A LIVING BAIT
The morning dawned in beauty, a few clouds riding with thistle-down
lightness athwart the illimitable dome of blue, as intense as that of
the sea. A light breeze stirred in the jungle, to wander aimlessly
from one deep chalice of fragrance to another, before it trailed across
the hill. Sea tang arose from the restless tide, that washed at the
cliff incessantly.
As far as sight could pursue the richness of its causeway, the sun laid
gold in glittering mosaic across the tropic ocean. Never had the
sparkling waves seemed brighter, the world more promising, as Elaine
peered forth through her chink in the door, awaiting--God only knew
what.
She had never been more excited, and rarely more alarmed. The unknown
element in Grenville's plans kept her nerves at the highest tension.
They had eaten a breakfast solely of fish before the light of daybreak.
Grenville had carefully closed the passage barrier, and crept out upon
the terrace. On no account must she open the door, or call him, to her
side. She must wait, and not even expect to hear a report of what was
occurring.
The longest cord she had ever helped to braid was lightly secured to
her arm. Its farther end was tied in the rocks at the lower exit of
the passage. Until she should feel his tug upon this signal line, she
could only imagine that Sidney was near, or, perhaps, was climbing down
his ladder.
She dreaded the thought of that ladder, so frailly depending above the
rocks and water, not to mention all its use might mean when the time
for the signal should arrive. And she might be obliged to wait all
day, as Sidney had warned her, duly--all day, while the wildest, the
most tormenting of conjectures would leisurely elaborate themselves in
her brain to convince her that Sidney was no more.
Should he fall from the cliff, should he chance to underestimate the
Dyaks' treacherous activities--should any one of a dozen possible
calamities occur--how long must she wait till she knew?
Meantime Grenville was barely less keyed to excited expectancy than
Elaine in her prison-like retreat. Times without number he goaded his
mind to review once more the inventory of his scheme, where the lack of
one small detail might prove his entire undoing. Yet, after all, there
were a few links only in the chain, though each was vitally important.
He counted them over carefully--the signs or proof of calamity, here on
the hill, to convince the head-hunting demons his magazine was gone,
and with it all possible defense; the ladder and platform down below,
whereby he could reach the cave; the bombs for the climax, should his
hope succeed; and fire for their certain ignition.
He had taken a double precaution to provide himself with fire. Down in
the passage several brands were smoldering slowly in their ashes, while
others did the same on the hill. He could think of nothing
lacking--not even the cord to warn Elaine to open her door and flee
outside when at length he should give her the signal!
But as if in mockery of all this careful business, the day began with
never a sign from the jungle. The Dyaks, he feared, had altered their
plan, and might shoot no more of their arrows. He could not have known
they were waiting for the breeze to freshen and fill a certain sail.
One of their boats had been prepared and manned to police the headland
as before.
When Grenville at length beheld it, gracefully sharp and picturesque,
as it rounded towards the master cliff, he was filled with conflicting
emotions. He had wished for this, precisely, but not without the rest.
The arrows first, had been his hope, and then this silent vulture,
atilt in the purple tides.
The arrows presently arrived. He was still engaged in watching the
movements of the boat, in an effort to count the crew, when the first
of the flaming messengers struck dully against a bowlder and lay there,
fiercely blazing.
Then the sudden flight, which, against an inky background, must have
presented an extraordinary spectacle, afforded a sight strange enough,
as Grenville presently conceded. The pitch and resin with which the
shafts were tipped, burned with a black and heavy smoke, that trailed
in their wakes like nebulous tails of cloud-producing comets. There
were some of the flames that the flight only served to fan to fiercer
heat and color. Like a candle sputtering in a draught they sounded as
they flew.
Others that lost their yellow blaze smoked the more blackly in the air.
In half a dozen different spots the hotly burning lengths of wood were
soon consuming bits of scattered leaves and grass, one almost at
Grenville's feet.
He was soon convinced that, should this rain of fire be long continued,
he should have no need to fire his bombs and spiral. The arrows would
actually accomplish the mission for which they were intended. He had
no wish for a premature climax to the singular attack, but rather hoped
to create the impression he was fighting desperately to protect his
magazine.
When a heap of waste and useless creepers was presently ignited, he ran
from his place and promptly beat it out. He wished he might be seen.
He was gratified without delay. The rifleman, posted, as on previous
occasions, in the rocks that crowned the second hill, promptly
discharged his erratic weapon, and nearly killed one of his kind.
Grenville ran as if to cover. A shout of exultation came from below.
A larger and swifter flight of the blazing shafts immediately ensued.
Sidney now cast a glance about for the ship that was cruising by the
headland. Somewhat to his disappointment it had gone about as if to
return to the west, from which the cave, his platform, and ladder could
not, of course, be seen. He fancied, however, it had come up in stays
at the sound of the shot on the hill. It certainly appeared to be
paying off to continue about the headland. He dared not longer delay.
The arrows were blazing all about him. He feared at last that one
lucky shot might even fire his cannon. Almost amused by the irony of
the situation, he caught up the nearest blazing shaft of fire, and used
it to light his fuse.
In the briefest time the serpent of fire sped down through the hollowed
creeper to the spiral, where, also, lay the bombs. Of a sudden the
powder was ignited.
With a flash of quickly leaping flames and a grayish geyser of fume,
the destruction began. Then, as a cry of glee arose from the clearing
below, the bombs went off in quick succession.
They made a splendid noise and smoke, scattering fragments of the tufa
far and wide, till a rain of the smaller pieces spattered thickly down
in the jungle. Grenville arose from his hiding-place, quite unharmed,
and ran about on the terrace crazily, holding his head between his
hands for the distant rifleman to witness his discomfort.
The Dyak was overjoyed. He shouted in reckless delight to his kind,
who howled like a pack of wolves now certain of feasting. Yet they did
not emerge from their places of concealment, nor undertake to bridge
the trail, and immediately ascend the hill, as Grenville had somewhat
feared.
He crept to a point of vantage, watching the clearing for a
demonstration which, much to his gratification, did not arrive. Back
once more towards the cliff at the rear he scuttled, beholding the Dyak
craft at last heading well around towards the cave. The moment was
ripe for his scheme!
Hurriedly creeping to the eastern brink, with one of his firebrands
gripped between his teeth, he began a descent of the ladder. Halfway
down he paused for breath, and furtively watched, from the tail of his
eye, for the boat that should presently appear.
It came within range of his vision silently, and down he continued as
before. He could only hope that he might have been seen, for never a
sound arose from the crew to make the matter certain. For, perhaps, a
distance of twenty feet he must have been plainly in view. The last
fleeting sight he caught of the boat, she was putting about with a
suddenness enormously exciting to his blood.
That the Dyaks had seen him, and were now intent upon turning away
before he should turn and see their boat, and know himself discovered,
was an inescapable conclusion. A moment later he was hidden by the
ledge, and descended more at leisure, climbing inside the ladder
presently, where it hung well out from the overhanging shelf, and so
coming down upon his platform, with little or no exertion.
Immediately on landing under the mouth of the cavern, he lifted the
platform bodily, disengaged the hooks from the ladder's lower rung, and
drew it behind him to the cave. The ladder itself he could not remove
without climbing up to the terrace and issuing forth at the hidden
door, which would doubtless prove fatal to his plans.
He proceeded at once to his supplementary firebrands, in the larger
spread of the gallery. Here all was going well. He extinguished one
or two branches of the smoldering wood, to conserve the limited supply.
After that it was simply a matter of waiting.
How long it would take for the boat crew to land, inform their fellow
head-hunters of what they had seen, and fetch the entire company to
capture him, here in the chamber, was not a matter for easy estimation.
He hoped it might happen soon.
In this he was doomed to disappointment. The Dyak sailors had seen
him, clearly enough. They had hastened back to report this eminently
satisfying outcome of their tactics, and the nine eager fiends had then
and there commenced their counter scheming. But they meant to commit
no errors, assume no unnecessary risks.
For, notwithstanding the fact they were fully convinced the white man's
explosives had been reached by their arrows and destroyed, they
retained a vivid memory of punishments inflicted by the gun, where one
more deadly hail of slugs might lurk to find them again. It was,
however, important that one or more men should mount the terrace, to
watch at the head of the white man's ladder, and even render its use a
fatal experiment, should the climber attempt to regain the summit by
its means.
They began investigations cautiously--all noted by Elaine. Peering
breathlessly out at her narrow chink, her heart consumed with haunting
worries, lest Grenville had met with some accident when the bombs were
finally exploded, she now beheld a pair of the Dyaks in the clearing,
apparently exposing themselves as if to draw any latent fire from the
hill.
As the minutes went by and trouble failed to come, their boldness
plainly increased. They were not particularly hurried, however, in
producing their bridge for the trail. When at length four natives
brought it from the jungle, Elaine's heart pounded in her breast like a
hammer forging at her soul.
She had instantly recognized the bamboo platform. She thought that
Sidney ought to come--to know of what was occurring. But he did not
come, and could not leave his post below, where one of his fuses, he
had found, had opened and spilt out its powder. This he was feverishly
and gingerly working to repair, by the light of a glowing brand.
Not for a moment daring to abandon her place by the door, Elaine felt a
horrible sense of weakness attack her entire system as the Dyaks
cautiously adjusted their bridge, while watching against a new surprise.
That the four men now constantly visible must presently succeed in
placing the slender platform from one broken ledge to the other, to
mount in full possession of the terrace, Elaine could not fail to
comprehend. The impulse to creep from her hiding-place and once more
fire the cannon was fairly overwhelming. She was certain that Sidney,
with all his wonderful scheming, had never contemplated this!
He had simply instructed her to wait--to remain in the passage, behind
the concealing barrier, no matter what occurred, till she felt at last
the tug of the cord on her arm. She felt she must obey, that even to
desert her post for the little time required to hasten down the gallery
and let him know of the dangers now about her might cost them
everything!
Never had she in her life been subjected to such a trial as that which
presently developed.
The Dyaks had spanned the gap where the ledge was broken. Two of them
crept a little forward on the bridge. It was now or never to fire the
gun, while the four were still in range. She dared not disobey the
order given by her chief. Suddenly darting past the spot where the
cannon had taken its toll before, the Dyaks gained the summit--and were
finally in possession of the camp!