"Beneath us, scarcely twenty feet below, there is firm footing," cried Schorn, "and, if I do not mistake, the cave then leads to the right among the rocks; but I must have a brighter light."
He handed the torch back to me and took a piece of magnesium wire from his pocket. The next moment the cave as far as we could overlook it was illumined as by an electric light.
"A happy discovery; we can go on," cried Schorn, delighted, as the light was extinguished. "I can a.s.sure you, gentlemen," he said, rising, "that the first difficulty is almost without danger, and easy to overcome."
We crowded about him; even the two porters were determined not to lose a word of his description.
Beneath the overhanging rock, at a depth of scarcely fifteen or twenty feet, there was a firm footing, a platform of stone quite broad enough to give standing room for at least five or six men, and from this platform a way was distinguishable on the right through a narrow opening in the rocks.
"Now you see, Herr Foligno, I was right a week ago. You would not believe me, but so it is," exclaimed Ra.s.sak, one of the porters, exultantly, speaking German.
"Who asked your opinion!" the Judge said harshly.
"Did Ra.s.sak, then, discover the continuance of the cave?" said the Captain.
"Well, yes," the Judge replied irritably. "It seems at present that he was probably right. He lay down on the ground and let down a lantern by a rope, and then declared that the cave had a further outlet. I lay down after him and looked down, but I could see no opening. I did not believe him, and it was partly to convince myself whether or not he was correct that I offered to accompany you to-day. I could not explore it myself then; I had no rope strong enough to lower me to the platform below, which might have been done without danger."
"Not quite without danger, at least for the first to attempt it,"
Schorn remarked calmly, "but it is not great. It needs a little swing on the rope to reach the platform, but when one man obtains firm footing there, the rest is easy. I will be let down first, and can draw the rest toward me. The porters must stay here, that they may pull us up when we return."
"But it seems to me a very perilous undertaking," said the Captain anxiously. "We cannot expose our Herr Professor to such danger. If the rope breaks before he reaches the platform, or if he should be seized with giddiness, he would fall into a bottomless abyss."
"I will guarantee the strength of the rope," said Franz Schorn.
"And I that I shall suffer no dizziness; I do not know the sensation."
I was so keen for the continuance of our exploration that I was almost irritated by the Captain"s anxiety on my behalf. The danger would have to be far greater than it was to deter me from further progress.
Hitherto I had found no trace of a cave beetle; there had been nothing living among the bald black rocks. Only at a greater depth could I hope to satisfy my pa.s.sion for collecting.
"If the Captain thinks the danger too great, he can remain with the porters. I shall be glad to follow the Herr Professor," said the Judge; whereupon the Captain turned upon him angrily, declaring that he was not thinking of danger for himself, but for the old gentleman who was their guest in Luttach; since, however, the Herr Professor wished to go, he himself should surely not remain behind.
Thus we determined to proceed. Franz Schorn gave us the necessary directions. He wished us to put the rope around us and to hold it firmly when we were lowered. These directions were not necessary in my case; I have made use of rope so often with my guides among the glaciers, and have so frequently been let down from the rocks to obtain some rare plant, that I was quite familiar with its use. There seemed to be no possible peril here, even for Franz Schorn, for four of us would hold the rope and we could lower him very gradually for the short distance to the platform below, making any great swing of the rope impossible. The two porters could easily lower the Captain, who was to be the last of us to follow.
Schorn arranged the rope so that he could place himself in the loop; he fastened a lantern to it, and then advanced to the edge of the rocks, seated himself, and, still holding to the irregular surface he slowly lowered himself, while we, holding the rope, paid it out inch by inch.
I followed him to the edge, but I did not look down, because I concentrated all my attention upon the paying out of the rope.
After scarcely a minute we heard him call from below:
"Halt! I am all right. Draw the rope up again."
I laid myself flat on the ground and looked over the edge of the platform, which was now illuminated by the lantern which Schorn held.
It was light enough for me to see the young man distinctly as he stood quite comfortably not far below me. I could also discern the black opening to the right, the continuation of the cave.
"Follow me, Herr Professor," Schorn called up. "Do just as I did; there is no danger; seat yourself in the loop and as soon as you are lowered, I will drag you to me. A dozen men beside us could find room on this platform."
I did as he directed and seated myself in the loop, but as I was about to swing clear of the outer edge of the rock to follow Schorn"s example, my heart suddenly gave a leap. For a moment horror overcame me as I looked into the depths below; I hesitated to cast myself loose.
"Are you afraid, Herr Professor!" The Judge stood immediately behind me, regarding me with a sneer. His eyes gleamed strangely as he leaned over me.
There is no greater folly than to expose oneself to a danger out of fear of being called a coward. I have often declared this, but at that moment, old man as I am, I committed this folly.
"Hold the rope firmly; I will let myself down," I replied.
"Have no fear, we will hold it fast."
I hovered above the abyss and was slowly lowered. I had almost reached the platform when I heard above me a strange creaking; at the next moment I knew I was falling, but a strong arm was thrown around me and Franz Schorn and I staggered and fell on the platform. Just then I heard a scream from above.
"Great G.o.d!" exclaimed the voice of the Judge. "The rope has broken; the Professor has fallen into the abyss!"
This was all the work of a moment. I tried to stand up, but I could not; my right ankle was terribly painful. Franz Schorn, who had fallen with me, was quickly on his feet.
"I never will believe that the rope broke," he whispered. He seized it and examined it by the light of his lantern on the ground; mine had been broken and extinguished in my fall.
"It was half cut through before it broke," he said in a dull tone.
"That scoundrel, Foligno, has tried to plunge you into the abyss."
Hastily taking a knife from his breast pocket he cut off the end of the rope and handed it to me.
"Keep this," he whispered. "You may perhaps need it for proof that the rascal tried to murder you."
I heard his words, but I did not understand him. My thoughts were in wild confusion; I was still half stunned by my fall. Mechanically I followed his directions and put the piece of rope in my pocket. Only gradually did I clearly understand in what danger I had been, and that Franz Schorn had ventured his own life to rescue mine. It was almost a certainty that I should drag him down to the abyss, but he had seized me as I fell, and at the risk of his life had pulled me back to the platform.
"You have saved my life----"
He interrupted me. "Don"t speak of it. We all help one another as well as we can. What we have to think of now is how to reach the rock above us without injury."
He suddenly paused, as from above came the voice of the Judge:
"Thank G.o.d! The accident is not so bad as I feared. I can see the Herr Professor and Herr Schorn on the platform below. Are you hurt, Herr Professor?"
"I believe my right ankle is broken," I called back.
"Good heavens! What shall we do?"
"Why, of course," Schorn replied, "you must lower the second rope to pull us up. I beg, however, that Ra.s.sak may be the first man, Bela the second, the Captain the third, and that you, Herr Foligno, do not touch the rope. It might break in your hands a second time. I will not trust you with the Herr Professor"s life or my own."
The Judge made no reply. For a moment all was silent, and then the Captain called down to us:
"What nonsense you are talking, Franz! You have mortally offended the Judge. He had nothing to do with the accident. He is in despair that the Herr Professor should be injured."
"His anger is of no consequence," Franz answered. "He promised me to submit to my orders, and I insist upon his not touching the rope again."
A long discussion began. The Captain was seriously angry at the offence Franz had given to the Judge, whom he attempted to soothe, but Franz declared positively that he would wait with me on the platform for hours until Ra.s.sak could procure two other men rather than trust himself and me to a rope pa.s.sing through the hands of the Judge. He said nothing of his suspicion that the rope had been partly cut through, and, therefore, the Captain thought his demand unjustifiable and prompted solely by hatred of his foe. He was indignant, but he was obliged to comply with the young man"s demand, in order that I might be relieved from my most unpleasant situation as soon as possible. He promised that Ra.s.sak should be stationed close to the edge and that the Judge should take no part in the pulling up of the rope. While the Captain and Franz were discussing the matter I had examined my ankle, and, to my great joy, found that it was not broken, but had been severely sprained by my fall. It was excessively painful, but I could move it; I could even stand with Franz"s a.s.sistance. Some moments pa.s.sed, and then Schorn"s name was called from above.
"Is that you, Ra.s.sak?"
"Yes."
"Where is the Judge?"