As her eyes became more accustomed to the light she saw that the
stranger was a man of approximately thirty, of good robust health. His
hair was sandy of colour and thin, and his beard, which was of the same
hue, had evidently gone untrimmed for days, perhaps weeks; yet for all
of his unkempt appearance, for all the strangeness of his presence
there, he was a gentleman, that was plain. And as she scrutinised him
Miss Donovan thought she beheld a mild similarity in the contour of the
man's head, the shape of his face, the lines of his body, to the man
whom, several weeks before, she had seen lying dead upon the floor of
his rooms in the Waldron apartments.
Could this be Frederick Cavendish? By all that had gone before, he
should be; but the longer she looked at him the less certain she was of
the correctness of this surmise. Of course the face of the man in the
Waldron apartments had been singed by fire so that it was virtually
unrecognisable, thus making comparisons in the present instance
difficult. At any rate, she dismissed the speculation temporarily from
her mind, and resolved to divulge nothing for the time, but merely to
draw the man out. Her thoughts, rapid as they had been, were
interrupted by the fellow's sudden exclamation.
"My God!" he cried in a high voice, "I--I thought I was seeing things.
You are really a woman--and alive?"
Miss Donovan hesitated a moment before she answered, wondering whether
to tell him of her narrow escape. This she decided to do.
"Alive, but only by luck," she said in a friendly voice, and then
recounted the insults of Cateras, her struggle with him, and capture of
his cartridge belt and revolver, and how finally she had left him bound
and gagged in the adjoining cell. The man listened attentively, though
his mind seemed slow to grasp details.
"But," he insisted, unable to clear his brain, "why are you here?
Surely you are not one of this gang of outlaws?"
"I am inclined to think," she answered soberly, "that much the same
cause must account for the presence of both of us. I am a prisoner.
That is true of you also, is it not?"
"Yes," his voice lowered almost to a whisper. "But do not speak so
loud, please; there is an opening above the door, so voices can be
heard by any guard in the corridor. I--I am a prisoner, although I do
not in the least know why. When did you come?"
"Not more than two hours ago. Two men brought me across the desert
from Haskell."
"I do not know how I came. I was unconscious until I woke up in that
cell. I was on the platform of an observation car the last I
remember," his utterance slow, as though his mind struggled with a
vague memory, "talking with a gentleman whom I had met on the train.
There--there must have been an accident, I think, for I never knew
anything more until I woke up here."
"Do you know how long ago that was?"
He shook his head.
"It was a long while. There has been no light, so I could not count
the days, but, if they have fed me twice every twenty-hours, it is
certainly a month since I came."
"A month! Do you recall the name of the man you were conversing with
on the observation car?"
He pressed his hand against his forehead, a wrinkle appearing straight
between his eyes.
"I've tried to remember that," he admitted regretfully, "but it doesn't
quite come to me."
"Was it Beaton?"
"Yes. Why, how strange! Of course, he was Edward Beaton, of New York.
He told me he was a broker. Why, how did you know?"
She hesitated for an instant, uncertain just how far it was best to
confide in him. Unquestionably, the man's mind was not entirely clear,
and he might say and do things to the injury of them both if he once
became aware of the whole truth. Besides, the meeting him there alive
was in itself a shock. She had firmly believed him dead--murdered in
New York. No, she would keep that part of the story to herself for the
present; let it be told to him later by others.
"It is not so strange," she said at last, "for your disappearance is
indirectly the occasion of my being here also. I believe I can even
call you by name. You are Mr. Cavendish?"
"Yes," he admitted, his hands gripping the back of the bench nervously,
his eyes filled with amazement "But--but I do not know you."
"For the best of reasons," she answered smilingly, advancing and
extending her hand--"because we have never met before. However
mysterious all this must seem to you, Mr. Cavendish, it is extremely
simple when explained. I am Stella Donovan, a newspaperwoman. Your
strange disappearance about a month ago aroused considerable interest,
and I chanced to be detailed on the case. My investigations led me to
visit Haskell, where unfortunately my mission became known to those who
were responsible for your imprisonment here. So, to keep me quiet, I
was also abducted and brought to this place."
"You--you mean it was not an accident--that I was brought here
purposely?"
"Exactly; you were trailed from New York by a gang of thieves having
confederates in this country. I am unable to give you all the details;
but this man Beaton, whom you met on the train, is a notorious gunman
and gambler. His being on the same train with you was a part of a
well-laid plan, and I have no doubt but what he deliberately slugged
you while you two were alone on the observation platform. As I
understand, that is exactly his line of work."
"But--but," he stammered, "what was his object? Why did those people
scheme to get me?"
"Why! Money, no doubt; you are wealthy, are you not?"
"Yes, to an extent. I inherited property, but I had no considerable
sum with me that day; not more than a few hundred dollars."
"As I told you, Mr. Cavendish, I do not know all the details, but I
think these men--one of whom is a lawyer--planned to gain possession of
your fortune, possibly by means of a forged will; and, in order to
accomplish this, it was necessary to get you out of the way. It looks
as though they were afraid to resort to actual murder, but ready enough
to take any other desperate chance. Do you see what I mean?"
"They will rob me! While holding me here a prisoner they propose
robbing me through the courts?"
"That is undoubtedly their object, but, I happen to know, it has not
yet been fully accomplished. If either of us can make escape from this
place we shall be in time to foil them completely."
"But how," he questioned, still confused and with only the one thought
dominating his mind, "could they hope to obtain possession of my
fortune unless I was dead?"
"They are prepared to prove you dead. I believed so myself. The only
way to convince the courts otherwise will be your appearance in person.
After they once get full possession of the money they do not care what
becomes of you. Living or dead, you can never get it back again."
He sank down on the bench and buried his face in his hands, thoroughly
unnerved. The girl looked at him a moment in silence, then touched his
shoulder.
"Look here, Mr. Cavendish," she said firmly, "there is no use losing
your nerve. Surely there must be some way of getting out of here. For
one, I am going to try."
He looked up at her, but with no gleam of hope in his eyes.
"I have tried," he replied despondently, "but it is no use. We are
buried alive."
"Yet there must be ways out," she insisted. "The air in that passage
was perfectly pure; do you know anything about it?"
"Yes; it leads to the top of the cliff, up a steep flight of steps.
But it is impossible to reach the passage, and since these Mexicans
came I have reason to believe they keep a guard."
"They were not here, then, at first?"
"Only for a few days; before that two rough-looking fellows, but
Americans, were all I saw. Now they have gone, and Mexicans have taken
their places--they are worse than the others. Do you know what it
means?"
"Only partially. I have overheard some talk. It seems this is a
rendezvous for a band of outlaws headed by one known as Pasqual Mendez.
I have not seen their leader; but his lieutenant had charge of me."
"Miss Donovan," he said with gravity, "we are in the hands of desperate
men. We will have to take desperate measures to outwit them, and we
will have to make desperate breaks to obtain our freedom."
The girl nodded.
"Mr. Cavendish," she said with womanly courage, "you will not find me
wanting. I am ready for anything, even shooting. I do hope you're a
good shot."
Cavendish smiled.
"I have had some experience," he said.
"Then," the girl added, "you had better take the revolver. I never
fired one except on the Fourth of July, and I would not want to trust
to my marksmanship in a pinch. Not that we will meet any such
situation, Mr. Cavendish--I hope we do not--but in case we do I want to
depend upon you."
"I am glad you said that, Miss Donovan; it gives me courage."
The girl handed the revolver over to him without a word and then held
out the cartridge belt. He snapped open the weapon to assure himself
it was loaded and then ran his fingers over the belt pockets.
"Thirty-six rounds," adjusting the belt to his waist; "that ought to
promise a good fight. Do you feel confidence in me again?"
"Yes," she answered, her eyes lifting to meet his. "I trust you."
"Good. I am not a very desperate character, but will do the best I
can. Shall we try the passage?"
"Yes. It is the only hope."
"All right then; I'll go first, and you follow as close as possible.
There mustn't be the slightest sound made."
Cavendish thrust his head cautiously through the door, the revolver
gripped in his hand; Miss Donovan, struggling to keep her nerves
steady, touched the coat of her companion, fearful of being alone. The
passage-way was dark, except for the little bars of light streaming out
through the slits in the stone above the cell doors. These, however,
were sufficient to convince Cavendish that no guards were in the
immediate neighbourhood. He felt the grip of the girl's fingers on his
coat, and reached back to clasp her hand.
"All clear," he whispered. "Hurry, and let's get this door closed."
They slipped through, crouching in the shadow as the door shut behind
them, eagerly seeking to pierce the mystery of the gloom into which the
narrow corridor vanished. Beyond the two cells and their dim rays all
was black silence, yet both felt a strange relief at escaping from the
confines of their prison. The open passage was cool, and the fugitives
felt fresh air upon their cheeks; nowhere did any sound break the
silence. Stella had a feeling as though they were buried alive.
"That--that is the way, is it not?" she asked. "I was brought from
below."
"Yes; it is not far; see, the passage leads upward. Come, we might as
well learn what is ahead."
They advanced slowly, keeping closely against the wall, and testing the
floor cautiously before venturing a step. A few yards plunged them
into total darkness, and, although Cavendish had been conducted along
there a prisoner, he retained small recollection of the nature of the
passage.
Their progress was slow but silent, neither venturing to exchange
speech, but with ears anxiously strained to catch the least sound.
Stella was conscious of the loud beating of her heart, the slight
rasping of Cavendish's feet on the rock floor. The slightest noise
seemed magnified. The grade rose sharply, until it became almost a
climb, yet the floor had evidently been levelled, and there were no
obstructions to add to the difficulty of advance. Then the passage
swerved rather sharply to the right, and Cavendish, leading, halted to
peer about the corner. An instant they both remained motionless, and
then, seeing and hearing nothing, she could restrain her impatience no
longer.
"What is it?" she questioned. "Is there something wrong?"
He reached back and drew her closer, without answering, until her eyes
also were able to look around the sharp edge of rock. Far away, it
seemed a long distance up that narrow tunnel, a lantern glowed dully,
the light so dim and flickering as to scarcely reveal even its
immediate surroundings; yet from that distance, her eyes accustomed to
the dense gloom, she could distinguish enough to quicken her breathing
and cause her to clutch the sleeve of her companion.
The lantern occupied a niche in the side wall at the bottom of a flight
of rude steps. Not more than a half-dozen of these were revealed, but
at their foot, where the passage had been widened somewhat, extended a
stone bench, on which lounged two men. One was lying back, his head
pillowed on a rolled coat, yet was evidently awake; for the other,
seated below him, with knees drawn up for comfort, kept up conversation
in a low voice, the words being inaudible at that distance. Even in
that dim light the two were clearly Mexican.
"What shall we do?" she asked, her lips at Cavendish's ear. "We cannot
pass them--they are on guard."
"I was wondering how close I could creep in before they saw me," he
answered, using the same caution. "If I was only sure they were alone,
and could once get the drop, we might make it."
"You fear there may be others posted at the top?"
"There is quite likely to be; the fellows are evidently taking no
chances of surprise. What do you think best?"
"Even if you succeeded in overawing these two, we would have no way of
securing them. An alarm would be given before we could get beyond
reach. Our only hope of escape lies in getting out of here unseen."
"Yes, and before Cateras is discovered."
"He gave no orders to the guard to return?"
"No; but he will be missed after a while and sought for. We cannot
count on any long delay, and when it is found that he has been knocked
out, and we have disappeared, every inch of this cave will be searched.
There is no place to hide, and only the two ways by which to get out."
"Then, let's go back and try the other," she urged. "That opens
directly into the valley and is probably not guarded. What is
happening now?"
A grey gleam of light struck the steps from above, recognised instantly
as a reflection of day, as though some cover had been uplifted
connecting this underground labyrinth with the clear sky. A dim shadow
touched the illumined rocks for a brief moment, a moving shadow
uncertain in its outlines, grotesque, shapeless: and then the daylight
vanished as suddenly as it dawned. There was a faint click, as though
a door closed, while darkness resumed sway, the silence unbroken, but
for the scraping of a step on those rude stairs. The two guards below
came to their feet, rigid in the glow of the lantern, their faces
turned upward. Then a man came slowly down the last few steps and
joined them.