"Well, Fanning, I guess this time it's all U.P."
Renshaw made no reply. He gazed wearily at the great iron-bound hills,
whose cliffs were now beginning to reflect the glow of the declining
sun--and chipped mechanically at the rocks with the geological hammer in
his hand. His mind upon the subject was much the same as that of his
companion; but in actual fact his despondency was far greater. Still
with the desperate tenacity born of the habits of a lifetime, he was
unwilling to give in.
Four days have gone by since we last saw our two adventurers bivouacking
under the cliff--four days of threading mazy defiles and climbing the
roof-like sides of mountains--four days of burning, sweltering
exhaustion, ever eager, ever energetic with the tenfold vigour of a
fierce hunt for riches. Three out of the four have been devoted to
nothing but prospecting for their quest, for they passed the third
beacon--the third turret-headed mountain of the clue--early on the day
following that on which we last saw them--and now, worn out with toil
and disappointment! they are resting in the sweltering afternoon heat
deep down in a rock-bound valley where not a breath of air can come--not
a whisper of a stir to relieve the oven-like glow which is rendering
Sellon, at any rate, almost light-headed.
"A blank draw this time," growled the latter, wearily. "And what an
awful business it has been to get here! I wouldn't go through it again
for a thousand pounds. And then, just think what a brace of fools we
shall look to the people at Sunningdale."
Then as if the thought of Sunningdale--and what he had left there--put
the crowning stone upon his misery, Sellon proceeded to curse most
vehemently.
With weariness and disappointment, misfortune had overtaken our two
friends since we saw them last. While riding along the burning sandy
bottom of a dreary defile towards evening, the led horse had
inadvertently trodden on a puff-adder--which, sluggish brute that it is,
rarely gets out of the way. Blowing himself out with rage, this hideous
reptile had flung up his squat bloated length, fastening his fangs in
the leg of the unfortunate horse. The animal was doomed, and, indeed,
in less than an hour was in its expiring throes.
Now, this was a terrible misfortune, for not only was the climbing and
digging gear among the pack-load, but also the water-skin, and by far
the greater part of their provisions; nearly the whole of the latter had
to be abandoned, and loading up all that was indispensable upon their
riding horses--already fast losing their former freshness--the two
adventurers had pushed on. But by now the contents of the water-skin
had run very low indeed; were it not for the lucky find of a tiny pool
of slimy fetid water standing in a cavity of a rock, the horses would
have given out already. As it was, they drank it up every drop, and
felt the better for it.
"I doubt whether that bag of bones will carry me back, as it is," said
Sellon, gloomily, eyeing his dejected steed, now too weary to graze.
"Sellon," said Renshaw, earnestly, still gazing around and completely
ignoring his companion's last remark--"Sellon, I can't make it out now
any more than the first time I was here. We have followed out the clue
most minutely: `Straight from the smaller turret-head, facing the
setting sun. Within a day's ride.' Now, we have explored and surveyed
every point westerly between north and south, and within a good deal
more than a day's ride, thoroughly and exhaustively. There isn't the
shadow of a trace of any such valley, or rather crater, as old Greenway
describes. But let's go over the thing carefully again."
Suddenly Maurice sat up from his weary lounging attitude.
"By Jove, Fanning, but you've given me an idea," he said, speaking
eagerly and quickly.
"One moment," said Renshaw, holding up his hand. "I have an idea, too,
and indeed it's astonishing it should never have struck me before. You
must remember old Greenway was talking very disjointedly at the end of
his yarn--poor old chap. He was nearly played out. Well, I tried to
take down his words exactly as he uttered them. Look at this `Straight
from--the smaller one--facing the setting sun. Within--day's ride.'
Does nothing strike you now?"
"Can't say it does," growled Sellon, "except that the old sinner must
have been telling a most infernal lie. We've spent the last four days
fossicking around within a day's ride of his turret-top mountain, and
devil a valley of the kind he describes exists."
"Well, what strikes me is this. He may have meant to say `Within two
days', or three days', or four days' ride.' See?"
"Yes. If that's so he might as well have told us there was plenty of
gold to be found between this and Morocco. It would have helped us
about as much. But now I'll give you my idea. It sounds `tall,' and I
dare say you'll laugh."
"Never mind. Drive on," rejoined Renshaw, looking up from the paper
which he had been studying intently.
"Well, you mentioned the word `crater' just now. If this `valley' of
old Stick-in-the-mud's really exists, it is, as you say, a crater-shaped
concern. Now we've fooled away days in hunting for this place at the
bottom of each and every mountain around. What if, after all, we ought
to be looking for it at the top?"
An eager flash leaped from the other's eyes.
"By Jove! That is an idea!" he burst forth.
"Eh! Not a bad one, I think?" said Sellon, complacently.
"No. It just isn't."
For a few moments both sat staring at each other. Sellon was the first
to speak.
"How about that queer cock's-comb-looking peak we came round this
morning?" he said. But Renshaw shook his head.
"Not that. There's no room for any such place on top of it."
"Not, eh? Look here, Fanning. Have you ever been up it?"
"No. But I've been to the top of every blessed berg of any considerable
height around. I never went up that because it commands no range of
ground that the others don't."
"Very well. My theory is that the best thing we can do is to make the
ascent forthwith. Let me look at the yarn for a moment. Ah, here it
is," he went on, pointing out a place on the soiled and weather-beaten
document. "`We were looking about for a hole in a cave to sleep in, for
it was coldish up there of nights.' `Up there' you notice. Now, from
its conformation, that cock's-comb is about the only mountain top around
here where they would be likely to find `a hole or a cave,' for `up
there' points to the top of the mountain or near it. Do you follow?"
Renshaw nodded.
"All right. `I saw we were skirting a deep valley--though it was more
like a hole than a valley, for there was no way in or out,'" quoted
Sellon again. "Now, you would hardly find such a formation at the
bottom of a mountain--though you very conceivably might at the top."
"But I tell you there can't be room for such a thing at the top of that
cock's-comb," objected Renshaw, dubiously. "I've been all round the
mountain more than once, and it's narrow at the top."
"Maybe. On the other hand, it may not be so narrow as you think. A
mountain is the devil for changing its shape from whatever point you
look at it--almost in whatever light or shade. Then, again, Greenway
may have exaggerated the size of the hole. I tell you what it is,
Fanning old chap. I believe I've solved the riddle that has been
besting you all these years. As you said when we first talked the
affair over, `two heads are better than one--even donkeys' heads,'
There's a third head, and that's the head of the `right nail,' and I
believe we've hit it. Saddle up."
"Don't be too sanguine, Sellon. You'll be doubly sold if your idea ends
in smoke."
They were not long in reaching the mountain referred to. It was of
conical formation and flat-topped. But from one end of its table-like
summit rose a precipitous, razor-backed ridge--serrated and on its
broader side taking the shape of a cock's-comb.
Though steep and in parts rugged, the ascent was easy; indeed, it seemed
likely they could ride to the very summit. Renshaw eyeing the towering
slope, shook his head.
"It's rough on the horses," he said. "They haven't got any superfluous
energy at this stage of the proceedings, and that berg can't stand much
under three thousand feet. Still they've got to go with us. If we left
them down here they might be jumped; and then, again, if your idea
should be the right one, we might be days up there. I only hope we
shall find water, anyhow."