it was well into the afternoon before their gruesome task was accomplished, and the sun shone far down in the western sky when they returned to the camp. they had carried the deceased warriors out into the sandy tracts beyond the boiling springs. it cannot be said that they were unduly sympathetic with the slain, and certainly they were anything but enamoured of their self-imposed contract, but the alternative would have been extremely disagreeable.
"i have no doubt their brethren would have come for them to-night," said bob, "and saved us a good deal of trouble—if we could only have depended on them going peaceably away again."
"ay, if," agreed mackay, dryly. "but their coming would only mean more funerals, bob, and as for that, i believe they've been trying to force that patent door of theirs before now."
he turned and gazed towards the fissure at the base of the mountain, and at that moment there distinctly came a sound therefrom as of the jarring of rocks under pressure. they all kept perfect silence for a minute or two, and again the sound was repeated, but[pg 305] this time it was succeeded by the sharp rattle of falling boulders.
"that's the top o' our barricade down, i reckon," whispered the shadow, reaching gingerly for his rifle.
"they would see us go out into the plains," hazarded bob, calmly, "but the smoke of these very convenient boilers has kept them from noticing our return."
mackay nodded. "they've got about a solid ton to shift before the door will swing," he said musingly. "now i wonder if we should go an' help them wi' the job or no'?"
"i reckon we has had enough for one day, mac," answered emu bill, wearily. "let the skunks work their own passage."
another rattle, louder than the first, reached their ears.
"'pears to me they is in a mighty hurry," grinned the shadow.
bob rose to his feet. "i'm going to have a look," he said. "come on, jack;" and they tip-toed over to the origin of the disturbances, leaving their companions apparently deeply and solely intent on bringing the billy on the fire to a boil speedily.
mackay had examined the barricade once or twice earlier in the day, and noticed no change in its appearance, and was convinced that nothing short of gelignite cartridges could shift their obstruction from the inside. bob held the same opinion, but he was nevertheless curious to see what sort of efforts were being made. making a short détour, they silently approached the entrance to the underground passage from the side farthest from the movable rocky slab. the interstice had been well-nigh filled with diorite boulders, leaving only the top of[pg 306] the solid panel showing; but when bob looked now, he was alarmed to find a considerable shrinkage in the level of the barricade, and though the noisy echoes of falling rocks were still plainly heard, it was evident that nothing was rolling down from the top of the pile. jack drew a quick breath of anxiety; bob was perplexed beyond measure, but he made no sign, and as he looked, behold! the boulder stack was gradually, yet surely, sinking—sinking apparently into the earth beneath. then his eye noticed some slight change in the position of the rocking wall; it was thrust up somewhat, and gaped widely. the solution of the mystery was now made clear: the great slab moved upwards as well as outwards, and the depletion of the pile was taking place from the bottom; the rock fragments were rolling inwards to the tunnel!
hastily he beckoned on his companions, and they came forward at a run, just as the last stone was disappearing from view. but the natives had now taken alarm. there came a dull thud as the doorway relapsed into its accustomed place, and then their rapidly retreating footsteps were heard as they scurried back into the subterranean channel, and the peculiar tapping of the night before heralded the direction of their flight.
mackay took in the position at a glance, and an expression of grave concern settled on his features.
"their resources are positively marvellous," he groaned in despair. "it's a vera fortunate thing, bob, that you werena influenced by my stupid over-confidence, and came to investigate. we might have been bowled over wi' their arrows before we had time to lift a rifle." he continued bitterly to abuse himself while he inspected the now bare cavity in the mountain.
[pg 307]
"i reckon it's a long sight more fortunate that they came along in the daytime," commented emu bill, "which they likely wouldn't have done, if they had thought we were about. seems to me, that good samaritan job o' ours in planting them nigs nice and comfortable out in the sand has done us a service right away."
"you've hit it pretty near, bill," bob agreed. "if they had done that trick in the night, we should probably have been wiped out."
"this is a mighty unpleasant climate for us tender lambs, it is," wailed the shadow. "there's nary night but what we may wake up wi' a screech an' find ourselves dead."
"there's one way we can block it for good," muttered mackay, grimly, "but i'm no vera willing to do it, for it will block us too, an' i mean to get inside that mountain before i'm a couple o' days older." he looked towards the gelignite case, lying near where it had been placed for safety, and his companions knew his plan at once. "yes, we may well shoot down a bit o' the mountain big enough to bar that tunnel safe as a house, but that wouldn't suit us afterwards."
"if we roll round a few boulders wider than the door itself, that would keep things pretty safe for a night," suggested jack; and in the end, this was the plan decided upon, and for half an hour they busied themselves transporting the most unwieldy diorite blocks they could find, and fixing them securely into the cavity. then they returned to partake of their well-earned and belated dinner of tea and damper.
the last added proof of the blacks' ingenuity considerably disturbed the members of the little party. it had[pg 308] been so hard to believe that aborigines could possibly have constructed the tunnel through the mountain, but now they were inclined to imagine their savage neighbours capable of anything.
"i reckon we has got to go slow, boys," remarked emu bill, with a troubled expression; "them nigs don't seem to be the genuine article. they knows a long sight too much for my liking, they does."
mackay, too, was obviously concerned. the mysterious tunnel mystified him; he could not imagine how it had been wrought, but there was gradually dawning in him a vastly increased respect for the natives who lived beyond the mountain. that they were different from all other tribes he had encountered was only too evident. the question was, in how great a degree did they excel their brethren of the plains? judging from his brief experience of them, mackay's estimate of their powers was far higher than he cared to admit.
"of course," he said, in answer to emu bill, "if the country on the other side is what we expect, the natives will be of a much more advanced class than any we've met before. you see, it's the power o' environment, bill; it may have worked marvels here, for a' we know."
they ate their unpalatable meal without much further remark. then bob, who had been pondering deeply over the events of the last twenty-four hours, showed the trend of his thoughts by asking quietly if any of the aboriginal tribes had been known to use bows and arrows.
"i never saw, nor heard tell o' such a thing before," grunted emu bill.
"in that case," said bob, "these natives show that they have originated that custom here, or have retained it from[pg 309] an earlier period, before the blacks began to degenerate; and, in either case, it proves them to be an exceptional lot altogether."
"that's just what's bothering me, bob," admitted mackay. "we might well tackle an ordinary tribe, even though we only numbered five against fifty, but wi' these beggars here, i'll allow we seem to be embarking on a job that is, to say the least of it, a bit unhealthy. no, no, don't think i'm gettin' nervous, bill, but we must calculate the chances before we start. bob counted fifty niggers on the hill this morning, so we've a fair idea o' what we are goin' to run up against."
"hang it, boss," complained the shadow; "you doesn't think a crowd o' nigs is goin' to hustle us back now, does ye? if we kin join their happy family in the daytime we'll scatter 'em quick an' lively, but the night gives me the creeps, it does. i can never see the sights o' my rifle in the dark."
"if we were once on the other side of the mountain," said jack, eagerly, "we could soon shift the blacks; it's the wretched old tunnel that keeps worrying us here."
"ay, my lad," said mackay, dryly; "the tunnel is a vera curious construction for a crowd o' aborigines to make, an' the more i think about it, the more puzzled i become. i was going to suggest that bill an' me should force the passage in the morning, while the three o' you waited out by the camels in case o' accident."
"i'm right wi' you there," cried emu bill. "i reckon it ain't safe for these here young 'uns to come along wi' us first——"
a storm of protest greeted his words, and bob turned to mackay reproachfully.
[pg 310]
"i know what you mean," he said; "but neither jack nor i will leave unless we all leave together, so that if anything happened to you we would not escape in any case. isn't it far better to make the most of our strength instead of dividing it?"
"well, well, perhaps you are right," returned the big man, hastily, as if annoyed at his own fears; "but we'd better wait until morning before we start the circus. like the shadow, i prefer to meet the natives in daylight, and anyhow, we're a' needing a sleep to-night, so we'd be better to turn in early and get up by sunrise. it should take us a good half-hour in the morning blowing out that tunnel door for a start."
certainly nothing further could be done on that day, for the darkness was already closing in, and each one of the party was weary and tired from lack of sleep. so shortly afterwards they lay down in their blankets, though not before a searching examination had been made of the new barricade erected at the entrance to the subterranean passage, and, in spite of the known dangers surrounding them, they slept soundly, each taking a two hours' watch in turn. it was well after midnight when bob awoke for the first time, and at once his ears caught the strange tapping in the mountain which had first heralded the approach of the natives on the night before. he aroused himself immediately, and saw mackay, who was on guard, listening to the ghostly echoes intently. slowly they seemed to pass along the base of the hill, then all was quiet. bob got up and joined mackay, and together they walked softly towards the fissure, and there in the dull light they could vaguely see the great boulders move as if under pressure from beneath, but though they watched[pg 311] for fully ten minutes in silence, the barricade remained intact. jack's scheme had worked admirably. then mackay turned on his heel with a loud laugh.
"it's just as well to let them ken we're here, bob," he explained; and the sound of scurrying footsteps which answered him from the concealed passage showed that the natives had thought fit to retire once more. then again the peculiar tapping issued out dully from the great rock, continuing for nearly a minute before it faded into the stillness of the night.
"well, what do you make of it, bob?" asked mackay.
bob did not hesitate a moment. "the passage must lead for some distance along the face of the mountain," said he. "but why these strange sounds are heard every time the blacks come along, i cannot say."
"man, bob," laughed mackay, "that's vera easily explained. the tunnel must be dark, of course, and the warriors have to guide themselves along the passage by feeling the walls wi' their arrows or clubs as they go. it just struck me that that was the reason o' the uncanny noises when i heard them come along there to-night. simple enough, isn't it, bob?"
"i'm glad there is nothing approaching the supernatural about it, anyhow," replied bob, soberly. "the echoes seemed to ring in my ears like a knell of doom."
he shuddered as he got back into his blanket. the others were awake by this time; but when they learned that an ineffective attempt had been made to destroy the barricade, they chuckled in rare good-humour, and went off to sleep again. the remainder of the night passed without alarm, and the morning broke, calm and serene,[pg 312] over the little camp, which awoke to life with renewed vigour after its peaceful slumber. breakfast was soon over; then a hurried council of war was held to reason out the best plan of action. emu bill was in favour of inserting a heavy charge of gelignite in the rocking panel which had defied their gentler efforts on the preceding day; and jack and the shadow supported this proposal vociferously. mackay, however, though he had at first advocated this drastic action, now seemed reluctant to carry it through; and bob, too, though he did not say much, was evidently pondering over some other and better scheme, which he at last broached hesitatingly.
"if the passage runs parallel with the face of the mountain for twenty or thirty yards," he said, "it strikes me that if we made a fresh entrance to it as far away from the old one as possible, we could deceive the natives most completely, and perhaps provide a means of escape in an emergency."
"i don't quite catch on," grumbled emu bill. "i'm hanged if i see what difference it should make; an' we doesn't know how far we'd have to dig into the blasted rock afore we hit the tunnel—if it's where you say."
mackay took up a pick, and, proceeding along the base of the mountain away from the fissure, struck at the rocky wall repeatedly, with the result that a deep, hollow rumbling issued forth at each stroke, until a point had been reached some thirty yards distant from the tunnel entrance, when only the solid diorite formation gave back the sound.
"i calculate we'd have less than five feet to drive, bill," said he. "about a couple o' long shots in from the[pg 313] top would do it. you can trace the passage as plainly as if you were looking at it. i don't know what the idea was in making it like a boomerang; but we'll soon find out. now, bob, you're better at explaining than me. try an' convince bill o' the advantages we may derive from making a new hole into the mountain."
"i reckon i can see it all right," cried the shadow. "oh, it are a daisy——"
"shut up, shad," growled emu bill. "now, bob, for any sake, tell me your plan. of course i'm with you, whether i understand or not; but, blow me if i can see the force o' doing extra work in the niggers' mountain fur nothin'."
then bob endeavoured to elucidate the ideas which had been taking shape in his brain all through the night, since mackay and he had come to a conclusion as to the origin of the warning sounds and the proximity of the passage for some distance to the outer air.
"if we don't tamper with the old door, boys," said he, earnestly, "we can block up the hole we make by some bagging, and so will always have a chance of escape if the natives are too many for us. they will guard their own entrance only, for they probably will never see ours; and it's just as well to take precautions. the darkness of the tunnel will help our plan; and if we succeed without having to trouble about getting back, so much the better——"
"and there are a few more arguments in favour o' the scheme, bob," added mackay; "but we may see the excellence o' them later."
"but they'll hear us firing the charges, won't they?" said jack.
[pg 314]
"they heard us doing the same thing yesterday," answered mackay; "an' they saw us too, so it's no vera likely they'll trouble us to-day. but if we put the drill-holes in deep enough, and give the powder plenty work to do, there shouldna be much noise—in fact, i doubt if they'll hear it at a'."
no time was lost in making the experiment, and the long steel drills were quickly grinding their way through the hard outer casing of the rock as nearly as could be judged opposite the place where the passage took an abrupt turn inwards. and now the mining knowledge of mackay and emu bill made their work comparatively easy; they knew exactly the correct angles at which to drive the drills so as to obtain the best results when they loaded the holes so made with the deadly explosive. steadily they laboured at their task, bob, jack, and the shadow assisting at intervals, but more often engaged farther out in the open making a goodly appearance for the benefit of the natives, should they chance to be watching, and thus drawing attention away from the great work in hand. for a full hour mackay slogged at the steel with his mighty hammer, then gradually the borings extracted from the deepening hole grew lighter and redder in colour, and the drill sank inwards rapidly.
"that's a new formation we've struck, bill," said he, pausing to examine the edge of his tool. then an exclamation broke from his lips. "we're chippin' through a gold lode!" he cried; "and it's so rich that the drill clogs in the metal."
"i reckon there's nary nig'll shift us from here now," said emu bill, examining for himself the gold grains exposed. "i means to see the other side o' this here mountain,[pg 315] or bust. i reckon there must be oceans o' gold an' di'monds over there."
at this stage jack called out warningly, "i see old nebuchadnezzar on the top of the mountain again."
"it's the same old nig that we didn't shoot," exclaimed the shadow; "an', blow me! if he ain't goin' to throw stones at us."
the tall figure on the summit had certainly attempted to throw something down; but it caught on a jutting rock overhead, and bounded thence into the rising vapours of the hot springs. once more he appeared to cast some projectile into the air; but if he did, it did not reach the ground in the vicinity of the anxious party beneath. then again a visible missile came hurtling down; but it fell wide, much to the shadow's satisfaction.
"the old fool can't throw stones for nuts!" he cried delightedly.
"i don't think he'll hurt us much," said mackay, with a laugh. "let him play away, shadow, if it amuses him; it doesn't do us any damage."
and the individual aloft continued his strange pranks for some time, though in no one instance did the stones he threw alight even moderately near; then he vanished as suddenly as he had come.
"i think we're about ready for firing, bill," said mackay, shortly afterwards. "we'd better hurry up, too, seeing that there does not seem to be any one about to watch in the mean time."
the drill had been driven over eight feet down, at an angle of somewhat less than forty-five degrees, and bob, making a rough calculation, considered that its extremity[pg 316] was at least four feet away from the surface of the rock in a straight line.
"we'll give it twenty-five cartridges, i think," mused mackay, "an' the shock o' discharge should burst at least another foot inwards."
"i reckon something's bound to shift," murmured emu bill, as he deftly prepared the charges, and inserted the long fuse.
bob watched the last operation with quiet interest, but not so jack and the shadow. they suddenly pranced off towards the cooking utensils by the fire, and began to drag them back out of range.
"tea and damper is bad enough," groaned the shadow, tenderly secreting the only two billy cans the expedition possessed; "but damper without tea would be howlin' starvation, it would."
"you doesn't need to worry, shad," grinned emu bill. "there won't be much o' a scatter here."
and he calmly applied a lighted match to the end of the fuse, and stood for almost a minute, listening to its sputtering as the fire crept slowly down towards the gelignite, before he turned away. another minute, two minutes, three minutes passed.
"i'm afraid we've had a misfire, bill," said mackay.
but just as he spoke the base of the mountain seemed to quiver and burst forward, then came a dull report, and when the smoke cleared away, a giant crack showed in the rock, but otherwise no evidences were left to indicate that a powerful explosive had been at work.
"that's hard lines," said emu bill, stepping forward. "it might have shifted that chunk o' iron out o' the road, anyway. now we'll need to begin all over again."
[pg 317]
"i'm no so sure o' that," answered mackay, waving his hat in the rent created in order to dispel the clinging white fumes, which obscured all vision.
then it was made apparent that it was no mere crack in the formation they gazed upon. the force of explosion has not only cleft the rock, but had thrust it almost a yard forward in one unbroken mass, and at the bottom of the chasm thus made a vague blackness appeared, the blackness of a void. mackay bent down his head eagerly, but hastily withdrew it again; a rush of heavy damp air, stifling and odorous, had come with a gust in his face.
"i reckon them powder fumes'll make you feel pretty bad," sympathized emu bill. "just give the smoke time to clear, mac, an' then we'll put in another shot."
"there's no need to do any more work here, bill," answered mackay, recovering himself. "we've broken right into the tunnel first pop! there it is, too, as natural-looking an entrance as you could wish to see, wi' a door—if we could move it—that weighs five tons if it weighs a pound."
eagerly they all clustered round to look; and now that the atmosphere had grown less clouded, the dark shadows of the cavern below were plainly discernible. bob gave a sigh of relief. at last the secret of the mountain was to be revealed.
"well, i reckon i'd better get down an' prospect round a bit," said emu bill, hitching up his nether garments preparatory to scrambling down into the uncertain depths.
"let me go first," urged the shadow. "i'm the[pg 318] lightest, and it wouldn't hurt me much if i did go down a bit further than i expected when i let go the edge."
"we'll lower a rope wi' a stone on the end o' it before any one goes down," said mackay, firmly. "we've got to engineer this funeral vera cautiously, my lad, an' mustna go bouncing ourselves into difficulties, as if there was a good fairy waiting by us every time to pull us out o' them."
a rope was speedily forthcoming, and fastening a fragment of rock to the end of it, mackay carefully allowed it to descend. it came to a standstill in good time, however, showing that the bottom of the passage was barely three feet below the point where the rent had entered its wall. mackay quickly proceeded to adjust the rope so that its extremity dangled just on the edge of the yawning gap, then he made it fast on the outside by coiling it several times round the top of the sundered rock.
"a man could pull himself out in a hurry by getting something to hold on to," he remarked, "an' it's just as well to be prepared."
this operation completed, emu bill wriggled himself down through the narrow opening, and holding on to the guiding-rope, quickly disappeared from view, while his companions on the surface waited expectantly for his report on his surroundings.
"well, an' what do you make of it, bill?" demanded mackay, when the tension on the cable had slackened.
"i can't see a single thing," came the response. "it's dark as—as hades, an'—howlin' blazes! but it does smell."
[pg 319]
without a word mackay slid down beside his complaining comrade; the shadow followed, then jack, and lastly bob squirmed down beside them. all was dark and oppressively gloomy in the strange passage, and the thin streak of light from the opening they themselves had made, only served to intensify the utter blackness which prevailed. they stood for a full minute without speaking, their ears alert for the slightest sound which might warn them of danger; but all was silent as a tomb.
"now, boys," whispered mackay, "we'll have a look at the inside o' that other doorway before we go any further." he led the way, staggering and stumbling, and bob, following at his heels, became conscious that the floor of the tunnel was extremely muddy and wet. after a few steps mackay paused. "i've got a bit o' candle in my pocket," he said; "i may as well strike a light."
the match spluttered feebly in his hand for a moment, and then went out, but on a second attempt he succeeded in getting the candle alight, and though it burned with a dismal blue flame, it illuminated the rocky cavern sufficiently for the adventurers to observe its structure.
they stood in a longitudinal chamber about eight feet high, and barely four in width. the roof fairly scintillated with beaded moisture, and the dank, cold walls were adrip with ooze. the bottom of the chamber, as they had already discovered, was a soft and clinging clayey formation. mackay's trained eye immediately grasped the significance of the scene.
"this is a most extraordinary thing to find in the heart o' australia," he said. "it's a tunnel driven through an enormous gold lode, an' it's vera evident that the men who[pg 320] made it knew almost nothing about mining, for the ore hasn't been stripped either to the hanging wall or foot wall. it's just as if a blind gap had been dug into the country where it was softest."
"i see a nugget shining in the roof," whispered jack, pointing to a yellow splatch showing overhead.
"ay, my lad, an' i can see several more," said mackay, surveying the exposed stratum in bewilderment. "it is a wonderful mine, without a doubt, but what on earth the natives do with it is more than i can imagine."
he moved onwards once more, and then he halted suddenly, and held the candle aloft. the passage had come to an end; before him stood the huge stone panel which had first barred their entrance; at his feet gaped a deep, pit-like cavity.
"come close up here, bob," he said quietly. "come an' have a look at this arrangement o' things; primitive but effective, eh?"
bob gazed at the sight before him in absolute wonderment. the great stone which marked the end of the chamber stood upright on an egg-shaped base; it appeared to be formed like a rude and bluff wedge, the wider extremity protruding outwards, where, as had been seen, it flanged neatly on to the main rock from which it had sprung. but it was not its shape that surprised bob: a massive bar of some gleaming metal was welded into it fully halfway up its height, and from this u-shaped bar a rope of extraordinary girth stretched taut into the depths of the pit, where it could be seen attached to a ponderous mass of diorite rock, which hung from it like the weight of a giant clock.
[pg 321]
"it must take more than one man to open that door," murmured jack.
"they probably always come in force when they use this passage," mused bob; "and see, i suppose that arrangement is for keeping the stone bent over when they are out?"
he pointed to a short and stout log lying near, which had apparently been used for preventing a quick rush back of the weighted panel when the warriors had gone out on the night of the conflict. mackay stepped gingerly across the intervening shaft, and shone his light into its unsavoury depths as he did so.
"i see now where our boulder barricade dropped to," he said; "but i can see also that they can never move our present obstruction in the same way, the big blocks outside will stick them, no matter how they try."
emu bill now tried to find his speech. "how in thunder is we to account for the rock prizing open wi' us at first?" said he. "i can't understand this here concern yet, i can't."
bob pointed downwards to where the wall of the pit was deeply scarred and dented.
"likely enough the weight caught in the side," he said, "and so eased off the tension considerably."
mackay, who had been keenly scrutinizing the rope and the stout bar in the stone to which it was connected, now lifted his head.
"the rope is made o' a grass which doesn't grow on our side o' the mountain, boys," he said; "but the bar is fashioned out o' a metal which is known to all of us, though we've never managed to possess it in sufficient quantities to throw away on a job like this, where[pg 322] simple iron would be far stronger and better in every way."
"why!" exclaimed emu bill. "you doesn't mean to say that they've stuck a chunk o' gold in that there stone, does ye?"
"i just do," answered mackay, wearily. "now, i think we'd better get out and think over things for a bit. two or three shocks o' that sort would just about destroy my nervous system altogether."
"but you ain't goin' to leave that bonanza in the rock, surely?" cried the shadow. "let me get one tug at it, boss, i'll pretty soon yank it out, i'll——"
but here his companions gently but firmly led him away.
"there's bound to be lots more of it lying around," said jack, soothingly, as they retraced their steps.
when they reached the exit the light of the candle showed them that the tunnel here swung off to the left at a right angle, and at this point the passage was considerably wider than they had at first judged, probably owing to the difficulty the natives had experienced in making such a sharp turn. but the eye could distinguish nothing beyond the radius of the feeble illumination; all was oppressively murky and damp and repellent.
"that's our road, boys," said mackay, pointing with his candle into the gloomy cavern which led into the heart of the mountain. "but before we start on our journey we'll get out an' make our final arrangements, an' change our wardrobe to suit the situation."
in a few minutes they were all on the surface once more, eagerly talking over their prospects, for, strangely enough, the dangerous aspect of their projected journey[pg 323] through the mountain was for the moment lost on them, so completely had the glamour of the golden tunnel exercised its subtle influence. mackay, however, quickly regained his control.
"we must remember, boys," he cautioned, "that we have no ordinary natives to contend with, an' before we leave this camp it will be necessary to attend to some details which may be helpful to us afterwards."
"what would you suggest?" asked bob.
"in the first instance," mackay replied, "we should hide the camel-packs containing our provisions. we can easily do that out among the sand on the other side o' the springs. it won't take us half an hour altogether."
"but what about the camels?" interjected jack.
"they are a good distance away, my lad, an' they're no' hobbled. they'll just have to take their chance; but i don't think there's much risk in that direction, after all, for misery can't stand the sight o' a nigger, an' if he bolted, the rest would follow, an' we could track them up afterwards just as i had to do before in this same district."
it was yet early in the day, and though emu bill was loath to delay their tour of discovery even for five minutes, he was brought to see the wisdom of mackay's advice. within half an hour the camp had assumed a bare and desolate appearance, only the heavier mining implements being left at the base of the mountain. then they gathered round the cleft in the rock, and hurriedly prepared for their work of subterranean exploration. it had been agreed that the party should don the robes of the deceased warriors in order to lessen the chances of detection should any natives be encountered while traversing the mysterious passage, but now they saw that whereas there were five[pg 324] persons to transform into savages, there were but four of the long furry coverings, although the feathered decorations for completing their sartorial equipment were more numerous than necessary.
"i believe i saw one o' them 'possum robes in the pit, aside the hanging rock," said emu bill, reflectively. "i'll go an' get it in a jiff."
he disappeared into the recess immediately, and bob heard him feeling his way back towards the old entrance, muttering and grumbling against the awkward nature of the dismal, muddy track at each floundering step. then for a brief space all was still.
"a bit o' charcoal rubbed over the face an' neck will make us more nigger-like, i'm thinkin'," laughed mackay, as he surveyed himself with rueful gaze.
it was no sooner said than done. jack rushed over to the smouldering fire, and came back with a handful of charred embers, and with these they smeared their faces and hands plentifully.
"an' i reckon we won't want our boots," grunted the shadow, discarding his almost soleless shoes, and rolling up the legs of his much-frayed nether garments.
"that's right, shadow," said mackay; "you make a grand nigger, an' i only hope i don't mistake you in the dark for a real warrior, an' slaughter you in error."
bob and jack, when they had finished their toilet, looked their part to the life; but when mackay's towering bulk was arrayed and besplatched to his satisfaction, he seemed the most fearsome object imaginable, a formidable-looking savage indeed.
"now i wonder what's keeping bill?" broke out jack, impatiently. "this rock here is burning my feet terribly."
[pg 325]
"he'll be tryin' to wrench off that bit o' gold from the big stone," remarked the shadow, with assurance. "i reckon i'll go down an' help him."
"you'll do nothing o' the kind," said mackay, firmly, laying a restraining hand on the youth's shoulder. "we've got something else to do in the meantime, my lad. bill will be gropin' in the dark for that nigger dress, an' he'll be here in a minute."
the shadow's feeble smile at being intercepted in his desire to possess the treasure he so much coveted looked so malevolent on his besmeared features, that jack could not forbear a hearty laugh. then bob gave a gasp of dismay.
"i can hear natives coming through the passage!" he said. "what are we to do about bill?"
the vague echoes of shuffling movements were now quite plainly heard, and still there was no sign from emu bill; probably he had not yet become aware of the ominous sounds, or perhaps he was, as the shadow had suggested, too much engrossed with a congenial task to grasp their true significance. with a forceful expression on his lips mackay insinuated his muscular form into the gap, and just at that instant a band of savages swept by him so close that they almost touched him. then only it seemed that emu bill became aroused to his danger. a hoarse snarl of rage rang along the passage, and the sounds of a silent scuffle came to mackay's ears as he stood motionless by the exit. with a stifled groan he pulled himself up, just as the warriors had evidently accomplished their work.
"have they killed him too?" whispered jack, nervously.
[pg 326]
mackay did not trust himself to reply. he motioned bob to hand him his rifle, and he was sliding back into the passage with a vengeful rage in his heart when a stentorian call from emu bill made him pause.
"i'm not dead, boys," he cried, "but they've got me trussed up like a prize fowl, an' i don't know what they're goin' to do wi' me. block the light, or they'll see where i came in, an' don't try to save me now, for there's over a score o' the skunks. it'll be all right, boys, all right. ye are a pack of miserable, sneakin', howlin' gorillas——"
the last phrase, which was continued at some length, was obviously destined for his captors as they bore him along. it was evident that bill had suffered no serious hurt at their hands, and his warning showed that, even under such exceptionally trying circumstances, he was not unmindful of the welfare of his comrades, who would assuredly have been overcome had they descended to his assistance. the bushman's chivalric self-abnegation however would not have deterred mackay from taking long odds at a work of rescue, but in the gloom of the cavern such action would have been futile, or perhaps worse, because any shots fired at random might just as easily kill emu bill as any one else, and the resultant chaos could only end in one way. so bill was led away by the savage band, who gave vent to their satisfaction by sending forth shrill, unmusical shouts, which rang through the vaulted chamber like the cries of demons in torment. they passed by the gap in the wall which mackay's bulk covered without a moment's pause, and marched slowly on into the heart of the mountain.
when at last all discordant sounds had died away, mackay aroused himself with alacrity; but when his gaze[pg 327] fell upon the despondent countenances of his companions, he could not forbear a smile; their dusky aspect and warrior-like trappings agreed ill with their sorrowful visages.
"now, my young savages," he cried, "try an' look less miserable. we've got to get through the mountain somehow now, for i won't leave bill over there on his own. see that you've got plenty of cartridges, my lads, an' let us go."
"poor old bill!" murmured the shadow, sadly. "it was that darned chunk o' gold that did it, i reckon."
"now that they've found some one in the tunnel," said bob, wearily, "they'll most likely come back to set a guard over the door; and when they find it won't open, they'll look around until they get this entrance, so that we'll be blocked completely from getting back."
mackay was already halfway into the passage, but he climbed out again quickly on hearing bob's words.
"you're quite right, bob," said he, "an' there's only one thing to do before we start on bill's trail. i don't like the idea o' it, but i believe it's the best plan."
they all hurried over to the barricaded entrance of the fissure, and straightway began to pull aside the great rocks they had placed there so carefully the night before. already mackay's forethought in hiding the stores of the expedition was about to bear good fruit. if the blacks came out now, as they undoubtedly would, they would find nothing to destroy of any importance, and it was extremely unlikely that the natural-looking crack in the rock further along the hill would receive their attention; and, even if it did, the adventurous four would run no more risk than if they had left the barricaded crevice[pg 328] intact. mackay calculated much on the blind, unreasoning ardour of the blacks.
"they won't come out in the daytime if they think we're about," said he, grimly, "and in the night they can see nothing, anyhow, though i hope we haven't to dodge about in that passage for such a length o' time."
jack now bethought himself of a brilliant scheme whereby the purposes of the free exit would be served without danger of the blacks profiting much thereby. he found poor never never dave's empty rifle lying near, and this he carefully propped up by the aid of several boulders with the long barrel directed fairly at the great stone door.
"they'll think there's a man behind the gun," said he, chuckling in boyish glee, "and whenever they open the concern they'll pop back again mighty quick."
"it's a vera excellent idea, jack," approved mackay. "now, surely, we can go our way in peace."
they returned to the rent in the mountain which the explosive had made, and without further hesitation stepped down into the depths below, and mackay, who was the last to descend, dragged with him a number of empty flour bags with which he effectually screened the little light which filtered between the sundered rocks. all was still in the passage as they felt their way cautiously forward, hugging the walls for guidance, their bare feet plashing in the oozy mire. mackay and bob led the way, each pressing against the opposite sides of the passage for support. jack and the shadow followed, more secure of their steps, knowing that the way was proved before them. on, on, they struggled; bob would have dearly liked to light a match, but that would have been extremely[pg 329] foolhardy at such a critical juncture of their pilgrimage, as it would betray their presence to any aboriginal who might happen to be lurking near.
already they seemed to have been an age in the stifling cavern, though but a few minutes had elapsed since their entry. the tunnel, as nearly as bob could judge, had continued on a straight course, but it was hard to estimate with certainty how great a distance had been traversed.
suddenly mackay stopped and clutched bob's arm in a vice-like grip.
"there's a hole o' some sort at our feet," he whispered, as the lad stumbled backwards.
bob put forward one foot gingerly, but it met with no resistance; assuredly a dangerous void intervened in their path. in vain they sought across the full width of the passage for a foothold; not an inch of solid ground remained, and the clayey particles dislodged by their essaying footsteps fell down into an unknown depth, and sundry gurgles and splashes echoed back as they reached the bottom.
"there's no scarcity o' water there," remarked mackay; then he felt over as far as he could reach with his rifle, and at the utmost limit of his stretch something hard interposed. "it's just like a shaft cutting down through the lode," he murmured; "but how the beggars get across it beats me to understand."
"we could take it at a jump, i think," suggested jack.
"i'm afraid we'd slip into the water if we tried, my lad. it's no' easy gettin' a firm footing in this clay for a start. no, i think i'll throw the shadow across first an' he can steady us from the other side."
[pg 330]
"say, boss," said that individual, plaintively, "i ain't no flying machine or human bullet. i reckon my tender bones won't get damaged so much if i jump——"
but while they stood thus deliberating as how best to surmount the difficulty, the dreaded sound of approaching natives fell dully on their ears. the shadow uttered a stifled groan and his rifle-lock clicked under his impetuous fingers. jack gave a faint whistle of dismay, and bob calmly drew and cocked his revolver. mackay stood unmoved, straining his eyes into the gloom; then he gently pressed bob back close to the wall.
"hug the side," he whispered; and each one crushed hard against the slimy rock, and waited.
pat! pat! pat! came the unwelcome echoes, accompanied by an occasional splash, as the oncoming band floundered in the mire, and the direction from which the disturbance came was away decidedly to the left, although it was speedily altering to a point straight ahead. bob noted this fact carefully, despite his alarm.
nearer and nearer the unseen band advanced until but a few yards separated them from the yawning pit. bob held his breath. would they walk blindly into it? had they miscalculated its position? he felt mackay's hand press lightly on his shoulder as if to give him confidence, and he marvelled at its steadiness, and braced himself for the encounter he felt sure was about to begin. he could hear jack's heart throbbing under the severe tension of the moment, and the shadow's quick breaths indicated how trying was the strain even for that iron-nerved youth. but now came the crucial moment; the foremost savage shrieked out a guttural word of warning, as it seemed, and stopped, apparently on the edge of the chasm. a second[pg 331] later and his feet alighted with a sharp, sliding sound close opposite bob, and with a recovering effort he passed on. he was followed immediately by another and still another warrior, whose arrows rustled in their hands as they cleared the gulf. if one of them had slipped there could have been little hope of escape for the intrepid quartet, for assuredly the slightest stumble would have sent him right into their arms. but no disaster of the kind occurred, each wildly-leaping figure arrived safely on the slippery floorway beside them and lunged forward with the momentum of his flight, and in this way fifteen warriors passed and proceeded on their way; then all was quiet again.
mackay broke the silence. "that was a close shave, my lads," said he, coolly. "now, i wonder if any of you noticed how they got across so sprightly?"
"i reckon they jumped," grunted the shadow, "an' i is mighty pleased they jumped so well."
"it would be a good jump," whispered bob; "but they cleared it too easily without a run."
"i think i'll risk lighting a match," said mackay. "there's a bend in the tunnel straight forward a bit, so nothing can be seen past that, an' the niggers that have passed will probably be dodgin' the barrel o' never never's rifle by this time."
a howl of terror from that extremity of the tunnel almost verified his surmise. mackay calmly struck a match, held it aloft for an instant, and blew it out hurriedly, but in that fleeting moment bob caught sight of a stout rope suspended from a beam directly over the pit, and he also observed that at this point the roof of the tunnel was considerably farther above them than it had[pg 332] been at the start of their journey. evidently, greater work of excavation had been done at this part of the golden lode. mackay groped forward and seized the rope, gave it a tug to test its strength, then swung himself lightly across the obstacle which had delayed them so long. bob went next, then jack and shadow trusted their weight to the flying trapeze.
"they might just as well have put a log or two across that shaft," murmured mackay.
"yes, i reckon it would be a long sight handier for visitors," agreed the shadow; and they plodded on once more. slowly, slowly, they advanced, and now bob became conscious of a growing change in the atmosphere; it was surely becoming less and less stifling, and the overpowering odours which had been with them so long were gradually dispelling. round to the left bore mackay, and bob followed, wondering vaguely if the light of the outside world would soon burst upon them, but no sign of lessening gloom cheered them on their altered course. another few minutes passed, then mackay stopped with an exclamation of surprise, the solid wall had reared up before him; they had been following a blind drive!
"i'm certain i heard them coming round this way," he said, feeling with his hand across the barring rock as if in search of some clue to the mystery.
"we may have taken a wrong turning," suggested bob, much perplexed. then he missed jack beside him, and the shadow too had disappeared. "they're both gone," he muttered anxiously.
"that shows there must be a branch off somewhere," said mackay, cheerily. "they must have been hugging the right wall while we clutched on to the left. we'll[pg 333] hang in to the right going back, bob, an' we'll get back on to the main passage."
and back they went, striving vainly to quell the rising fear in their hearts, for both were more alarmed than they cared to admit over the absence of their comrades. at last they reached the awkward turn, and almost, at the same moment, floundering footsteps were heard approaching from a new direction, almost continuous with the line along which they had just returned. not a word was spoken, and the two stood motionless at the junction of the ways waiting for some sign which would indicate to them whether their near neighbours were friends or foes. and even as they stopped, the sounds which had attracted their attention ceased abruptly, and for a short space all was still. but it was only for a short space; away back in the distance the harsh cries of the returning warriors thundered along the passage. apparently they had not ventured out beyond the mountain, and that knowledge was satisfactory enough, but what of the new danger which threatened by their retreat? there was no deep chasm to distract the savages' notice at this point. on they came, their unmusical voices raised in a droning chant which might equally well have expressed joy or regret so far as bob could make out. then it suddenly struck him that they would imagine the white invaders of their domain to be still outside, despite their capture of emu bill in the well-guarded precincts, and were duly rejoicing in consequence. over the watery pit they swung, nearer and nearer they drew. then out of the deep gloom opposite clicked the hammer of a rifle, sure evidence that it was jack and the shadow who waited near. but it was too late now to speak, and the way of[pg 334] safety was unknown. mackay and bob pressed backwards whence they had last come, and the foremost savage almost brushed up against them as he felt for the wall. bob's hand was on the trigger of his revolver ready to fire, but the warrior with a grunt passed over the entrance to their retreat, and stumbled onwards into the unexplored darkness ahead. and in this way the invisible band trooped by, nor did they once pause to investigate the openings on their left or right.
when they had passed out of hearing, a cautious voice whispered hoarsely from the darkness—
"is ye there, boss? shout out quick, for i is goin' to shoot."
"keep your finger off that trigger, you nervous young rascal," responded mackay, sternly; and at the words the lost pair issued forth from their hiding, and rejoined their companions.
"it was all owing to our following the right hand wall," jack hastened to explain. "we didn't know you weren't with us until we came to the end."
"another blind drive," muttered mackay. "this is getting very confusing. it's just as well the niggers came back again to show us the way."
"and it was just as well they came back while we were off the main track," said bob; "otherwise we might have had trouble."
then they moved on along the middle track which they had been fortunate not to find at first, and for the space of several minutes not a word was spoken. there was no doubt about the hazardous nature of the mission on which they were employed; and bob smiled grimly to himself as he reckoned up the chances against them, yet, strangely[pg 335] enough, each member of the expedition seemed in no wise to consider his own safety, and was fully determined to meet the best or worst that fate had in store. a period had come in their lives when the call of the unknown was irresistible; and had this for a moment failed them, the firm desire to rescue emu bill from the clutches of the savages would have sent them steadily onwards, recklessly ignoring the cost, for the wanderer's creed is simple and sincere—he may never forsake a comrade in deadly peril.
their progress was painfully slow, for they knew not what obstacles might lie in their path, and probably it had been a miscalculation of their own pace that had led mackay into error, when he turned into the drive along which he fancied he had heard the blacks approaching, for now the tunnel was distinctly curving to the left, and the occasional rush of fresh air which swept into their faces told them quite plainly that they were on the highway to the outside world. slowly, too, the darkness began to merge into a gloom less and less profound, until the floor and sides of the cavern they traversed became dimly discernible.
"we won't be long now, my lads," encouraged mackay.
"i is gettin' mighty nervous," murmured the shadow, cheerfully. "i reckon i'll go back home. this ain't no place for a youth o' tender years, it ain't."
bob laughed quietly at his companion's happy pessimism, and was about to make a reply when a faint buzzing sound in the unseen distance ahead drew his attention. mackay, too, had heard it, and he stopped for an instant to listen more intently.
"what is it?" asked jack, trying vainly to make out the cause of the vague noises.
[pg 336]
"it's natives—at a distance, jack, my lad," said mackay. "they're outside the tunnel; so we'll be all right if there's no' too many o' them. i'm just hoping we've seen the full strength o' the tribe already."
they resumed their march; and now they had less difficulty in making progress owing to the continued increase of light, and as they proceeded the confused babel of voices became more and more distinct. the tunnel was by this time veering back towards its original course. then suddenly a bright light flashed upon them as through a giant lens. the exit of the tunnel was in sight at last! once more mackay stopped, and was on the point of making some cautionary remark; but even while he turned the bright circle ahead was darkened, and several natives entered. a word at that moment might have proved disastrous, and bob gripped mackay's arm just in time; scarcely twenty yards separated them from their enemies. the big man hesitated only for a moment, then quickly concealed his rifle under his long cloak and walked slowly forward, his companions copying his example without a murmur.
the oncoming warriors were now close beside them; but in the semi-light of the cavern their dusky faces could not be distinguished. by this time they had apparently become aware of the presence of the dauntless four, for they stepped aside to let them pass, and addressed mackay in a series of unintelligible ejaculations—presumably of inquiry—to which that gentleman answered by a non-committal grunt, and strode on his way. and for the third time within an hour the natives brushed by the little group, and left them unmolested; but on this occasion it was the efficacy of their disguise which saved them—a fact which[pg 337] made the shadow effervesce with delight. however, it was yet too early to rejoice, and bob and jack restrained their spirits with an effort. as for mackay, he made no sign that anything unusual had happened, and walked on calmly as before, but a repressed cry of wonder burst from his lips when he reached the end of the tunnel and gazed beyond on the land which they had so eagerly sought, and his companions echoed his cry when they, too, looked on the scene which lay before them. and little wonder, for their eyes were drinking in a vision of rare beauty—it was as if a glimpse of a tropical paradise had been vouchsafed them. in the near distance the waters of a crystal lake glistened in the sunshine, and lapped a coral-white beach, while, fringing its outer edge, and extending back and upwards, a luxurious forest in miniature lay spread. the sight was wonderfully cool and exhilarating to the beholders so long accustomed to the arid desert. here certainly was no lack of water, no absence of shade.
but in their first hasty glance at the entrancing picture none of the watchers had noticed the many bower-like structures which lined the edge of the abundant foliage; and now jack drew attention to this feature of the landscape with some concern.
"there must be quite a population in the valley," said he.
mackay nodded gravely. "my calculations have been all out," he remarked in a subdued voice. then his rage rose again. "but i'll no' go back," he added fiercely, "until i have avenged my old comrades. i couldna do it, my lads. but you——"
"will stay with you," interrupted bob, quietly.
"i reckon something's goin' to happen pretty sudden,"[pg 338] grumbled the shadow, craning his neck out of the tunnel, and looking all around anxiously.
the voices which they had heard while in the far back recesses of the passage reached their ears close beside them, and towards the right. in their eagerness they had overlooked the near vicinity while absorbed in contemplation of the tiny lake and forest beyond; but now the shadow's gaze rested upon a crouching circle of warriors less than forty yards from him, and it seemed as if each gaudily-bedecked native was eyeing the figures at the mouth of the underground passage with the keenest interest.
"look, boss," said the shadow, "they seem to be quite tame. the critters must have seen us all the time."
mackay raved silently at his lack of perception, and drawing back into the recess, examined his rifle, and felt for his cartridge-belt underneath his furry garb.
"why," said bob, "we forget we appear to be savages too; they won't think there is anything wrong."
but in this conjecture bob was soon proved to be very much mistaken. immediately the shadow withdrew his head, an animated discussion appeared to take place among the blacks, and their voices were raised to an alarming pitch. bob, though still keeping in the shade, could see the dusky ring clearly by pressing hard against the rocky wall on his left, and he noted with dismay the growing disturbance which followed the advent and withdrawal of his companion's befeathered cranium.
"it's no use, bob," said mackay, coming up beside him, "they know we are not the genuine article apparently, an' we've got to fight now whether we will or no."
yet still no attempt was made on the part of the[pg 339] natives to come to closer quarters with the intruders, although many had arisen, bows in hand, as if impatient for the fray.
"there's a curious old chap sitting in the middle," said jack, peering out of his shelter; "i wonder if he has anything to do with their hesitation? he seems to have a lot to say."
bob looked again, and caught a glimpse of an odd wizened figure sitting amid the gesticulating warriors, and evidently endeavouring to restrain their ardour. he had not been observable before, but a gap made in the circle by the sudden movement of the restless band had revealed him, as jack had quickly noticed.
"he must be their king," remarked mackay; "but it's vera strange that he should want to delay the circus."
the grizzled old native certainly appeared to have considerable influence over the others; there could be no doubt that he was a leader of some sort, and his policy was clearly not the policy of his followers, at which the watchers by the tunnel marvelled exceedingly. for several minutes he continued to address the multitude, glancing occasionally towards the objects of their wrath and waving his hand as if signalling for some one on the heights through which mackay and his companions had come. but at last he ceased his wordy exhortations, and slowly arose to his feet, donning as he did so a gigantic head-dress fashioned out of the skin of some peculiar animal, the grinning head of which had been cunningly retained in its pristine shape, so that the living creature seemed to glare out savagely over the thick locks of the wearer; and as he stood thus arrayed a tumultuous[pg 340] roar issued from the lips of the awaiting horde, and they turned in a mass and marched straight for the opening to the underground passage.
"old nebuchadnezzar has put his war-paint on at last," muttered mackay. "now, my lads, let us rush them while we can. if we can stop them even for a minute we'll win the day in spite o' their numbers."
"let her go, boss!" yelled the shadow from behind, and mackay, with a hoarse bellow of anger, dashed forward to meet the foe, his impetuous comrades bounding closely at his heels. all were filled with the mad desire to slay until the last. the lust of battle had taken hold of them completely; no thought of the probable grim finale was theirs.
their wild advance caused the blacks to hesitate momentarily, and the front rank crowded back. bob noticed in a flash the advantage which had thus been given, and he knew why mackay had so suddenly left the shelter of the cavern. while the natives hustled together not a bow could be bent. quickly he dropped on one knee beside his leader, jack and the shadow falling into line as if by a preconceived arrangement. had they discharged their rifles at that crucial moment their enemy would have been mowed down before the leaden hail. but ere a finger pressed the trigger, the old chief, with a shrill cry, which was heard high above the din, leapt in front of his myrmidons, and, with an almost regal gesture, waved them back. that he himself escaped being riddled with bullets was a lasting testimony to the iron nerves of the dauntless four who, even at such a critical juncture, disdained to fire on one whose face was turned away from them. but they recovered themselves promptly and[pg 341] prepared to follow up their apparent triumph, yet the ancient warrior stayed them with outstretched hand.
"i'll soon throw him out of the way," roared mackay, dashing forward.
before he reached the patriarchal chief, however, a stentorian call from behind arrested his attention, and he stood rooted to the spot, dazed and bewildered. again the cry sounded in his ears—
"come back, jim; for god's sake, come back. there's three hundred against you."
he staggered and would have fallen, had not bob's strong arm supported him; then he turned almost fearfully. five tall figures were hastening frantically down the hillside, and the foremost was the watcher of the summit. as in a dream mackay raised his rifle, and he did not seem to notice when bob pressed the deadly tube down. he was gazing with wild staring eyes at the approaching form.
"great centipedes!" howled the shadow, in amazement. "it's a white man!"
that broke the spell. with a hoarse exclamation, mackay rushed to meet the new-comer.
mackay rushed to meet the new-comer
"mackay rushed to meet the new-comer"
"dick!" he cried.
"yes, it's me, jim," came the answer. "i knew you would come."