"I soon recovered from my passing weakness, and, crawling on my hands
and knees, I made my way, as quickly as possible, to the reservoir,
and, as I feared, the grave of my friends.
"The flood, now that it had vanquished every obstacle, seemed to have
abated its fury. A moment before, it had thrown me down to the ground
and carried me away; now it drew me onwards and swept me along its
granite bed, but I was master of it. I did not lose my breath, and I
was no longer helpless.
"When I reached the reservoir I clung to the trunk of a tree which
had been overthrown by the hurricane and I peered down into the
whirlpool.
"It was surging, boiling, lashing itself into fury against the walls
of its prison, and looked like some sea let loose by the tempest,
which, confined once more in limits too narrow for it, sought for
freedom.
"And in this whirlpool I saw nothing—nothing; the dead bodies of my
friends rose not to the surface, were nowhere to be seen. Some eddy,
doubtless, had formed and held them captive below.
"Ah! there was no hesitation now. I have told you that I was mad with
grief. I had but one wish—to join them, to be buried with them in
their watery grave.
"But, at the very moment when my hands were loosening their grasp of
the tree they had so eagerly clutched, at the very moment when my
body hung over the abyss, I heard a voice. I stopped and listened.
"It was Ali calling me.
"What was he to me? More fortunate, more calculating than my
companions, he doubtless had not taken refuge in the cavern and was
saved.
"Once more I hung over the abyss, but fresh voices sounded on my ear,
a few paces from me, as if from the ledge I had just left.
"I listened—it was Delange's voice—and then Périères spoke.
"How came they there, behind me, instead of being below my feet, at
the bottom of the abyss? By what miracle had they been saved?
"I could not think—I imagined I was dreaming—I was mad.
"I turned round, crying out, 'here I am, here I am!' and toiled
painfully up towards the ledge, struggling now against the current,
but buoyed up with hope and courage.
"At last I managed to crawl out of the bed which the torrent had
hollowed out, I stood once more on my feet, and made my way towards
the place whence the voices came.
"I saw Périères and Delange.
"As soon as they caught sight of me they rushed towards me.
"'Ah!' I exclaimed, looking round in all directions, and with my
voice trembling with emotion, 'Madame de Guéran is not with you! She
has perished?'
"'No, no,' said Périères, 'she is saved!'
"'Nobody has perished,' added Delange, 'neither Madame de Guéran, nor
Miss Poles!'
"'Where are they?' I asked.
"'Close by, under the care of our guide; they are bruised and
battered about, but they have not sustained any serious injury.'
"Then I raised my eyes to look at our two friends, and I saw that
their hands and faces were bleeding.
"'What is the matter with you? What has happened?' I exclaimed. 'Tell
me all—I do not understand. Is it really you? Are you alive, and how
is it that you, by some blessed chance, were able to leave the
cavern, without my seeing you, before that terrible accident
happened? And, then, how comes this blood, these wounds? Why are you
hurt?'
"'We were under the rock, in the reservoir,' said Périères.
"'Impossible.'
"'Quite true,' said Delange.
"'But how?'
"'How?' he replied. 'At the bottom of the reservoir, and at one end
there is a large opening, a sort of subterranean passage debouching
on to a lower ledge. The torrent, rushing into the cavern, hurled us
towards this opening, dragged us into the passage, and, after a
second or two, threw us back, half-suffocated, wounded, bleeding, as
you see us, but alive—very much alive, as you may perceive.'
"I began to understand, my head became clearer, I could collect my
ideas, and I had no more fear for my reason.
"'You are certain,' said I, 'that Madame de Guéran is not seriously
injured?'
"'I assure you,' replied Delange, 'that her forehead and wrists alone
are hurt. Miss Poles has always some plaister with her (rather stiff
from the bath it has had), and at this moment she is dressing the
wounds of the Baroness as skilfully as I could do it myself.'
"'And you may add,' continued Périères, looking at me with a somewhat
mournful smile, 'that Madame de Guéran is very anxious about you, my
dear friend, and is wondering if you have not been crushed by the
trees, carried away by the torrent, and, moreover, has insisted on
our coming to look after you.'
"'Then,' I exclaimed, 'let us hasten to set her mind at rest.'
"'Come along, my rival,' whispered Périères to me.
"But as he spoke, his unwounded hand sought mine, as if the brave
fellow were asking for pardon for the momentary impulse of jealousy
to which he had given way.
"'Ah,' said I, as we all made our way towards the lower ledge, 'your
safety is indeed, a source of joy to me; but I should be happier
still if it were not for one thing—I have a revenge to take, and I do
not see my way to it.'
"'You have plenty of time before you,' replied Périères; 'our _rôle_
will, perhaps, speedily be reversed, and you will be the foremost.'
"'That is what I long for.'
"'De Morin,' said Delange, suddenly, 'suppose we have our little
game?'
"'Surely, Doctor, you are not serious?' said I.
"'No, my dear fellow, I am too damp.'
"'And a good thing, too,' I replied; 'for if you had been in earnest
I would have throttled you, and so have got rid, once and for all, of
you and your cards. I have no right to break my word, or to fail to
carry out my engagement, but nothing prevents my putting an end to
you.'
"'Nothing, I admit. Only, you would not be placed in such an
extremity. You lost yesterday, and it is I who have to meet your
wishes.'
"'True, I forgot it. Then I substitute a bet for the cards.'
"'What?'
"'That I will reach the rock near which I see Madame de Guéran before
you do.'
"'Done,' said Delange, 'it will warm me.'
"He started off in the required direction in such earnest as to
convince me that, however seriously his hands and face were damaged,
his legs were intact. I left off running, for I did not want to come
upon Madame de Guéran like an avalanche, though I was very anxious
that she should see, as quickly as possible, that I was safe and
sound. Delange thus became my unconscious messenger, and his run cost
me a thousand francs.
"When I reached Madame de Guéran, in due course, I held out my hands,
which she grasped warmly, and as I looked at her I saw that she was
pale and agitated.
"'We escaped rather well!' said she, smiling.
"'I thought you were dead,' was my reply.
"'And what would you have done?' said she, turning towards me with
that frank look which you one evening noticed.
"'I should have died, too.'
"'Truly?' she asked, still looking at me.
"'Truly.'
"'I believe you,' she said, and she once more held out her hand,
which, carried away by an irresistible impulse, I raised to my lips.
"Périères came up at this moment, and then I remembered Miss Poles,
who might be hurt at my not having enquired after her. I went to her,
and found her sitting, leaning against a rock, with Delange on his
knees before her, binding up her foot.
"'Are you hurt?' I asked, concernedly.
"'A sprain,' she replied, and, holding out her foot, she added, with
a smile, 'according to my sin am I judged.'
"The storm had passed away, and the sky was as clear and tranquil as
it was in the early morn. A glorious sun, which now we blessed, dried
our sodden garments. We commenced the descent, step by step, picking
our way cautiously, like people who are not quite sure whether they
are alive or not. Miss Poles also retarded our progress, in spite of
all her efforts to keep up with us and cause us no inconvenience.
"But the Doctor expressly forbade her walking a single step, and so
she was compelled to allow herself to be carried in turn by Ali and
the Bedouin, Périères and myself.
"At the foot of the mountain we found the camels, which, by a happy
thought, we had ordered. Miss Poles was hoisted, notwithstanding her
resistance, on to the back of one of these animals. We mounted the
others, and, two hours afterwards, we reached our camp.
"Our three Nubians were asleep, as is their wont, and Joseph was
revelling with his donkey on the plain."