Before Jess could reply a peculiar m.u.f.fled sound drifted into the mine.
It startled them, for it was like a cry of someone in distress.
"It must be Eben," Mrs. Hampton declared, as she rose quickly to her feet. "Let us go and find, out what is the matter."
It did not take them long to grope their way to the entrance, for as they advanced they were guided by the light from the opening. Smoke was hovering about the mouth of the mine, and the air felt somewhat cool.
"It is raining!" Jess exclaimed. "The fire is all out." Then she gave a cry of fright as Eben"s body, huddled upon the ground, met her eyes.
Mrs. Hampton had seen it, too, and was first by the boy"s side.
"Is he dead?" Jess asked in an awed voice.
"No, he is alive," Mrs. Hampton replied as she felt his pulse. "But look at his face! Isn"t it terribly burned!"
"And his hands, arms, and body!" Jess replied. "Oh, the poor boy!" She dropped upon her knees by his side, and took one of the swollen hands in hers. "He must have been burned when he leaped through the fire at the landing," she continued. "And he must have been suffering all the time while he was rowing us here, and we were too much excited to notice it. Now I understand the meaning of that groan in the mine.
Oh, what are we to do?"
"I am afraid we can do nothing," Mrs. Hampton replied. "The fire has destroyed the boat, so we cannot cross the lake. The only thing to do is to leave you here with Eben while I go for a.s.sistance."
"Perhaps John will soon be here," Jess suggested. "He must be very anxious about us."
"But he won"t know where to find us."
"He will come to the island, anyway, and will search everywhere for us.
Perhaps we shall be able to see him and call to him. Suppose we wait for a while. You cannot walk to the river."
"I can do more than you imagine," was the quiet reply. "But it is just as well to wait awhile. In the meantime we must get this poor boy under shelter. Let us carry him into the mine."
As carefully and tenderly as possible the two lifted the unconscious lad and bore him into the opening of the mine, where they laid him down upon the ground. With his head on her lap, Jess wiped away the moisture from the red swollen face. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched him, and noted how his hair had been burnt away, and his features distorted with pain.
"You poor boy!" she murmured. "You did it all for us, and we can do nothing for you now."
"We must do something," Mrs. Hampton declared. "I cannot wait here and let the boy die without making an effort to save his life. I can go to the other side of the lake, anyway, and be at the landing when anyone comes. John will surely be there soon. I hope nothing has happened to him."
At these words an expression of fear appeared in the girl"s eyes as she turned them upon her mother"s face.
"Perhaps he tried to reach us and was caught by the fire!" Her heart beat fast, and her face became very white.
"You need not worry, dear," Mrs. Hampton comforted. "John has common sense, and would not run any useless risk."
"But he would run any risk for us, I am certain," Jess declared. "He would not think of himself when he knew that we were in danger. He would go through anything for us."
"I know that, dear," and Mrs. Hampton looked lovingly into the girl"s sparkling eyes. "But perhaps he did not know of the fire in time.
Most likely he was very busy about the place, and had little idea that we were in danger. I shall go now, for there is no time to lose. You watch by the poor boy. I don"t like to leave you alone, but there is nothing else to do. I could not think of sending you, for you would be sure to lose your way."
Hardly had Mrs. Hampton ceased speaking ere Jess pointed excitedly across to the island.
"Look, look!" she cried. "Somebody is over there. He"s standing on the sh.o.r.e, though he doesn"t see us. I believe it"s John!"
Laying Eben"s head gently upon the ground, she sprang to her feet, hurried down to the edge of the lake, and called across the water. As she did so, the man on the island started, hurried forward, and looked over to where the girl was standing.
"Are you both safe?" he shouted.
"Yes," Jess called back. "But we want help."
"All right, I"ll be there in a minute."
The next instant he was into the lake, and headed straight for the island. Jess watched him with the keenest interest, her eyes aglow with admiration.
"Isn"t he a great swimmer!" she exclaimed, as she turned to Mrs.
Hampton, who was now standing by her side. "I know he would come, didn"t you?"
"Yes, if he possibly could," was the reply. "I am so thankful he is here, for he will be able to help us get that poor boy home."
It took John but a few minutes to swim across that narrow portion of the lake, and when his feet at length touched bottom he waded ash.o.r.e, the water running in streams from his body. But the women thought nothing of his personal appearance, so delighted were they to have him with them.
"Mother! Jess!" he panted. "How did you get here?"
In reply, Mrs. Hampton pointed to the partly-burned boat, and then turned toward the mine.
"Come," she simply said, "I want to show you something."
She led the way, with Jess and John following. The latter could not keep his eyes off the girl"s face. He could hardly believe it possible that she was alive, and looking as beautiful as ever, although somewhat pale. He was like a man who had awakened from a horrible dream, and found that it was not true.
Mrs. Hampton stopped at the entrance of the mine and silently motioned to the prostrate boy.
"Why, it"s Eben Tobin!" John almost shouted the words, so great was his surprise. "How in the world did he get here?"
"He came in the boat, and saved us just in the nick of time," Mrs.
Hampton explained. "But for him we would not be here now."
"But what is wrong with him?"
"He is so terribly burned that he is unconscious. He leaped right through the fire at the landing, pushed off the boat, and came to our rescue. We were so excited that we did not know he was so badly burned until a short time ago. He never said a word to us about it. But we must get him home at once. How can we do it?"
John dropped upon his knees by Eben"s side and examined his burns. He could tell at once how serious they were, and that something must be done immediately. And as he knelt there, the boy moaned and his body trembled. Then his eyes opened, his lips moved, and he muttered words which the anxious watchers could not understand.
"We must get him home before he recovers consciousness," John declared, springing to his feet. "He does not realise his sufferings in his present condition. But should he come to out here it will be fearful, for we can do nothing to relieve his pain."
He turned and looked toward the remains of the boat, and then off into the forest.
"You stay here out of the rain," he told the women. "I want to see what can be done. I must build a raft of some kind to take us across to the landing, as it is impossible to carry Eben around the lake."
"Oh, let me help you," Jess pleaded. "Make some use of me."
"But you will get soaked, and your clothes and hands dirty," John replied.
"That won"t matter. I don"t mind the rain, and I can wash my hands and clothes."
"Very well, then," John a.s.sented, much pleased at the true spirit of the one he loved, and also anxious to have her with him.