"I shall be glad to get back home, boys," said Mr Rogers the next
morning, "for the pleasure seems to have gone out of the trip now my
horses are all gone. Still there is one good thing, boys, yours are
safe."
This was as they were at last getting out of the course of the fire and
on to a tract of grass, so little scorched by the sun and so fertilised
by the stream that ran through that the oxen were out-spanned for a good
feed, as it was doubtful when they might obtain another.
Then followed days and weeks of trekking before they reached the part of
the country where the caverns were, and out-spanned one night at
Wonderfontein, where, for a promise of payment, the son of a Boer living
hard by undertook to provide lights and to show them the wonders of the
underground region.
The Boer lad said that they would require a light-bearer besides
himself, so Dinny was told to come, and after a little opposition he
followed his master and their guide to the extent of about a mile, when
the lad began to creep and slide down a well-wooded place in the plain
that looked like the crater of an old volcano.
Here Dinny began to hesitate again.
"An' is it go down there, sor?" he asked. "Shure and suppose the place
has no bottom to it at all."
"Go on. Dinny, and don't be stupid," cried Dick; and poor Dinny found
himself pretty well hustled down to the bottom of the funnel-like place,
which seemed to bend round at the bottom and to lead into a little
brook.
Here the guide lit a couple of roughly-made torches: he handed one to
Dinny and retained the other, advising all the party to tuck up their
trousers; and the reason for this was soon evident, for the floor of the
grotto they were about to explore formed the bed of the transparent
little river that had found its way into this strange crack in the rock,
and gradually enlarged it to give itself more room.
"Ah, bedad, and the wather's cowld," cried Dinny. "Shure, Masther Dick,
we're niver going on along there?"
"Indeed we are, Dinny, with you to light us, like the brave, man you
are," said Dick.
Then Dinny growled out something about its being a shame to make such a
naygur of a white man, and seeing no alternative, went on behind the
guide, being followed by Mr Rogers, the boys bringing up the rear.
The first part of their journey was for some distance through narrow
passages, where they often had to bend double, with only an opportunity
now and then for straightening themselves upright; but by degrees, as
they went on splash, splash, through the water, the roof rose higher and
higher, till its summit seemed to be lost in gloom, while the grey walls
looked wild and romantic in the extreme.
A glance to right and left of the narrow way showed that in some great
convulsion of nature, the rock had been split and separated to a small
extent, and the result was the formation of this cavern; for so similar
were the sides that had the natural action been reversed, the two sides
would have fitted together, save where the water had worn the rock away.
It was a weird journey, made the more mysterious by the guide, who
pointed out side passages where the water grew deeper, which passages,
he said, had never been explored; and at last, after they had been
travelling slowly along the solemn echoing place, Dinny appealed to his
master to go back.
"Shure I'm not a bit freckened," he said; "but, sor, there's danger to
us all if we go on there."
"Absurd, Dinny," cried his master. "Go on. What is there to be afraid
of?"
"Oh, nothing at all, sor. It isn't that I mind, but we shall be coming
upon some great big water-baste or a wather-shnake or something, and
then what'll we do at all?"
"Let it eat us, Dinny," shouted Dick; and his voice sounded echoing and
strange.
"Oh, an' is it ate us, Masther Dick? Shure ye'll have--murther!
murther! murther!" shrieked Dinny. "I towld ye so. Oh! Help, here!
Help!"
Down went Dinny's torch into the water, to be extinguished upon the
instant, and the scared fellow kept on yelling with all his might.
"What is the matter?" cried his master angrily.
"Shure I towld ye so. A great big thing, wid awful black wings, flew at
me and bit at me face, sor, and I belave he'd ha' killed me if I hadn't
put me light out so as he shouldn't see where I was."
"Oh, Dinny, Dinny. If I were you I wouldn't be frightened of a bat,"
cried Dick.
"An' is it freckened of a bat I'd be, Masther Dick? I tell ye it was a
great big thing as large as a man, wid long black wings, an' it sent a
shudder all through me, sor, to see the great baste come at me."
"Which did you see, Dinny, the bat or the shadow?" asked Dick.
"Ah, ye're laughing at me," said Dinny; "but wait a bit and ye'll see."
Dinny's torch was fished out of the water, and after a good deal of
beating and shaking to get rid of the moisture they managed to get it to
burn once more, when Jack volunteered to carry it, and Dinny grumblingly
took his place in the rear.
"Ah," he muttered, in Dick's hearing, "it's a dirthy counthry this
Afrikky. Wild bastes, and shnakes, and holes under the airth. Faix, it
isn't fit for a dacent boy to live in at all."
Dinny and his mutterings were little heeded, and they went on and on
through the interminable place, following its windings and zigzag turns,
where the rock had split, till they were tired, and Dick said that they
had seen no more during the last hour than during the first five
minutes, for the place was almost all alike--one great jagged rift with
the little stream flowing over the floor. Now the roof looked far above
them in the gloom, and now again it was close enough to crush their
heads, while by the same rule there were times when they could touch the
walls on either side by stretching out their hands, while at others the
sides receded so that the space was quite a chamber.
"Well, then," said Mr Rogers, "suppose we turn back. Dinny, as you are
last now you'll be first going back, and ought to make a good leader; so
take the light."
Dinny did not reply.
"Do you hear what my father said, Dinny?" cried Dick.
Still there was no answer.
"Why, father," cried Dick; "he is not here!"
"Nonsense! absurd!" cried Mr Rogers. "Here, Dinny!" he shouted.
"Ny-ny-ny-ny!" came softly repeated like a mockery of his cry.
"Dinny!" cried Mr Rogers again; and once again the echo was the only
answer.
"Dinny!" shouted Dick and Jack together, with all their might; but the
echo was the only response; and a cold chill of horror began to run
through the little party as they stood there.
"Poor fellow!" exclaimed Mr Rogers; "surely he has not sunk down
fainting from fright. Oh, surely not; the idea is too horrible!
Dinny!"
He shouted with all his might, and the boys took up the cry, but there
was nothing but the echo to reply.
"Has anybody ever been lost here?" said Mr Rogers, turning sharply on
the Boer guide.
"Dot one dat I know," said the Boer lad. "Dere was leedle mans lost one
days, bud dey found der leedle mans again fasd ashleep on der rock."
"He has grown tired, boys; quick!" said Mr Rogers. "Let's make haste
back, and we shall find him sitting down somewhere."
Though he said this, he did not feel at all hopeful; but still there was
the chance of finding that Dinny, taking advantage of being behind, had
climbed on to one of the big shelves of rock to await their return,
though Mr Rogers felt that it was very doubtful, and that the poor
fellow would be too great a coward to sit there alone in the dark.
It was then with sinking hearts, and a horrible sense of finding that
their expedition had a terrible ending, that they hurried along the dark
passages of the weird grotto, pausing every now and then to shout, as
they searched the side-turnings with their light, and shouted down them
in case the poor fellow had strayed away by mistake, though the chances
were very small, for it seemed impossible that Dinny could have followed
any route but the one indicated by the light in front.
No, think of the matter how they would, there seemed no other
explanation of Dinny's disappearance than that he had sunk down in the
water where it was deeper than usual, and been drowned from sheer
fright.
"It seems so shocking," said Dick, in a whisper, that, low as it was,
seemed to run on before them; "that after going through all that
journey, and escaping from lions and crocodiles, and all sorts of
dangerous beasts, we should lose one of our party in such a miserable
way."
Dick had unconsciously spoken his father's thoughts as they went on
redoubling their exertions till, to their horror, they reached the
bottom of the funnel-shaped entrance without finding a vestige of him
they sought.
"Back again!" cried Mr Rogers; and returning, they again searched the
gloomy passages for hours, till they were obliged to return to the mouth
of the cavern for fresh lights.
The Boer lad looked horrified, and he anxiously ran off for fresh
torches, feeling himself to blame as guide, for having lost one of the
party.
"Jack," said Mr Rogers hoarsely, "run to the waggon, and fetch some
biscuits, a little brandy, and the two large lamps, with a few extra
candles. Be quick!"
"I'll go too, father," cried Dick eagerly. And the boys were about to
start, when Dick added, "Shall I bring over the General, father?"
"Yes, and his boys. We must find Dinny."
Dick and Jack, weary and wet as they were, ran off to the little camp,
the smoke of whose fire they could see, and on reaching it, panting and
exhausted, the first object they saw was Dinny, lying under a tree with
his mouth open, fast asleep.
"Oh, I am glad," cried Jack.
"So am I," cried Dick; "and sorry--and cross," he added, running up to
Dinny, and giving him a kick in the ribs.
"Aisy there," said Dinny, yawning and opening his eyes. "Shure, I'm
coming. Ah, Masther Dick, and have ye got back out of the black hole?"
"How came you here?" cried Dick angrily.
"How kim I here, Masther Dick? Shure it was on me own handsome pair o'
legs."
"But we thought you were lost."
"Lost! bedad, not I. Shure, I sez, they're going to carry the light
themselves, an' they don't want me anny longer; so I just sat down on a
big shtone, while I took out me matchbox, and lit me morsel of candle I
had in me pocket, and I kim back, and afther getting me dinner ready, I
laid down for a rest."
"Oh!" cried Dick wrathfully.
He could say no more; but his brother spoke for him in a way that made
Dinny uncomfortable, as the boys turned sharply and ran back, reaching
the mouth of the cavern just as the Boer lad came up with his torches.
Mr Rogers started up.
"Where are the lanterns?" he cried. Then, seeing that the boys had
something to say he eagerly listened; and the next moment, with his brow
knotted with anger, he strode off to the waggon.
"Jack," whispered Dick, "I never saw father look so cross as that."
He was angry indeed, and they saw him seize Dinny by the throat, force
him upon his knees, and raise his clenched fist to strike; but the next
moment education and manliness prevailed, his hand dropped to his side,
and he stood there talking to Dinny for some time in a way that made
that gentleman slink away and go about his work with a very hangdog
expression of countenance.