CUT OFF FROM THE OUTER WORLD.
The lamp was lit instantly, and without a moment's delay Guy led the
party at full speed down the corridor until the descent was reached.
"Now hurry down, all of you," he cried. "You have a flask of powder
about you, Canaris. Give it to me."
"What are you going to do, Chutney?" asked Melton in alarm.
"Put an end to all pursuit," was the stern reply; and, seizing the
flask, he placed it on the ground, and pouring a little powder on a
strip of linen torn from the lining of his blouse, he deftly rolled a
fuse and inserted one end in the mouth of the flask.
His intentions were apparent. The roof and walls of the passage were of
loose earth and stone. A blast would bring them down in an avalanche.
Canaris attempted to expostulate, but Guy drove them all down the slope
and applied a match to the fuse.
It was high time, for up the passage shone the gleam of torches. The
enemy had effected an entrance.
Guy joined his companions on the shore of the river, and almost
instantly a terrific explosion took place. It seemed to rend the earth.
A tremendous crash and rumbling noise followed, and then all was
quiet.
The concussion put out the lamp, but as soon as it was lighted again Guy
ran up to see the result of his attempt.
No trace of the passageway existed. In its place was a grim wall of
earth.
The full significance of what he had done now flashed into Guy's mind
and he gazed blankly into the faces of his comrades.
"We are buried alive," said Melton bitterly. "We are as dead to the
world as though we were in our coffins."
"We have simply burned our ships behind us, that is all," replied
Chutney. "Now for the river and freedom."
They went back and sat down beside the swiftly-flowing water.
"Bless me if I know whether I am on my head or my feet," said Sir
Arthur. "What on earth does this mean?"
"It means that these brave fellows have saved us from a fate worse than
death," cried the colonel; "that is all I care to know at present."
"I will explain all," said Guy.
He straightway related everything that had happened from the time they
were separated on the way to Harar to the discovery of the underground
river and the daring plan for the rescue of the prisoners.
The colonel could scarcely repress his astonishment as he listened to
the wonderful story, and at its conclusion he embraced his rescuer
warmly.
"We owe you our lives," he said fervently. "Never was a braver deed
attempted, never was a rescue more marvelously carried out. Ah, I can
never repay the debt. A grateful country will reward you, Captain
Chutney. England shall know of your heroism."
"Yes, you are right, colonel," put in Sir Arthur, with a touch of his
old pomposity; "the government shall know how its representative was
delivered from the hands of these impious fiends. But bless me, I don't
see that we are so much better off, after all. How are we going to get
out of this beastly hole?"
"And what has become of Momba, and Captain Waller, and the Hindoos?"
exclaimed Forbes, who had suddenly recollected the missing members of
the party.
"Lost--all lost," replied the colonel sadly. "They were sold to a
distant tribe in the interior two days after we arrived at the village.
You see our condition. They have made us work from sunrise to sunset. We
fell ill, and, being of use no longer, they deliberately tried to
starve us to death. It was horrible, horrible!"
"It was a diabolical outrage," interrupted Sir Arthur. "The whole
civilized world will shudder when it knows that the governor of Zaila
was fed on tainted meat and spoiled rice, and very little of that, too.
If England fails to resent this outrage, I'll cast off my allegiance to
the crown, sir, and become a citizen of some other country. I will, by
Jove!"
Sir Arthur might have gone on indefinitely with the tale of his
grievances, but Guy cut him short by calling general attention to their
present grave situation.
The supply of provisions was at once overhauled, and the inspection
proved very satisfactory.
Six large bags had been loaded on the camels. Two of these held jerked
beef, probably buffalo or deer meat, one contained rice, another a
peculiar kind of hard cakes made from native corn, and the two remaining
were filled to the top with dates and figs.
"We are assured of food for some time to come," said Guy; "that is one
consolation. I wish I could feel as certain of light. We have two lamps,
and to supply these two big flasks of palm oil, not nearly enough,
however, to last us on a long journey. When that is gone, I don't know
what we shall do."
"When we stop, for rest we shall have to do without light," suggested
Melton. "If we find any places to stop," he added.
"It's beastly chilly in here," observed Sir Arthur, with a shiver. "Two
days in a hole like this will give us all rheumatism."
"Ah," said Melton, "but I have provided for that. See, here are the
trappings from the camels which I brought in while waiting for you." And
he held up one by one half a dozen richly embroidered rugs and skins,
which had belonged to the leaders of the Abyssinians.
This pleasing discovery put them all in better spirits, and it was
presently supplemented by another, which went far to remove the most
formidable obstacle to their journey, for while the canoes were being
examined Guy found in a far corner of the cavern a great pile of
torches, made from some highly resinous wood. These had evidently
belonged to the natives who formerly dwelt here, and were used by them
instead of lamps on their journeys to the coast. They were fifty or
sixty in number.
"This is a fortunate discovery," said Guy. "With these and the lamps we
may have sufficient light to last out our trip."
"Yes; that removes the last obstacle," rejoined Forbes; "and now I
propose that we take some refreshment. We have eaten nothing for nearly
two days."
This was true. The excitement had almost banished hunger from their
thoughts, but Melton's words roused their dormant appetites, and,
sitting down beside the canoes, they made a hearty meal and washed it
down with water from the river, which was quite fresh and cold.
"Well," said Guy, when they had all finished and the provisions were
tied up and put aside, "it will do us no good to remain here any longer.
The river, as you all know, is our only salvation, and the sooner we
start on our cruise the better. The natives who once dwelt here are
reported to have made journeys down this stream in boats. Is it not so,
Canaris?"
"Yes," replied the Greek. "I have heard from the Arabs at Harar that it
was their annual custom to go down to the coast in large rafts or boats
with trading goods, and then return by land."
"But where does this underground river empty?" asked the colonel. "Does
anyone know?"
"It is supposed to reach the Juba," replied Guy, "but whether near the
mouth of that river or not I cannot say."
"Ah! but that is a very important thing," said the colonel. "I possess
some acquaintance with the geography of this part of Africa. Are you
aware that the river Juba is nearly eight hundred miles in length?
Its source, which as yet remains undiscovered, lies only a hundred miles
or more to our west, and it flows to the southeast. This stream before
us appears to head in a southwesterly direction as near as I can judge.
It is possible then that it joins the river Juba at a distance less than
two hundred miles from here. In that event our journey does not appear
so formidable."
"Pardon me, sir," said Canaris quickly, "but from what I have been able
to learn this river reaches the Juba at a point, I have heard stated,
midway between Bardera and the coast."
"Bardera!" cried the colonel sharply. "Why, Bardera is only two hundred
miles from the sea. According to that, we have a journey before us of
nearly eight hundred miles--a journey underground and on unknown waters.
Who can tell what dangers lie before us?"
"We will never get out alive," groaned Sir Arthur. "Never in the world,
Carrington. What a blawsted idiot I was to let the government send me to
that beastly hole!"
"And is it impossible to escape by land?" asked the colonel, unheeding
this interruption.
"You forget that we have destroyed our only communication with the outer
world," ventured Forbes. "The river is our sole hope."
"Yes, I had forgotten it, it is true," replied the colonel.
"And were the communication now open," exclaimed Guy, "escape would
still be hopeless. This river is navigable, and the existence of those
canoes proves what I say. I have been in tight places like this before,
and if you will trust to my guidance I will do my best to bring you
through in safety. If we fail, it shall be through no fault of mine."