THE SIGNAL STAR
During the afternoon Dias, who had been keeping a careful look-out at
the cliffs, said to Harry: "I think, señor, that the savages are
leaving the hills. An hour ago I saw a man walking along where we
generally see them; he was going straight along as if for some fixed
purpose, and I thought at once that he might be bringing them some
message from the people below us. I lost sight of him after a bit, but
presently I could make out some men moving in the other direction. They
were keeping back from the edge, but I several times caught sight of
their heads against the sky-line when there happened to be some little
irregularity in the ground. They were not running, but seemed to me to
be going at a steady pace. Since then I have been watching carefully,
and have seen no one on the other side. I think they have all been sent
for, and will be assembled this afternoon at the mouth of the torrent."
"I am very glad to hear it, Dias; that is just what we wanted."
"In one way--yes," Dias said. "It would be a great thing for us to
catch them all together, for I have no fear that they will stand when
these fireworks begin to go off among them."
"What is the drawback, then?"
"It is, señor, that they have either been collected because they have
given up the hope of catching us at present, and are going to scatter
and hunt till we venture out, which would be the worst thing possible;
or they have made up their minds to make a rush upon us."
"Don't you think that we can beat them back?"
"Not if they are determined, señor. You see, we can't make them out
till they are within twenty or thirty yards of us. At most you and your
brother could fire four shots, then you would take up your rifles. We
shall have then only four shots left. If they continue their rush where
shall we be? There would be two of us on one wall and two on the other.
There would be four shots to fire from one side and four from the
other. Then the end would come. Two on each side would not be able to
keep back the rush of two or three score. In two minutes it would be
all over."
"Yes, Dias, I see that if they were determined to storm the place and
take us alive they could do it; but we have the fireworks."
"I did not think of that. Yes; but having once worked themselves up and
being mad with excitement, even that might not stop them, though I
should think it would. Yes, I believe we might feel assured that we
should beat them back, and if so, we should hear no more of them."
"If I knew that they would come," Harry said, "I would certainly say we
had best stay and defend ourselves; but we can't be sure that that is
their motive for assembling. They may, as you say, be going to move
off, leaving perhaps half a dozen men to watch the entrance and report
if we attempt to escape. That would be fatal, and our only chance would
be to leave everything behind and endeavour to climb up one side or the
other; and even that might not avail us, as there may be one or two men
up there to see if we make off that way. I am more inclined to think
that this is the course that they will take rather than risk a heavy
loss of life. They must have a good idea of what it would cost them to
take the place."
"What do you think we had better do, then, señor?"
"I think we had better attack them as soon as possible after nightfall.
It is likely that they will do nothing before morning; as you say, they
do not like moving at night, and if they attack it will not be until
shortly before daybreak. There is sure to be a palaver when the men who
have been on the hills come down. It will be too late then for them to
go back before night, so that I think we are pretty sure to find them
all in the ravine this evening. If, when we get there, we find the
place empty, we must come to a decision as to what our best course will
be. In that case I think we ought to climb the hills and make our way
up the mountains as rapidly as possible. We could calculate on eight or
ten hours' start, and by keeping as much as possible on the rocks,
might hope to get so high among the mountains that they would not be
able to follow our traces and overtake us before we reach a point where
they would not dare follow us. In that case, of course we should have
to give up all hope of finding the gold valley, and lose the mules with
all our belongings, which would cripple us terribly."
"Very well, señor; I think that is the best plan."
"Then we will settle to start at nine o'clock, Dias."
They then discussed the arrangements for the attack. Each was to carry
a glowing brand, and when he got there, was to sling his gun behind him
and hold twelve squibs in one hand and the brand in the other. When
they approached within throwing distance of the savages, they were to
lay their guns down beside them, and then Harry was to put the ends of
his squibs against his brand, and hurl the whole of them among the
Indians. A few seconds later Bertie was to do the same, while Harry
fired one barrel of buck-shot. Bertie was to fire as Dias threw a dozen
crackers, and then José was to throw his squibs. Then all were to throw
squibs and crackers as far as they could go; and the other two barrels
of buck-shot and José's musket were to be poured in. By this time they
calculated the savages would be in full flight, and the three rifles
could then be used.
Harry was to hand his rifle to Dias before the firing began, and he and
Bertie were to slip fresh cartridges into these guns and recap them
before sending off the last batch of their fireworks, so as to have
them in readiness either to empty their contents into the flying
Indians, or to cover their retreat should the fireworks fail to effect
the panic they hoped for. Their pistols were also to be reserved until
the Indians fled. Donna Maria was to stay by the water, and start at
once on her way back if Dias shouted to her to do so. Every step of the
plan settled upon was repeated again and again, until there was no
possibility of any mistake being made. Maria had not attended the
council; her confidence in her two white friends was unbounded, and
Bertie's invention of the fireworks had placed him on a level with his
brother in her estimation. She therefore quietly went on with her
preparations for dinner without concerning herself as to the details of
the affair.
As soon as it was dark and the meal eaten, the tents were struck, the
baggage all rolled up and packed on the animals, and the fireworks
divided. When everything was in readiness they went together and made a
breach in the breast-work wide enough for the mules to pass. At nine
o'clock Maria was seated in the carrying-chair, and strapped on to her
husband's back; then four brands were taken from the fire and the party
started. When within fifty yards of the lower end of the ravine José
went forward, and, returning in a few minutes, reported that no savages
were on guard. A fire was burning outside the mouth of the ravine where
he had seen them on the evening before, and from the reflection on the
rock he believed that another fire was alight inside. His report caused
a general feeling of relief, for their great fear had been that the
natives might have made off before their arrival.
When they stepped out from the water Dias set Maria down. "You
understand, Maria," he said: "the moment I call, you are to start up
the river."
"I understand," she said. "I have my knife, and if you do not rejoin me
I shall know how to use it."
"We shall rejoin you, Maria," Dias said confidently. "I believe that at
the first volley of fireworks they will be off. They must be more than
human if they are not scared, as they never can have heard of such
things before."
Keeping close to the rock wall, they went along in single file until
within forty or fifty yards of the fire; then, going down on their
hands and knees, they crawled up a slight rise, from the top of which
they could see a hundred or more natives gathered round a fire. One was
addressing the others, who were seated listening attentively. Laying
the guns down to be ready for instant action, and keeping themselves
concealed in the herbage, Harry took his bundle of squibs from his
pocket. They were but lightly tied together; slipping off the string he
applied the ends to the brand. There was a sudden roar of fire, and
waving them once round his head he hurled them into the midst of the
assembly. There was a yell of astonishment as the missiles flew hither
and thither, exploding with loud reports. The last had not exploded
when Bertie's handful flew among them; then came the parcel from Dias,
and at the same moment Harry poured a barrel of buck-shot among them,
followed by a volley of crackers, while almost simultaneously Harry
threw his squibs and Bertie fired a volley of buck-shot. For a moment
the savages were paralysed, then many of them threw themselves on their
faces in terror of these fiery demons, while others started in headlong
flight.
"Send them off as quick as you can!" Harry shouted, as he discharged
his second barrel into the flying natives. Bertie followed suit, and
then both paused to reload while Dias and José hurled their remaining
fireworks. By this time the last of the natives had leapt up and fled.
José's musket and the three rifles cracked out, and then the little
party rose to their feet and joined in a wild "Hip, hip, hurrah!"
"You can come up, Maria; they have all gone!" Dias cried out; and Maria
joined them a minute later. More than a score of natives lay dead or
badly wounded round their fire.
"What are we to do with the wounded?" Bertie asked.
"We can only leave them where they are," Harry said. "Some of the
savages may have wandered away, or not have come down from the hills,
and will return here unaware of what has happened, or one or two of the
boldest may venture back again to look after their comrades. At any
rate, we can do nothing for them."
"It would be better to shoot them, señor," Dias said.
"No, I could not bring myself to do that," Harry said. "Buck-shot,
unless they strike in a body, are not likely to kill. I expect they are
more frightened than hurt. After we have gone many of them will be able
to crawl down to the river. Savages frequently recover from wounds that
would kill white men; and even if no others come down, those who are
but slightly wounded will help the more incapable. We have cleared the
way for ourselves, which was all we wanted, and have taught them a
lesson they are not likely to forget for many years to come. Let us go
back at once and bring down the mules. I suppose you will sit down by
the stream, and wait till we come back, Maria?"
"Yes," she said, "there is nothing to be afraid of now; but you can
leave me one of your pistols in case one of these savages may be
shamming dead."
"José will wait with her," Dias said. "Now, José, you strike up a song.
You are generally at it, and as long as they hear you they will know
that some of us are still here, and will not venture to move."
"You take my gun, José; it is loaded," Harry said. "If any of them
should move and try to crawl away, don't fire at them; but if they look
about and seem inclined to make mischief, shoot at once."
Coming down with the animals the three men carried torches in each
hand. The mules reached the mouth of the torrent without accident, and
the llamas were then lifted off the baggage mules which had carried
them, and all were turned loose to graze on the rich grass near the
edge of the river. José and Dias went to the fire in the ravine, and
returned laden with burning brands, and a fire was soon blazing near
the water. Two of them kept watch by turns at the spot from which they
had fired, lest any of the wounded Indians should, on recovering, try
to avenge their loss by sending arrows down amongst the party. During
the night four of the fallen Indians, after first looking round
cautiously, crawled away, and the watchers could hear them running fast
through the bushes till they were beyond the light of the fire.
At dawn a start was made. The river was crossed at the pool where José
had swum over. Dias, on examination, found that the water, even in the
deepest part, was not more than breast-high. Accordingly he returned;
Maria, kneeling on one of his shoulders and one of Harry's, was carried
across without being wetted. Then they joined the animals, which were
grazing a short distance away, and set off without delay. Although they
kept a sharp look-out they saw no more of the Indians. They ascended
several more streams unobserved. Rough carvings on the face of several
of the rocks led them to carry their excursions farther than usual, but
beyond a few ounces of gold, washed from the stream, they found nothing.
"They must have been put here for some purpose," said Dias.
"I have been thinking it over, Dias, and I should not be surprised if,
as you thought, they were done to deceive searchers. You told me there
were some marks by which you would be directed in the gold valley; it
is quite likely that other marks might have been placed in the valleys
so that the real ones would not be particularly noticed."
"That is possible, señor; they would certainly do everything they could
to prevent anyone not in the secret from knowing. The mark I have to
look for first is a serpent. It is carved on a rock at the end of a
valley."
"In that case the indication of the star would not be necessary, Dias."
"That may be, señor; but the valley may be a large one, and the
hiding-place very difficult to find, so that even when the valley was
known, it would need the guidance of the star to take us to the right
place."
"That might be so, Dias, if it were a hidden treasure that we were
looking for; but as, according to your account, it is simply an
extraordinarily rich deposit in the river, I hardly see why the
guidance of the star should be necessary when once the valley was
known."
"That I cannot tell you, señor; but I am sure that it must be difficult
to find, for the Spaniards searched everywhere for gold, and although
the records of most of their discoveries still exist, there is no
mention of such a find, nor is there is any word of it among the Indian
traditions."
A week before the appointed date they found themselves in the
neighbourhood where they felt sure the cleft must lie. Mount Tinta was
twenty miles in front of them, and from that point a range of mountains
trended off almost at right angles to that which they were following.
One lofty peak some thirty miles to the south-east rose above another.
"I believe that that is the peak," Dias said.
"I don't see any signs of a cleft in it, Dias."
"No, señor; it is a very narrow one."
The next day they halted at the mouth of another valley, and as they
unloaded the mules, Harry exclaimed: "See, Dias, there is a cleft in
that peak! From here it looks as if it were a mere thread, and as if
some giant had struck a mighty sword-cut into it."
"That is right. Sure enough, señor, this must be the valley. Now, let
us look about for the serpent."
The search did not take them long. An isolated rock rose a quarter of a
mile from the mouth, and on this was a rude representation of a
serpent. The next morning they explored the valley thoroughly to a
point where, five miles higher, it ceased abruptly, the rocks closing
in on either side, and the stream coming down in a perpendicular fall
from a point some eighty feet above them. Going down the river, they
washed the gravel again and again, but without obtaining even as much
gold as they had found several times before.
"I cannot understand it," Harry said, as they sat down to their meal at
dusk. "Your tradition says nothing about hidden treasure, and yet there
does not seem to be gold in the stream."
"It may be higher up, señor. We must ascend the hills on each side of
the valley, and come down upon the river higher up."
Harry was on watch that night, and at one o'clock he roused the others
up. "See!" he exclaimed later on; "there is a bright star apparently
about a foot above the peak. I should think that must be the star. No
doubt that will rise in exact line behind the cleft on the 21st, that
is four days from now; probably it can only be seen when we are exactly
in the line with the cleft and the position of the gold. This cleft is
undoubtedly very narrow--no doubt the result of an earthquake. It
certainly goes straight through, and very likely it is some hundred
yards across, so that unless we are exactly in the line we sha'n't see
it. As soon as it is dark on the 21st we will all go some distance up
the valley, where it is only about four or five hundred yards across.
We will station ourselves fifty yards apart across it, then one of us
is sure to see the star through the cleft. We had each better take two
sticks with us. Whoever sees the star will fix one in the ground and
then go backwards for a hundred yards, keeping the star in sight, and
plant the other; then the line between those two sticks ought to lead
us to the spot."
Each night the star rose nearer to the cleft. "There is no doubt we
shall see it in the proper position to-morrow night," Harry said on the
20th of the month. "That certainly is strong proof that the tradition
handed down to you, Dias, is correct."
They employed the next day in again searching for some indication that
might assist them, but in vain. Dias and José both asserted that the
tiny rift in the rocky peak looked wider from the middle of the valley
than at any other point, and even Harry and his brother admitted that
it could scarcely be seen from the foot of the hills on either side,
and therefore it was agreed that Dias, Harry, and José should take
their places only some forty yards apart across the centre; Maria and
Bertie going farther, near the sides of the hills. When midnight
approached they took their stations. Suddenly Harry, who was standing
by the side of the rivulet, exclaimed, "I see it!" It was more than a
minute later before Dias saw it, while it was three or four minutes
before José spoke, by which time Harry had crossed the streamlet and
fixed his second rod some distance on the other side. Dias and José did
the same. Bertie did not catch sight of it for some time after José,
and Maria did not see it at all. Then they went back to their camping
place.
"It is curious that I should have seen it before either of you, when
you were standing so close to me," Harry said. "It was lower than I
expected, and it is evident that the cleft must continue much farther
down than we thought, and that it must be extremely narrow at the
bottom. It is certainly a splendid guide, and there can be no mistaking
it. Unless I had been standing on the exact line, I should not have
noticed the star till later, and the crack is so much wider towards the
top that it could probably be seen on a line half a mile across. It
will be strange if we cannot find the place in the morning. Certainly
we searched in the stream just where I was standing, and found nothing.
But, of course, it is possible that in all this time it may have
changed its course considerably."
Dias shook his head. "It can hardly be that, señor, because, in that
case, anyone who had examined the valley could have found it. I begin
to think that it must have been a mistake about its being merely a rich
place in the river, and that it must be some vast treasure, perhaps
hidden by the people before the Incas, and kept by them as a certain
resource when needed. We shall have to search, I think, for some
walled-up cave in the rocks. We have already looked for it, but not
seriously; and besides, there are many boulders that have fallen, and
formed a bank at the foot of the cliff."
"Well, we shall know in a few hours. I feel absolutely certain that the
line between those two sticks will lead us to it."
None attempted to sleep, and as soon as it became light they took picks
and shovels and started up the valley. Harry gave an exclamation of
surprise as, standing behind the first stick, he looked towards the
second. "The line goes to the middle of that waterfall," he said.
This was so; for the stream made two or three sharp bends between the
spot where he had crossed it and the foot of the falls.
"'Tis strange!" Dias said; "we have examined that spot more than once.
There are great stones and boulders at the foot of the fall, and a
large deep pool. Can a treasure be buried in that? If so, it will be
hard indeed to get it."
Harry did not reply; his face was white with excitement. He walked
forward slowly till he reached the edge of the pool. It was some
fifteen yards across, and the colour of the water showed that it was
very deep.
"I will dive, Harry," Bertie said; "I have gone down more than once in
five fathoms of water to pick up an egg that has been thrown
overboard." He stripped and swam out to the middle of the pool and
dived. He was down about a minute, and on coming up swam to the shore.
"I could find no bottom, Harry," he panted. "I am sure I must have gone
down seven fathoms."
"Thank you, Bertie," Harry said quietly; "we will make up our minds
that if it is there, we sha'n't get it at present. The foot of the
valley is so flat that it would need a cut at least a mile long to let
the water off, and we should therefore require either an army of men or
a regular diving apparatus, which there would be no getting this side
of England. However, it may not be there. Let us search now behind the
fall."
There were some four or five feet clear between the sheet of water and
the rock. At times, as Harry pointed out, there would be an even wider
space, for the weather had been dry for the past two months, and the
quantity of water coming down was but small, while in the wet season a
mighty flood would shoot far out from the rock. The width of the stream
in the wet season was shown by the broad bed of what was now but a
rivulet. Looking upwards as they stood, the wall actually overhung
them, and they could see the edge where the water poured over unbroken.
"There may be a cave here," Harry went on, "and it may be covered by
these rocks piled up for the purpose. On the other hand, they may have
fallen. I think that is the most likely explanation, for as the top
projects beyond the bottom it is possible that some time or other there
was a big fall."
They searched every foot of the rock within reach, but there were no
signs of any man's handiwork. The rock was solid, thickly covered with
dripping moss and ferns which had flourished in the mist and spray that
rose from the foot of the fall. This they had ruthlessly scraped off
with their picks. Silently they went out again at the end, and stood
hopelessly looking at the fall. It was some time before Harry said, "We
must move some of those stones now. Let us go at once and cut down some
young trees, for we can do nothing with our hands alone, but must use
levers. For that purpose we shall want straight wood, and strong. We
had better get half a dozen, in case some of them break; make them
about ten feet long, and from four to six inches thick, and sharpened
slightly at the lower end."
In an hour the levers were ready.
"We had better breakfast before we begin, Dias. Your wife went off to
prepare it when we came out from the waterfall. I dare say it is ready
by this time."
In half an hour they were back again. They chose the central spot
behind the fall, and then set to work. Some of the rocks were dislodged
without much difficulty, but to move others, it was necessary to first
get out the smaller ones, on which they rested. So they toiled on,
stopping for half an hour in the middle of the day for food, and then
renewing their work. By evening they had made an opening four or five
feet wide at the top, and six feet deep, close to the wall. It was now
getting dark, and all were fagged and weary with their work, the light
was fading, and they were glad to return to camp. Maria came out to
meet them. She asked no questions, but said cheerfully, "I have a good
olla ready, I am sure you must want it."
"I feel almost too tired to eat," Bertie said.
"You will feel better when you have had some coffee. I have fed the
mules, José, and taken them down to water."
"I think," Bertie said, when they had finished their meal, "that we
might splice the main brace."
"I do think we might," Harry laughed. "We have not opened a bottle
since we started, and certainly we have worked like niggers since seven
o'clock this morning. I will open the case; it is screwed down, and I
have a screwdriver in the handle of my knife;" and he rose to his feet.
"What does Don Bertie want?" Dias said. "I will get it, señor. I do not
understand what he said."
"It is a sea expression, Dias. After a hard day's work the captain
orders that the main brace shall be spliced, which means that the crew
shall have a glass of grog--that is, a glass of spirits and water--to
cheer and warm them after their exertions. José, will you bring a
blazing brand with you? I shall want it to see the screws."
In a few minutes he returned.
"This is brandy, Dias. I don't suppose you have ever tasted a glass of
good brandy. Is your kettle boiling still, señora? We shall want hot
water, sugar, and five of the tin mugs. Have you any of those limes we
picked the other day?"
"Yes, señor."
"That is good. Just a slice each will be an improvement." Harry mixed
four mugs, and a half one for Maria. "There, Dias!" he said. "You will
allow that that is a considerable improvement on pulque."
He and his brother had already lighted their pipes. The other three had
made cigarettes. Dias and José were loud in their commendations of the
new beverage. Donna Maria had at first protested that she never touched
pulque, and this must be the same sort of thing. However, after sipping
daintily, she finished her portion with evident satisfaction. They did
not sit up long, and as soon as they had finished their first smoke all
retired to bed, leaving for once the llamas and mules to act as
sentries. As soon as it was fairly daylight, they drank a cup of coffee
and started again to work. Harry went first into the hole they had
made, and, kneeling down, struck a match to enable him to see the rock
more thoroughly. He gave a slight exclamation, then said: "Open your
knife, Bertie, and come in here and strike another match. I want both
my hands."
"I have a torch here, señor,"
"That is best; then light it, Bertie."
There was just room at the bottom for Bertie to stand by the side of
his brother, who was lying down.
"Hold the torches as low as you can, Bertie."
Harry picked away with the point of his knife for a minute or two and
then sat up.
"That is the top of a cave," he said. "Do you see, this crack along
here is a straight one. That, I fancy, was the top of the entrance to
the cave. That stone under it has a rough face, but on the top and
sides it is straight. It is fitted in with cement, or something of that
sort, and is soft for some distance in, and then becomes quite hard. I
can just see that there are two stones underneath, also regularly cut."
He made room for Bertie to lie down, and held the torch for him. "I
think you are right, Harry. Those three stones would never fit together
so closely if they had not been cut by hand, though, looking at the
face, no one could tell them from the rock above them."
Dias next examined the stones.
"There is no doubt that that is the entrance to a cave, señor," he said
as he joined them; and the three went out beyond the fall, for the
noise of the water was too great for them to converse without
difficulty behind the veil of water. José stayed behind to examine.
"Well, Dias, we have found the place where the treasure is hidden, but
I don't think that we are much nearer. Certainly we have not strength
sufficient to clear away those fallen stones, and probably the cave is
blocked by a wall several feet thick. We should want tools and
blasting-powder to get through it. No doubt it is a natural cave, and
it seems to me probable that they altered the course of the stream
above, so that it should fall directly over the entrance. I think
before we talk further about it we will go up there and take a look at
it. If we find that the course has been changed that will settle the
matter."
It took them an hour to climb the hill and make their way down to the
gorge through which the river ran. They examined it carefully.
"It must always have come along here," Dias said. "There is no other
possible channel; but there are marks of tools on the rocks on each
side of the fall, and the water goes over so regularly that I think the
rock must have been cut away at the bottom."
"It certainly looks like it, Dias. The rocks widen out too, so that
however strong the rush of water may be it will always go over in a
regular sheet. Let us follow it along a little way."
Fifty yards farther on, the gorge widened out suddenly, and they paused
with an exclamation of astonishment. Before them was a wide valley,
filled to the spot where they were standing with a placid sheet of
water four or five hundred yards wide, and extending to another gorge
fully a mile away. Bertie was the first to find his voice.
"Here's a go! Who would have thought of finding a lake up in the hills
here?"
"I did not know there was one," Dias said. "I have never heard of it.
But that is not strange, for no one who came up the valley would dream
that there was anything beyond that fall."
Harry had sat down and thought for some minutes, looking over the lake
without speaking.
"I am afraid, Dias," he said at last, "that your tradition was a true
one after all, and that the gold lay in the bed of a stream in the
valley we now see filled up."
"But it must always have been a lake, señor," Dias said after thinking
for a minute, "and could not have been shallower, for there is no other
escape than the waterfall; and however heavy the rains it could not
have risen higher, except a few feet, as one can see by the face of the
rock."
"It may have had some other way out," Harry said.
Dias looked carefully round the side of the valley. "There is no break
in the hills that I can see, señor."
"No; but my firm conviction is that the top of that cave that we found
behind the fall is really the top of a natural tunnel through which the
stream originally flowed. There are two or three reasons for this. In
the first place, it is certainly remarkable that there should be a cave
immediately behind that fall. I thought at first that the stream above
might have been diverted to hide it, but the ravine is so narrow that
that could not be possible. In the next place, your tradition has
proved absolutely true in the matter of the star, and in the hour of
its appearance in the exact line to the mouth of that cave. How
correctly the details have been handed down from generation to
generation! If they are right on that point it is hardly likely that
they can be inaccurate on other points, and that the tale of an
extraordinarily rich treasure could have been converted into one of an
exceptional deposit of gold in the bed of a river.
"I think that the passage was probably closed by the old people when
they were first threatened by the invasion of the Incas. No doubt they
would choose a season when the stream was almost dry. They had, as the
remains of their vast buildings will show, an unlimited supply of
labour. They would first partially block up the tunnel, perhaps for the
first fifty yards in, leaving only a small passage for the water to run
through. They might then close the farther end with sacks of sand, and
having the other stones all cut, and any number of hands, build it up
behind the sacks, and then go on with the work till it was solid; then
no doubt they would heap stones and boulders against the face of the
wall. By the time the Incas had conquered the country the valley would
be a lake many feet deep. The Incas, having gained an abundant supply
of treasure elsewhere, would take no steps towards opening the tunnel,
which in any case would have been a terrible business, for the pressure
of water would drive everything before it. Having plenty of slave
labour at their disposal, they knew that it could be done at any time
in case of great necessity, when the loss of the lives of those
concerned in it would be nothing to them. When the valley became full
the water began to pour out through this gap, which perhaps happened to
be immediately over the mouth of the tunnel, or it may have been
altered by a few yards to suit, for they were, as we know from some of
their buildings, such good workmen that they could fit slabs of the
hardest stone so perfectly together that it is hardly possible to see
the joints. Therefore they would only have to widen the mouth of the
gorge a little, and fit rocks in on either side so that they would seem
to have been there for all time; and indeed the natural growth of ferns
and mosses would soon hide the joints, even if they had been roughly
done."
"And that all means, Harry--?" Bertie asked.
"That all means that we have no more chance of getting at the gold than
if it were lying in the deepest soundings in the Pacific."
Bertie sat down with a gasp.
"There is no way of getting that water out," Harry went on quietly,
"except by either cutting a channel here as deep as the bottom of the
lake, or by blasting the stone in the tunnel. The one would require
years of work, with two or three hundred experienced miners, and ten
times as many labourers. The other would need twenty or thirty miners,
and a hundred or two labourers. There is possibly another way; but as
that would require an immense iron siphon going down to the bottom of
the lake, along one side of this ravine, and down into the bottom of
the pool, with a powerful engine to exhaust the air in the first place
and set it going, it is as impracticable, as far as we are concerned,
as the other two.
"In the same way I have no doubt that, with a thousand-horse-power
engine, the lake could be pumped dry in time; but to transport the
plant for such an engine and its boiler across the mountains would be
an enormous undertaking; and even were it here, and put up and going,
the difficulty of supplying it with fuel would be enormous. Certainly
one could not get up a company with capital enough to carry out any one
of the schemes merely on the strength of an Indian tradition; and with
the uncertainty, even if they believed the tradition, whether the
amount of gold recovered would be sufficient to repay the cost incurred.
"Well, we may as well go down to dinner."
He shouldered his pick and led the way back. Scarce a word was spoken
on the way. Bertie tried to follow the example of his brother, and take
the matter coolly. Dias walked with his head down and the air of a
criminal going to execution. The disappointment to him was terrible. He
had all along felt so confident that they should be successful, and
that he should be enabled to enrich those he considered as the
preservers of his life, that he was utterly broken down with the total
failure of his hopes.