A Ride for Life--Conclusion
The earthquake was indeed upon them, and as Plum threw down a rope to Jack
the whole landscape seemed to rock to and fro, causing the Yankee lad to
miss his footing and pitch headlong on our hero's head.
"Oh, Jack, did I hurt you?" spluttered Plum, as he stood upright at the
bottom of the hole.
Jack did not answer, for at that instant the earth shook again, sending
them both on their backs. Then all became, for the instant, quiet.
"We must get away from this spot!" gasped Jack. "If we don't, we'll be
buried alive!"
The rope had fallen at his feet. He picked it up. There was a noose at one
end and this he whirled upward.
Twice he missed the object for which he aimed, but the third time the rope
caught fast to a projecting rock.
"Now, Plum, up you go!" he said, and gave his companion a lift. Fear lent
the Yankee lad strength and he went up hand over hand in rapid fashion.
Jack followed, and in a moment more both stood on the surface of the
island.
The sight that met their gaze was enough to make them shudder. On all
sides the darkish-green water was spouting from the holes and cuts in the
lake bed. Some of the columns arose to a height of a hundred feet, the
water falling back into the basin with a tremendous report, and causing
the drops to fly in all directions. At one point in the lake the water was
already a foot or more deep.
"To the shore!" yelled Jack, and flew for a pony, while Plum did likewise.
The animals were crazy with fear and could scarcely be controlled.
As they left the island there came another movement of the earthquake,
followed by a crash behind them. They looked back, to see the lonely
pimento tree fall into the very hole they had just left!
"Gosh! what a narrer escape!" gasped Plum.
"We are not out of it yet, Plum," answered Jack. "Come, we must ride for
all we are worth. Perhaps we had better throw away the gold."
"No! no! Don't do it!" screamed the Yankee lad. "We can make the shore if
we hurry."
Down they plunged side by side from the island and into the water that was
now flowing in all directions around the mound. They made a bee line for
the rocky ridge beyond.
"Look out for holes!" cried Jack, but even as he spoke his pony plunged
downward, nearly causing our hero to take a header. But he clung fast,
and, struggling up, the pony went forward as before.
It was a ride that can scarcely be described. Soon the water was up to the
bodies of the ponies and then they were carried off their feet. They swam
a short distance, and then, coming to a shallow spot, galloped on as
before.
It was a wild ride, and dripping from foam and water the ponies kept on
until once again they had to swim.
Then came a roar from the bottom of the lake, and steeds and riders were
hurled high in the air, to fall again with a noise in the spume of the
boiling lake.
"We--we air lost!" panted Plum. "Th--the wind is gone out o' me!"
"Keep on, we have only a short distance further to go!" cried Jack.
The earth was shaking again and the water appeared to swing away from them
toward the island.
Then it came on with a rush, carrying ponies and riders far up the rocky
ridge. Then the water went back as before, boiling and foaming furiously,
while a mist blotted out the immediate landscape.
"Come, don't stop here!" yelled Jack, urging his pony forward. "To higher
ground, before it is too late!"
Again they went on, but not for far. Another earthquake threw them flat
and Plum rolled down under his pony. Then the quaking ceased; and that was
the last of the earthquake. Arising, Jack helped his companion and found
that the Yankee youth was uninjured. Both looked down the rocks toward the
lake. The water was boiling and foaming as before, but gradually the
surface of the lake grew calm. Then Jack gave another exclamation:
"The island! It is sinking from sight!"
It was true, the island was going down slowly but surely. In a few minutes
it was but a mere speck on the surface, and then even this disappeared.
"Gone!" gasped Plum. "But we got the gold--or a good part o' it!"
"Thank heaven that our lives were spared!" murmured Jack. "I never want to
go through another such experience--not for all the gold in the world!"
* * * * *
A few words more and we will bring our tale to a close.
When they had rested, Jack and Plum rejoined the others of the party. The
story of the hunt for gold was told, much to the amazement of the rest,
and, later, the gold was taken down to the seacoast and placed with some
reliable bankers. The boiling lake was inspected and found to be deeper
than ever. Strange to say, the lake remained where it was for about two
months, when it gradually disappeared, and that was the last seen of it.
The ground around where the pimento island had been was greatly upheaved,
and a long search in that vicinity failed to bring any more gold to light.
The treasure that had been found proved to be worth nearly thirty thousand
dollars, one-third of which went to Plum and the rest to Jack. Out of his
share our hero paid all the expenses of the trip and also rewarded
handsomely all those who had accompanied him into the mountains.
With a portion of his money Jack continued to develop his nitrate fields
and shipped vast quantities of the stuff to this country and elsewhere. He
soon became immensely wealthy, and then settled down with his wife, Jenny,
in Boston, where we will bid him farewell.
The End.
End of Project Gutenberg's Jack North's Treasure Hunt, by Roy Rockwood