The Secret of Killimooin. Страница 26

“We went up into the cave below the temple,” said Pilescu. “We found the statue was divided into half, and we climbed up. We could not see a robber anywhere. We went to the mouth of the cave and looked out. We could see nothing at all, because there is a thick mist on the mountain-side this morning. We went back into the cave to return to you, when into the cave rushed all the robbers and flung themselves on us. They must have seen us standing at the entrance. They were waiting for us there! We could not see them in the mist.

“Oh, Pilescu — just as we had got to the end of our journey!” cried Prince Paul. “What are we going to do now? Is Ranni badly hurt? He hit his head so hard on the rock!”

Ranni opened his eyes at that moment and groaned. His head ached badly. He tried to sit upright, and then remembered everything with a rush.

“More of the roof is falling!” cried Jack. He was right. With another tremendous roar a great mass of rock again fell down at the other end of the cave, and a still greater volume of water poured out. It was now all round their legs. The five captives struggled to get up on ledges out of the way of it.

“It is rising higher now,” said Mike, watching the water swirling in the cave. The bright light of the torch glittered on the blackness of the icy-cold water. It looked very threatening.

“Pilescu, what are we going to do?” said Jack, desperately. “We shall all be drowned soon if we don’t do something! Oh, why didn’t someone come after us — some of the servants, or villagers. Beowald said he would fetch some!”

Beowald, of course, had fetched the villagers, and they had gone down as far as the cave of the waterfall. But they had not been able to guess that the way the boys had gone was along the narrow, rocky ledge beside the rushing river. They had left the cave and gone back to the mountain-side, telling Beowald that he must be mistaken. No one had gone down into those caves below! The robbers and their prisoners must be somewhere on the mountain-side!

They had searched the mountains well, hallooing and shouting for hours. When the thick mist had come up, they had had to leave their search, for, good mountaineers as they were, they could lose themselves in the mist as easily as any child.

Beowald alone had not stopped searching. The mist did not hinder him, for neither darkness nor mists made any difference to him. He wandered about all night long, looking for his friends, the big mountain goat keeping him company.

When the sun was high in the sky Beowald made his way back to the temple-cave. He listened outside. There was no sound. He went to the big stone image at the back. It was still split in half. Beowald stood thinking. Should he go down himself, and seek for the others? The villagers had already said there was nothing below but empty caves, with rushing water in one. Beowald would be lost in a strange place. But something made him decide to try.

The blind goatherd slipped down into the hole, hanging deftly on to the rope. Down he went, and down, and came at last to the little cave below. He explored it carefully with his hands stretched out in front of him, going round the rocky, irregular walls.

He soon found the opening that led into the narrow, rocky passage. He went down it, feeling before him and beside him with his hands. Down and down went the passage, curving as it descended.

Beowald came out into the cave of the waterfall, and stood there, deafened by the roar. Water swirled over his feet. At first he was so deafened by the terrific noise that he heard nothing more.

And then, to his extreme astonishment, he heard his name called.

“Beowald! Beowald!”

“Look — it’s Beowald! Beowald, help us, quickly!”

Beowald the goatherd stood at the entrance of the waterfall cave, his blind eyes seeing nothing, his ears hearing voices he could hardly believe in!

But even more astonished were the five captives! Beowald had appeared before them, like a wizard, just as they had given up all hope of being saved!

Beowald to the Rescue!

“Beowald! Quick! Set us free!” shouted Ranni. The water was already high, and more and more was flooding into the cave. It had increased a great deal in the last few minutes. Ranni was afraid that the whole roof might give way beneath the terrific weight of water — and then there would be no hope for the little company at all.

“What is it? Where are you? What is this water?” cried Beowald, lost in this strange new world of roaring and wetness.

“Beowald! Listen to me!” shouted Ranni, urgently. “Listen carefully. You are standing at the entrance to a cave, where I and the others are, all bound tightly, so that we cannot walk, or free ourselves. Water is pouring into our cave, and we shall be drowned if you do not hurry. Step down, Beowald, walk towards my voice. Do not be afraid.”

“I will come,” said the blind goatherd. He stepped further into the water, and then stopped, afraid. He was never afraid in his own mountain world. He knew every inch, every rock, every tree. But this was all new to him and strange to him, and it frightened him.

“Hurry, Beowald, hurry!” cried Ranni. “Come to me, quickly. Get our your knife. Cut my bonds.”

Beowald stumbled through the water and felt about for Ranni. His hands brushed the big Baronians face. Ranni was half-lying, half-sitting. On his head was an enormous bump where he had struck it against a rock. Beowald’s fingers felt the bump, and he wondered what had caused it. His hands ran down Ranni’s body and he felt that the man had his arms tied behind his back.

He took out his knife and, with a careful stroke, cut the leather thongs that bound Ranni’s hands together. The big man stretched out his arms gladly, trying to get some strength back into them for they were stiff and swollen with being bound so tightly.

He snatched Beowald’s knife from him and cut the thongs that bound his ankles together. He stood up, and at once over-balanced, for the thongs had cut into his legs, and for the moment he could not stand on them. He rose again, and went to Paul.

In a trice the small boy was free, and was trying to get to the entrance of the passage. “Quick, quick!” he cried. “Set the others free, Ranni. They will be drowned!”

As quickly as he could Ranni cut the thongs that bound the others, and set them free. They tried to stagger out of the water that now swirled above their knees. The cave was rapidly filling.

Ranni picked up the torch that was still lying on the rocky ledge, shining brightly into the cave. He held it so that everyone could see how to get into the narrow passage that led upwards to the other cave, away from the water. Beowald had already gone into the passage, anxious to get back to the mountain-side he knew. He felt so strange and so lost underground.

Ranni swung his torch round the cave of the waterfall for the last time — and then he saw that what he had feared might happen, was about to happen! The whole roof of the big cave was giving way! The pressure and weight of the water above it, trying to find its way out of the already enlarged hole, was too much for it. It had to give way. The rain that had fallen in torrents on the mountain-top, had to get away somewhere, and it had found the ordinary channels in the mountain too small for it. It was forcing and pressing everything in its way — and now the roof of the cave had to give in to its enormous pressure.

With a terrific roar the roof fell in, and after it poured the biggest volume of water that Ranni had ever seen. He gave a shout of terror and rushed up the narrow passage after the others. He was afraid that the water might flood even that passage, and trap them before they could get into the other cave!

“What’s the matter, Ranni, what’s the matter?” cried Paul, hearing the terrified shout.