There was a sound in the darkness as if several men had drawn a deep
breath together, and then for a few moments all was very still, so still
that Mark started when he heard his father's voice, and felt strange and
wondered to hear the gentle tones in which he spoke.
"Do you feel that you can guide us all without lights?"
"Oh, yes; I have been so long in the dark, and have often come with my
father to fill the pitcher in that pool below."
"Rugg, you and your boy stay back, and keep the lights hidden," said Sir
Edward firmly.
"Oh!" cried the old miner, in a tone full of protest; and then hastily:
"Right, Sir Edward."
"And be ready to bring the lanterns, and come to our help when called."
Dan Rugg growled his assent, but Dummy murmured angrily.
"Join yourselves together, my lads," whispered Sir Edward, "by carrying
your pikes each with the head upon the shoulder of the man before him--
the man behind me to rest his in the same way as I lead. Ready?"
"Ay!" came in a low growl from out of the darkness.
"One word more," said Sir Edward sternly, and his words sent a thrill
through Mark. "If the enemy surrenders, show mercy now: if he does not,
remember not a man must escape."
A low deep murmur, full of hatred against the destroyers of their homes,
came from the miners, and then in the renewed silence Sir Edward said
sharply:
"Mark, take this poor child's other hand, and protect her when I am
away. Now forward."
A little soft cold hand closed tightly upon Mark's, as he stepped to
Minnie's side; and then slowly and silently the party advanced under the
girl's guidance for quite two hundred yards through what seemed to be
solid darkness, out of which her voice came in a low whisper from time
to time.
"Stoop here--a little to the right--to the right once more--now through
this narrow opening on the left. Only one can pass at a time: you
first."
Mark led, and passed through a rift, to see a feeble glow upon his left,
where a candle was stuck against the rock, and beneath it lay a figure,
very dimly-seen, while, apparently coming through an opening farther on,
they heard the low hoarse sound of voices; and words came suggesting
that the speakers were engaged in some game of chance.
Minnie withdrew her hands from her protectors, and hurried to kneel down
by the figure in the corner, Sir Edward and Mark following, to bend over
the prisoner.
"Too weak," he panted--"I tried to come. Eden! A strange meeting, oh
mine enemy! God forgive us all the past; and if when you--come back--a
conqueror--for the sake of Him who died--protect my child.--Minnie!" he
cried faintly, and the girl sank beside him with a wail.
Sir Edward went down on one knee, sought for, and took his enemy's hand.
"Can you hear?" he whispered.
A feeble pressure was the answer.
"Trust me. I will. Now we are in complete ignorance of the place, and
must be guided so as to succeed."
"You need no guidance," said Sir Morton feebly. "Cross yonder--there is
an opening: follow the narrow passage for twenty yards, and there is a
big chamber-like grotto, and upon your right an archway leading into
another smaller chamber. The enemy--are there. You have them as in a
trap."
Sir Morton Darley's voice grew a little firmer as he proceeded, and when
he, ceased there was a low murmur of satisfaction, and the men's faces,
dimly-seen, were turned to Sir Edward for the order to advance.
"Lay your pikes in that corner," he whispered. "It will be close
quarters. Draw your swords."
The order had hardly been executed when there came suddenly angry
shouts, sounding hollow and strange, multiplied as they were by
reverberations.
"They know we are here, father," whispered Mark excitedly. But at that
moment came distinctly the words:
"He cheated! A thief!" and the clashing of swords.
"Forward!" said Sir Edward, and closely followed by his son and Nick
Garth, whose breath came thickly, he followed the directions given by
Sir Morton Darley, guided more by the sounds, to reach the entrance to a
natural chamber, with high Gothic roof and walls glittering with
crystals, which reflected the light of half--a--dozen candles stuck here
and there.
Mark saw all this at a glance, as he grasped the fact that the inmates
had broken into two parties, and were contending so fiercely that for a
few moments they did not see the doorway crowded with angry
countenances, and were only brought to a knowledge of their peril by the
rush that was made by all but two of Sir Edward's men, who stayed back
to guard the entry and cut off the escape of any who tried to get away.
The encounter was short and fierce, Sir Edward's men dashing forward
like a wedge, striking with all their might; and at the end of a couple
of minutes' savage encounter, the mercenaries fighting like rats at bay,
there was a terrible silence, broken only by muttered curses and groans,
while eight men stood erect, half of whom had cast away their swords and
fought with their miners' picks.
The scene was ghastly, as shown by two only of the candles, the rest
having been knocked down in the struggle.
"Hurt, Mark?" cried Sir Edward from the far end, where he stood sword in
hand, supporting himself by the wall, and with his foot resting upon the
burly body of Captain Purlrose.
"Not much, father," panted the lad. "Bit of a cut."
"How many escaped? I saw three make for the door."
"None, master," growled Nick Garth, who was upon the floor at the right.
"There they lay: those brave lads brought 'em down."
"Shout for the lanterns, Mark, boy," cried Sir Edward; and Mark reeled
as he stepped over the bodies lying in the way.
His call was responded to directly by Dan Rugg and his son, both
standing aghast for a few moments before energetically setting to work
to help their friends, who, saving the two who had guarded the entrance,
were wounded to a man, while of Captain Purlrose's party, four and their
leader were dead, the others lying disabled to wait their turn of help
from their captors, who, now that the rage of battle was at an end, were
ready to show mercy to their wounded foes.
Sir Edward was so badly hurt that after a brave struggle he had to give
up, and leave the ordering of the work now necessary to his son, who
began by having his father borne to the chamber where Minnie crouched,
trembling with horror, by her half-insensible father's side; but upon
being reassured by the information that her captivity was at an end, she
revived, and devoted herself to helping the wounded with all a true
woman's zeal.
Mark's next task was to go with Dan Rugg and Dummy to the entrance,
wondering the while at the extent of the place and the hoard of all
necessaries which the fellows had collected in the cavern.
Upon reaching the wall beyond which the guard were stationed, still in
perfect ignorance of what had taken place within, a few shouts set the
men to work, the defence was rapidly demolished, and the wounded were
borne out into the light--a ghastly procession, though not a man
murmured; and as soon as they were laid upon the heather, began to chat
eagerly together about the success of the underground expedition.
As for the wounded prisoners, they were kept under guard in the
chamber--where the wall had just been destroyed.
The two great enemies were borne out last; and as Mark followed with the
trembling girl upon his arm, he looking proud and satisfied, in spite of
a stained bandage upon his forehead, and she with her face unnaturally
white and her eyes closed, unable to bear the light after so long an
imprisonment in the depths of the cavern, Nick Garth raised himself upon
his elbow and uttered a shout which rose into a rousing cheer.
"God bless you, Mistress Minnie!" cried the man hoarsely, "and you too,
youngster. You're a brave lad, and I'll never call you an enemy again."
"Humph! No," said Dan Rugg, who was close to him. "I s'pose all that's
dead as mutton now. Look here, Nick Garth, I never see a man who could
fight as well as you, and if you'd got a decent paw I'd say shake
hands."
"Say it, mate," said Nick, and he painfully lifted a wounded arm, to
place his bandaged hand in that of the old miner who had hated him all
his life.
A man had been started off as soon as the news was known to fetch more
help from the Black Tor; and, as tidings fly swiftly, assistance soon
came from every farm and cottage for miles, the women flocking up to
Ergles, and eagerly helping to bear the sufferers to their homes.
Sir Edward and Sir Morton went last, each borne upon a litter, Minnie
being provided with a pony, led by one of her father's men, who kept on
shaking his head and saying that he couldn't understand it, for it
seemed so strange that his master and young mistress and their leaders
should be going up to the Black Tor.
He said this to Nick Garth, who was lying with closed eyes upon a
roughly-made litter of poles.
"Well," said Nick roughly, "who can? It's 'cause they say the world
turns round, and sometimes we're standing on our heads and sometimes on
our feet; we're on our heads now, and it's o' no use to kick when your
legs are in the air."
There was one more task to see to, though, before Mark left the place,
with its plunder in charge of Dan Rugg and a guard, so that the robbers'
stores could be restored to their rightful owners.
Over this matter Mark had a whispered consultation with the two wounded
knights, and then went off to Rugg.
"Well, yes, Master Mark," said that worthy; "I was thinking o' something
o' that sort. Right in that little chamber place. A good thick wall,
and well made, with plenty o' lime. It wouldn't seem Christian-like to
throw 'em out on the hill among the stones; and you see there's so many
ravens and crows."
Dummy Rugg kept as close to Mark as he could in these busy times, and
tried several times to speak to him, but without success. At last,
though, the opportunity came.
"Oh, Master Mark," he said, in a tone full of reproach; "you ought to
have spoke out."
"When? What about?"
"When I was sent back to take care of those nasty old lanterns. But it
serves you right. If I'd been there at the fight you wouldn't have been
hurt like that."
"And perhaps you'd have been killed. Get out, you ungrateful dog!"
"Dog, am I? Well, it's enough to make me bite."
"Bite away, then, Dummy. I can't lift my arm to hit you now."
"Then I'll wait till you get well again. But it was mean. I never seem
to get a chance."
"Well, you are a grumbler, Dummy. Here, you've done what none of us
could do--shown us how to end all this trouble, and pleased everybody,
and yet you're not happy."
"Happy?" said the boy; "who's to be happy after what I've done? Why, I
shan't never dare to come past Ergles now in the dark."
"Why?"
"'Cause old Purlrose and his men'll come popping out to haunt me for
getting 'em killed. I shall never like to come by there again."
"They won't come out this way, Dum," said Mark, trying to look very
serious; "they'll come the other way, and get into the mine to lie in
wait for you in the dark parts, and heave blocks of stones at you."
"Think they will, Master Mark?" gasped the boy, and his eyes and mouth
opened wide.
"Sure to."
"Get out: you're laughing at me."
"I'm more disposed to cry; to think of such a stout, brave lad as you
should believe such nonsense."
"Nonsense?" cried Dummy. "What, don't you be--believe in ghosts and
bor--bogies, Master Mark?"
"Do I look as if I did?" cried Mark contemptuously. "You wait till I
get well, and if you tell me then that you believe in such silly old
women's tales, I'll kick you."
Dummy grinned.
"You wouldn't," he said. "But I say, Master Mark, think old Purlrose
will haunt me?"
"Bah!" ejaculated Mark. "There, come along; I want to get home and let
Master Rayburn do something to my bit of a wound. It hurts so I can
hardly walk."
"Here, let me carry you, Master Mark. Pig-a-back. I can."
"No, no, Dummy, old lad; but you come to the castle to-morrow, and say
you are to walk up and see me. I shall have to be put to bed, I expect,
in the same room with young Ralph Darley."
"Then I shan't come," said the boy, scowling.
"Why?"
"'Cause I don't like him, and I don't like to see his father and their
girl took there as if they were friends."
"They are now, Dum, and there isn't going to be any more fighting in the
vale."
It was a strange scene when the slow procession wound its way up the
zigzag, at the top of which Mary Eden and Master Rayburn were waiting
with the women and the tiny wounded garrison to receive the fresh party
of injured folk.
Mary ran to her wounded father to embrace him, and then to Minnie
Darley, to whom she held out her hands, and the people cheered as the
two girls kissed.
Mary was about to lead the trembling girl in, but she shook her head and
went to her father's side; and then Mary looked round for her brother,
and ran to him, as he came up leaning upon Dummy's arm.
"Oh, Mark, darling! hurt?" she cried, flinging her arms about his neck.
"Just a bit," he said, with a sickly smile. "You do as Minnie Darley
did. Never mind me; go and stay with father. He's more hurt than he'll
own to. Ah, Master Rayburn! brought you some more work, but we've burnt
out the wasps."
"My brave boy!" cried the old man, wringing his hands. "There, I'll
come to you as soon as I can. I must go to those who are worse."
"Yes, yes," said Mark; "I've got my doctor here. But tell me--young
Ralph?"
"Recovered his senses, and asked about his father and sister."
"Come along, Dummy," said Mark faintly; "let's go and tell him we've
brought them safe; and then you shall wash and bind up my cut."
He uttered a faint "Ah!" and would have fallen but for the boy's ready
arm; and the next minute he was being borne up the steps, pig-a-back
after all, though he had scouted the offer before. He had fainted dead
away.