Off to the Wilds Part 53

Then Dinny growled out something about its being a shame to make such a naygur of a white man, and seeing no alternative, went on behind the guide, being followed by Mr Rogers, the boys bringing up the rear.

The first part of their journey was for some distance through narrow pa.s.sages, where they often had to bend double, with only an opportunity now and then for straightening themselves upright; but by degrees, as they went on splash, splash, through the water, the roof rose higher and higher, till its summit seemed to be lost in gloom, while the grey walls looked wild and romantic in the extreme.

A glance to right and left of the narrow way showed that in some great convulsion of nature, the rock had been split and separated to a small extent, and the result was the formation of this cavern; for so similar were the sides that had the natural action been reversed, the two sides would have fitted together, save where the water had worn the rock away.

It was a weird journey, made the more mysterious by the guide, who pointed out side pa.s.sages where the water grew deeper, which pa.s.sages, he said, had never been explored; and at last, after they had been travelling slowly along the solemn echoing place, Dinny appealed to his master to go back.

"Shure I'm not a bit freckened," he said; "but, sor, there's danger to us all if we go on there."

"Absurd, Dinny," cried his master. "Go on. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Oh, nothing at all, sor. It isn't that I mind, but we shall be coming upon some great big water-baste or a wather-shnake or something, and then what'll we do at all?"

"Let it eat us, Dinny," shouted d.i.c.k; and his voice sounded echoing and strange.

"Oh, an' is it ate us, Masther d.i.c.k? Shure ye'll have--murther!

murther! murther!" shrieked Dinny. "I towld ye so. Oh! Help, here!

Help!"

Down went Dinny's torch into the water, to be extinguished upon the instant, and the scared fellow kept on yelling with all his might.

"What is the matter?" cried his master angrily.

"Shure I towld ye so. A great big thing, wid awful black wings, flew at me and bit at me face, sor, and I belave he'd ha' killed me if I hadn't put me light out so as he shouldn't see where I was."

"Oh, Dinny, Dinny. If I were you I wouldn't be frightened of a bat,"

cried d.i.c.k.

"An' is it freckened of a bat I'd be, Masther d.i.c.k? I tell ye it was a great big thing as large as a man, wid long black wings, an' it sent a shudder all through me, sor, to see the great baste come at me."

"Which did you see, Dinny, the bat or the shadow?" asked d.i.c.k.

"Ah, ye're laughing at me," said Dinny; "but wait a bit and ye'll see."

Dinny's torch was fished out of the water, and after a good deal of beating and shaking to get rid of the moisture they managed to get it to burn once more, when Jack volunteered to carry it, and Dinny grumblingly took his place in the rear.

"Ah," he muttered, in d.i.c.k's hearing, "it's a dirthy counthry this Afrikky. Wild bastes, and shnakes, and holes under the airth. Faix, it isn't fit for a dacent boy to live in at all."

Dinny and his mutterings were little heeded, and they went on and on through the interminable place, following its windings and zigzag turns, where the rock had split, till they were tired, and d.i.c.k said that they had seen no more during the last hour than during the first five minutes, for the place was almost all alike--one great jagged rift with the little stream flowing over the floor. Now the roof looked far above them in the gloom, and now again it was close enough to crush their heads, while by the same rule there were times when they could touch the walls on either side by stretching out their hands, while at others the sides receded so that the s.p.a.ce was quite a chamber.

"Well, then," said Mr Rogers, "suppose we turn back. Dinny, as you are last now you'll be first going back, and ought to make a good leader; so take the light."

Dinny did not reply.

"Do you hear what my father said, Dinny?" cried d.i.c.k.

Still there was no answer.

"Why, father," cried d.i.c.k; "he is not here!"

"Nonsense! absurd!" cried Mr Rogers. "Here, Dinny!" he shouted.

"Ny-ny-ny-ny!" came softly repeated like a mockery of his cry.

"Dinny!" cried Mr Rogers again; and once again the echo was the only answer.

"Dinny!" shouted d.i.c.k and Jack together, with all their might; but the echo was the only response; and a cold chill of horror began to run through the little party as they stood there.

"Poor fellow!" exclaimed Mr Rogers; "surely he has not sunk down fainting from fright. Oh, surely not; the idea is too horrible!

Dinny!"

He shouted with all his might, and the boys took up the cry, but there was nothing but the echo to reply.

"Has anybody ever been lost here?" said Mr Rogers, turning sharply on the Boer guide.

"Dot one dat I know," said the Boer lad. "Dere was leedle mans lost one days, bud dey found der leedle mans again fasd ashleep on der rock."

"He has grown tired, boys; quick!" said Mr Rogers. "Let's make haste back, and we shall find him sitting down somewhere."

Though he said this, he did not feel at all hopeful; but still there was the chance of finding that Dinny, taking advantage of being behind, had climbed on to one of the big shelves of rock to await their return, though Mr Rogers felt that it was very doubtful, and that the poor fellow would be too great a coward to sit there alone in the dark.

It was then with sinking hearts, and a horrible sense of finding that their expedition had a terrible ending, that they hurried along the dark pa.s.sages of the weird grotto, pausing every now and then to shout, as they searched the side-turnings with their light, and shouted down them in case the poor fellow had strayed away by mistake, though the chances were very small, for it seemed impossible that Dinny could have followed any route but the one indicated by the light in front.

No, think of the matter how they would, there seemed no other explanation of Dinny's disappearance than that he had sunk down in the water where it was deeper than usual, and been drowned from sheer fright.

"It seems so shocking," said d.i.c.k, in a whisper, that, low as it was, seemed to run on before them; "that after going through all that journey, and escaping from lions and crocodiles, and all sorts of dangerous beasts, we should lose one of our party in such a miserable way."

d.i.c.k had unconsciously spoken his father's thoughts as they went on redoubling their exertions till, to their horror, they reached the bottom of the funnel-shaped entrance without finding a vestige of him they sought.

"Back again!" cried Mr Rogers; and returning, they again searched the gloomy pa.s.sages for hours, till they were obliged to return to the mouth of the cavern for fresh lights.

The Boer lad looked horrified, and he anxiously ran off for fresh torches, feeling himself to blame as guide, for having lost one of the party.

"Jack," said Mr Rogers hoa.r.s.ely, "run to the waggon, and fetch some biscuits, a little brandy, and the two large lamps, with a few extra candles. Be quick!"

"I'll go too, father," cried d.i.c.k eagerly. And the boys were about to start, when d.i.c.k added, "Shall I bring over the General, father?"

"Yes, and his boys. We must find Dinny."

d.i.c.k and Jack, weary and wet as they were, ran off to the little camp, the smoke of whose fire they could see, and on reaching it, panting and exhausted, the first object they saw was Dinny, lying under a tree with his mouth open, fast asleep.

"Oh, I am glad," cried Jack.

"So am I," cried d.i.c.k; "and sorry--and cross," he added, running up to Dinny, and giving him a kick in the ribs.

"Aisy there," said Dinny, yawning and opening his eyes. "Shure, I'm coming. Ah, Masther d.i.c.k, and have ye got back out of the black hole?"

"How came you here?" cried d.i.c.k angrily.