A FALL IN THE DARK
Freddie was the first to be awake in the morning. He was cramped and
stiff. He sat up straight, rubbed his eyes, and stretched his arms. He
looked abroad, and the sight which met him caused him to grasp Aunt
Amanda's hand in excitement.
"Land!" he cried, so loud that everyone awoke.
"Blamed if it ain't," said Toby, and put on his white derby hat,
considering that he had thereby dressed himself for the day.
All the others sat bolt upright, and stared across the smooth blue sea,
sparkling in the sunlight.
Not more than a quarter of a mile away rose a tall black cliff straight
up out of the water. It stretched away on either hand for miles and
miles, and came to an end in the ocean at the right hand and the left,
so that it was probably the side of an island. The sea rolled up and
down at the foot of the cliff, making a beautiful white splash against
the rocks.
"But how on earth," said Aunt Amanda, "are we ever to get ashore on such
a place as that?"
"We're moving towards it," said Freddie.
"Blamed if we ain't," said Toby. "We'll soon know whether we can get
ashore or not."
They moved very slowly, and it was a long time before they came close
enough to the cliff to see what their chances of a landing might be.
They floated at last within two or three hundred yards of the cliff. It
was very dangerous looking; the waves rolled over huge black rocks at
its foot and broke in white foam against its side; it seemed the last
place in the world for a landing.
A great swell rolled in from the sea and brought them nearer the
breakers.
"My word!" cried Mr. Punch, excitedly. "There's a harch!"
"A what?" said Toby.
"See!" said Aunt Amanda. "There's a little archway in the rock, like the
mouth of a cave, over there to the right! Don't you see? With the water
pouring in! Over there!"
It was true. There was an archway, like the mouth of a cave; and into
this the water was streaming in a strong current, making a kind of
passage-way, more or less smooth, through the breakers.
"Yes!" said Freddie. "And I believe we're headed towards it!"
Their course changed a little to the right, as if the fish who was
piloting them had now taken a correct bearing. They found themselves in
a passage through the breakers where the water swirled in towards the
arch. They were caught in this current and were swept to a point close
under the towering black rocks, and in another moment they were directly
before the opening. The current seized the raft as if with strong hands
and drew it in.
They were in a cavern, narrow and high, whose interior was lost in
darkness. The current carried them onward into the dark. The roar of the
breakers suddenly ceased, and as they looked behind them the archway was
no more than a speck of light. Their raft turned slightly to the left,
and at that moment the speck of light disappeared, as if they had
turned a corner; and the darkness became so black that no one could see
even the person sitting next to him.
"I wonder," said Toby, "if there are any matches and candles on board
this boat. I'm going to see."
He was silent for a while, and it was evident from the tilting of the
raft that he had moved his position. Finally he said "Ah!" and a match
spluttered and went out in the breeze which was blowing past them; but
after it went out there remained a glimmer, and Toby was holding up a
lighted candle, and shielding it from the draught with his hand.
"Found 'em in the tin with the biscuits," said Toby.
He held the candle on high so that its little beam searched out the
darkness in front and on both sides.
They were in a narrow passage-way. On each side was a wall of solid
rock, not ten feet beyond the edge of the raft. How high the wall was
they could not tell, for it was lost in the darkness overhead. They were
slipping along a narrow alley-way of water. Toby held the candle higher,
and everyone peered into the darkness ahead; but it was impossible to
see more than a few yards.
"I wish it distinctly understood," said the Sly Old Codger, "that I am
here under--"
"Never mind," said Aunt Amanda, "my orders as captain is, to say nothing
and wait and see what will happen."
The raft turned a corner to the right, and slipped on silently in that
direction for a long distance, probably for more than a mile. Then the
raft turned again, this time to the left; and after about ten minutes
longer Toby suddenly said, "S-sh! What's that?" They all listened, and
heard afar off a sound as of rushing water, very faint, but
unmistakable.
"Er--excuse me," said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg. "Do you
think--ahem!--there is any--er--_danger_?"
"I don't like it," said Aunt Amanda. "I don't think it's safe in here."
"I think we are lower in the water," said Freddie.
"So we are," said Toby. "The water's coming up over the top now, and if
we don't get on dry land soon, we'll all be sitting in a puddle."
In spite of its being water-logged and lower in the water, the raft was
beginning to go faster, for the current had suddenly become swifter. The
wind blew stronger; it swept through the narrow passage-way so briskly
that Toby put his hat over the candle; but he was too late; the light
wavered and went out. A groan went up from the company.
"I can hear that rushing sound plainer," said Aunt Amanda.
"Hit's wery like a water-fall," said Mr. Punch.
"I wish it understood," said the Sly Old Fox, "distinctly understood,
that I am here under protest. If I had ever for one moment imagined--"
"O-o-oh!" screamed Aunt Amanda. "We're going--faster--o-o-oh!"
She threw her arm around Freddie and held him tight. The current
suddenly became swifter; the raft, almost under water, was leaping
forward at a frightful speed. Directly ahead of them, growing louder and
louder, was the roar of rushing water.
"Hold--on--tight, Freddie!" cried Aunt Amanda.
"We'll all be done for," shouted Toby, "in another--minute, I
reckon,--hold--on--tight!"
As Toby said this, the raft almost galloped. The roar of falling water
burst on them from close ahead. The raft seemed to rise up and then to
sink down. Its nose slanted downward. The roar of falling water was all
about them. Aunt Amanda screamed, but no one could hear her. The raft
paused and teetered for an instant; then it pointed downward, almost
straight, and the whole party, the raft, and the fish under the raft,
plunged downward through the darkness on a cascade of tumbling water;
down, down, down; the raft shot from under and the passengers shot off;
in a twinkling they were going down the water-fall on their backs. Would
they never reach the bottom? There did not seem to be any bottom; but--
In another moment, there were Aunt Amanda and Freddie (her arm still
about him) standing on their feet in about twenty-four inches of quiet
water on a solid bottom. Dark forms appeared, one after another, beside
them, and almost at once all the party were standing together in a
group, in about two feet of quiet water, on a solid bottom.
"I fear," said the voice of the Sly Old Codger, "that I have lost my
hat."
They could see that they were in a great chamber, whose walls they could
make out dimly on each side. They could not see the top of the
water-fall, but they could see its lower part very plainly. Through the
tumbling water of the fall, near the bottom, sunlight was shining.
Behind the water was an opening some six feet high, and as the water
fell across this opening the sunlight from without shone through it,
making it glow with green and sparkle with white. The water-fall hung
over this opening like a curtain.
"Well," said Aunt Amanda, "I'm pretty near drowned, and my clothes are a
sight to behold. But I'm the captain of this expedition, and my orders
is, that we go ashore."
The water proved to be shallow all about them, and they waded to a strip
of dry ground beside the wall which rose at their left as they faced the
fall. Aunt Amanda, whose cane was gone, was assisted by Mr. Toby and
Mr. Punch.
"Blamed if my hat ain't gone too," said Toby. "She was a good hat, I'll
have to say that for her."
The party walked along the edge of the water, and came to the end wall
of the chamber, opposite the fall. There lay the wreck of the raft, with
the tail of the great fish sticking out from beneath.
"I fear," said the Sly Old Codger, "that the faithful creature has
departed this life."
"He's dead as a doornail," said Toby.
"Poor thing," said Aunt Amanda. "Anyway, my orders is to explore this
cavern, and see what we can find."
At this end of the cavern the water was slipping away under the wall,
and this outlet explained why the water inside remained so shallow. The
party commented on it, and then walked along the side wall towards the
other end where the fall was. When they were midway along this wall, a
cry from Toby, who had left Aunt Amanda to the care of Mr. Punch,
startled the others.
"What's this?" he cried. "Look here!"
He was stooping over something, and as the others gathered round, they
saw that he was stooping over a pile of small square boxes, standing in
several long rows along the wall.
Mr. Hanlon lifted one of the boxes, with a great effort, and shook it. A
jingling sound came from within.
"Aha!" said the Sly Old Fox. "That beautiful music! It is the sound,
dear friends, the sound of--of Money!"
"Bless my soul!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Is it?"
"My opinion is," said the Churchwarden, "that there is gold in that
box."
"Then open it!" said Aunt Amanda.
Mr. Hanlon shook his head. The box was locked tight, and it was bound
with iron bands. All the boxes were locked, and they were all bound with
iron bands.
"Come along this way," said Toby. "There's something more here."
Further along the wall, leaning against it, was a row of large
coffee-sacks, each bound around the mouth by strong twine. One of these
sacks Mr. Hanlon quickly opened. He tilted it over and poured out its
contents on the ground. The party of onlookers gasped with astonishment.
From the mouth of the bag fell pearl necklaces; diamond rings; ruby
rings; emerald rings; all kinds of rings; gold bracelets and chains;
silver forks and spoons; gold toothpicks; gold cups; silver vases; and a
great variety of other things of the same sort.
It was a moment or two before anyone spoke. Then the Churchwarden said,
"It's my opinion that this is pirates' treasure."
"Mercy on us!" said Aunt Amanda. "And they may be in here on us any
minute!"
Mr. Hanlon opened others of the bags. Each was filled with rare and
costly articles of gold, silver, and precious stones.
"Do you think it's really pirates?" said Freddie, in an awed whisper.
"Not a doubt of it!" said Toby, in a voice much lower than before. "Look
at this!"
He pointed to a placard on the wall above the sacks. The light was
almost too dim for reading, but the writing on the placard was very
large, and Toby, by standing on one of the bags, was able to make it
out. He read it aloud.
"Beware! Hands Off! Whoever Shall Touch
it He Shall Die by the Hand of Lingo!
With a Knife in the Throat! Long Live
King James and the Jolly Roger!"
"There a skull and cross-bones under it," said Toby. "Pirates, as sure
as you're born."
"We'd better be getting away from here," said Aunt Amanda.
"Better not speak so loud," said Toby. "How are we to----?"
"S-sh!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, in a frightened
whisper. "Excuse me--look--I saw something under the water-fall. What's
that?"
"Stand close back against the wall," whispered Toby, "and don't speak a
word."
They crowded back against the wall, alongside of the treasure, and
looked towards the water-fall.
A dark object was rising from the shallow water at the foot of the fall.
As they watched, another dark object appeared to come through from under
the fall and apparently from behind it; and this object rose also from
the shallow water near the foot of the fall, and took its place beside
the other. One after another, five more of these dark objects came from
under the fall and apparently from behind it, and stood upright in the
shallow water.
There were now seven in all. They moved in a group towards the shore.
Each of them had two legs, and each was muffled from top to toe in a
single loose garment with baggy legs; they walked somewhat like a
company of bears. They stood on the dry ground, and one of them
proceeded to take off the loose garment with which he was muffled, while
the others assisted him with evident deference.
First came off a close hood which covered his head, cheeks, and neck. As
the watchers by the wall saw his head, they held their breath in
terror, and Aunt Amanda clutched Freddie's arm. Around the head was a
tight-fitting kerchief, knotted behind; in his ears were great round
ear-rings; and gripped between his teeth was a long pointed knife.
Aunt Amanda gave a sign as if she was about to scream, but Toby quickly
put his hand over her mouth.
As the man with the ear-rings got himself out of the legs of his loose
garment, the party by the wall saw that he was a short and burly man, of
a ferocious aspect. In a sash which he wore was stuck on one side a
cutlass, and on the other a long pistol. He wore no coat, and his shirt
was open at the throat. His arms showed from the elbows down, and they
were thick with muscles. His trousers were knee breeches, buckled just
below the knee, and he was very bow-legged; his calves were big and
knotted.
When his outer covering had been removed, it was plain that he was
perfectly dry from head to foot, except for water on his face and hands;
and while the others were taking off their coverings, he withdrew with
one hand the knife from between his teeth, and with the other hand wiped
the water from his eyes and face. He then stuck the knife in his sash,
waved his hands somewhat daintily in the air as if to dry them, took
from his breeches pocket a large white handkerchief, completed with this
handkerchief the drying of his face and hands, examined his finger-nails
carefully, blew on them, and proceeded to polish them delicately with
his pocket-handkerchief, at the same time swearing two dreadful oaths,
in a low tone of voice, at the six men who were struggling with their
coverings. When these had been removed, the six appeared in much the
same style of dress as the first, and each bore a cutlass and a pistol;
but their clothing was much ruder than his, and they had no ear-rings;
instead of sashes they wore leather belts.
"Kerchoo!" rang out a sneeze as sharp as a pistol-shot, from the party
by the wall.
"Dear me," said the Sly Old Codger, out loud, "I do believe I'm catching
cold."
At the sudden discharge of the sneeze, the seven men jumped as if they
had in fact been shot. Each one snatched out his cutlass with his right
hand and his pistol with his left, and faced in the direction of the
sneeze.
"Confound your cold," whispered Toby fiercely to the Sly Old Codger,
"now we're done for."
The seven men with their cutlasses and pistols, with the ear-ringed man
in the lead, tiptoed stealthily in the direction of the sneeze.
As they came closer to the party who were crouched against the wall,
Aunt Amanda slipped down quietly to the ground at Toby's feet. The
captain of the expedition had fainted.