KILLED IN THE CREVICE.
The fearful yell startled them, and they fell back out of sight of the
wild band.
“They have watched us ascend the mountain,” said Mr. Bruce, “and have
held this vantage point awaiting our return, knowing well that they had
us here.”
“Yes, but we can’t stay here,” said Mr. Graham.
“I am afraid that we will have to,” said Mr. Bruce, “until these fellows
will kindly consent to go away.”
“But can’t we beat them off?” said Harry.
“No. I think not,” said Mr. Bruce. “We are about twenty-five, and they
must number fully one hundred.”
“We ought to be good for that number, I should think,” said Mr. Graham.
“I don’t know,” said Mr. Bruce, “they may fight better in daylight. They
were taken by surprise the other night, and had but little else to do
but run. I am in for giving them a chance to show their fighting
qualities at any rate. As you say, we can’t stay here; if we do, we may
be attacked by such a horde of these blacks that we could do nothing but
surrender.”
“Then we had better get to fighting at once,” said Mr. Graham. “It will
be better, perhaps, for us three to head the column, for with our
fire-arms we may scare them away, leaving the road open to us.”
“I think as you do in the matter,” said Mr. Bruce.
Onrai was told then, to form his men into columns of threes and not to
make a rush, or use the daggers until they were attacked by the negroes.
The men formed, and Mr. Graham, Mr. Bruce and Harry heading the column,
they started for the crevice. Here they saw the negroes, still waiting
for them, their black faces grinning hideously in the semi-light. Slowly
our friends advanced with their revolvers in position, ready to start at
a given signal from Mr. Bruce. The negroes seemed to consider this a
matter of amusement, for they only grinned the broader, and yelled the
louder when they saw the queer column approaching them.
The party advanced until only a few feet from the negroes, who were so
confident of capturing their enemies alive, they had not even brought
with them the ugly-looking hatchet. They took no concern at the
approaching column then, but looked on, as though the whole matter was a
huge joke. So when Mr. Bruce said deliberately: “Now make ready, fire,”
and the three leaden missiles went on their mission of death, the
negroes jumped backward, and several, losing their balance, fell into
the ravine. Again the pistols were raised, and three more shots were
fired.
“We are disturbing them,” said Mr. Bruce. “Once more, and we will have
them on the run.”
And again the pistols were fired, this time at very close range.
The expression on the negroes’ faces had changed now, and they looked at
the slowly approaching party with eyes almost standing on their cheeks,
and mouths wide open, showing their white ivories. They stood still
after the first shots, paralyzed with fear, but when the last shots were
fired, and they saw three more of their companions topple over, their
fright induced them to seek safety in flight, and they turned and ran
down the footpath, crowding, shoving and jostling each other in their
frantic efforts to get farther away from these death-dealing missiles,
many of them being pushed off into the crevice in the wild rush. Our
friends fell into line with Mr. Bruce again in the lead, and followed
slowly after the negroes.
It was now quite dark and as they descended further into the ravine, it
became so dark that they could no longer see the path, and a torch was
lit. The negroes had long since passed out of sight and hearing, and our
friends were giving them little heed, having enough to think about in
looking after themselves, for they were in a very dangerous position,
the pathway being so narrow at places, that a misstep would undoubtedly
hurl them into eternity. They kept close to the side of the crevice and
moved slowly, and the mountain was passed through without a mishap.
The light from the volcano now lit up the scene somewhat, and our
friends began to congratulate each other on getting out of the several
difficulties so easily, when a shout was heard, and looking through the
semi-gloom they saw the negroes coming hastily toward them, and a band
of Onians following them along the top of the crevice hurling stones at
them. The party halted, and raising their arms fired, when the negroes
came within range. The negroes stopped and in a moment realized that
they were between two fires; but the pistols were too much for them, so
they again turned and ran toward the Land of On. The Onians, seeing them
do this, started for the end of the path to head them off. This they
did, and one of their number, a mighty fellow, jumped into the path and
with his dagger began plunging it into the backs of the unfortunate
negroes who had again turned toward their own land. As one would receive
his death-wound and would fall over the side of the crevice, this great
Onian would stab another, and he kept this up until his arm was red to
the shoulder with the blood of his victims.
[Illustration: “As one would receive his death-wound and would fall over
the side of the crevice, this great Onian would stab another.”—_Page
293._]
The head of the column now came up within range of the pistols again,
and they were shot down like sheep, the few who were not killed with the
knife of the Onian. The slaughter did not last long, for in a short time
the negroes were all killed and the bodies lay at the bottom of the
crevice. It had been a onesided fight, for the negroes had not raised a
hand to defend themselves.
The party were finally out of the crevice and found quite a number of
Onians camped near the base of the cliff, and with them Enola. Their
surprise was great when they saw her with the party, and upon asking her
why she was here, she told them that she had gotten tired of remaining
at the villa and as she had come to this land to see all that there was
in it, she did not intend being cheated out of any part of it.
“Your departure was so unexpected,” she continued, “and the attendants
had been so mysterious in their movements ever since, I began to fear
that all was not right and came to see for myself. Are you not all glad
to see me? But where have you been? Your faces and garments are as black
as the skin of the negroes which have just been killed.”
It was true, they had been so long exposed to the smoke of the crater
that they had become perfectly black, and it might have been this which
made the negroes laugh so when they saw them approaching. They had seen
the white skins before and they must have thought that it was a ruse to
fool them, in thus blacking their faces.
“But Enola, this has been a long, hard tramp for you,” said Mr. Graham.
“Tramp, Uncle,” said Enola, “have you so soon forgotten the zebras and
elephants? I came on a zebra.”
“Oh, that is so,” said Mr. Graham, “I had forgotten for the moment. You
look tired though, nevertheless, Enola.”
“And I am tired,” said Enola. “It is quite a journey even on the back of
a zebra. But I see little chance for a comfortable night’s rest here.”
“The only bed is this stony surface,” said Mr. Bruce, “but you surely
cannot expect to stay here over night.”
“And why not, pray,” said Enola. “And am I better than are you? Did I
not withstand the hardships of the jungle? I want to remain here
to-night and to-morrow and see this crevice and more of these stony
surroundings.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Graham, “I know there is no use in talking to you
when you once get a notion in your head; but you will find this the
hardest bed you ever slept upon.”
“Don’t worry about me, Uncle, I will get along all right, but I brought
you all something to eat and you had better get at it.”
“I will forgive you now for having come,” said Mr. Graham, “for I, as
well as the rest of us, am just about starved.”
“I am glad that you look on my sin as pardonable,” laughed Enola, “but,
believe me, bringing food was a secondary thought. I came only to see
the strange things in this part of the world, and when about to start,
thought that, as I was coming here, I might as well bring this food with
me.”
“I know you too well to believe any such story,” said Mr. Graham.
The attendants had now gotten their meal ready and a hungry party it was
who sat down to it. They had eaten nothing since morning and their
fatigue of the day but added to their hunger.
“What are we to do to-morrow,” asked Mr. Graham, as they all sat down on
rocks which had been placed for them, holding their platters of food in
their laps.
“I know of no reason why we should remain here any longer,” said Mr.
Bruce. “I think the negroes are done for, for awhile at least. This
band, which has been entering the land of On, are wiped out; they cannot
return and there is hardly a chance now of other bands or tribes knowing
of the new passage-way through the cliff.”
“But it is only a matter of time until they will know it,” said Mr.
Graham.
“True,” said Mr. Bruce, “but before that time the crevice might be
filled and the Land of On made impregnable again.”
They all looked up in astonishment at this.
“Do you think this possible?” asked Onrai.
“Possible, yes,” said Mr. Bruce. “It would be a stupendous work and
would take a long time to carry it out, but it can be done, and this
fair land will be forever free from intruders, unless of course some
such like occurrence as the one, which has made this fissure in the
rock, should cause a like one.”
“Then you would commence on this work immediately?” asked Onrai.
“Just as soon as possible,” said Mr. Bruce, “but the sooner you do it
the less chance there will be for invasion.”
“It shall be done,” answered Onrai.
The party, after the meal, stood up in groups and it was but natural
that Enola and Onrai should be together. They walked to a point well up
toward the cliff, and seating themselves on a large rock, Onrai again
told Enola of his great love and of his intention of making her his wife
on the Day of Resis. But when she asked him why he had chosen the Day of
Resis for their wedding day, he made her no answer.
Onrai sent messengers throughout the country and to the city, for men to
build this wall across the crevice. He sent for all of the available men
in On, ordering all other branches of work to stop for the time being.
“It will take a considerable body of men to do the work,” said Mr.
Bruce. “But more than a wall must be constructed. The crevice at the
face of the cliff must be at least three thousand feet deep, and this
has to be filled for considerable distance to get a safe foundation for
the wall. It will take many men and most of them will have to work from
the crater of the volcano, casting large rocks into the crevice from the
first, until it is filled up as high as the shelf or footpath, from
which point I think it would be well to commence the solid masonry.”
“But if this work goes on and is finished before we leave, chances are
against us ever again reaching civilization,” said Mr. Graham.
“That is true,” replied Mr. Bruce, “for we have seen enough of the
rock-bound country to know that the cliffs cannot be scaled. It would be
an utter impossibility to get out by that way, and we would have to
resort to a balloon.”
“You have suggested a way which is always available,” said Mr. Graham.
“The silk of this country is especially adapted to this purpose, I
should say, and the other materials can be had easy enough. And these
people could raise no objections to our building such a conveyance, even
if they objected to our leaving them, and we would be up and away before
they could possibly know what we were about. So we need not worry about
the means of escape.”
“The volcano is throwing off more rock and ashes than ever, to-day,”
said Mr. Bruce, as he glanced up at the ominous cloud of smoke.
“Yes, and there seems to be a new element this morning,” said Mr.
Graham. “Look at that white vapor. Would you not say that that was
steam?”
“It looks like it,” said Mr. Bruce.
“If it is,” said Mr. Graham, “it will but hasten the coming eruption.”
“The eruption is not far off, anyway,” said Mr. Bruce, “for the lava is
already near the surface, as was shown by its running through the crack
of the tunnel to-day.”
“This alone will be well worth the trip,” said Mr. Graham; “but we must
be well out of the way before it takes place.”
“I think we will be safe at the villa,” said Mr. Bruce.
As he ceased speaking, the earth trembled beneath their feet, and,
looking at the volcano, they saw a huge mass of red-hot cinders and
smoke shoot high in the air.