna like waltzin' aboot like a gorilla oot o' a
circus."
Mackay laughed. "I'm vera pleased to see you've got some sense o' shame
left in ye, my man," he said sternly. "Mak' free o' the wardrobe o' the
expedition, boys, every one o' you. Bob will dispense it out, though I
don't think there's enough to go round. Anyhow, there's lots o' string
in the outfit, an' you can easily mak' yoursel's vera presentable
garments out o' the empty bags when we get further on; but I can see
we'll a' be in an outward state o' advanced disintegration before we
reach civilization."
It was nearly two months later, and the sun stared pitilessly down on a
struggling camel-train that was wearily forcing its way outwards from
the grim desert of the interior. The animals comprising the team were
but four in all, surely much too inadequate a number to be the mainstay
of the nine strangely garbed figures who accompanied them; yet, judging
by the light packs on their backs, it was very apparent that the outfit
of the returning expedition did not greatly impede their movements.
Slowly, slowly the great hulking creatures laboured on. At the leader's
head strode a youth, who, every now and again, turned to pat the
trembling nostrils of his cumbrous charge, and cheer it forward with
endearing words. His face was deeply browned by long exposure to the
scorching sun's rays. His clothing, consisting of a few shreds of what
had once been a shirt, and a pair of nether garments so tattered and
torn that they clung by almost miraculous means to his person, was
sufficient to indicate that he had been long on the march; but if
further proof were required, a glance at his boots would have been more
than enough. The uppers alone were left, and they were tied to his
sockless feet by numberless cords and strips of hessian cloth. But
despite the dilapidated nature of his dress, it was the acme of
respectability, compared with that of some of his comrades. Indeed, the
combined wardrobe of the party was such that the most abandoned tramp
would have turned aside from it in disgust.
"Keep Misery moving, Jack--keep him moving," cried a familiar voice; and
a strongly built, yet gaunt-faced man strode up alongside the young
leader of the train, and patted his shoulder in friendly encouragement.
Then he stopped and awaited the coming of the rearmost camel, which was
lagging painfully, and addressed its attendant in similar tones.
"An hour or so more will do it, my lad--only an hour or so more. Golden
Flat should be just over the horizon."
"Say, boss," came the answer, "this here fiery animile is 'bout busted;
but I reckon I'll pull him in somehow."
He groped about in some hidden recess of his well-ventilated shirt, and
extricated a small shining instrument, which he placed to his lips with
a smile of real joy.
"Now, boys," he cried, "here we goes again--one, two, three!" and at
once the strains of a favourite melody echoed out in the air.
The bulk of his companions shuddered at the opening shock, then joined
boisterously in the chorus. Loudly, triumphantly, they bellowed forth in
varying voices and keys, and, lo! the camels pricked up their ears and
quickened their steps, and the weary-eyed singers and chief musician
marched to the tune thus given with sprightly step--
"Soon we'll be in London town.
Sing, my lads, yo ho-o----"
Again and again the cheering refrain was taken up; then suddenly a cry
of astonishment burst from the lips of a lithe and wiry young man who
had been on the point of consulting his note-book for the twentieth time
since he took his noonday altitude.
"We've missed it!" he cried. "That must be Kalgoorlie ahead."
The music stopped at once; the white, glistening roofs of a fair-sized
township had suddenly appeared to view, nestling at the foot of a gentle
undulation in the land surface.
"I'm afraid there has been some mistake made, Bob," said a tall,
grave-faced, dark-bearded man who walked by his side. "What do you make
of it, Jim?" He addressed the stalwart individual who had but a moment
or so before been coaxing on the camels.
"I don't know, Dick; it's hardly big enough for Kalgoorlie. I canna
think what place it is. Bob, my lad, that's the first error o'
navigation I've known you to make."
So did Mackay's expedition, with its augmented numbers rescued from the
far back Never Never Land, yet with one sad depletion in the original
party, see civilization once more. It would have been hard indeed to
recognize them now, so marked were they by privation. The stores had
been used most sparingly, for the supply had not been lavish enough to
stand the additional strain imposed upon it by the extra appetites of
Bentley's party. So all had cheerfully pinched and starved themselves
throughout the long journey. But now their sufferings were nearly over;
civilization, in the form of some unknown township or city, was in
sight. Bob alone seemed to be grieved. He had steered an unerring course
these many weeks; and now, when he fancied he was heading for Golden
Flat, it was humiliating to feel that at the very last he had made some
grave miscalculation.
"Never mind, Bob," said Mackay, kindly. "You knew you were safe enough
in your direction."
Bob sighed and shook his head, and consulted his log-book again, but
appeared to derive little satisfaction from his scrutiny. On, on the
worn-out team staggered; and as the welcome settlement loomed up nearer
and nearer the hearts of the wayfarers grew light. Yet the size of the
township confused them; there were several wide streets in evidence, and
one great building in particular arrested their attention. And yet
withal the whole scene seemed strangely familiar to Mackay and his young
companions, and Emu Bill, too, looked puzzled as he gazed at the strange
city so revealed.
"I hope it ain't no mirage," he murmured, with vague discontent.
"We'll soon know what we've struck," cried Jack. "Here's a horseman
coming out to meet us."
"I thought I knew every bit o' this country," grumbled Mackay, "but
this certainly beats me, though somehow everything looks vera like a
place I prospected before. Anyhow, we'll soon see. Hallo!" he called
out, as the horseman drew rein in front of him and stared at the
travel-worn company in curious amazement. "Hallo! you bold, bad bushman;
what township is this?"
The man replied only with a gaze of more intense amazement than before,
until he was sternly brought to his bearings by the now irate
questioner.
"Say, mate," he protested weakly, "don't bounce a man so sudden. You all
look like Rip Van Winkles, you does, only worse. But you must be
strangers in these parts if you don't know Wentworth City. Why, it's the
biggest min----"
"What!"
The cry came like a roar from the lips of the nine men at once, and the
startled individual on the horse jerked back in alarm; but becoming
satisfied that his interrogators really desired information, he
proceeded to give it to them.
"Wentworth City, mates, ain't very old, but it has squatted here to
stay. It boomed up like a shot after the diskivery o' a process for
treating the refractory ores in the district. There's simply no end o'
the stuff, an' we expect to get a railway along shortly."
"How did it get its name?" inquired Mackay, calmly.
"Well, I has only been a couple o' weeks here myself, an' don't know
exactly how it happened; but every one will tell you that it is called
after the diskiverer o' the process which sent it booming. A young chap,
I believe he was, an' he went out exploring afterwards. But it's mighty
funny you doesn't know that much. Say, you must have come in from out
back?"
Mackay nodded briefly. "You've struck it," said he; "but now tell me if
you know a man called Nuggety Dick, and where can we find him?"
"Nuggety Dick?" echoed the horseman. "Why, you won't have any trouble
finding him. He's the mayor, he is. Go along the main street right in
front o' you--it is called Mackay Street--an' turn down Golden Promise
Drive on your right, an'--but I'd better go in front an' show you----"
"Yes, you'd better," murmured Mackay, feebly; then he reached out and
clasped Bob's hand.
"And so you all mean to have a trip to the old country, boys?" said
Nuggety Dick.
It was about an hour later, and the wanderers were seated in the mayor's
dining-room doing ample justice to the generous fare provided by that
hospitable individual, whose pleasure at meeting his old friends again
had been almost boyish in its glad exuberance.
"It's over ten years since I left the dear old land, Dick," answered
Bentley, "and now I should like to see it again. I wanted to persuade
every one to come, but I found they didn't need any persuading. All but
Bill seemed to have taken it as a foregone conclusion that they were to
have a run home as a reward for their labours."
"An' I would go quick enough, boys," said Emu Bill, quietly, "but I
reckon I'd peg out if I lost sight o' the Southern Cross. I ain't no
traveller, boys; I is only a simple bushman, an' somehow the grim old
desert grips me tight."
"I reckon I'll be able to tell you all about it when I get back, Bill,"
said the Shadow. "I is goin' with Jack to see the sights, an' we'll have
a rare good time----"
"I hope you've made up your mind to behave yoursel'?" interjected
Mackay, severely.
"Surely, boss, you can trust me. I won't even squelch a policeman unless
he looks at me cross-eyed. I'll be gentle as a little lamb, I will, an'
I won't round up no horses nor camels nor nothin'."
"Well, I hope it's only a trip you're goin' to take, boys, an' that
you'll all come back an' look me up in a month or so," said Nuggety
Dick, earnestly.
They remained talking in this strain for some time; then Mackay suddenly
inquired after his old enemy, Macguire.
"I don't bear the man any ill will," said he. "I'm just sort o' curious
to know if he rose wi' the fortunes o' Wentworth City; that name must
have stuck in his throat----"
"Why, hasn't you heard?" exclaimed Dick; "but, of course, you couldn't
know. Macguire cleared out 'bout two days after you, an' every one
fancied he meant to follow you up, because he thought you were goin' to
some new strike. He had his old crowd wi' him, an' a black tracker. He
has never come back yet. I reckon he must have gone under."
"Poor beggar!" murmured Bob. "I hope he manages to come out all right,
but----" He shook his head doubtfully.
"If by any chance he does hit our old trail into the Never Never, he'll
be mighty sorry for it afterwards," spoke Mackay, grimly, with visions
of vengeful savages before his eyes.
That night Bob came into Mackay's room at the hotel where they were all
staying.
"I wanted to see you alone," he said simply, "so that I might tell you
how truly I have appreciated your great kindnesses. I know now who it
was that sent that letter to my mother, you dear old humbug."
Mackay smiled. "My reward is more than I ever dreamed, my lad. You
yourself have given me much by your friendship. I haven't been
disappointed in you, Bob, an' I hope our partnership will no' finish
here."
"I'll be with you every time," cried Bob, heartily.
"I don't know what it is, but you can count on me," came a well-known
voice beyond the thin wooden partition, and immediately afterwards Jack
burst into the room. "I thought I heard about another threatened
expedition," he said eagerly, "and I wanted to sign my name to it right
away."
"I have an idea," ventured Mackay, gazing at the boy with shrewd,
twinkling eyes--"I have an idea, Jack, that when you get home you'll
find a wonderfu' magnetic influence there to restrain your wandering
nature. But all the same, I shouldna wonder but you'll be allowed to
mak' just another journey in my good company, for Bob has promised to
say a word or two in my favour, so that I won't be judged altogether as
an uncouth savage from the Never Never----"
"Is this a corroborree you're holding, Jim?" said Bentley, suddenly
entering the doorway.
"No, Dick, nothing so vera desperate; we were sort o' considerin' a
future expedition, that's a'."
"Already?" laughed Bentley. "Why, man, haven't you knocked around this
little planet enough to last you a lifetime?"
"I am afraid there is no such thing as contentment in the world," said
Bob, gravely. "We have sought fortune, and we have found it----"
"Ay, an' we found more than fortune, Bob," added Mackay, gazing at his
old leader affectionately. "The gold and gems are welcome enough, but
the lives o' my comrades are dearer to me than a'."
Bentley laid a gentle hand on Mackay's shoulder, and his voice was full
as he spoke.
"Yes, my lads," he said, "you will find true happiness, not in riches
nor in the fulfilment of worldly ambition, for our satisfaction is ever
in the striving after rather than in the attainment of our desires; but
it will come to you in the realization of an unerring truth: greater by
far than gold or gems is the love of our fellow-men."
End of Project Gutenberg's The Lost Explorers, by Alexander MacDonald