MY ADVENTURES IN THE NEST-CAVES.
How shall I describe my feelings when returning consciousness first
made me fully aware that some terrible accident had happened! I
opened my eyes wide, stretched them wider still, but all around was
dark--black. I could see nothing: then a racking pain in the head made
me attempt to raise my hand, but my arm was so stiff, it refused its
office. I tried the other,--it was worse. Alarmed, I essayed to get
upon my feet, and that effort told me I was sore and bruised from head
to feet; and then I could realize a notion of the phrase, “being beaten
to a jelly,” except that my limbs were stiff instead of elastic. What
could it all mean?--a dream, a nightmare surely! But no--the aching
head and limbs sufficiently disproved that. At the highest pitch of my
voice, I shouted for my brother, but echo alone mocked my call; and
then the whole truth flashed across my mind--the going through the
passages in the rock. I must have fallen into a chasm, and probably
had only been saved from an instantaneous death by the soft guano upon
which I was lying. My life saved!--but for what? To die a lingering
death by starvation; my only hope being, that Martin might find
his way back to Prabu and his men, and bring them to my assistance.
Yes--I had another hope: by the touch, the scent, I _knew_ that I was
lying upon guano. If so, I reasoned the cave must be one frequented
by the swallows. It was therefore probable that some of the gatherers
might come there; but remembering that the natives entertained a
superstitious horror of that cavern,--for I did not doubt that it
was the one for which we had been in search, and from which it had
been said that no man had ever been known to return,--I sickened with
despair.
For a time I lay pondering upon the possibility of some person or
persons coming to my help. But then, I murmured, this is childish,
foolish, to await here the coming of others, when I should be
endeavoring to help myself; and I made another effort to get up. This
time I succeeded. Moreover, I was agreeably surprised to find that,
although sore, stiff, and bruised, my limbs were really not so bad as
they had felt--that is, I could use them. I endeavored to walk forward,
but there was some obstruction. Putting my hand forth, I found that
it was nothing more formidable than a great heap of guano, drifted
into that form, probably, by the wind during the monsoon. Aye, there
_was_ another faint hope: through the opening by which the wind that
formed that great heap had got _in_, I might find my way _out_, and
to discover it became my object; but suddenly, a murmuring sound fell
upon my ears--it reverberated through the cavern. I threw myself upon
the ground to listen--it was plainer. Oh, joy! it was the sound of
human voices, and in my delight I was about to shout to the new-comers.
But--well, I know not why--I did not; and fortunate, most fortunate,
for me that I refrained. In a few minutes a pale light illumined the
other end of the cavern, by which I could see that it was larger--three
or four times as large--and more than double the height of any I had
seen hitherto. My attention, however, became at once fixed upon the
men. There were four in all, each carrying a torch, by the light of
which I could see without being seen; and the sight convinced me of
the wisdom of my caution in not having made known to them my presence,
for they were not of Prabu’s party. Then who could they be? A moment’s
thought, and I came to the conclusion that they were nest-_robbers_,
and in all probability villagers, who had been the first to discover
this new and evidently rich cavern, and that, too, by some hitherto
unknown path in the rocks. Then another gleam of light flashed through
my mind. In all probability, it had been these men who had disseminated
the absurd report, which had made other and legitimate gatherers--_i.
e._, those authorized by the proprietor--shun it; and thus the
Pangeran, who was lord of that district, was being plundered of a
wealth, of the very possession of which he was ignorant.
“But,” asks the reader, “what mattered it to thee whether they were
smugglers or honest men, since Providence had sent them to thy rescue?”
Aye, but it mattered much; for if the former, they would scarcely have
hesitated an instant about putting to death one who had discovered
their secret, and thus it behooved me to be upon my guard. Literally,
liberty and death were equally balanced, and it depended upon my
prudence or cunning which should turn the scale. Accordingly, I again
lay down behind the guano, to work out in my mind what course to take,
or at least to watch my opportunity, and keep my eyes and ears open.
Severely was my patience tested. For seven hours, as well as I could
guess the time, three of those fellows continued their labors, each
mounted upon his bamboo pole; while the other--who, from the tone in
which they addressed him, seemed to be a slave or servant--from time
to time, as the occasion required, relighted or renewed their torches.
My position, however, was fraught with terrible anxiety. What would be
the end of it all? There were men who could save my life if they would,
but to whom I dared not make my presence known--men, indeed, who would,
in all probability, regard my death as necessary to their own safety.
My first hope was, that all four would have ascended the poles, and
that then, taking advantage of their employment above, and the darkness
beneath, I could creep noiselessly along the soft guano to the aperture
by which they had entered; but, alas! as I have told you, one was left
below, and he kept flitting to and fro, torch in hand.
Well, at length the three descended, and piled their bags upon a
great heap of nests, the result of many previous days’ labor. Now came
another fright! They would depart, of course, taking with them the
rope or ropes by which they had descended. Alas! I had no hope; for
although they would doubtlessly return the next day, and the next, it
could not alter my position. I had but a choice of deaths--starvation
or assassination. Yes--there was one faint chance left. I might, after
they had left, discover a hiding-place in the entrance, in which I
could await until they had passed the following day into the cavern and
commenced their labors, then reach the top by means of their rope. But
again, supposing even that I succeeded in gaining the top, I should
have to fight my way past the man who, in all probability, would be
on guard at the rope. However, be that as it might, I determined to
accept the risk, for it was my only chance of escape. But again was the
cup dashed from my lips, for, as the men were about quitting the cave,
another entered.
“My masters,” he said, addressing the gatherers, “ye may, on your
return homewards, take no sign of your late occupation with you. Such
are the orders of the Head-man to his children, for the Pangeran’s
captain, Prabu, and his crew are even now nest-gathering in the caves,
and he loves not those who encroach upon his master’s rights.”
The gatherers were taken by surprise, and gave vent to their
indignation in no measured terms; but most extraordinary to me, at
least until I saw his face, was the conduct of the servant. At the
very name of Prabu he trembled violently, and, begging that they would
leave him what water and rice remained of the store they had brought
with them in the morning, said he would stay in the cave, until Prabu
and his companions had quitted the village. Who could this man be, that
he should so tremble at the very name of Prabu? Who, indeed? However,
the gatherers must have known full well his reason for avoiding my
captain; for, at once complying with his request, they quitted the
cavern, and I very speedily shared their knowledge.
A full hour elapsed after their departure ere I ventured to commence
operations--not, indeed, till the slave, having partaken of his rice
and water, stretched himself at full length upon the ground, to sleep,
as he thought, in perfect security. Then, as his face was turned
towards me, and the red glare of a fresh-lighted torch fell upon it, I
started with surprise, for I recognized at once the Chinese thief To-ki.
The hunchback--my father’s death--the abduction of Marie--all passed
through my mind. My blood boiled indignantly; but thank Heaven, I
murmured, a little prudence, and a clue to that mystery will be in
my hands. The surprise and anxiety to escape did me good--at least,
made me forget my soreness and bruises. When, from his hard breathing,
I knew the fellow was asleep, with pistol in hand at half-cock, I
stealthily advanced towards one of the bamboo poles, and untying the
cord from the lower joint, made a noose at one end; then, creeping
towards my friend, and gently lifting his head and neck, I slipped it
over his arms, and gave it one quick, violent jerk. The rogue awoke
with a scream of fright. He could not, however, _see_ the cause of
his little difficulty, for I had thrown him upon his stomach, and was
sitting astride his back, twisting the other end of the cord round
his legs, as methodically as if I had been packing a box or trunk.
During the operation Mr. To-ki struggled, screamed, cried, implored,
and appealed to the god Fo, and the spirits of his ancestors, to come
to the aid of the unfortunate To-ki, who was suffering at the hands of
an evil demon (meaning me); but finding the ill-natured ghosts did not
even return him a civil answer, he prayed of my demonship to let him
off that time, and he would repent his sins, and for the future forego
his evil practices; but getting no reply to this, he then appealed to
me as the demon of the cave, and implored me to forgive him for robbing
the place, saying in words to the following effect:
“The good demon is great, and will not condescend to punish the
smallest of the small--the least of the very little--the insignificant
To-ki! No, Mr. Demon, the wretched To-ki is not so bad as he seems. It
is true that he is found in thy cave; but he was as the limb to the
head, nothing but a poor slave, compelled to do the bidding of his
masters.”
The superstitious wretch could not conceive the possibility of his
being in the hands of a mortal, and it was as well for my purpose that
he could not, for thus I might wring from his fears some information
about Marie. Thus, in deep tones, and at the same time placing the cold
barrel of the pistol upon his neck, I said:
“To-ki is a very great rogue, who has been guilty of so many crimes
that the soles of his feet must no longer be permitted to soil the
earth. It is written that he must die.”
Quivering in every nerve, and trembling in every muscle, the coward
gave a piteous moan of despair. “Die,” he whined, “among these rats
of Javanese, and my bones be placed kingdoms away from the tombs of
my ancestors! Alas! To-ki was born a wretch thus to have incurred
the anger of the Demon!” Then, as a last appeal, he cried, “Can the
miserable To-ki make no atonement for the past, no promises for the
future, to induce the merciful demon to prolong his life only till he
can carry his body where it may be laid in the tomb of his fathers?”
“So vile hath been thy sins, O To-ki, that the ghosts of thine
ancestors--that is, if they are ghosts of good reputation--would kick
thy bones out of their tomb as a disgrace! Nay, it is also written that
thine own tomb shall never be swept.”
At this nonsense the superstitious fellow groaned in despair, and at
length, by way of propitiating my demonship, and so getting me to put
a good word or two in for him with the ghosts of his forefathers, he
offered to confess his sins. This being exactly what I had been fishing
for, I said:
“The wretch To-ki was one of the thieves who robbed the house of
Mynheer Ebberfeld!”
“He was! he was--but then, good Mr. Demon, he was the slave of Huc-cuk.”
“For what vile purpose, besides robbery, did Huc-cuk and his companions
break into the house?”
“Truly, _that_ must be known, as all things are, to so great and wise a
demon.”
That answer was a poser; for it was only reasonable that my demonship
should know all things--past, present, and future. Nevertheless, after
a moment’s thought, I continued, as I again rubbed the cold iron of the
pistol against his neck:
“It is true that all the deeds of the wretched To-ki are known, but he
must confess them aloud: so, if he would not have his bones forever
rest in this cave, let him speak. For what vile purpose, besides
robbery, did Huc-cuk enter the house?”
“To steal away the girl,” he replied.
“Wretch! didst _thou_ have aught to do with the slaying of that poor
girl?”
“To-ki has been a rogue,” he replied, “but his hands are not stained
with blood. The girl was not slain; she is alive even now.”
What a weight was removed from my heart!
“Then,” I asked, “for what purpose did Huc-cuk take the girl from her
home?”
“Alas! good Mr. Demon, thy slave knows only that Huc-cuk carried her to
the foot of the Blue Mountains, where he was met by those who employed
him, and into whose hands he gave her.”
“Who and what were the names of the men who received the girl from
Huc-cuk?”
“Alas! of that also is the miserable and insignificant To-ki ignorant,
but, like him, they were slaves and tools in the hands of a master.”
This answer was vexatious, and again I plied him with questions, but
nothing more could I elicit. I did, however, find out that some time
before he had fled from the hunchback, and had taken service with one
of his countrymen, a merchant engaged chiefly in the bird’s-nest trade,
and that the latter--as big a rogue as himself--had sent him, as one of
the crew of a junk which was then at anchor off the coast, to receive
the nests gathered by the cave-robbing natives with whom he was in
league.
Finding I could obtain no further information, I got off his back; and
although I knew that he could scarcely move, I threatened him with
speedy death and the vengeance of the whole community of demons, in
which he believed, if he dared to turn his face upwards until he had my
permission.
Passing through the opening, I found myself standing upon a narrow
ledge of rock, with a rolling sea at a great distance beneath, but not
more than a hundred feet from the summit. As I had anticipated, the
gatherers had left their rope, by means of which, and at the cost of
much pain, I ascended.
The coast was clear--not a living soul to be seen. So far, so good.
But where was I? Well, to ascertain, I clambered up the highest peak
to survey the surrounding country, in the hope of discovering the
whereabouts of the village; but no sign of human habitation met my
eyes. No--naught but hill, dale, and thick jungle. The shades of night
could not, I knew, be far off, but which way to turn puzzled me. I
dared not remain--I feared to advance. Upon chance alone must I depend
for assistance, and thus I invoked its good offices. Having a dollar in
my pocket, I threw it into the air, resolving that head or tail should
decide. If the former, I would proceed straight ahead; if the latter,
I would take a direction totally the reverse. Straight ahead it was,
and straight ahead down the hill I went, till I entered a wood: many of
the trees were groaning beneath the weight of delicious fruits, upon
which, I need scarcely say, I banqueted ravenously. A walk of about
an hour brought me to a limpid stream: here I refreshed my inner man
with copious draughts taken upon all-fours, and my outer by a luxurious
bath; and now, if I had had no fear of such denizens of the woods and
jungles as tigers and snakes, I felt strong enough to walk the night
through; but even as it was, the remembrance that I still possessed a
pistol and two or three charges gave me courage. So away I marched,
endeavoring, by whistling a tune, to delude myself into a belief that I
feared nought that could happen.
In a few minutes, however, my courage was put to the test. There was
a rush in the surrounding jungle--a tiger, probably--at least, so I
feared (for then I had never seen one of the brutes), and at once I
began to scramble up the trunk of a large durian-tree near at hand;
but there was as much danger from above as from below, for I had
disturbed a school or family of monkeys, who, chattering and screaming,
hurled the fruit at me. Luckily, the animals were not skilled in taking
aim, for a blow from one of them from any height must have stunned
me; and so I safely fixed myself astride a large branch some twenty
feet from the ground, in a position in which I could see without being
seen; and the next instant a noble buck bounded forth and fell dead at
the foot. It had a spike--the spike of a nest-gatherer--in its side,
the owner of which, almost simultaneously, knelt by the body of the
slain animal. The sight of a man made my heart rejoice; but when in
the hunter I recognized Prabu, my joy knew no bounds. Sliding down the
trunk, I was the next instant in his arms--yes, literally in his arms,
and being hugged, too, with hearty goodwill.
“God is great! But did my young master drop out of the moon?” he
exclaimed.
“No, only out of a durian-tree,” said I. But then Prabu’s men and my
brother came running through the opening made by the deer and its
slayer. The former, at first believing they saw a ghost, stopped short,
as if contemplating a quick retreat; but Martin ran forward, and,
embracing me, gave way to the most extravagant joy--hurrahing, dancing,
and capering about. Then suddenly, with his eyes filled with tears, he
said:
“Claud, Claud, old fellow, I never thought to see you again alive. Oh!
_how_ terrible have been the hours since we parted! You must have had
a squeak for it. But,” he added, “in the name of all that’s gracious,
what lucky chance has brought you to this spot, and at the very nick of
time, too?”
“A dollar,” I replied, for my mind was just then dwelling gratefully
upon that coin.
“A dollar!” he repeated, with a look that betokened some notion that my
adventure might have affected my reason.
“Aye, a dollar!--or more correctly, perhaps, your ‘fool’s
providence,’--_chance_.” And I related how it had come to pass that I
had chosen that direction.
By this time the natives, who had become convinced that I was in
reality something more substantial than a ghost, with Kati at their
head, flocked about to exhibit their joy at my escape; and, after their
national custom, began to walk around and _smell_ me, as is the wont of
cats at the sudden appearance of anything strange in the household in
which they are domesticated.
“If these fellows possessed tails,” said Martin, laughing, “like cats,
they would put them up at any strange animal coming among them. But
now, old fellow, let us make for the village, or night will overtake
us, and on the way tell us the story of your escape.” But just then
Kati declared it to be his opinion that I could not walk, and bent his
body forward.
“Another pussy movement,” cried Martin; “Kati is really putting his
back up at you;” but without replying to this, I mounted pickback, and
then, as Prabu and my brother walked, one on either side, I related to
them my adventures, keeping for a more fitting opportunity the name of
To-ki, and all that had reference to Marie’s abduction.
“By Jingo!” cried Martin, when I had concluded, “you have had a narrow
escape. But let us thank God for His intervention--_He_ alone has
preserved you.”
To which my heart echoed, Amen; for deeply I felt that the power alone
of the Most High could have brought me through that great peril. Then
Martin told me of the horror that had taken possession of him when I
had fallen into that chasm, and how that, lighting the torch, he had
endeavored to peer through the darkness; that he had shouted down to
me, hoping, by an answer, to get proof that I had not been killed, but
hearing nothing but the echo of his own voice, he endeavored to get
back to Prabu as speedily as possible; but, in consequence of losing
his way, he did not reach him till night, when, the torches having been
all used, they could not search for me. Then, at daybreak that morning,
my brother and his companions had made every effort to discover the
chasm down which I had fallen, but they did not succeed even in finding
the passage to it. Many others had they explored, but not that one;
and at the time I had so fortunately encountered them, worn out with
fatigue and dispirited, they were returning to the village, to organize
another searching party among those of the natives most experienced in
the intricacies of the caves.
“Terrible indeed must have been your feelings, dear Martin!” said I, at
the conclusion of his recital. “But, surely, you must have given me up
for lost; you never expected to see me again!”
“Well, Claud;” but half choking with emotion--with horror at the _might
have been_, he brushed away the tears from his eyes, exclaiming, “Hang
it, old fellow, it is all right now; we have you among us again, so
let us be jolly. But I say, Prabu,” he added, “what think you of these
nest-robbers? Can you make any guess who and what they are?”
“Darkness is never long lasting, my young master. What is written is
written: the light is coming, and the rogues will be known,” was the
reply; and more than that on the subject could not be got from him--at
least at that time.