Dead Man's Land Part 52

"Ah, that's what you say, sir, but nothing is impossible out in a place like this. Why, just look at him. Why, if you got him out in the suns.h.i.+ne where you could see what a way inside his eyes were, you would have found that he was always looking right backwards. He was a regular old 'un, he was--lots older than he knew hisself. You heard what the doctor said the other day about this being the place where King Solomon sent his s.h.i.+ps to find gold?"

"Yes, and it's quite possible," said Mark.

"Oh, you own to that, sir?"

"To be sure I do. He had s.h.i.+ps built, and sent them round by Africa, or else south down by the Red Sea."

"Yes, sir, that's right enough, sir. I have pretty well been both ways myself, and seen plenty of big stones there. Up in North Africa and in Egypt. I should say, sir, that that old chap will like as not been one of them as dug out and melted the gold. He don't look a bit like the regular natives, do he? He was hook-nosed, wasn't he, sir?"

"Yes, Dan."

"Not a bit like one of the regular natives, sir?"

"Not a bit."

"A lot of them seem as if their mothers used to sit upon their faces when they was kids, to keep them warm and flatten their noses out."

"Well, yes. They are of another race, though--the regular n.i.g.g.e.rs.

These Zulu sort of chaps like Mak are quite different."

"That's so, sir; and this old fellow, he was a regular hooked beaked 'un. Put me in mind of one of them big tortoises as you see in the islands up by Mauritius."

"Never seen them, Dan."

"Well, you take my word for it, then, sir; they look as old as if they had come out of the Ark. Now then, sir, just you tell me this. What was King Solomon?"

"King of Israel, of course."

"I don't mean that, sir. Warn't he a Jew?"

"Of course: a descendant of Abraham."

"Well, that's what that old chap is, sir."

"Stuff!" said Dean.

"Ah, you may call it stuff, sir; but see where we found him, in this old cave. He's been there for ages and ages, and he got so old at last that he crawled in there to die, but found he couldn't die a bit. He's been going on keeping just alive for n.o.body knows how long; and when an old man gets as old as that he has got past wanting to eat and drink. He just goes on living; and it's my belief, as I said afore, that he's one of them as set up those walls and dug the gold and melted it for King Solomon's s.h.i.+ps to take away. Did you ever hear of the wandering Jew, sir?"

"Yes, Dan. Of course."

"Well, sir, that's 'im."

"We did find a curiosity, then," said Mark merrily.

"Oh, bother!" said Dean. "Here, Dan, you had better leave history alone. I shouldn't be at all surprised, though, if the animated fossil has lived as long as old Parr."

"Old Parr, sir? You mean him as made the Life Pills?"

"No, he doesn't," said Mark, laughing. "He was an old fellow who lived to about a hundred and fifty."

"A hundred and fifty, sir! Why, that's nothing! Why, look at 'Thusalem; he lived close upon a thousand years. Well, if a man could live to one thousand years, why couldn't he live to three or four, or five, if you come to that? I don't say as this 'ere old fellow is quite so old, but he's the oldest chap I ever see except the mummies, and that's what this chap might be, only he's just got life enough in him to move, and they arn't."

"Well, that will do, Dan," said Mark. "But I am sorry you didn't find the poor old fellow after all."

The boys related their conversation with Dan to Sir James and the doctor, the former laughing heartily at the little sailor's belief.

"I suppose," said Sir James, "the poor old fellow must have summoned up strength enough to crawl away."

"I don't think that was possible," said the doctor. "He could not have stirred without help."

"But he had no help," said Sir James.

"I don't know," said the doctor quietly.

"What do you mean?" said Sir James; and the boys listened in surprise.

"I mean this, sir," said the doctor. "We have found that these ruins were well known to Mak and the pigmy."

"Of course."

"And we have found too this poor old fellow in his sort of cell."

"Exactly," said Sir James.

"Well, we know that, however old, no man could exist without nutriment.

Consequently we have just had proof that a tribe of the natives must have regular communication with this place."

"Yes, I suppose that must be the explanation," said Sir James.

"And I am disappointed," said the doctor, "because I was in hopes that we had the place all to ourselves so that we could go on with our interesting researches."

"Well, it would have been better," said Sir James. "But so long as they don't interfere with us it will not matter."

"And very likely," put in Mark, "if they come and find us here they will keep away."

"That's what I hope," said the doctor.

"And you think," said Dean, "that some of these people have been and carried that old fellow away?"

"Yes, my boy; that's exactly what I do think."

"Well," said Mark musing, "I suppose we shall soon know. But we certainly don't want them here."

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

A DISCUSSION.