Whether it was the case, or that Jack Penny was only taking his tint
from the greeny reflected light in the cavern, certainly he looked very
cadaverous and strange.
He caught my eye and blew out his cheeks, and began to whistle softly as
he rubbed the barrel of his gun with his sleeve.
Turning rather jauntily towards the doctor he said softly:
"Suppose I am to shoot now, doctor?"
"When I give the order," said the latter coldly.
"There won't be any mistake this time?"
"No," said the doctor, quietly; "there will not be any mistake this
time!"
He stopped and gazed intently at the savages, who were cautiously
descending towards the stream, not in a body but spread out in a line.
"Fire first with large shot," he said softly. "If we can frighten them
without destroying life we will. Now creep each of you behind that
clump of stones and be firm. Mind it is by steadily helping one another
in our trouble that we are strong."
I gave him a quick nod--it was no time for speaking--and crept softly to
my place, passing pretty close to where our friend lay wounded and
quietly asleep.
The next minute both Jack Penny and I were crouched behind what served
as a breastwork, with our pieces ready, the doctor being on our left,
and the blacks, including Jimmy, right in front, close to the mouth of
the cave.
"We must mind and not hit the blacks!" whispered Jack. "I mean our
chaps. Lie down, Gyp!"
The dog was walking about in an impatient angry manner, uttering a low
snarl now and then, and setting up the hair all about his neck till in
the dim light he looked like a hyena.
Gyp turned to his master almost a reproachful look, and then looked up
at me, as if saying, "Am I to be quiet at a time like this?"
Directly after, though, he crouched down with his paws straight out
before him and his muzzle directed towards the enemy, ready when the
struggle began to make his teeth meet in some one.
The savages were all the time coming steadily on lower and lower down
the bank, till suddenly one of them stopped short and uttered a low cry.
Several ran to his side at once, and we could see them stoop down and
examine something among the bushes, talking fiercely the while.
"They've found out where our friend was wounded, Jack Penny," I said.
"Think so?" he said slowly. "Well, I couldn't help it. I didn't mean
to do it, I declare."
"Hist!" I whispered; and now my heart began to beat furiously, for the
blacks, apparently satisfied, began to spread out again, descended to
the edge of the little stream, and then stopped short.
If I had not been so excited by the coming danger I should have enjoyed
the scene of this group of strongly-built naked savages, their jetty
black, shining skins bronzed by the reflections of orange and golden
green as the sun flooded the gorge with warm light, making every action
of our enemies plain to see, while by contrast it threw us more and more
into the shade.
They paused for a few moments at the edge of the stream, so close now
that they could touch each other by simply stretching out a hand; and it
was evident by the way all watched a tall black in the centre of the
line that they were waiting his orders to make a dash up into the cave.
Those were terrible minutes: we could see the opal of our enemies' eyes
and the white line of their teeth as they slightly drew their lips apart
in the excitement of waiting the order to advance. Every man was armed
with bow and arrows, and from their wrists hung by a thong a heavy
waddy, a blow from which was sufficient to crush in any man's skull.
"They're coming now," I said in a low voice, the words escaping me
involuntarily. And then I breathed again, for the tall savage,
evidently the leader, said something to his men, who stood fast, while
he walked boldly across the stream beneath the overhanging bushes, and
one of these began to sway as the chief tried to draw himself up.
I glanced at the doctor, being sure that he would fire, when, just as
the chief was almost on a level with the floor of the cave, there was a
rushing, scratching noise, and the most hideous howling rose from just
in front of where I crouched, while Gyp leaped up, with hair bristling,
and answered it with a furious howl.
The savage dropped back into the water with a tremendous splash, and
rushed up the slope after his people, not one of them stopping till they
were close to the top, when Jimmy raised his grinning face and looked
round at us.
"Um tink big bunyip in um hole, make um all run jus fas' away, away."
He had unmistakably scared the enemy, for they collected together in
consultation, but our hope that they might now go fell flat, for they
once more began to descend, each one tearing off a dead branch or
gathering a bunch of dry ferns as he came; and at the same moment the
idea struck Jack Penny and me that they believed some fierce beast was
in the hole, and that they were coming to smoke it out.
The blacks came right down into the rivulet, and though the first
armfuls of dry wood and growth they threw beneath the cave mouth went
into the water, they served as a base for the rest, and in a very short
time a great pile rose up, and this they fired.
For a few moments there was a great fume, which floated slowly up among
the bushes, but very soon the form of the cavern caused it to draw right
in, the opening at the back acting as a chimney. First it burned
briskly, then it began to roar, and then to our horror we found that the
place was beginning to fill with suffocating smoke and hot vapour,
growing more dangerous moment by moment.
Fortunately the smoke and noise of the burning made our actions safe
from observation, and we were thus able to carry our wounded right to
the back, where the air was purer and it was easier to breathe.
It was a terrible position, for the blacks, encouraged by their success,
piled on more and more brushwood and the great fronds of fern, which
grew in abundance on the sides of the little ravine, and as the green
boughs and leaves were thrown on they hissed and spluttered and sent
forth volumes of smoke, which choked and blinded us till the fuel began
to blaze, when it roared into the cave and brought with it a quantity of
hot but still breathable air.
"Keep a good heart, my lads," said the doctor. "No, no, Penny! Are you
mad? Lie down! lie down! Don't you know that while the air high up is
suffocating, that low down can be breathed?"
"No, I couldn't tell," said Jack Penny dolefully, as he first knelt down
and then laid his head close to the ground. "I didn't know things were
going to be so bad as this or I shouldn't have come. I don't want to
have my dog burned to death."
Gyp seemed to understand him, for he uttered a low whine and laid his
nose in his master's hand.
"Burned to death!" said the doctor in a tone full of angry excitement.
"Of course not. Nobody is going to be burned to death."
Through the dim choking mist I could see that there was a wild and
anxious look in the doctor's countenance as he kept going near the mouth
of the cave, and then hurrying back blinded and in agony.
We had all been in turn to the narrow rift at the end through which we
had been able to see the sky and the waving leaves of the trees, but now
all was dark with the smoke that rolled out. This had seemed to be a
means of escape, but the difficulty was to ascend the flat chimney-like
place, and when the top was reached we feared that it would only be for
each one who climbed out to make himself a mark for the savages' arrows.
Hence, then, we had not made the slightest attempt to climb it. Now,
however, our position was so desperate that Jimmy's proposal was
listened to with eagerness.
"Place too much big hot," he said. "Chokum-chokum like um wallaby. Go
up."
He caught hold of the doctor's scarf of light network, a contrivance
which did duty for bag, hammock, or rope in turn, and the wearer rapidly
twisted it from about his waist.
"Now, Mas' Jack Penny, tan' here," he cried; and Jack was placed just
beneath the hole.
Jack Penny understood what was required of him, and placing his hands
against the edge of the rift he stood firm, while Jimmy took the end of
the doctor's scarf in his teeth and proceeded to turn him into a ladder,
by whose means he might get well into the chimney-like rift, climb up,
and then lower down the scarf-rope to help the rest.
As I expected, the moment Jimmy caught Jack Penny's shoulders and placed
one foot upon him my companion doubled up like a jointed rule, and Jimmy
and he rolled upon the floor of the cave.
At any other time we should have roared with laughter at Jimmy's disgust
and angry torrent of words, but it was no time for mirth, and the doctor
took Jack Penny's place as the latter drawled out:
"I couldn't help it; my back's so weak. I begin to wish I hadn't come."
"Dat's fine," grunted Jimmy, who climbed rapidly up, standing on the
doctor's shoulders, making no scruple about planting a foot upon his
head, and then we knew by his grunting and choking sounds that he was
forcing his way up.
The moment he had ceased to be of use the doctor stood aside, and it was
as well, for first a few small stones fell, then there was a crash, and
I felt that Jimmy had come down, but it only proved to be a mass of
loose stone, which was followed by two or three more pieces of earth and
rock.
Next came a tearing sound as of bushes being broken and dragged away,
and to our delight the smoke seemed to rush up the rift with so great a
current of air that fresh breath of life came to us from the mouth of
the cave, and with it hope.
In those critical moments everything seemed dream-like and strange. I
could hardly see what took place for the smoke, my companions looking
dim and indistinct, and somehow the smoke seemed to be despair, and the
fresh hot wind borne with the crackling flames that darted through the
dense vapour so much hope.
"Ti-hi come 'long nextums," whispered Jimmy; and the black ran to the
opening eagerly, but hesitated and paused, ending by seizing me and
pushing me before him to go first.
"No, no," I said; "let's help the wounded man first."
"Don't waste time," said the doctor angrily. "Up, Joe, and you can help
haul."
I obeyed willingly and unwillingly, but I wasted no time. With the help
of the doctor and the scarf I had no difficulty in climbing up the rift,
which afforded good foothold at the side, and in less than a minute I
was beside Jimmy, breathing the fresh air and seeing the smoke rise up
in a cloud from our feet.
"Pull!" said the doctor in a hoarse whisper that seemed to come out of
the middle of the smoke.
Jimmy and I hauled, and somehow or another we got Jack Penny up, choking
and sneezing, so that he was obliged to lie down amongst the bushes, and
I was afraid he would be heard, till I saw that we were separated from
the savages by a huge mass of stony slope.
Two of the black bearers came next easily enough, and then the scarf had
to be lowered down to its utmost limits.
I knew why, and watched the proceedings with the greatest concern as
Jimmy and one of the blacks reached down into the smoky rift and held
the rope at the full extent of their arms.
"Now!" said the doctor's voice, and the two hardy fellows began to draw
the scarf, with its weight coming so easily that I knew the doctor and
one of the blacks must be lifting the wounded man below.
Poor fellow, he must have suffered the most intense agony, but he did
not utter a sigh. Weak as he was he was quite conscious of his
position, and helped us by planting his feet wherever there was a
projection in the rift, and so we hauled him up and laid him on the sand
among the bushes, where he could breathe, but where he fainted away.
The rest easily followed, but not until the doctor had sent up every
weapon and package through the smoke. Then came his turn, but he made
no sign, and in an agony of horror I mastered my dread, and, seizing the
scarf, lowered myself down into the heat and smoke.
It was as I feared; he had fainted, and was lying beneath the opening.
My hands trembled so that I could hardly tie a knot, but knowing, as I
did, how short the scarf was, I secured it tightly round one of his
wrists and called to them to haul just as Jimmy was coming down to my
help.
He did not stop, but dropped down beside me, and together we lifted the
fainting man, called to them to drag, and he was pulled up.
"Here, ketch hold," came from above the next moment in Jack Penny's
voice, and to my utter astonishment down came the end of the scarf at
once, long before they could have had time to untie it from the doctor's
wrist.
"Up, Jimmy!" I cried, as I realised that it was the other end Jack
Penny had had the _nous_ to lower at once.
"No: sha'n't go, Mass Joe Carstairs."
"Go on, sir," I cried.
"No sha'n't! Debble--debble--debble!" he cried, pushing me to the hole.
To have gone on fighting would have meant death to both, for the savages
were yelling outside and piling on the bushes and fern fronds till they
roared.
I caught the scarf then, and was half-hauled half-scrambled up, to fall
down blinded and suffocated almost, only able to point below.
I saw them lower the scarf again, and after what seemed a tremendous
time Jimmy's black figure appeared.
Almost at the same moment there were tongues of flame mingled with the
smoke, and Jimmy threw himself down and rolled over and over, sobbing
and crying.
"Burn um hot um. Oh, burn um--burn um--burn um!"
There was a loud roar and a rush of flame and smoke out of the rift,
followed by what seemed to be a downpour of the smoke that hung over us
like a canopy, just as if it was all being sucked back, and then the
fire appeared to be smouldering, and up through the smoke that now rose
slowly came the dank strange smell of exploded powder and the sounds of
voices talking eagerly, but coming like a whisper to where we lay.