PRISONERS IN THE CAVERN OF THE DEAD.
Mr. Bruce, who held the torch, dropped it to the floor at the ghastly
sight which met his gaze. From all sides these horrible visages were
looking at them. There seemed to be thousands of them; in fact, the
number seemed unlimited and as the torch flickered away on the floor,
casting long shadows over these sombre surroundings, the scene was
enough to curdle the blood of the strongest. Mr. Bruce stooped and
picked up the torch again, he having recovered from the shock which the
scene first gave him.
The hall was about fifty feet wide and ten feet high; the depth could
not be ascertained because it went beyond the vision. They had entered
the hall by a door about seven feet high from the corridor of winds.
This hall or chamber was like the corridor hewn out of the solid rock,
the ceiling, sides and floor being perfectly smooth. The party now began
to examine the bodies which were arranged in groups about the walls and
piled in heaps all over the chamber. These figures were small, being on
an average about five feet in length; but the bodies had been
well-proportioned in life more than likely, but now the skin was drawn
tightly over the bones; the lips having dried and drawn away from the
teeth, leaving the grinning, ghastly expression, which first struck such
horror to the hearts of the explorers. The bodies were nude, having no
covering whatever, but around each, just below the arms, was a band of
copper. There were no signs of embalming cloths at all about the chamber
and their bodies had seemingly been preserved by a process of injection
of some powerful fluid, whilst there was a natural means of some kind in
these underground passages which preserved them. The skin was almost
black and rather thin, having that dull color which death or age gives
to the skin; it shone like ebony.
Mr. Bruce took hold of several of the bodies and removing them, found
their limbs and arms as pliable as in life. This, too, was against all
natural and scientific principles and could not be explained.
“What do you think of all this?” asked Mr. Bruce of Mr. Graham.
“I should say that these bodies had been here for some time, but how
long it would be impossible to say,” answered Mr. Graham.
“Onrai,” said Mr. Bruce, “have you ever seen any such people in your
country?”
“Never,” answered Onrai, and his face looked puzzled. “I cannot
understand this at all. Can it be that these people have always
inhabited these underground passages, here under our country? Can this
be the great death hole, to which the wicked are condemned?” and Onrai
turned to look about him.
“No, no, Onrai, let not such thoughts come into your mind,” said Mr.
Bruce. “These are dead and they know no suffering. If they were, as you
suppose, they would be alive and undergoing great torture. You have been
kept in ignorance of the existence of these people for good reasons, or
it may be that the founder of your country knew nothing of this.”
“But are there any of these now living, I wonder? This we must learn
before returning, so let us go on, taking good care not to lose our
way,” said Mr. Graham.
They accordingly moved along through the death chamber, keeping straight
ahead. The chamber seemed unending and went on and on, with the dead
still piled in heaps and leaning against the walls. It must have taken
ages to accumulate these thousands of dead.
“There seems no end to all this,” said Mr. Graham. “I would prefer that
we get out of this place and into another not so thickly populated with
the dead.”
“It must end some place,” said Mr. Bruce, and he had hardly finished
speaking, when a wall loomed up ahead of him and the chamber was ended.
“Well, we are a nice lot,” said Harry; “there is no opening here and we
will have to return.”
But after looking around for some time, and by moving several of the
bodies, an opening was discovered in one corner. This was small, but
after crawling through it the party found themselves in another
corridor, resembling the one of the winds. The hideous sight of the dead
was now lost and they passed on down a smooth hallway quickly, nothing
obstructing their headway. On, on they went, the corridor leading in a
straight line, as near as they could calculate, in a southeasterly
direction.
“I should much rather have followed the windy passage, if it had been
possible,” said Mr. Bruce.
“And I,” said Mr. Graham. “But to fight against being blown away by that
strong current would soon have exhausted us. But we may strike it again
further on.”
“Yes,” said Harry, “and this passage may be leading us to great
discoveries. I believe that if any of the strange race of people are yet
alive, they must use this passage, for it would be quite impossible for
them to get through the windy one.”
“How long it must have taken to cut this hall from a solid rock,” said
Mr. Bruce, “and how many thousands of men it must have taken to
accomplish this immense work.”
“It was not done in a day or a year, or in many years,” said Mr. Graham.
“Still the work looks as if it might have been done years or hundreds of
years ago.”
“We have made a greater discovery than the one of On,” said Mr. Bruce.
“That’s so,” answered Mr. Graham, “for this has the additional interest
of being underground.”
“Is it possible?” said Onrai, “that my people have lived so long over
these strange inhabitants of the under world and have learned nothing of
them?”
“Your people are not at all curious, Onrai, or they would have long ago
investigated these things,” said Mr. Bruce. “The desire for discoveries
is altogether lacking in your make-up, and your laws have had a great
deal to do with it. You believe that yours is the only race on this
earth and that all things are known to you, so you have never thought it
necessary to look beyond the things that be.”
“There is much for us to learn here,” said Onrai, a puzzled look coming
into his face.
“No,” answered Mr. Bruce, “you know enough to make your lives contented
and happy and anything beyond that would be folly. But that certain
things exist that you do not know of, there is no doubt; these, however,
are not necessary to your happiness or well-being, and for this reason
have been kept from you. I would not let the things which you are now
learning of for the first time, worry me in the least if I were you.
Whatever these underground passages may bring to light, they cannot in
the least effect you or yours; so it would be best not to give these any
serious thought yourself or ever mention them to your subjects.”
“I believe you are right,” said Onrai, “for we are happy now and any
greater knowledge might make us discontented, giving us a desire to
reach out and learn more, thus making us restless. I can now realize how
this can be.”
They were still following the smooth-floored corridor and throughout its
entire length it had kept up that uniform width and height. The angle
formed by the meeting of the floor and walls was sharp and perfectly cut
as could be, and the beautiful arched roof showed wonderful skill in
chiseling. They all walked along, after this conversation, each one
engrossed in his own thoughts, when Onrai, who was in the lead, stopped,
and stooping, picked up a peculiar-shaped spear; the handle was short
and made of the backbone of some kind of fish; the head was long and
narrow and made of a very flinty stone; this head was set into the
handle, a slot being cut into the latter for this purpose; a cement was
used to fasten this head firmly into the handle, it also being bound to
it by thongs in much the same manner as are all spearheads of the
African tribe. Examining it more closely, stains were seen on the head
and handle, and the handle was notched in several places. The spear
might have been left there a day before or a century before; it was in a
perfect state of preservation, but the substance of which it was made
was very nigh indestructible, so it might have laid there for ages.
“This passage has never been used since that spear was left here,” said
Mr. Bruce.
“Why do you think so?” asked Mr. Graham.
“Because,” answered Mr. Bruce, “if it had been the spear would
undoubtedly have been picked up, as it is more than likely that these
are not so easily made as to be thrown away or left without being picked
up.”
“If that be so,” said Mr. Graham, “it tells nothing that we may want to
know. We are only interested in the live portion of this race, if there
be any of them yet extant, and we want some clew that will lead us to
them.”
“Well, I can say this much,” said Mr. Bruce, “that we will find them
ahead of us if we find any at all.”
“Another indefinite declaration,” said Mr. Graham, “tell us how you know
this, Mr. Bruce?”
“Why this spearhead was lying, turned in that direction in which we are
going and when it was dropped, it was but natural that its loser was
moving in the same direction, for in falling it would naturally fall
that way.”
“There is considerable in that argument,” said Harry, “and I agree with
you, Mr. Bruce, that whoever dropped it was the last person through here
and was going in the direction in which we are now moving.”
“Well, we shall see,” said Mr. Graham, “have you made out the stains on
the handle, Mr. Bruce?”
“No, but they look very much like congealed blood and I suppose they are
nothing else. These people probably use the spear for killing fish.”
“Why fish,” asked Onrai.
“Well, that was only another supposition of mine,” said Mr. Bruce. “You
see it is hardly likely that these people have any land animals down
here. Such things have never been found yet or at least not in any
numbers. But fish in subterranean rivers and lakes are very prevalent;
in fact an underground river or lake is seldom found without these fish,
some of them, as is the case in the great Mammoth Cave of Kentucky,
being without eyes. Then, we know that these people find fish in some
part of their underground home, for we have the proof of it here,” and
Mr. Bruce held up the spear handle.
“But do you know that that is fish bone?” asked Harry.
“Well, from what I have learned on the subject, I should say that it
was,” said Mr. Bruce.
“Yes, it looks like a bone in the fish we catch in the lake,” said
Onrai.
“Well, it is decided that it is a fish bone and the stains are made by
the fish blood,” said Mr. Bruce. “Now, we know that somewhere in this
cave there is a river or lake and I would say that the passage, which we
are now traversing, is but the avenue leading to the death chamber.
These people probably realize that it is best to have the dead
well-removed from the living quarters, for the same reason, may be, that
we do this above. Therefore we are on the right road to the living
habitations of this people, if there be any of them now living. Listen,”
and as Mr. Bruce, ceased speaking, he stopped and the others following
his example, a low buzzing sound was heard like the hum of many voices.
“What is it,” whispered Mr. Graham.
“Hard to tell,” said Mr. Bruce, “but we will soon learn for it is
growing louder,” and raising his torch he blew it out, leaving them in
perfect darkness.
“What shall we do?” asked Onrai.
“It is hardly safe to look forward, and it looks decidedly cowardly to
retreat, and we will be an open mark if we stand still,” said Mr. Bruce.
“Let us move a little further forward,” said Mr. Graham, “and we may
find a hiding place. If we find that these people are coming this way
and are in great numbers, we can keep ahead of them until we reach the
death chamber, when we can barricade the small entrance with the bodies
and in this way hold off an army.”
They all agreed to this and moved a little further forward. The passage
at this point made a slight turn to the south and as our friends rounded
the corner they came in sight of a number of lights far down the
passage. These were being carried by a number of beings, who looked, at
this distance, to resemble the bodies in the death chamber. Our friends
stopped, not knowing whether to turn and go back or keep on for a short
distance.
“Look well down on the left,” said Harry, “don’t you see that hole in
the wall?” They looked and all saw it, but it was fully half-way between
the torchbearers and themselves. It would be almost suicidal to try and
reach it, but Mr. Bruce, who was looked on as the ringleader of the
party, said: “Come, keep close to the left wall and walk sideways and
step as quickly as possible. I think we can reach the hole before they
see us. They seem to be engrossed in something else at present and not
expecting to find any strangers in this hole, which has never seen one
before probably. We may escape them.”
And so saying, Mr. Bruce took the lead. They hurried forward, walking
with their backs to the wall. The natives were coming towards them
slowly and each moment brought them into better view. Their figures were
perfectly nude and of a bluish-white color; looking as if they might
have been black originally, but long absence from the light of day had
faded them to the present color. They were not over five feet in height
and their bodies were slender. They were chanting a strange dirge in a
peculiar tone and this did not make the strangers’ position any
brighter.
Slowly our friends moved toward them and the hole. They were still hid
in the shadows, but they could not expect to be out of the light of the
torches much longer, for the natives were now getting very near them.
The hole was nearly reached when a shout went up from the natives, but
instead of hurrying forward they crowded back, apparently afraid to
encounter the strangers which they saw coming toward them.
“Keep on to the hole,” said Mr. Bruce.
They did so, and a moment later reached it and passed through. When they
were all inside the new chamber or hall, they stopped; it being
perfectly dark. The torchbearers, after running back for a short
distance, stopped, and again resuming their chant, started forward. Our
friends stood perfectly still, and threw themselves on the defensive.
They could see the light through the doorway growing brighter and
brighter, and could hear the voices growing louder. Had they seen them,
or was the shout caused by something else? It might have been a part of
the strange proceedings which they were now going through.
“Do nothing until they attempt to enter the opening,” said Mr. Bruce,
“then use your weapons.”
The procession outside came nearer and the chant grew louder, as if the
strange people would in this way strengthen their courage. What would it
be, fight, or run, or neither? Whatever it was to be they would soon
know, for now they were at the doorway and passing. They are safe.
“No, look,” said Mr. Graham, “the door——”
It was true. A huge stone was slowly moving into the open place, making
them prisoners.