OUT OF THE ASHES.
Yes it was Gip. Great, strong and faithful Gip. The only surviving
animal of all that vast number which had started on that fateful morning
for the cliffs. His great strength had enabled him to overcome all
dangers and obstacles thus far, and on his back he bore the few whom he
had saved. And his almost human intelligence, coupled with his animal
sagacity, had enabled him to direct his course straight for the villa,
through the almost impenetrable atmosphere and fearful darkness.
Each moment the riders had expected to see him overcome by these
obstacles, but he stumbled on, going down on his knees at times, when he
would become too exhausted to move another step; but after resting for a
moment, he would struggle to his feet again and make another effort. He
was almost blind; he must be for he had been exposed for so many hours
to this cyclone of ashes. But he could still see a little, or else he
would not have stopped when he was about to crush out the little
remaining life left in Enola. Or, was it that animal instinct that made
him realize that he was about to tread on a human being? But the light
from the volcano which now half lit up the weird scene, must have
enabled him to see the prostrate zebra and Enola, for he had only stood
for a moment, when he lowered his monstrous trunk and catching the zebra
firmly about the neck, lifted him completely from off Enola and laid it
at one side. Then he caught up Enola as tenderly as a mother would lift
her babe, and raised her to his back, where Onrai, who seemed to be the
only one who had retained consciousness, took her in his arms, and after
patting the noble beast gently on the end of his trunk to make him
understand that he appreciated this last noble deed of his, he settled
back in the crowded howdah and also lost consciousness.
Gip stood for a moment longer and looked about him. Yes, he must have
seen, for his head turned until it was in range with the light seen by
Enola, and then he starts towards it. The light grew larger as he drew
nearer to it, and he was finally stopped by the terrace of the villa. He
had only hesitated for a moment, however, and then had mounted the few
steps and crossed the terrace to the high arched doorway of the villa.
Over this had been drawn a silk covering, to keep out, as much as
possible, the ashes and dust. Gip did not stop for this, however, but
pushed right through it. Two or three frightened attendants saw the
great beast enter with its burden of unconscious human beings, and
hurrying up to it they stood for a moment, while Gip kneeled for those
whom he had so bravely rescued, to step from his back. He was weak and
almost exhausted; his great body heaved with a short quick respiration,
which the heated air and over-exertion had caused. His back was covered
with a thick coating of the ashes, and those who were lying or sitting
in the howdah were almost buried in this awful death-dealing substance.
But Gip could no longer keep the tiring position, and giving a last
short pant, he fell over on his side.
Those in the howdah were thrown upon the hard stone flooring and laid
there in a heap. The attendants now recognizing the King and his white
companions, hastened to their assistance, and in a very short time they
were laid upon couches and after the scorched garments had been removed
from the bodies, they were deluged with cool water and oil. No part of
their bodies had escaped the tortures of the hot ashes and steam, and
they were almost raw. The limbs of the men who had been buried for some
time in the bed of cinders, were horribly burned and blistered, and even
Enola, who, having laid under the dead zebra for quite a while, had
escaped with hardly less injury. Gently the attendants worked on the
bleeding bodies, not knowing whether life had left them or not. It
matters little, they thought, for it was but a question of a little
while longer until all would be buried beneath the shower of death,
which was slowly but surely burying them.
But their love for the King and their regard for his guests still
dominated over all other feelings, and they worked hard and faithfully
on the survivors. Enola was the first to recover consciousness, and when
she had fully recovered, and she remembered the awful ride and that Mrs.
Graham and Nellie had been her companions, she tried hard to make the
attendants understand that she wanted to know something of her friends.
But the poor, bewildered women could not comprehend her meaning and
sadly shook their heads. But Enola did not despair, and kept at them,
until, in their desire to help her, they sent for one of the men who
managed to grasp her meaning, and going out made inquiries about her
companions.
They had not returned with the others who had been saved, and he now
gave this information to Enola. She almost became frantic and made such
pitiful signs for the attendant to go and search for her friends, that,
notwithstanding his awful fear of the dust-laden atmosphere outside,
which had killed so many of his companions, he went for Enola, promising
to make a search for Mrs. Graham and Nellie. And he did. He persuaded
two of his companions to accompany him, and with them he managed to
reach the stables, where the only three remaining elephants had been
left before the eruption. It took considerable time to persuade the
beasts to leave their comfortable quarters and go into the darkness
outside. But the darkness cleared in a short time, and the lurid light
from the volcano made things as light as day. The shower of ashes
ceased, and the atmosphere became comparatively clear, and the elephants
strode forth into the deep covering of ashes.
The attendant had been able to get but little information from Enola, as
to what direction they had come from when they turned their zebras back.
She could give them positively no information and could not even make
them understand that her zebra had wandered from the avenue, some
distance, she thought from the villa; for she could not articulate a
word, and the men were not accustomed to reading signs.
But the men started, each taking a different course from the front of
the villa, hoping in this way to find the lost women. One of the
attendants stumbled over the body of Enola’s zebra the first thing, but
after examining this and learning that neither of the women were with
it, he again took up the tramp and had gone but a little distance
further, when his elephant stopped. The man looked about him but could
see nothing. He tried to urge the elephant forward, but he would not
move. He then slid from its back and was half buried in the soft ashes.
But his foot had struck something which was soft and giving, and
stooping down, just above the surface he saw a woman’s head. It was Mrs.
Graham. He gently pushed the ashes away from her body, and speaking to
the elephant, it kneeled, and the man, after much trouble, managed to
crawl into the howdah with his lifeless burden. He continued a short
distance further, when, not finding the body of Nellie, he returned to
the villa.
Mrs. Graham was carried carefully into one of the apartments and given
the same treatment as had been the others. It was only a few moments
later when one of the other men brought in Nellie. He had found her in
much the same position as had been found her mother, but nearly a mile
distant from her. It was thought for a long time by those who were
working on them, that they were surely dead, but after very hard rubbing
and frequent applications of native restoratives, they began to show
signs of life, and after a little they opened their eyes and looked
about them. That these women had withstood the dreadful experiences of
the past few hours, could scarcely be believed, but so they had, and had
regained consciousness long before the men.
They too, though, had been brought back to life and their first
inquiries had been of the women. The attendants had told them that the
ladies were safe but had been somewhat overcome by the close atmosphere,
and were slightly indisposed as a consequence. But Onrai knew that he
had seen Enola and had assisted her in some way, but how he could not
tell, for the whole fearful experience seemed, in some way, like a
horrible nightmare. He could not yet fully realize that the events of
the day had really occurred. They seemed too horrible to be real. He
shuddered as he thought of the massacre of his men and later, the
horrible slaughter of the negroes, and then the last occurrence, when
the remainder of his men had perished. Then the fearful ride for life,
the last hope, when the elephants gave out, and then the terrible fear
that Gip would give out after he had once more renewed hope in them.
Then he saw Enola lying there nearly buried beneath the dead zebra; he
had seen Gip raise her with his trunk, then he had clasped her in his
arms; but all was a blank from here on, until he had wakened and found
the attendants standing about him, and had felt himself bandaged from
head to foot. Yes, it must be, the whole fearful story must be real;
else why this terrible weakness and soreness and all these bandages. He
was convinced at last, that it was no dream, but a terrible reality. But
he marveled that he and his companions yet lived. The whole thing now
passed before the mind’s eye and as he remembered the flying assagais
and the formidable spear-pointed hatchets, and later, the death-dealing
shower of ashes; when he thought of how men and beasts had dropped about
him like sheep, he could but wonder that they, of all the others, should
survive.
But that brought him to Gip, and he wondered what had become of the
noble beast. He signed to his attendant that he wished to know of the
elephant which had brought them back. The man left the apartment for a
moment, and then returning, said that the elephant had borne them
directly into the large hall of the villa, and had dropped dead a moment
later. But this did not please Onrai, and he gave orders to see that the
elephant had restoratives given him, and to be sure that he was dead
before they gave him up. The man had taken several of his companions,
and they had gone to work on the great beast. He was turned on his back
with great difficulty, and buckets full of stimulants were poured down
his throat. His head was deluged with water, and everything was done to
restore the brave animal to which the survivors owed their lives. And
their work was rewarded at last by the animal showing signs of life, and
a little later, by his again turning on his side and attempting to rise.
This he finally did, and staggering about for a while, he then laid down
in one corner of the hall and was now resting quietly.
So all the survivors were doing as well as could be expected after the
dreadful experiences through which they had passed. But what of the
eruption?
Shortly after Gip had burst into the villa with his precious load, the
shower had ceased, as if the volcano had known that now there were no
more victims for it to destroy, and it was useless for it to further
keep up the terrible strain which had shook the earth and covered a
great part of the surrounding country with a layer of ashes. But the
internal fires were still raging, for the great, lurid light flashed
into the dark heavens above, and made all bright within the radius of
several miles. There were no more shocks, and the violent eruption
seemed to have spent its greatest force. From the cliff to a point some
three miles beyond the villa, in which lay our friends, the ground was
covered with a layer of ashes well mixed with a sort of loam, which
would probably make a fertile soil in time. Some large rocks of a lava
formation lay here and there, having been hurled by the mighty internal
fires to this distance.
The lava flow had ceased, too, as far as could be seen, for none of the
red stream was now visible coming over the side of the cliff.
It had been very fortunate for the survivors that the flow of lava had
confined itself to certain channels, for if it had taken the old course,
which was shown plainly by the bad lands, there would be no hope of
their escaping. It had run over the sides of the great crevice when our
friends stood looking at it, and it, together with the falling ashes,
had been fast filling the awful crevice. But would the great eruption
end here? Truly it had done damage enough, but would the internal fires
be satisfied with this temporary vent? It seemed hardly possible that
they would, and if they did burst forth again, what would be the further
outcome? But now it was quiet. The hot bed of steam and ashes were fast
cooling into an almost solid mass, and there would be no more plunging
and falling when walking over its surface, hereafter. It would be as the
surface had been before, only a few feet higher.
A few days longer, and if the party had convalesced sufficiently to
allow them to travel, they would start on their return to the city, for
Onrai had said that all must be in the city on the Day of Resis. Then,
after the ceremonies of the day, after its mysteries had been learned,
on the evening of that day, Enola was to become the bride of the King.