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Mother Carey's Chicken: Her Voyage to the Unknown Isle, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 39. How The Roaring Spot Was Found |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. HOW THE ROARING SPOT WAS FOUND Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha! Wauck! Wauck! Wauck! There was a loud rustling of palm leaves, and Mark Strong and Billy Widgeon sprang to their feet and stared at one another as the warm glow that precedes sunrise penetrated the cave and lit up their faces. "What was that?" "I don't know. Did somebody call?" "I--I thought I heered them things again," said Billy in a whisper. "Why, Mr Mark, sir, you've been asleep!" "I'm afraid I have. Have you?" "Dunno, sir. Well, I suppose I have. I feel like it. But I didn't mean to, sir." "Neither did I mean to," said Mark. "I wonder I did go. How chilly it is!" "Yes, sir, like one feels in the early watches. Why, it's quite to-morrow morning!" "Or this morning, Billy." "Yes, sir, that's what I mean. Now, then, what's the first thing, Mr Mark, sir? What do you say to finding a coky-nut tree? I'll swarm up and get the nuts." "Let's start at once, and try to get to camp. That will be better than cocoa-nuts. Now, then, the sun is rising on our right; then it seems to me if we keep it there, upon our right, and walk as straight as we can, we shall hit the shore somewhere near our camp." "Then you won't look for the Gutty Perchy Road, sir?" "No, no; they would not have stayed there. We will try and get through the jungle--we must get through it, Billy, so come along." "Shall I go first, sir?" said the little sailor. "No, I'll go first. I wish we had lights to look a little further into this hole. Why, Billy, the floor's lava!" "Yes, sir, I thought it was." "You thought it was what?" cried Mark, staring. "What you said, sir." "Never mind, come along," said Mark; and he went to the edge of the cave and stood looking out like a pigeon in one of the holes of a dove-cot preparing to take flight. "See anything, sir?" "Trees, rocks, sky; nothing more," said Mark; "but the sea must be straight before us, and it cannot be many miles away." He turned and began to climb down backwards, and reached the level at the bottom of the steep scarp, when, looking up, he could not help smiling at the great care Billy displayed in descending, for he lowered his short legs over the edge as he held on and began feeling about in a most absurdly comical manner for the nearest projection which he could touch. He was in this position, about fifteen feet above the spot where Mark waited, when, with a noise that was almost deafening, the frightful roar which had startled the whole party burst out from just inside the cave where they had slept. The sound was so awful in its intensity that Mark shuddered as he stood there almost petrified, while at the first burst poor Billy Widgeon loosed his hold and dropped down shrunken up together as if he were trying to emulate the manner of a hedgehog, and as he fell, he just touched the ground, sprang up, and began to run. "Mr Mark, sir, run--run, my lad, run!" To his credit, be it said, that he stopped short and waited for Mark to come up, terrified as he was, and then sent him on first, while he covered him from behind. Neither spoke for some time, but, regardless of direction, ran where they could, but oftener walked, or even crept, through the dense forest, always with the sensation that the huge beast that had uttered that frightful roar was crashing through the trees on their track. By degrees though they recovered their confidence somewhat, gradually realising that there was no sound behind them, and at last they paused panting and exhausted to wipe the perspiration from their brows, and listen. "Hear it coming, Mr Mark, sir?" "No," said Mark after a few moments, "I can hear nothing." "Jim-a-ny!" panted Billy, "think of us a-going to sleep in his hole. Oh, Mr Mark, sir, what an awful beast! I thought he'd ha' had me. I was that scared I couldn't let go for a moment." "Did you hurt yourself much?" "Hurt myself! I should think I did. I must have half my bones broken. But what a roar!" "What was it like?" "Like, sir! Oh, I can't tell you what it was like." "What! didn't you see it?" "Don't you talk so loud, my lad, or we shall have him arter us." "No, I won't, Billy; but did you see it?" "'Cause, if we gets it arter us, it's all over." "Yes, yes, I know that; but I want to know what sort of a beast it was. Did you see it?" "Did you hear it roar, Mr Mark, sir?" said Billy, still fencing with the question. "Of course I did. What was it like?" "Well, you see, I didn't, as I may say, exactly see it, Master Mark, sir, so I wouldn't venture to say what it was like." "But you saw something?" "Well, I won't deceive you, Mr Mark, sir; I didn't see nothing." "I wish you had, Billy. But what an escape! The thing must have been asleep when we went there last night, and did not wake till we came away. But we've found out its hole." "Yes," said Billy, dolefully, as he rubbed one leg; "we've found out its hole, Mr Mark, sir, only, as you may say where is it?" "Why, we could find our way back there, surely?" "I don't believe nobody could find their way. I can't, sir. You're always going where you don't want, and turning up somewhere else. I feel like the needle in the bottle of hay, sir, and give it up." Mark stood listening, but all was still. "Shall we go back and try if we can see it?" he whispered. "Go back! Now, my dear lad, don't. Don't think about that. Ugh! after such an escape! Come along." "Wait a moment. Where's the sun? It should be on our right." "Well, it's on our left, now," said Billy. "Then we've been going farther away from the sea. Well, we can't go back." "Go back, my dear lad! no! let's go this way, and make on till we come to somewhere. Anything, so as to get right away from that horrible beast." In spite of his proposal to go back and try and get a glimpse of their enemy, Mark felt more disposed to hurry away; and for the next two hours they climbed and struggled on, half aware, and yet not willing to alter their course, that they were going farther from help. Mark said so at last. "But we don't want help so much now, sir, as miles of distance. Let's get away, right away, Mr Mark, and when we feels we're safe then we'll talk about going for camp." Mark said no more, but trudged on, and struggled through the trees, with the ground growing higher and higher, till at last they came upon a sight which made Billy Widgeon try to throw up his cap; but he only struck it against a bough, and then made a dash forward in the direction of something which quite for the moment overmastered all his feelings of dread. "Food!" he shouted; and Mark saw that he was making for a tall cocoa-nut tree; but before he had gone many steps the report of a gun rang out on the morning air, and this brought both to a stand-still. "Ahoy!" they shouted as nearly as they could together, and a faintly-heard shout answered their call. "Hurrah!" shouted Mark, and he hailed again and went in the direction of the response, closely followed by Billy, who cast longing eyes on the cocoa-nuts. The rest was but a matter of time, and was achieved by keeping up the calls and answers. Sometimes they found they were going wrong, but this was soon rectified, and in half an hour Mark's eyes were gladdened by the sight of his father's face, as he forced his way out of a cane-brake. "Oh, father," the lad exclaimed, "I am so sorry!" "Oh, Mark, my boy, I am so glad!" cried the captain, catching him by the shoulders, and then pressing him tightly to his breast. "You young dog! Here, Strong, give me leave to thrash him, and I'm yours truly for ever. Why, Mark, my dear boy, what a stew you put us in! There, if you'll go and look where I lay down to sleep for half an hour you'll find some tears on the leaves." "I'm so sorry, Major O'Halloran." "Bedad, and it don't matter, for we've found you again. Ugh! you ugly young ruffian! to go frightening your father into fits." "It was an accident, sir." "That's what your father said. He would have it that you had gone down a hole to see what made the mountain burn, and couldn't get out." "If you wouldn't mind, Mr Mark, sir, I'd like to shake hands," said Small, "afore I punch Billy Widgeon's head." "It wasn't his fault, Small," cried Mark, shaking hands heartily with the boatswain before turning to the captain. "Was my mother very much frightened, father?" "I hope not, my lad." "Hope not! What! haven't you been back to camp?" "Not likely, my boy. We found you did not come back so we went off from the mud-stream path to the right and searched for you till we could not see, and have fired off half our ammunition for signals." "But we went off to the left, father," said Mark. "And so we got farther and farther apart, so no wonder we did not find you." "Did you shout?" "Shout!" cried the major, who sounded very Irish that morning. "Why, can't you hear, boy, how dumb we are with yelling after you!" "Never mind, you are found, so now for camp. They must be very anxious. But you are none the worse?" "No, father, not a bit; only hungry." "But did you hear that roar soon after daybreak?" "Hear it! Yes," cried Mark; "it came out of the cave in which we slept;" and he related their experience. The captain looked at the major without speaking. "Oh, I'm ready," said the latter with a look of determination. "Let's have the rest of what we have to eat, and then set the matter at rest." "We will," said Captain Strong, "and then we shall have a better right to face those in camp. I don't like for our visit to be purposeless." Billy Widgeon's eyes glistened as they found a level place to sit down and make a fairly hearty meal, supplemented by some fruit picked by the men during the laborious search, which had only ceased on the previous night when they were quite exhausted. As they made their sylvan breakfast the question was discussed as to the possibility of finding the cave again. Mark felt that he could not but express his willingness to try, and soon after, with guns loaded ready, they rose and set off in quest of the monster that threatened to make their life a penance. _ |
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