"My name is Flatters," he answered in Arabic. "Thou mayest, perhaps,
have heard of me in thy wanderings through the Desert?"
"Flatters!" I cried. "Art thou Colonel Flatters, the lost explorer
whom the French have sought these three whole years?"
"The same," he answered, sighing deeply, his arms crossed over his
breast. "For three years I have been held captive in this noisome Land
of Sa."
His tall dark figure stood out against the starlight, his head bowed in
dejection. By this brave explorer's exploits the whole world had more
than once been thrilled. By his intrepidity and ability to withstand
the sudden extremes of heat and cold in our Great Desert, the French War
Department had been enabled to complete their map of the Saharan plains.
It was he who explored all the hitherto unknown region around El Biodh;
who discovered and published explanations of the wonderful ruins of
Tikbaben; who found the Afeli source; who climbed the mountain of
Iraouen, and penetrated the country of the Ennitra, into which even we
of the Azjar feared to venture. Twice he traversed the stony Tinghert
tableland; but on the third occasion, while in the far south near Lake
Tsad, he suddenly disappeared, and although the French authorities had
offered a reward of ten thousand francs to any one who could solve the
mystery of his death or capture, and had sent two formidable expeditions
across the desert, with a view of obtaining some tidings of him, all
efforts had been futile.
Yet he had been here, a prisoner in the hands of these uncanny dwellers
beneath the earth's surface!
"Hast thou made no attempt to escape?" I enquired, as he seated himself
wearily upon a ledge of rock near me.
"Yes," he answered despondently; "but my diaries and geological
collections have been lost. All egress from this place is closed. Yon
rocks are too sheer and high to be scaled, and the black flood hath
risen so that there is neither entrance nor exit."
Briefly, I told him the manner in which I found myself in that dark
cavern with its noisy torrent, and when I had finished he explained the
manner in which he had disappeared.
"I set forth from Algiers with five European companions, and after
travelling for nine months along unfrequented paths in the inhospitable
Ahaggar, found myself at Mount El Aghil alone, all my fellow-travellers
having died. Unable to return by the route I had come on account of the
fierce hostility of the Kel-Rhela, whose vengeance I had narrowly
escaped, I was compelled to push on still southward through the Air
country, reaching at last, close to the dried-up course of the
Igharghar, a large and curious oasis, the earth of which was perfectly
black and quite soft, contrasting strangely with the dull red sand of
the surrounding desert. The vegetation was luxuriant, water-melons grew
in rich profusion, and in exploring it I discovered, to my astonishment,
a small but beautiful lake. About the oasis were large rocks, and in
one of these I found an opening with curious signs rudely curved at the
entrance. They appeared to be the hieroglyphics of some ancient race,
and their strange character aroused my curiosity. Unlike any hitherto
discovered, they were of huge design, representing men, monstrosities,
and animals of unknown species, yet only superficially outlined,
apparently with the most inadequate tools. Not only were they at the
entrance, but on lighting a torch I found the interior of the cavern
completely covered by these grotesque drawings; and it was while engaged
in these interesting investigations that I suddenly stumbled into a
narrow chasm that had evidently been hidden by dried branches to form a
pitfall for the unwary. When I recovered consciousness I, like thyself,
found myself captive in the hands of these fierce primitive barbarians
of the nether world."
"But who are they?" I enquired. "I have never heard mention of them
before."
"Nor I," he answered. "To our world they are as absolutely unknown as
this mighty subterranean flood. During my captivity I have managed to
learn some words of their tongue. Their gloomy, mysterious region is
known to them as Sa."
"But the river itself amazes me," I observed.
"True. Our accidental discoveries have proved an important geographical
fact hitherto undreamed-of, namely, that the reason the mighty Igharghar
no longer flows to irrigate the desert is because it has found a
subterranean channel, and for ages has been still roaring on beneath its
ancient bed towards the sea."
"Whence, in your opinion, cometh this mysterious river?" I enquired.
"From Lake Tsad, undoubtedly. The fish in its waters, although grey and
sightless, because of the perpetual darkness in which they live, are of
the same species as those I found in the lake. The strangest part of my
adventure is that these people, never having before seen a white man,
believe me to be some supernatural visitant, and worship me as Sa, their
principal god."
Then, while he listened attentively, I told him of the cavern where the
river apparently rushed out into the open air, and suggested that, as a
desperate and last resource, we might endeavour to escape by plunging
into the chilly stream and allowing ourselves to be carried forth into
the unknown. On due consideration, however, we agreed that this project
was not feasible, on account of the swollen state of the dark flood, and
as an alternative resolved to steal one of the canoes and explore the
upper reaches of the mysterious underground stream. This decision we
followed by immediate action. The explorer, obtaining a roughly
fashioned hammer of stone from his own little cave, quickly severed my
fetters, and together we crept out across the small deserted grass-plain
to where the boats were moored. In one of them we found paddles,
torches and spears, and, stepping in, pushed off and shot silently out
into the darkness. Ere we had done so, however, we heard a loud ringing
shout close to the bank. Our flight had been discovered.
We each seized a paddle and pulled away with all our might against the
stream. Quickly we entered the cavern opposite that through which I had
been conveyed. The blackness was complete, but we strained every muscle
in our efforts to propel forward our frail craft. Soon behind us we
heard the wild, fierce yells of our pursuers, and knowing that their
eyes, accustomed to that appalling gloom, could discern objects where we
of the outer world could detect nothing, we feared lest we might be
overtaken. Their angry voices echoed weirdly along the rocky roof, and
we could hear the violent splashing of their paddles as they sped along
in our wake.
In this mad dash into the unknown realm of perpetual night we shot
forward with utter disregard of what dangers lay before. We knew not,
from one moment to another, whether we were heading up the great broad
river, or whether rowing straight towards the rocky sides of the cavern.
So light and flimsy was our craft that the least collision with a piece
of jutting rock would have sent us down to depths unfathomable. At that
moment we were enveloped by an hundred perils.
To our surprise and profound satisfaction, we at length realised that
the voices of our irate pursuers were growing fainter. They had
evidently mistaken the direction we had taken, therefore we slowed up,
and presently rested, spent and panting.
I could hear the French officer's hard breathing, but the darkness was
so intense that we could not see each other.
"We have unconsciously entered a tributary of the main stream," he
observed, gasping for breath. "Listen, the sounds are receding. At
least for the present we are safe. Let us rest."
Nothing loth, I bent slowly across my paddle, now and then pulling a few
strokes to prevent us drifting, and discussing our position in a low
voice so that no echo should betray our presence. Thus we remained
fully half-an-hour, until both of us had refreshed ourselves, then
together we paddled on swiftly, yet full of caution. No glimmer of
light penetrated that dispiriting gloom, and we feared to ignite one of
our torches. Toiling forward, the perspiration rolling off us in great
beads, we still continued pulling against the strong current for several
hours, until suddenly we saw before us two large shafts of brilliant
light striking down from above into the water. Slowly we approached
lest any of the denizens of Sa should be lurking there; but ere long, as
we came nearer, our eyes were dazzled by a sight so amazing that
expressions of wonder involuntarily escaped our parched lips.
In the light before us we saw clearly outlined a colossal face with
hideous grin, carved from the black rock. It was truly gigantic,
marvellously fashioned, with huge ears and an expression absolutely
demoniacal, the two shafts of bright light issuing forth from the eyes
giving it an expression of intense ferocity. We rested on our paddles
beneath it, and looked up aghast.
"This," cried Colonel Flatters, "must be the god Sa, of whom I have
heard so much during my sojourn with these people. He is their
principal deity, and supposed to be the inexorable guardian of this
remarkable kingdom."
"See!" I exclaimed, regarding the extraordinary stone countenance in
amazement. "The light from those eyes is sunlight! They are merely
holes upon which the sun is shining full!"
And such it proved to be. Through the round apertures far up above,
light and air were admitted from the desert.
When at last our vision became accustomed to the welcome rays of light
we made another bewildering discovery. The rock descended sheer into
the black flood, but in little niches which had been rudely fashioned
lay small heaps of gold ornaments and glittering gems, the sacrifices of
this stone god's votaries. Together we pulled our canoe close to the
rock, taking care that the rapid swirl of the current did not hurl our
craft against the jagged stones, and with my hand I clutched a heap of
fine ornaments set with emeralds, pearls, and diamonds. In the sunlight
we both examined them, finding they were evidently of very ancient
manufacture, possibly the spoils of war against some long-forgotten but
cultured nation. In workmanship they were similar to the ornaments
found in the tombs of ancient Egypt; they had evidently never been
manufactured by the barbarous people into whose possession they had
passed.
Before us was blackness impenetrable, and upon our ears there broke a
distant roar, as of a cataract. The sound appalled us. If a cataract
actually lay before, then escape was absolutely hopeless.
But the fact that far above gleamed the sun gave us renewed courage, and
after some discussion we became convinced that, this colossal face being
regarded as the guardian of the unexplored country, an exit existed
there. After some difficulty we ignited one of our torches, and with it
stuck in the bows of the canoe, rode backwards and forwards, minutely
examining the base of the rock. Once we passed so near that my
companion was able to secure a handful of gems for himself, and both of
us secreted these stolen votive offerings about our garments. The two
parallel shafts of light from the eyes of the graven monstrosity,
striking deep into the river, revealed curious fish and water-snakes
disporting themselves around the boat, while great black bats which had
come in through the two openings, startled by our presence, circled
about us ominously with wide-spread flapping wings.
The water glittering beneath the torch's uncertain rays, flowed past so
swiftly, that we were compelled to continue pulling in order to remain
abreast of the idol. Long and earnestly we both searched to find some
means by which we could reach the two holes that formed the idol's eyes;
yet they seemed so small that it was questionable whether, even if we
successfully clambered up the sculptured face, we could squeeze our
bodies through. A dozen times we allowed the canoe to drift past, while
I endeavoured to discover some means by which to reach those glaring
eyes. But the bright sunlight dazzled us, and beyond the tiny niches
filled with jewels there was no other inequality to serve as foothold to
gain the narrow ledge which formed the lips. Again, if I made a false
step I should be instantly swept away by the swirling current, and lost
for ever in the dark whirling flood.
At length however my companion, muscular and agile, succeeded in
springing clear of the canoe and gripping one of the small niches,
tossing the jewels into the water by his frantic efforts. For an
instant he struggled, his legs dangling in mid-air; then presently his
toes found foothold, and he commenced slowly to clamber up the chin of
the gigantic visage towards a kind of long ledge. I watched his
progress breathlessly, not daring to utter a word, but keeping the canoe
in readiness to row after him if he fell. With difficulty he ascended,
clinging on to the face of the rock until he reached the great grinning
mouth and stood up facing me.
"What do you find?" I shouted, my voice echoing weirdly. I had noticed
that as he glanced along the spot where he stood his face became
transfixed by horror.
"Follow me!" he replied hoarsely. "Have a care, a single false step
means death."
At that instant the boat was passing the spot where he had gripped the
rock's face, and without hesitation I followed his example and sprang,
clutching the narrow slippery ledge with both hands. My feet found a
resting-place, yet next second a thought which crossed my mind held me
appalled. I had omitted to moor the boat.
Over my shoulder I throw a hasty glance. It had already drifted out of
sight.
I heard my white companion shouting, but taking no heed toiled on up the
great face until a strong helping hand gripped mine, and I found myself
standing beside him upon the narrow ledge forming the lips of the
hideous countenance.
Next instant, glancing round, my eyes encountered a sight which hold me
petrified.
A long dark aperture, about the height of myself, formed the mouth, and
set therein were broad sharp teeth of rusted sword-blades, which
overlapping, prevented entrance to the cavernous throat. Twenty blades
were set in the jaw above and twenty below, forming an impassable
barrier of razor-edged spikes. Our only means of escape being cut off
by the drifting of the canoe, one fact alone remained to give us
courage. From where we stood we recognised the utter impossibility of
passing through, the eyes of the colossus, yet, as together we looked at
the formidable teeth, we saw a human skeleton lying beneath them. The
skull was beyond the row of blades, the legs towards us, proving that
some means existed by which those jaws could be opened. The unfortunate
man had, apparently, been impaled by the descending blades while in the
act of escaping.
After brief consultation we began an active search to discover the means
by which the mouth could be opened. What lay beyond in that dark
cavernous throat we knew not, though we strained our eyes into the
blackness, and shook the sharp steel spikes in a vain endeavour to
loosen them. For a full hour we searched, discovering nothing to lead
us to any solution of the problem. That freedom lay beyond we felt
convinced, by reason of the light and air from above; but whatever were
the means employed to raise the deadly jaw they were a secret. Time
after time we examined every nook and crevice minutely, until at last,
when just about to give up our search as futile, I suddenly espied,
projecting from the river's surface, a short bar of iron, with the
appearance of a lever.
To reach it was imperative, therefore at imminent risk I let myself
carefully over the edge of the rock, slowly lowering my body until I
could grip it. Beneath my weight it slowly gave way, and next instant
there was a loud gurgling as of water drawn in by a vacuum, followed
immediately by a harsh metallic grating sound.
"At last!" I heard the Colonel cry in French. "It rises! Be careful
how you ascend."
Slowly, and with infinite care, I crept upward, but as I did so I heard
my companion's echoing footsteps receding into the gloomy throat of Sa,
yet just as I had gained the ledge forming the lips I heard a piercing
shriek, followed by a loud splash.
I shouted, but there was no answer. My companion had stumbled into some
chasm, and I was alone. The light of the hideous eyes had died out, and
the spot was in almost total darkness. A dozen times I called his name,
but there was no reassuring reply. Then, cautiously creeping forward
upon my hands and knees, fearing the worst, I soon came to the edge of
an abyss. Some stones I gathered and flung in. By the sound of the
splash I knew the water must be of enormous depth. There, in that dark
uncanny spot, had Colonel Flatters, the great explorer, whose
intrepidity has been for years admired by the world, met his death.
A long time I spent alternately shouting and listening. He might, I
reflected, have been saved by falling stunned upon some rocky ledge.
But I remembered hearing the splash. No, he had undoubtedly been
precipitated into the water: the inky flood had closed over him.
After diligent search I found a spot where the abyss ended, and again
crept forward, still in darkness most intense. Yet the air seemed
fresh, and I felt convinced that some outlet must lay beyond. How long,
however, I toiled on in that narrow tunnel I know not, save that its
dampness chilled me; and when at last it widened in ascending, I found
myself a few minutes afterwards amid brushwood and brambles in the outer
world.
That night I wandered across the large fertile tract, but could not at
first recognise it. When dawn spread, however, I saw around me a ridge
of dunes that were familiar landmarks, and recognised, to my amazement,
that I was at the oasis of Am Ohannan, on the direct caravan route that
runs across the barren Afelele to Touat.
I had travelled nearly seventy miles in a subterranean region unknown to
man, but in so doing had solved the problem that had so long puzzled
geographers, the reason why the Igharghar no longer flowed. Besides, I
had ascertained the fate of the hapless explorer, whose loss is lamented
by both Arabs and Roumis to this day. Within one moon of my escape I
was enabled to rejoin my people, and when news of my adventure reached
the Bureau Arabe, in Algiers, I was summoned thither to give a detailed
account of it before a small assembly of geographers and military
officers.
This I did, a report of it appearing in English in _The Geographical
Journal_ a month later. Of late, several attempts have been made by
French expeditions to reach that uncanny realm of eternal darkness, but
without success. Its entrance beneath the dry cataract of the Igharghar
is now merely an overflowing well, around which a little herbage has
grown, while its exit on the Am Ohannan I have unfortunately failed to
re-discover. But since this strange adventure I have been known among
my fellow tribesmen throughout the desert as "El Waci," or The Teacher,
because I have been enabled to prove to the French the existence of an
undreamed-of region, and to elucidate the Secret of Sa.