As I waited, trying to possess myself with patience, and hoping against hope that I might still be rescued from my living tomb, the little streak of light grew brighter high above, as though the wintry sun was shining.
I strained my ears to catch any sound beyond the slow trickling of the water from the spring, but, alas! could distinguish nothing.
Suddenly, however, I heard a dull report above, followed quickly by a second, and then another in the distance, and another. At first I listened much puzzled; but next moment I realised the truth.
There was a shooting-party in the vicinity!
CHAPTER XX.
FROM THE TOMB.
Again I shouted--yelled aloud with all my might. I placed my hands to my mouth, making a trumpet of them, and shouted upwards:
"Help! For G.o.d"s sake! Help! I"m down here--dying! Help!--_Help!_"
A dozen times I yelled my appeal, but with the same negative result.
Whoever had fired in the vicinity was either too far away, or too occupied with his sport to hear me.
I heard another shot fired--more distant than the rest. Then my heart sank within me--the party were receding.
I don"t know how long I waited--perhaps another hour--when I thought I would try again. Therefore I recommenced my shouts for a.s.sistance, yelling frantically towards the high-up opening.
Suddenly the streak of light became obscured, and dust and gravel fell upon me, the latter striking my head with great force from such a height.
I heard a noise above--a footstep upon the wooden flap of the well. My heart gave a bound.
"Help!" I yelled. "Open the well! I"m down here--dying. Save me! Fetch a.s.sistance!"
The feet above moved, and a moment later I saw above me a round disc of daylight and a head--a girl"s head--silhouetted within it.
"Who"s there?" she asked in a timid, half-frightened voice.
"It"s me!" I cried. "Get me out of this! I"m dying. Get me a rope or something, quickly!"
"Who are you?" asked the girl, still frightened at her discovery.
"I"m a man who"s been thrown down here, and I can"t get out. Get somebody to help me, I beg of you!"
"All right!" she replied. "There"s some men, shooting here. I"ll run and tell them."
And her face disappeared from the disc of daylight.
At last! Help was forthcoming, and I breathed more freely.
I suppose about five minutes must have elapsed before I saw above me the heads of two men in golf-caps, peering over the edge of the well.
"Hulloa!" cried one in a refined voice, "what are you doing down there?"
"Doing!" I echoed, "you should come down and see!" I said with some sarcasm. "But, I say! Send me down a rope, will you? I"m a prisoner here."
"Have you been thrown in there?" asked the voice. "This lady says you have."
"Yes, I have. I"ll tell you a strange story when you get me out."
"All right!" exclaimed the other. "Hold on! We"ll go over to the farm and get a rope. Why, I was here half-an-hour ago, and never dreamt you were down there. Hold on!"
And the two faces disappeared, their places being taken by the silhouette of the girl.
"I say!" I cried. "Where am I? What do they call this place?"
"Well, this is one of the fields of Coppin"s Farm, just outside Lexden Park."
"Do you know Melbourne House?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Miss Morgan"s. She"s dead," replied the girl"s voice from above. "It"s out on the high road--close by."
"Is this well in the middle of a field, then?" I asked.
"In the corner. Some old, half-ruined cottages stood here till a couple of years ago, when they were pulled down."
"And this was the well belonging to them?"
"I suppose so," she replied, and a few minutes later I heard voices and saw several heads peering down at me, while now and then gravel fell upon my unprotected head, causing me to put my hands up to protect it.
"I say!" cried the man"s voice who had first addressed me, "We"re sending down a rope. Can you fasten it round you, and then we"ll haul you up? I expect you"re in a pretty state, aren"t you?"
"Yes; I"m not very presentable, I fear," I laughed.
Then down came a stout farmer"s rope, several lengths of which were knotted together after some delay, until its end dangled before me.
"I hope you"ve joined it all right," I cried. "I don"t want to drop down!"
"No, it"s all right!" one of the men--evidently a labourer--declared.
"You needn"t fear, mister."
I made a knot in the end, then, placing it around both my thighs, made a slip knot and clung to the rope above. This took me some minutes. Then, when all was ready, I gave the signal to haul.
"Slowly!" I shouted, for I was swinging from side to side of the well, bruising my elbows and knees. "Haul slower! I"m getting smashed to pieces!"
They heeded me, and with care I was gradually drawn up to the blessed light of day--a light which, for a few minutes, nearly blinded me, so exhausted and dazed was I.
Naturally I was beset by a hundred queries as to how I came to be imprisoned in such a place.
But I sat down upon the ground, a strange, begrimed and muddy figure, no doubt, gazing about me for a few moments unable to speak.