"Serpent or not, here goes." A report rang out, followed by a wild cry, the rustling of leaves, and the fall of a heavy body.
"Carrambo! What have we here? A woman--a witch. Gobo, here is your serpent;" and the Captain laughed. "Do you hear that, you inside? If you do not keep quiet you will be served in the same way."
The old woman, with a last effort, called to Hume: "Keep watch; they look for the secret place of hiding."
"Be silent!" cried the Captain; "and, Ferrara, show us this place of treasure, if you have not lied."
"I do not lie," replied a deep voice, "and you have done wrong to shoot that woman. She has given warning of our search."
"And what then? Are we afraid of a parcel of sick men? By the saints!
I will give them this old witch for company."
"Stay; here is the place. Yes--see the crack! Your knife, Captain, to force it open."
Hume heard the sc.r.a.pe of the knife, the thud of the stone as it fell back.
"Carrambo!" exclaimed the Captain. "What a hole of night! Who goes down first? I will lead. A light--give me a light."
There was a light, a flash of red flame from the hole in the wall, as Hume, who had listened, with nerves all quivering, fired blindly to save his friends.
"Bayate!" gasped the old woman. "It is well done, O Mole."
There was a sound of rushing feet, followed by a storm of curses from the pa.s.sage, where the men had rushed for shelter. Hume drew his revolver, and, with his arm out of the hole, fired in the direction of the voices.
"The powder!" roared the Captain, hoa.r.s.e with fury. "Give me the powder, and I will blow in the wall on their heads."
"Nay!" said Ferrara; "the falling stones may crush in the secret chamber below. Let two of us fire into the hole while the other descends."
"No, the powder! That bullet grazed my head. I will lay it against the wall. Good! here is a projecting stone. Get back, all of you, to the inner curve."
Hume, listening, heard the men retreat.
"Listen in there! In one minute you will be crushed. I have laid the train"--there was a scratch--"I have fired it--good-bye!"
Hume stood a moment; then felt wildly for a hole, struggled through, and as he fell free of the wall he heard the spluttering of the powder. The next instant he was hurled aside, and in his ears there roared the heavy blast of the explosion, coupled with the hollow rumble of falling stones, while the floor beneath him shook and trembled to the shock. He remained for a time on his face motionless, almost stunned by the noise of the explosion and by the force with which he was flung aside. Then, as his senses returned, he heard a murmur of voices as though afar off-- then more clearly a man speaking:
"By the saints! that is well done. They have had decent burial, Captain."
"Ay, too good; now we can get to work at our ease. But what a dust!
First let it settle; it chokes me."
Hume rallied his senses, and softly rolled over, feeling for his rifle, which he had dropped. Then he put his hand to his eyes, to feel that the bandage had been torn away by the rush, of air. With his fingers he pushed back the lids, which by long pressure remained as though gummed down. With his eyes blinking at the falling dust, he sat in hopeless darkness; then a sharp cry escaped his lips, for it seemed to him that the darkness was not so black. He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them wide, and before him there was a yellow blur. A brilliant spark flashed through it; then it changed to a deep violet, and from his trembling lips there leapt a cry, for he saw the looming dark walls, and above caught the sparkle of innumerable stars.
"I can see!" he cried. "My G.o.d! I can see!"
"Hark! It is one of them crying out."
"It was a fearful voice," whispered Gobo. "The men say this place is possessed."
Hume saw the sheen of something bright, and, with his heart beating, softly drew his rifle to him. He shut his eyes, and opened them with a joy he could scarce restrain; then, gently c.o.c.king the hammer, he rose to his feet.
"Curse this dust!" growled the Captain; "one can neither see nor hear.
But we cannot remain here like a lot of children frightened by a sound.
Come."
"Stop!" shouted Hume sternly. "I can see you--ay, I can see you well; and if a man moves I will shoot him."
"If you can see in this light, you have good eyes, my friend," said the Captain, with a nervous laugh. "But who in the devil"s name are you?"
"Stand aside, Captain," whispered Gobo.
"Stand where you are," said Hume fiercely. "Now give an account of yourselves. You have hunted us, keeping yourselves, like the shabbiest curs, well out of danger; and now, when you have brought us to bay, you have taken the last d.a.m.nable measure of cowardice against us--thinking, too, there was a lady here. I see that third man move--by heavens! I will shoot."
"Be calm, my friend," said the Captain in his hoa.r.s.e voice; "we do not wish to harm you. Now, can"t you make some agreement with us? You are perhaps alone?"
"Thanks to you," said Hume grimly.
"Alone--one man against two hundred. What can you do? Just think: you may kill one of us; but then you are yourself killed, or perhaps wounded and given over as a plaything to the Zulus, who are like tigers because of their friends who died."
"Well, what do you propose?" said Hume, listening to the louder cry of Chanda"s regiment, and to a confused murmur that quivered through the fresh morning air.
"You know why we are here, as we know why you have come. We have been racing against each other for a hidden treasure, and you would not accept the warnings we gave you to desist. There are three of us; let us sink all differences, and do you come in, taking fourth share."
"And my friends?"
"Your friends? It was the fortune of war that--"
"War do you call it? The better name would be murder."
"We need not split hairs," said the Captain impatiently. "But why speak of your friends, since they are dead?"
"You lie! they live. The treasure is not for you. They have already secured it, and are in safety with the people beyond the river. Fools!
while you slept they marched away, and Sirayo is now leading an army against your men."
"You lie yourself, dog of an Englishman!" cried the Captain.
"Listen!"
The distant murmur increased to a hoa.r.s.e roar, threatening, and nearer rose the shouts of Zulus calling to each other.
Behind the three men in the pa.s.sage were some Zulus, who had remained silent; but now they broke out in fierce excitement, all speaking together.
"What do they say?" shouted the Captain shrilly.
"They say there is a fight where the greatest number of our men are, and the enemy have gathered also by the river, where our second force is stationed. This man speaks truly. The people would not fight unless they had a fresh leader, and who can that leader be but Sirayo? But as for the treasure, those feeble people could not have carried it away."
"Carrambo!" said Gobo, "I recognise this fellow now."
"We met before at Madeira," said Hume grimly; and as the light increased the scowling faces of the three men stood out.