THE PRISONER IN THE CAVE
Since their change of residence the girls had used a fresh look-out
station. The precipice which they had noticed when they first caught
sight of Maku's hut was very lofty, and from its summit a more
extensive outlook could be obtained than any they had yet enjoyed. Its
face was unscalable; but Fangati had discovered a means of reaching its
top from the rear. The way was steep and arduous, but the girls made
light of it. Every day one of them climbed to the summit, and cast a
searching glance over the sea; but for weeks in succession they saw no
vessel, large or small.
One afternoon, however, Mary was startled on reaching the summit to see
in the distance a small fleet of native canoes approaching the island.
She ran down the hillside at full speed with the news. Maku instantly
sent Fangati up to examine the vessels, and when by and by she declared
that they were canoes from her own island the old man shook with fright.
The visit was what he had long expected and dreaded. His people were
coming with their new chief to perform the usual ceremonies in the
cave. He knew that if he were discovered he could expect no mercy; the
mystery men would seize upon him, and their followers, inflamed with
religious frenzy and palm wine, would tear him to pieces.
The younger girls were beside themselves with terror. But Elizabeth
rose to the occasion. She saw that Maku, with a kind of fatalism, was
disposed to await his destiny without stirring a hand to avert it; but
a possible means of escape at once occurred to her. The canoes were
still some distance out at sea. The usual landing-place was near the
girls' old settlement on the other side of the island. It would
probably be dark before the savages landed, so that twelve or more
hours might elapse before the danger became pressing. In that time it
would be possible to demolish the huts, obliterate the most tell-tale
traces of habitation, and convey enough food to the pit to last them
until the unwelcome visitors had completed their rites and taken their
departure. The existence of the pit was unknown to them, and though it
was impossible to cover it, there was a chance that, if the savages
should light upon it, they would imagine it to be an old breadfruit
pit, as Maku had done, and never suspect that it communicated with the
cave.
She explained her plan rapidly to the others. Maku was inclined to do
nothing, but the girls were feverishly ready to attempt any means of
escape. Elizabeth sent Fangati to the top of the cliff to watch the
canoes, bidding her be careful to keep out of sight. Then with her
sisters she set to work to tear down their light hut and cast its
materials into the stream. This would carry them to the sea, and as
the current flowed away from the landing-place they would soon drift
beyond observation. Before long the energy of the girls galvanized
Maku into activity. He demolished his hut in the same way.
They then destroyed their fire-places, covered up the blackened earth
with sand, and threw into the stream all the litter that betokened
occupation. It was impossible to remove all traces; the vegetation
around the little settlement was trampled, and nothing but time could
undo that.
"What about the boat and canoe?" said Tommy.
"We must drag them up among the trees and hope that they will not be
discovered," replied Elizabeth. "Luckily, there are no fruit-trees in
that clump by the shore, so there's nothing to take the savages there."
The boats were soon hidden among the undergrowth. Then they collected
their little belongings, kettle, cups, fishing-line and spears, and all
the food they had at hand. They made their mat-beds into hammocks by
stringing them at the corners with creepers, and filled these with all
they wished to carry away. By this time it was nearly dark. Fangati,
flying down the hillside, reported that the canoes had entered the
lagoon by the gap in the reef and had now passed from sight. It was
clear that they were making for the usual landing-place. Maku said
that the people would camp for the night on the shore, next day roam
the island in search of food, and in the evening hold a great feast in
the cave.
Having made all their preparations, they set off towards the pit laden
with the hammocks.
"Oh, we can't take Billy," said Elizabeth, noticing that the parrot was
perched on Tommy's shoulder. "His screaming would ruin us."
Tommy was distressed at the thought of leaving her old pet behind, but
there was clearly no help for it. The bird's wings being clipped it
could not fend for itself very well, and Tommy decided to carry it down
to the boat and leave it there with enough food for several days. She
kissed it on parting, fearing that she might never see it again.
They found their ladder where they had left it among the trees. After
letting down the hammocks they descended one by one, removed the
ladder, and retreated towards the entrance of the tunnel. Their
passage had left traces on the ground above, which must betray them if
the keen-eyed savages came that way; but there was nothing to bring
them in that direction; and the girls hoped that the pit would be a
secure hiding-place during the three days the savages might be expected
to spend on the island.
The fruits they had brought with them would supply them with food and
drink for several days. The lack of water, which might have otherwise
distressed them, was partially made up by the juice of oranges and
cocoa-nuts.
They found the atmosphere of the pit close and unpleasant, but
Elizabeth reflected that if nothing happened to alarm them they might
climb up at dead of night and get a little fresh air while the savages
were sleeping.
The girls had little sleep during the first night. Every few minutes
they would wake and listen, wondering if by some unlucky chance their
hiding-place had been discovered. They were still more uneasy when day
broke. What were the savages doing? Fangati offered to climb up and
spy upon them, but Elizabeth would not permit this. While they all
remained in the pit they were safe; if the savages should catch sight
of any one, they would, almost certainly, never rest until they had
discovered the whereabouts of the inhabitants.
The hours of daylight dragged slowly away. The girls scarcely dared to
speak. Several times Fangati stole along to the end of the tunnel to
see if the savages had yet entered the cave; but there was no sign of
them until the afternoon was far advanced. Then the girl ran back to
report that there was a great noise below. She had been much too
frightened to stay any longer; but Maku now said that he would go and
learn who the people were.
He was absent so long that the girls began to be alarmed, and were
thinking of going in search of him, when they heard the light rustle of
his footsteps. On rejoining them he groaned heavily.
"What is the matter?" asked Elizabeth anxiously.
The old chief groaned again. He did not reply to Elizabeth, but spoke
in a low tone rapidly to Fangati. The girls had picked up a good many
native words, but their knowledge of the language was not sufficient
for them to understand this conversation. From Maku's groans and
Fangati's exclamations of distress they gathered that the chief had
made some disagreeable discovery, and Elizabeth at length insisted on
his telling her what troubled him.
The girls were horrified when they heard what he had to say. The cave
was full of his own people. Among them he had seen, by the light of
their torches of cocoa-nut husks, the new chief, a young man who was
high in favour with the mystery men and had led the revolt against
himself. But what had distressed him was the sight of a prisoner lying
bound against the wall of the cave. It was a white man, and Maku was
almost sure it was the "mikinaly." The mystery men could only have one
object in bringing a white missionary to the scene of their dreadful
orgies: he was to be offered up as a sacrifice to their heathen deities.
At this terrible news the girls' blood ran cold. Dreadful as the
horrors of cannibalism had been to their imagination, the knowledge
that the reality would soon be enacted so near at hand was
overpowering. The thought of any human creature being tortured and
killed in cold blood was agony to them; and that the victim should be a
white man, a fellow-countryman, within reach of them, and yet beyond
their help, caused them to shrink and quiver as with actual physical
pain.
For some time they sat in silence, clasping their arms about each other.
Every now and again the old man uttered a groan. They could not see
one another in the darkness, and Tommy's match-lighter was exhausted,
so that they could not obtain a light; but the girls were conscious by
a sort of electric sympathy that Maku and even gay-hearted little
Fangati were scarcely less affected than themselves.
"Will it be to-night?" asked Elizabeth presently, in a whisper.
"No, no," replied Maku; "two days, flee days, den all gone."
This answer only increased the horror of the situation. The victim was
to linger through three days anticipating his cruel death. The savages
knew not so much mercy as to send him early to his doom.
"He no 'flaid; he all-same good man," murmured Maku.
"I can't stand it," cried Elizabeth, springing up; "I must see for
myself. Perhaps something can be done for him."
"Don't, Bess!" exclaimed Tommy, clinging to her. "What can you do?
They may see you."
"No, they can't do that. I must go. Perhaps if I screamed at them
they would take me for an evil spirit and run away."
"But what then?" said Mary. "You could not go round and release the
poor man; you would be seen."
"Yes; it was a foolish idea. But something may suggest itself. Oh, I
can't bear to think about the poor man."
"If you go, I go too," said Tommy. "I won't leave you."
The two set off, and felt their way stumblingly through the passage.
Presently they were aware of a pungent aromatic smell, that increased
as they went on. This was explained when they reached the opening in
the wall; looking over stealthily, they saw, sixteen or twenty feet
below them, on the floor of the cave, a strange bewildering sight. A
ring of dusky men held aloft great flaring torches which gave out a
heavy smoke that penetrated into the tunnel. Without the circle there
stood a row of drummers beating a rhythmic music on their instruments;
within, a crowd of men were leaping in wild gyrations, uttering
frenzied yells. In the haze nothing could be seen distinctly; all was
a confused whirl. The prisoner was quite invisible.
The dance continued for a long time, the movements becoming ever more
violent and fantastic, the cries more frantic, the drumming more swift
and vigorous. At last, when the din was at its highest, the drummers
gave one tremendous crash and dropped their sticks. The whirling and
the yells ceased as by magic; the performers flung themselves fainting
on the ground; and there was a great silence. But only for a few
minutes. Then the men leapt to their feet again, rushed to the side of
the cave, and returned, bringing the food laid there in readiness, and
many gourds filled with the fermented sap of palm-trees. The
torch-bearers stuck their torches in crannies on the walls, and the
whole company gave themselves up to feasting. The girls turned sick as
they watched the ravening gluttony of the men, and withdrew their eyes.
"Let us go back," whispered Tommy.
"No, no, wait," said Elizabeth; "I want to know what will happen."
Crouching below the opening, they waited for what seemed hours. The
barbarous noise continued, voices were raised in excitement; but
presently the uproar diminished, and finally ceased. Glancing down
again, they saw the natives lying in all sorts of attitudes. Exhausted
by the orgy, drunken with wine, they had fallen into a heavy sleep.
Some of the torches had gone out. Though the illumination was dimmer,
the smoke was so much less that objects could more easily be
distinguished. Against the wall at the right hand the girls saw what
appeared at first to be a large bundle. But in a few moments they
recognized the form of a man--an old man with a long white beard.
"It is the missionary!" whispered Elizabeth, clenching her hands in an
agony of despair.