As the boys started down the tunnel in response to the continued cries
for help, Jenkins extinguished the torch and caught up the rope.
He understood that the old cook must have been very near the shaft when
he made the frenzied appeal, otherwise his voice could not have been
heard so distinctly, and there was no necessity of letting it be known
any one else was in the vicinity.
Even the sailors, eager though they were to share the treasure, did
not hesitate at first to rush to the rescue and, for the time being,
everything save Andy’s danger was forgotten.
On arriving at the shaft, Nelse prudently halted until his companions
could join him, and Jenkins, who arrived a second later, whispered:
“Don’t even breathe loud. There’s no tellin’ where some of them imps
may be, an’ as likely as not half-a-dozen are above there waiting to
find out if we are here.”
This injunction was obeyed implicitly until a few moments later, when
another scream was heard, and this time the listeners could hear
distinctly the words:
“Gil! Nelse! Fur de lub ob heaben help de ole man! De debbils has done
cotched me, an’ I’se boun’ ter be sarved like you’se----”
This prayer for aid ended in a smothered groan or shriek, as if the
speaker’s mouth had suddenly been closed against his will, and Gil
whispered to the mate:
“We mustn’t stand still here and let them kill him.”
“There’s nothin’ we can do in the darkness, an’ while the whole crowd
are most likely layin’ low in the hope that we’ll rush out.”
“But remember what he did for us! If he hadn’t taken some chances then
we should have been murdered, and it is better for us to run every risk
now, rather than stay here idle at such a time.”
Jenkins remained silent and motionless for several moments, as
if studying the situation, and then he said, speaking slowly and
thoughtfully:
“I’ll try my hand at helpin’ the old man, providin’ you boys agree not
to leave this place if the blacks succeed in getting hold of me.”
“We’ll do nothing of the kind,” Gil replied, indignantly. “It’s not
likely you’ll be able to accomplish very much alone, but with all hands
we may manage to get the old fellow out of their clutches. Surely with
the weapons we can make a rush they can’t stand.”
“That might work if it was daylight, but in the night we have no means
of knowin’ where to find the scoundrels.”
“But we can’t wait until morning,” Nelse nodded. “They’ll kill him
before that time.”
“An’ we shall share the same fate, I’m afraid,” Jenkins replied, in
hopeless tone.
The sailors had not joined in the conversation, but stood a short
distance inside the tunnel, discussing, as the boys believed, the
situation in cautious whispers.
Neither Gil nor Nelse proposed to remain idle while one member of the
party was in peril, even though he had brought the trouble on himself
by refusing to remain with the others, and the former insisted most
peremptorily that the mate decide upon some plan of action in which all
could join.
“If you don’t, we shall go alone, for we won’t have it to think of that
the poor fellow was killed because we refused to help him.”
“It’ll take half-an-hour to get out of here, now the rope has been
pulled down,” Jenkins said, as if on the point of yielding to their
demands.
“Then so much the more reason why we should begin without delay. Come
on, Nelse, we’ll do all that is possible, and let the others join us or
stay here as they choose.”
As he spoke, Gil began to grope around the sides of the shaft in order
to select that portion where the earth was packed solidly, for the task
of cutting his way upward, and had dug with his knife a hole for one of
his feet, when Jenkins approached.
“Now see here, boys, I’m willin’ to do all I can, so there’s no use
in startin’ off before you’re ready. Besides, you’ll never get out by
working in that way.”
“Go ahead, then; show us how, and we’ll do our share.”
Calling the sailors to him, Jenkins mounted on their shoulders, which
brought his hands within a short distance of the surface, and there he
stood some moments listening.
No sound betokened the presence of any of the enemy, although there was
every reason to suppose one or more might be waiting for just such a
move on the part of the white men, and then, digging his hands and feet
into the loose earth, the agile mate succeeded in clambering to the top.
“Pass up the rope,” he whispered, and when this was done he directed
the boys to tie one end under their arms.
“I’ll pull you two up, an’ the others can look out for themselves.
Bring the revolvers, knives, an’ hatchets, for I reckon we shall need
everything we’ve got in the way of weapons.”
The sailors helped the boys secure the rope under their arms, and
assisted in gathering the articles of defense; but when the two had
been drawn to the surface the men made no move toward joining them.
“Why don’t you come up?” Jenkins whispered, impatiently.
“’Cause we’ve concluded to stay here. This ain’t no scrape of ours,
an’, seein’s we’re only ’foremast hands, it’s better manners to stay
where we are.”
“They intend to hunt for the treasure,” Nelse whispered, and Gil
replied, in the same cautious tone:
“That’s a fact; but I don’t see how we can help ourselves. It’s better
to let them get away with everything than for us to stop here guarding
whatever may be in the underground chamber while poor old Andy is being
murdered.”
“I reckon they won’t get very far off if they should try to play us a
scurvy trick,” Jenkins said, thus showing that he also was thinking the
sailors meditated treachery. “We’ll pass back the rope, an’ make it a
reasonably hard job for ’em to crawl out.”
“Then you think they stayed behind to have a look at the place I
found?” Gil said, interrogatively.
“Of course; why else would they refuse to go with us? I knowed trouble
was brewin’ from the way they talked about dividin’ the stuff, an’
perhaps we’ll be gettin’ out cheap if they take all that’s left. Have
you got the diamonds?”
“They are in my breastpocket.”
“Then let ’em go ahead, an’ it ain’t no dead certain thing that we
won’t overhaul ’em before your father comes back. We’ve got all the
weapons, an’ they’ll be in a tight place if the blacks want to make a
rush through the tunnel. Now, that’s enough for them, an’ we’ll turn
our attention to huntin’ for Andy. Foller me, an’ I’ll guarantee to
find him; but whether it’ll be possible to do the poor fellow any good
is another matter.”
Each of the little party had a revolver, and the total number of
cartridges was sixteen, therefore they could make quite a spirited
fight, provided it was not prolonged. This fact served to give the boys
no slight degree of courage, and as Jenkins led the way through the
underbrush, where it was so dark that one could not see objects twenty
inches in advance, both felt positive the cook would be rescued in time.
Although Jenkins appeared to be walking at random, he was in reality
pursuing the most direct course possible for the cave, since it was
more than probable the prisoner had been taken to that stronghold.
After half-an-hour’s rapid traveling the mate halted, and, parting the
branches in front of him, pointed to the reflection of a fire about
fifty yards away.
“That’s where we’ll find cookee, or I’m a Dutchman. These cattle don’t
seem to be able to do anything without havin’ a big blaze to work by,
an’ we’ve only got to crawl up there in order to see him.”
“Go ahead quickly, or we may be too late.”
“I reckon they’ll take plenty of time to carve him up. It seems they’re
countin’ on catchin’ the whole of us without much trouble, or else some
of ’em would have been hangin’ around the entrance to the shaft waitin’
for us to come out.”
“Perhaps they didn’t know we were there. It isn’t safe to trust to
chances, and we ought to end matters as soon as possible.”
Jenkins did not wait to argue further, but continued the advance
cautiously, his companions remaining close behind him, until they were
where it was possible to see the main body of the enemy.
The number of the blacks had at least been doubled since the boys saw
them last, and that they felt perfectly secure from an attack could
be told by the fact that all were gathered around an enormous fire,
without having taken the precaution to post sentinels.
At the mouth of the big cave, tied hand and foot, was poor old Andy.
On either side stood a burly black man, whose body was covered with
grotesque ornaments, and the entire party were waiting in silence for
the coming of the old mummers, or, at least, so the boys judged from
the expectant manner in which all gazed toward the entrance.
“If we had a hundred rounds of ammunition, I wouldn’t be afraid to
open fire on the crowd this minute, an’ it’s ten to one that they’d be
cleaned out in twenty minutes, or made to take to their boats.”
“But we haven’t got that number of cartridges, and it seems to me we
had better begin operations mighty soon, for it’ll be harder after the
old fellows are there to urge the rest on,” Gil suggested, and Nelse
expressed the same opinion by saying:
“Suppose we make a rush? We can fire half-a-dozen shots at short range,
and jump in on them while they are in confusion.”
“It’s takin’ a big risk,” Jenkins replied, thoughtfully.
“Of course it is, but we’ve got to run the chances, or give up all
hopes of doing anything.”
It was only natural for Jenkins to hesitate, knowing, as he did, that
Captain Mansfield would hold him responsible if anything happened to
the boys while they were thus virtually under his charge, but both
were so persistent and impatient that he was forced to act upon their
suggestion or see them start off alone.
“We’ll try it,” he said, with a long-drawn breath; “but remember,
if anything goes wrong, that I advised ag’in a battle where we’re
outnumbered at least ten to one.”
“I’ll take it on myself to say you shan’t be blamed, no matter how
badly we are beaten,” Gil replied. “Now are you ready?”
“Yes; have your revolvers in hand. We’ll creep up as near as we can,
an’ when I give the signal each must shoot as fast as he can till we’ve
given ’em three shots apiece; then make a rush for Andy, an’ if we get
hold of him, make the best time for the shaft. That’ll draw the whole
crowd down on us, an’ we haven’t any water; but he’ll be safe for a
while.”
“Go ahead; we’ll follow. Move quick, for it don’t improve a fellow’s
courage to stand here thinking about what’s to be done.”