"That enough?"
"Yes," he said, with a little more spirit in his tone; "it's long
enough, but quite out of my reach--a couple of yards away, and I dare
not move."
"I'll swing it to and fro till it comes close. Look out! Here goes."
I began to swing the rope; and as it went to and fro it sent small
stones rattling down and then splashing into the water, making me
shiver. But they evidently fell clear of Denham, who sent a thrill of
encouragement through me when he now spoke more cheerily.
"That's right," he said, and his words were repeated by the echoes. "A
little more--a little more. No. Harder. It keeps catching among the
stones. Give a good swing."
I did as he told me, and then nearly let go, for he uttered a wild cry,
almost a shriek. The next moment there was a peculiar rattling sound;
the lamp flashed out brilliantly and lighted up the shaft; there was a
sharp hiss, followed by a splash, and then all was in darkness.
"Denham!" I yelled, and I let the rest of the rope run through my hands
till it could hang taut, meaning to slide down it and go to his
assistance, for I was sure that all depended upon me now. I was already
changing my position, when--my sinking heart, which seemed to suggest
that I was about to descend to certain death, giving a sudden bound, and
I felt choking--Denham spoke again.
"I couldn't stop the lamp," he said; "the rope caught it and knocked it
off the ledge; but I've got hold."
"Hurrah!"
I suppose I shouted that word, but it came out involuntarily. Then I
listened, my heart beating painfully, for I could hear the poor fellow
moving now, but, as it seemed, sending stone after stone rolling and
splashing into the water.
However, nerved into action again, I did as he bade me, all the time
fearing it was too late, for he shouted hoarsely:
"Pull up, Val--pull! I'm going down."
My hands darted one over the other, the slack seeming endless as I heard
a low rushing sound mingled with the splashing of falling stones. Then
there was a sharp jerk at my wrists, and the rope began to glide through
my hands till I let one leg drop from where my foot rested against the
edge of the shaft-mouth, and quick as thought flung it round the rope so
that my foot and ankle formed a check; with the result that I was nearly
jerked off my seat before the rope was stopped.
"Ah!" came from below, and I heard no falling of stones now; but there
was a splashing and dripping sound which for the moment I did not
understand. Once more I thought all was over, for the rope seemed to
slacken; but hope came again.
"Pull up steadily," came in firmer tones; and, though I could not see, I
supposed that Denham had drawn his feet from the water and was trying to
climb up the rope. I knew it was so directly, for he spoke.
"I've got the rope well under my arms," he panted out, "and if you keep
hauling gently, I think perhaps I can climb up the side; but you must be
ready for a slip. Can you pass it round anything?"
"Yes," I said; and as the rope was eased I got both legs back into their
position again, thus hindering my power of hauling dreadfully, but
guarding against the rope being dragged down again rapidly by passing it
over my right leg and under the left.
"Are you sure you can hold on if I slip?" said Denham now.
"Yes, if you come slowly. The rope's strong enough, and I'll get it up
a yard at a time, so that's all the distance you can pull."
"Ah!" he cried; "then I can use both hands, and climb with more
confidence. Now then, I'm coming up."
"Ready!" I shouted; and I toiled on with the perspiration moistening my
hands as I steadily hauled with my right and left alternately, gaining a
foot with one and making it secure over and under my legs with the
other. All the while I could hear him painfully climbing as if gaining
confidence with every yard he came nearer the surface.
"Now rest," he said, and I could hear him breathing hard.
Stones had fallen again and again as he climbed; but I was getting
accustomed to their rattle and sullen plunge, for so long as the rope
proved true they were robbed of their terrible meaning. Just, however,
as my poor comrade said he meant to take a rest, there was another sharp
jerk which told that his foothold had given way, and for a moment or two
I was wondering whether I could hold on, as I listened to the falling of
many stones. Once more he gained a good footing, and from where he
half-hung, half-lay, he began to talk slowly about his position.
"It's like climbing up the side of a house built of loose stones," he
said in a low tone; "but I mean to do it now if you can keep hold of the
rope firmly."
"I can," I said.
"Ah! It's a horrible place, Val; but you give me confidence. Now then,
I'm rested. Can you haul up more quickly? I want to get it done?"
"No," I said quietly; "I can only just make the rope safe."
"Very well. Go on as you like. There, I'm going to begin."
"Go on," I said; and once more the painful climb went on, with the
stones falling and splashing, and the sound of Denham's breath at times
coming to my ears in sobs which seemed terribly loud. It did not last
many minutes; but no more agony could have been condensed into hours,
and no hours could have seemed longer than the interval during which I
strove to save my companion from death.
However, all things come to an end; and at last, when I was nervously on
the _qui vive_ for another slip, and just when Denham seemed to be
creeping painfully up, though still many feet below, I suddenly felt one
of his hands touch my ankle, and the other get a good grip of the rope
where it lay cutting into my leg. Then I heard his feet grating and
scraping against the side, and my heart leaped as he threw himself on
his side away from the mouth of the hole, and lay perfectly still.
"Ah!" I cried; "at last!" and, freeing my legs from the rope, I moved
painfully after him; but at the first attempt I felt as if the darkness
was lighting up, flashes played about my eyes, there was a horrible
swinging round of everything in my head, and I sank down, crawled aside
a little way instinctively to get from the shaft-mouth, and then for a
few moments all was blank. Not more than a few moments, however, for
Denham roused me by speaking.
"Is anything the matter?" he said.
"Matter?" I replied, as the absurdity of his question seemed to
surprise me. "Oh no, nothing at all the matter, only that my head feels
as if it had been crushed by a stone, and we had just saved ourselves
from the most terrible death that could have come to two poor wretches
who want to live. It's very comic altogether--isn't it?"
Denham sat in silence, and we could hear the firing still going on. At
last he spoke with a low, subdued voice.
"Yes," he said, "we have escaped from a horrible death. Val, old
fellow, I shall never forget this. But don't let us talk about it. Let
us talk about who did it. Some one must have struck at us and knocked
us down that hole."
"Yes," I said; "and there's only one `some one' who could have done it."
"That renegade Irishman?"
"Yes," I replied. "It seems like this: he couldn't have got away, but
must have been in hiding here. He couldn't escape the watchfulness of
the sentries, I suppose."
"No; and he must have managed to get that rope to let himself down from
the walls."
"To let himself down into a place where he could hide, I think," was my
reply.
"For both purposes. But what a place to hide in!" said Denham, with a
shudder. "He could not have known what he was doing, or he would not
have gone down."
"I believe he went down and was afraid to stay. Of course he was hiding
somewhere here when we came along with the light."
"And then struck us down. Are you much hurt?"
"I don't know," I replied. "I forgot all about it for the time in the
excitement of trying to escape. How are you?"
"My head hurts me badly now. I believe I was struck with a heavy
stone."
"Of course. That was the wretch's trick, and how he served poor Sam
Wren. Here, let's go to the hospital. I feel as if I want to see the
doctor."
"Yes," said Denham faintly. "I hope he has no more wounded after all
this firing."
Denham rose to his knees in the darkness, and I did the same, bringing
on the giddy feeling once more, so that I was glad to lean against the
wall of the great passage.
"What is the matter?" said my companion.
"Not much; only a bit dizzy," I replied; "and my legs feel so awfully
stiff and strained that I can hardly stand."
"My head swims too," said Denham. "I am glad to lean against the wall.
Ah! Look! here is some one coming with a light."
I uttered a sigh of relief, and then, taking a good deep breath, I gave
a hail which brought half-a-dozen men to us, headed by Sergeant Briggs,
who uttered an ejaculation of surprise as he held up the wagon lantern
he carried and let the light fall on our faces.
"Why, you gents haven't run up against that savage sham Paddy, have
you?" he cried.
"Yes, Sergeant," said Denham, speaking faintly; "and he got the better
of us."
"He has, sir, and no mistake."
"Have you caught him, Briggs?" I asked anxiously.
"No, my lad; I only wish we had. I never saw such shots as our men are!
Wasted no end of cartridges, and not one of 'em hit. Did nothing but
draw the enemy's fire, and they have been answering in the dark. All
waste."
"But Moriarty?" asked Denham.
"Moriarty!" said the Sergeant scornfully. "I'm Morihearty well sick of
him, sir. It's all easy enough to see now. Instead of getting away, as
we thought, after hammering poor Sam Wren with a stone, my gentleman's
been in hiding."
"Yes," I said.
"Yes it is, my lad. Then he's been sneaking about in the dark, going
about among the men like a sarpent, and then among the horses, helping
himself to the reins with his knife."
"To join together and make a rope to let himself down from the wall," I
said.
"That's right, my lad--right as right; and all our chaps asleep, I
suppose--bless 'em! They ought to be ashamed of theirselves. There was
quite a dozen nice noo reins missing, and half of 'em gone for ever."
"Not quite, Sergeant," said Denham; "take your light and look carefully
down yonder."
The Sergeant stared, but did as he was told, holding the lantern low
down by the crossing-stone.
"Well, I am blessed!" he cried. "Here, one of you, come and loosen this
knot and coil the ropes up carefully.--But, I say, Mr Denham, how did
they come there?"
Denham told him briefly of our adventure, and of what we surmised.
He whistled softly, and then said, "Why, I wonder you're both alive.
You do both look half-dead, gentlemen; and no wonder. This accounts for
one lot, though. The others were tied together and one end made fast to
a big stone--a loose one atop of the wall. He must have slid down there
and got away. I never saw such sentries as we've got. All those
cartridges fired away, and not one to hit. Why, they ought to have
pumped him so full of lead that he couldn't run. Run? No; so that he
couldn't walk. But you two must come to the Colonel and let him know."
"No, no! Take us to Dr Duncombe," said Denham.
"Afterwards, sir."
"Then you must carry me," said Denham, with a groan.
"Right, sir.--Here, two of you, sling your rifles and dandy-chair your
officer to the Colonel's quarters. Two more of you serve young Moray
same way."
"No," I said, making an effort. "One man give me his arm, and I'll try
to walk."
"So will I," said Denham, making an effort. "That's right, Val; we
won't go into hospital, only let the doctor stick a bit or two of
plaster about our heads for ornament. Now then, give me an arm."
The result was that we mastered our suffering, and were led by the
Sergeant's patrol to the officers' rough quarters. The first thing the
Colonel did was to summon the doctor, who saw to our injuries, while
Denham unburdened himself of our adventures, my head throbbing so that I
could not have given a connected narrative had I tried.
Denham protested stoutly afterwards that there was no need for the
doctor's proposal that we should be sent to the hospital to be carried
into effect, and appealed to the Colonel.
"Look at us both, sir," he said. "Don't you think that after a good
night's sleep we shall both be fit for duty in the morning?"
"Well, Mr Denham, to speak candidly," was the reply, "you both look as
dilapidated as you can possibly be; so you had better obey the doctor's
orders. I give you both up for the present."
Denham groaned, and I felt very glad when a couple of the Sergeant's
guard clasped wrists to make, me a seat; and as soon as I had passed my
arms over their shoulders their officer gave the word, and we were both
marched off to the sheltered hospital, where I was soon after plunged in
a heavy stupor, full of dreams about falling down black pits, swinging
spider-like, at the end of ropes which I somehow spun by drawing long
threads of my brains out of a hole in the back of my head, something
after the fashion of a silkworm making a cocoon.
Then complete insensibility came on, and I don't remember anything. But
on the day following Denham and I lay pretty close together, talking,
and looking up at the sky just above, one of the wagon-tilt curtains
being thrown back.