UNDER THE STARS
Forrester and his enemies alike were for the moment paralysed by the
horror of the tragic scene. Before they had recovered their wits,
Beresford dashed up behind his friend, and cried to him to tear up the
plank. Only one who had not seen the actual occurrence could have
intervened at such a moment.
"Quick, man!" cried Beresford, amazed at the other's sluggishness.
Pulling himself together, Forrester stooped and helped Beresford to haul
the plank to their own side of the ledge, leaving an impassable gap
between them and their enemies. Only by swimming could they now be
reached, and Forrester felt, with a return of his nausea, that the
priest, after the object lesson he had just had, would recoil from so
terrible a risk.
"Bring the plank back into the cavern," said Beresford. "There's no
time to lose."
They hurried back. On hearing Forrester's shout, Beresford had
descended the shaft with reckless speed, and hurried through the passage
after him. When he gained the cavern pursuer and pursued had
disappeared through the entrance. Dashing after them, he levelled the
two negritos, now at last awaking from their torpor, with blows left and
right. He said afterwards that it was monstrously unfair--like hitting
children. Too late to witness the fate of the priest, he perceived what
had escaped Forrester's over-wrought mind--that only the destruction of
the bridge could save them from the Old Man's immediate vengeance.
Whether it would result in their complete and final salvation was on the
knees of the gods.
Returning to the cavern, they caught up the spears of the negritos, and
carried them and the plank to their customary quarters at the further
end. Of the Chinese prisoners, only Wing Wu and his cousin had enough
spirit left to interest themselves in the extraordinary incidents of the
past few minutes: the others had scarcely stirred in their sleep.
"Lie down, my lad," said Beresford kindly, as Wing Wu came to meet him,
his eyes gleaming with a light not seen in them for many a day. "You
will want all your strength. You shall know all about it, presently."
As he spoke, he reeled against Forrester, who caught him in his arms and
lowered him gently to the floor.
"Decidedly groggy," he murmured with a haggard smile. "I'm sorry to be
such a nuisance to you, old man. Give me a minute or two: then--by
George! I shall talk!"
He closed his eyes, and lay for a while silent on his back, his panting
nostrils telling how great had been the tax upon his weakened frame. By
and by he looked up at Forrester, reclining near him.
"Thank Heaven, my brain is clear!" he began. "What an absurd thing
one's body is! ... Now, they'll either rebuild the bridge and storm us,
or do nothing, and starve us out. It depends on whether the Old Man can
bear the thought of extinguishing us without using the Eye! Either way,
we are doomed--unless we get out. That's as much as to say that we must
get out at once. We must! And we must let our friends above know when
to expect us Scribble a note to Mackenzie, then: we pop out of the
chimney to-morrow night."
"Is it possible?" Forrester asked.
"You will manage it. If I am not mistaken, a few hours' work with the
iron will pierce through to the surface. Only take the greatest care."
"And what then?"
"There you have me! I haven't an idea. But I am inclined to think that
your canny, close Scot is ready for us, has his plan of campaign
thoroughly mapped out. I trust him the more because he has told us
nothing. Well, you mount first--I'm afraid that's inevitable----"
"Of course----"
"I follow when you give the word, and I think our two young Chinese
friends here will be men enough to join us. We make four: Mackenzie
will have Jackson and your shikari, I suppose; your cook is useless as a
fighting man?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. He is rather a timorous creature."
"And my plucky little Tibetan--I'd be glad to think he might make one of
us. But this is all guess-work: we can only be sure of six or seven.
Obviously six or seven can't tackle two or three hundred well-fed
Chinamen and some scores of negritos. Mackenzie has perhaps discovered
the way down into the rift, and means us to slip off in the dark.
Guess-work again! Let us leave all that. Take a good sleep; then
tighten your belt, and ply that bit of iron to bore our passage. Please
the Powers, we'll worm our way into God's air before twenty-four hours
are up."
With no means of telling the time, Forrester slept brokenly, and was at
work long before day had dawned above. To guard against danger from the
falling earth, he got Wing Wu to demolish the sentry-box, and lay the
material in gridiron pattern across the covering of the pit. Then,
mounting into the chimney, he prised out the clay bit by bit, and
afterwards the crumbling earth above it, cutting the hole to the shape
of a narrow cone.
As the work progressed, the sound of running water grew more and more
distinct. Forrester knew that if the bed of the stream were pierced,
there would be a swift end to their tribulations. He could only hope
for the best, and persevere. How long he worked he never knew; so much
engrossed was he that he did not remember he had had no food. There was
no sign of interruption. Beresford remained on guard in the outer
cavern, listening for the footsteps of the Old Man's minions, the
ministers of the Law of the Eye. But not a sound was heard from the
direction of the lake. It seemed that the Old Man was content to bide
his time.
It was a blissful moment when Forrester, thrusting the iron upwards into
the earth, felt suddenly that there was no resistance. When he withdrew
it, a thin slit of white light appeared at the apex of the cone. He had
pierced the surface, and a great joy thrilled him, for he knew that he
had not touched the stream. But he was instantly aware of a double
danger. The hole, small as it was, might be seen. Even if it were not
seen, a chance passer-by might tread upon it and break through. Would
Fortune, he wondered, stand their friend? Nothing more, at any rate,
could be risked while daylight lasted.
He descended, and hurried to give Beresford the great news. Beresford
pressed his hand.
"To-night!" he said. "Now for these lads here."
Quietly, as though telling a tale, he informed the two young Chinamen of
the bare fact that a way had been opened for them to the upper world.
"Will you join us?" he asked. "There are friends above. What may lie
before us we cannot tell: we may have to fight for our lives. Will you
take the risks?"
Wing Wu assented eagerly; free from the domination of the priests he was
a different being. His cousin was less ready; on being shown the
ladder, and the cross-bars rising one above another until they almost
disappeared, he shook his head, declaring that he had no strength for
the feat demanded. The others forbore to urge him.
"He will try when he sees the rest of us go up," Beresford remarked
confidently. "Our plan is fixed? You mount first; at your signal we
follow. You and I will take the negritos' spears. The only other
weapons are the iron bar and the knife. Wing Wu can take the bar; the
other man the knife. We wait only for darkness."
The period of waiting was trying to them all. Time after time Forrester
went into the inner cavern, and peered up the perpendicular tunnel at
the tiny streak of light. The elder Chinamen, dull-eyed and listless,
merely wailed for food. The two negritos paced restlessly about the
larger cavern, looking again and again through the entrance towards the
farther end of the ledge, now silent and deserted. More than once
Forrester went to the cleft to see whether his last message had been
drawn up; but the bone remained where he had laid it. This added
tenfold to their anxiety, for without the co-operation of their friends
they would be like men lost in a wilderness. The chimney, indeed,
penetrated to the open air, not to a roofed chamber; but at what spot,
whether in an unenclosed field, or in a walled garden or courtyard, they
had no means of telling. Without a guide, they might as well be in
Minos' labyrinth. One consideration, however, prevailed over all
others: to remain below was to starve; above ground, they could at least
die fighting.
At last it seemed to Forrester that the streak above was becoming
fainter. He stared upwards, until convinced beyond doubt that the
shades of evening were falling. Quickly the light faded. All was dark.
He rushed to the cavern to tell Beresford, then hurried back, mounted
the scaffolding, and with his spear slightly enlarged the hole at the
top. The gurgle of water struck more loudly upon his ear. A footfall
startled him, and he held his hand in sickening dread that the fatal
discovery was made. The sound passed and died away, but the scare made
him defer further work until later, when he might suppose the enemy were
sound asleep.
When every minute seemed an hour, it was impossible to gauge the flight
of time. But, all allowances being made for their impatience, Beresford
judged that three or four hours had passed before he suggested that it
was now safe to resume operations. Once more Forrester scraped away at
the hole. The glimmer of stars lent him encouragement and hope. Inch
by inch the earth fell away; he pushed his hand through; at last, in
quivering suspense, his head. He drew in great gulps of the sweet air,
that was like champagne to him after the noisome atmosphere below. And
with eager eyes, little above the level of the ground, he looked about
him.
It was very dark; only a faint shine from the stars thinned the
blackness. Almost at once he became aware that while the view before
him was unobstructed, it was shut out behind by a mound of earth. From
beyond this he heard the slow wash of the stream, and he gasped with
thankfulness that the iron had escaped the channel, apparently by
inches.
Nothing was in sight but the dark shapes of bushes, arbours, and the
pile of buildings beyond. He was holding himself rigid, listening for
sounds, wondering what he must do, when a slight, slow hiss struck upon
his ear. Was it merely the rustle of the breeze? It came again. His
message had not been received; no friend, it seemed, could be awaiting
him; if the sound were human, could it proceed from anyone but an enemy?
He waited, tense, watchful, scarcely breathing. Then he started, for a
few yards away, at the base of the embankment, a dark shape was
stirring. Instinctively he tightened his clutch upon the spear, though
he knew that with only his head above ground he could do nothing to
defend himself. His one precaution was to sink down until only his eyes
and scalp were above the surface.
He could not yet distinguish whether the form was that of an animal or
of a man. It lifted itself, became gradually erect, and moved very
slowly, almost imperceptibly, towards him. Then he began to recognise
something familiar and friendly in the shape; he raised his head a
little; a rush of hot blood made him dizzy; and he almost swooned with
unspeakable joy and thankfulness when he heard a whisper in old Mac's
well-known voice.
[Illustration: A rush of hot blood made him dizzy, and he almost swooned
when he heard a whisper in old Mac's well-known voice.]
"Dick!"
"Be careful!" Forrester murmured anxiously. "Don't come too near. Your
weight may break through."
"Now, quick! How many do you muster?"
"Beresford and two Chinamen. There are others--helpless."
"So! Bring up the able-bodied, and make for yon summer-house; you
see!--a yard or two away. Wait for me there."
Mackenzie crept silently away: he never wasted words. Not till
afterwards did Forrester learn how the patient Scotsman had prowled
about the grounds nightly in order to guard against the contingency that
had actually happened--the sudden appearance of the prisoners above
ground. Hamid Gul had accidentally dropped the string down the grating
when trying to tie it to a bar, and having no more to spare, could
neither send nor receive a message.
Forrester withdrew his head, and set to work to enlarge the hole for the
passage of his shoulders. It was an unexpectedly slow process. He
dared not hack vigorously for fear of bringing a mass of earth tumbling
in upon him, or of piercing the embankment and letting down a deluge.
But he picked away patiently until the gap was large enough to scramble
through.
Then he gave the long-awaited word, and heaved himself to the surface.
In spite of his care, a chunk of earth broke from the edge and fell down
the chimney, breaking and scattering on the bamboos laid across the
slab. Beresford waited a moment or two; then he mounted, without
accident, and after him Wing Wu. The three men crouched near the hole,
waiting for Chung Tong to appear. It seemed that he would never come.
Time was flying; the dawn could not be far off. Presently they heard an
ascending scale of sighs as the Chinaman, pricked by fear of loneliness
to follow them, climbed the bars one by one, each upward move
accompanied with a sigh. When his head emerged, Forrester and Beresford
caught his shoulders, and heaved him through, not without disturbing
clods that fell with ominous thuds, just audible, on the screen.
Forrester lead the way stealthily to the summer-house indicated by
Mackenzie. There Mackenzie and Jackson, with Hamid Gul, were awaiting
them. For a few moments speechless greetings passed between the
reunited friends; their hearts were full; feeling was too intense to
find expression in word. When Mackenzie at last spoke, there was an
unusual huskiness in his tones.
"Come now, listen, all of you. We are in a garden; there's a seven-foot
wall around it. Beyond the wall is a larger enclosure. That's where the
buildings are. Dick, you and I are going through Hamid's quarters and
the kitchen into the pagoda. We are going to collar the Eye!"
A thrill shook them all.
"Hamid knows where it is. If we canna do it, we capture the Old Man,
and hold him as a hostage. There's a sentry in the antechamber leading
to his apartments. There's another at the principal outer door, which
opens to the enclosure yonder. They're likely fast asleep. We'll no
meddle with the man at the principal door. The other--we'll have to
deal with him. If there's an alarm, the rest of ye just bolt for yon
door, and do your best to hold it against the priests. If the sentry
has gone inside, one or two of ye follow him up. You've got arms of a
sort: you can change 'em for the two-three things we've brought if you
like 'em better. It's touch and go, ye ken. We must be swift and sure.
We canna fight hundreds; but with yon old de'il's Eye in our possession,
we can defy him and his priests too. Bob, you'll be in charge here, and
this gentleman--Mr. Beresford, I presume--will likely give you every
assistance."
"You may be sure of that," said Beresford.
"Well, that's all. We'll shed our boots. Then, Hamid, lead the way."
Mackenzie took a hoe from a bench; Hamid was armed with a kitchen
chopper. They went out, followed by Forrester with his spear.
Stealthily crossing the garden, they scaled the wall, dropped lightly on
to the grass, and crept across to the door of Hamid's quarters. From
this they passed into the kitchen, and thence into the passage.
At the further end was a door on which was a huge lock. But, as Hamid
had noticed on his daily visits to the inner apartments, the lock had
long since fallen into disrepair, and been replaced by a single latch
worked from the inside--eloquent testimony to the fear inspired by the
Eye. The point of Forrester's spear, passed through the space between
the door and the side-post, sufficed to raise the latch. Mackenzie
cautiously pushed the door open, not without a slight creaking, and
signed to Hamid to pass through before him.
The cook, nerved by the presence of the sahibs, led them into a corridor
dimly lit by small oriental lamps. On bare feet they stole along by the
wall, towards the door at the further end. A priest was squatting
there, with knees up, and head down bent. Mackenzie drew from his pocket
a woollen pad--it had been borrowed from his blanket--and two or three
short pieces of cord. These he handed to Forrester with a significant
look. Then, stealing forward in advance of Hamid, he crept up to the
dozing sentry, and with a sudden swoop clutched him round the throat
before he had time to utter a sound. Forrester, just behind, stooped
and thrust the gag into his gaping jaws. They turned him face
downwards, and a few rapid twists of the cord left him trussed like a
fowl at the doorway.
Stepping over him, they pushed the door gently. Mackenzie peeped round
its edge. The ante-chamber within was empty. Through this they tiptoed.
The door at the further end yielded to their touch, and they passed into
a second ante-chamber, lit by more lamps than the first. A slight but
prolonged creak as the door opened came near to being their undoing, for
thirty feet ahead, at the entrance to the Old Man's apartment, sat a
second sentry, whom Mackenzie had not allowed for; and the sound roused
him from his slumber. He rose lazily, without any sign of alarm,
expecting vaguely, perhaps, that his colleague without was coming to
pass an hour with him. But Mackenzie realised that nothing but extreme
quickness could save the situation, and even as he darted forward to
tackle the man, the latter let out a loud shout of alarm. It was his
first and last cry. Mackenzie drove at him with the full strength of
muscles hardened by weeks of spade work, and he fell like a log.
Meanwhile Hamid, with Forrester close at heel, had run on into the inner
chamber--the sanctum in which the Old Man of the Mountain slept, ate,
and meditated on the Law of the Eye. Like all old men, he was a light
sleeper. His functionary's cry had awakened him, and as the two men
burst in, they saw his thin, wizened, almost ghoulish frame half risen
from his golden couch. The lamplight fell upon his blazing eyes, wide
with wonder, resentment and, when he caught sight of Forrester, fury.
Hamid shrank before his paralysing glare, retaining enough presence of
mind, however, to lift his trembling arm and point to the golden lattice
behind which the fantastic head-dress reposed in its recess, illuminated
by its own special lamp.
The Old Man observed the movement. His expression changed; it might have
been said that terror spoke for the nonce from that cold, mask-like
countenance. With agility amazing in so decrepit a figure he leapt from
his couch, and darted towards the sacred recess. But Forrester was too
quick for him. He sprang to the wall, turned his back so as to cover
the lattice completely, and raised his spear to meet the expected
attack.
[Illustration: He sprang to the wall, and raised his spear to meet the
expected attack.]
For one moment the Old Man glared upon him with eyes that cut like
knives. Then, with a sudden swift movement that took Forrester utterly
by surprise, he sprang towards a richly gilded hanging that covered the
adjacent wall. Forrester wrenched open the lattice, seized the
head-dress to make sure of it, and, oblivious for the moment that his
incautious handling of it might shiver him to dust, darted after the
retreating figure. The hanging swung aside, closing immediately behind
the Chinaman. Forrester heard a slight click, and when he drew the
curtain aside, was confronted with nothing but a bare wainscoting of
panelled wood. The Old Man was gone.