Kitabı oku: «In the Wonderful Land of Hez: or, The Mystery of the Fountain of Youth», sayfa 6

CHAPTER XV.
THE NAZTECS AND THEIR PRISONERS

Reginald Lacy and his faithful dog were swept over the falls with frightful velocity.

Jupiter still gripped his master by the collar, and it was evident that he meant to hang on until death parted them.

Down the foaming cataract they were carried, and the terror of his dreadful situation caused Lacy to lose possession of his faculties.

When he came to again he found himself lying upon a strip of sand with his feet in the water.

Jupiter sat before him, patiently waiting for his master to come to life and speak to him.

At first the man thought that he must certainly be injured in some way, but a single effort on his part showed him that he was not.

He rose to his feet but very little the worse for his journey over the rapids, and patted the dog’s head.

A slight noise behind him caused him to turn. The next instant a dozen men sprang upon him and bore him to the ground.

Jupiter, the dog, endeavored to render his master some assistance, but a blow from a heavy club stretched the animal senseless on a slab of rock.

Then Lacy’s hands were securely bound behind him, and his captors, who were a queer-looking set, raised him to his feet.

They began talking rapidly in some unknown tongue, and at length decided to take their prisoner down the decline to the cave below.

Lacy did not offer the least resistance, but with a strange, hunted look in his eyes he walked along with his captors.

They took him to a cavern where there were a number of strange men already assembled, and where Lacy observed another prisoner lying on the ground, bound hand and foot.

After a short consultation, a couple of men walked over to the prostrate man and liberated him, save untying his hands.

Even then the man did not look up, but kept his eyes fixed on the ground in a sullen manner.

But Reginald Lacy was gazing at him with a look of fear upon his face.

It was his enemy, Philander Owens!

An order was given, and both prisoners were marched to the other end of the cave, where an opening was visible.

Through this went the inhabitants of the underground world, leading their prisoners with them.

The strange inhabitants of the place kept on with their prisoners until they reached a massive building of a purple color, which was situated at the end of the single street contained in the city – if city it could be called.

Here they came to a halt.

Then, for the first time, the eyes of Owens rested upon his fellow captive, and such a look of hate darted from them!

Lacy quailed before him, and in a husky voice said:

“Aren’t you satisfied yet? Or do you still hate me as much as ever?”

“Just as much!” was the reply, in a bitter voice. “Why shouldn’t I? But never mind – my hour of vengeance will yet come!”

“Death stares us both in the face,” said Lacy, in a calmer tone. “Why not let bygones be bygones?”

“What! after I went to the expense to purchase a balloon to hunt you down after you had taken to the Everglades? Why, you vile hound! I have spent a fortune, almost, for the purpose of hunting you down. Never! If I ever hated you, I do now!”

“As you will,” returned Lacy, becoming more cool every moment. “But remember, we are both on an equal footing now.”

“I would soon show you if we were both free!” exclaimed Owens, hotly.

As if he were understood, a richly decked personage suddenly appeared in the doorway of the purple-hued building and spoke a few words.

To the surprise and joy of Owens, his hands were untied.

Then Lacy was treated in a like manner. The man, who was evidently the king, was just about to make an address to his people in regard to the two strangers from an unknown land, when a startling thing occurred.

Owens made a sudden leap and seized Lacy by the throat.

The men were about of one size and build, and were evenly matched as far as appearances were.

Owens was boiling over with rage, while on the contrary his opponent was perfectly cool and collected.

Lacy had gripped his foe about the neck, and he strove to throw him with all his might.

At the commencement of the sudden encounter between the two men, the inhabitants of the place were thrown into a state of dumfounded amazement.

But at length the king shouted the one word:

“Naztec!”

“Naztec, Naztec!” came the response from all hands.

And in the twinkling of an eye the combatants were separated and led away in different directions.

Lacy was conducted to a building on the right and placed in a small room, where two men promptly placed themselves to guard against his leaving the place.

“Naztec!” repeated one of the men, and then motioned to Lacy that if he would remain passive he would not be harmed.

One of the men pointed to a soft couch in a corner of the room and motioned him to lie down.

Then it struck Lacy that he was very tired and sleepy, so he promptly obeyed.

In a very short time he was fast asleep.

It must have been ten or twelve hours before he awakened, and when he did so he felt greatly refreshed.

As soon as he arose half a dozen men appeared and conducted him from the room to the street outside.

He was walked up and down this for about ten minutes and then returned to the place whence he came.

A substantial meal was now set before him, and Lacy ate it in a hearty manner, all the while wondering why it was that he was receiving such excellent attention.

But he was destined to soon learn.

Philander Owens was used exactly the same in another building not far away, and he, too, wondered why it was thus and so.

About twenty-four hours later both ceased to wonder.

Lacy had risen but an hour before, when he heard the beating of a tom-tom, or some other outlandish instrument.

The sum and substance of it was, that the ruler of the place had arranged for a contest of strength to take place between the two prisoners.

He had noticed the savageness with which the men had come together when they had been brought before him, and he concluded that if they were fed up a little, and taken care of, they would be able to give a first-class entertainment to the populace.

Owens had been captured a few hours before Lacy showed up and attempted to roll the bowlder down, but he had not been taken before the king until they both were together.

At the beating of the tom-tom the people of the place began to gather at the end of the wide street in front of the purple-hued building, and Lacy and Owens were each led from the house they had been kept in.

Owens was clad in a red tunic, while, as has already been stated, Lacy wore a blue one.

Both men seemed glad when the king motioned them to settle what differences they had then and there. One, because he hated the man who stood before him beyond the depth of conception; and the other, because he thought it about time that the thing was settled.

Instead of grappling with each other, the two men began sparring for an opening.

At length Lacy planted a stinging blow on his adversary’s nose, causing the blood to flow freely.

“Naztec!” yelled the crowd, applauding wildly.

Stung to madness, Owens made a sudden dive to the left and seized a knife from the belt of a man standing near.

With a look of fury in his eyes, he sprang upon Lacy, and raised the weapon to plunge it in his heart.

CHAPTER XVI.
DICK AND THE QUEEN IN PERIL

It is now about time that the mysterious disappearance of Dick Vincey and the Queen of Hez was explained.

The very instant the torches were extinguished in the magic chamber the two were seized and borne to the earth.

Before they could cry out, gags were thrust in their mouths, and then in the confusion that prevailed they were carried rapidly from the spot.

Dick strove manfully to free himself, but it was useless; a heavy cloth had been wound tightly around his body, rendering him powerless to use his arms.

The pair were carried swiftly along for about half an hour, through innumerable passages and tunnels, until at length they reached a spot where it was light.

But it was not the light made by burning torches – it looked more, to Dick, as though he was being carried through a street with a plentiful supply of electric lights in it.

However, his eyes were gladdened by the light but for a minute or so. The next instant their captors entered a cave, where all was in darkness, and came to a halt.

The two prisoners were deposited upon the hard ground as though they had been mere bundles of rags, and then those who had brought them thence took their departure.

For fully an hour the utmost silence reigned, and then it was suddenly broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Both Dick and his fair companion were beginning to suffer from their cramped positions, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they heard some one coming.

A moment later a lighted torch came in view, and a dozen Hez maidens appeared on the scene.

They were those who had balloted for husbands and who had been disappointed.

Dick saw it all now. They were evidently dissatisfied with the queen choosing him without allowing them a voice in the matter, and they had now taken the law in their own hands.

The boy was right. Such was really the case. The twelve maidens who now stood before them had conspired together and broken the laws of the Land of Hez.

They had caused the couple to be brought to this out-of-the-way place to force Queen Olive to give Dick over to them, and then swear to let the matter drop forever.

In case she refused, the two were to be left in the cave to perish, while the conspirators would go back to the village and circulate the rumor that their queen, being unable to wait until the two years had passed, had fled to the outside world with her lover.

That this story would be believed by the simple Hez people there was not the least particle of doubt.

The leader of the twelve maidens was Queen Olive’s younger sister – heir to the throne!

It was she who acted as speaker for her companions, and after having removed the gags from the mouths of the two prisoners, so they would be able to answer her, she proceeded to inform them of the reason they had been abducted from the magic chamber.

“Our plan was well carried out,” said she, “and the twelve here assembled are the ones that did it. We have rebelled against the throne, and unless you agree to our terms, you must lie in this cave, bound as you are, to furnish food for the dreaded picuasus. What is your answer, my sister?”

The eyes of the queen flashed with rage that was intense, and for a moment she could not find words to make a reply.

But finally she calmed herself and said:

“My answer is this, base conspirators! I will not agree to your terms, even though you do leave me here to die, which you dare not do.”

“Dare not? We will show you. I will give you just five minutes to consider your reply, and if in that time you do not agree, we will certainly leave you both here – unless the young man whom you have chosen for your husband desires to accept one of us, and will take an oath not to reveal what has happened.”

“I will not do that!” said Dick, hotly. “Do your worst, you she-fiends; we will triumph in the end.”

“Nobly spoken, my brave young lover!” spoke up the queen. “It will be as you say – we will triumph in the end.”

There was no reply to this until the five minutes had elapsed, and then the queen’s sister, with a perfectly immovable face, spoke up.

“What is your decision?” she asked, coolly.

“You have it already. Free us immediately, or I give you my word that every one of you shall suffer the fate of Azurma.”

There was a ripple of mocking laughter at this, and the leader of the conspirators went on:

“Is that your final answer?”

“It is.”

“Be it so, then. From this time forward I am the queen of the Land of Hez. Farewell, my sister. May you and your lover enjoy the agonies of death you have so freely chosen!”

This nerved Dick to a feeling of desperation, and he strove to free himself with all his might.

But it was utterly useless; the heavy cloth that bound his hands to his sides was too firmly wound about him.

Then, too, his legs were secured in the same manner, and he soon found that he could scarcely even turn over.

“It is useless,” he said, panting from his exertions. “We have got to die!”

“Oh, say not so,” wailed the queen, and she fell back in a faint.

And Dick! He relaxed his muscles and fell into as comfortable a position as was possible, and set to thinking over their situation.

What worried him most was what the queen’s sister had said about them furnishing a meal for the dreaded picuasus.

He had heard about those monsters from Leo, and that he and his beautiful companion were in the limits of the domain of the horrible turtle spiders he felt certain.

What if one of them should come prowling that way now?

The thought was maddening to Dick, and he again strove to free himself.

But after five minutes of fruitless endeavor he fell back exhausted.

Soon after this he fell into a troubled sleep, from which he did not awaken until some hours had elapsed.

He felt cramped and sore, and soon as the full sense of his situation came to him, he listened intently.

But not a sound could be heard, save the regular breathing of the girl at his side, who was now sleeping peacefully.

He determined not to disturb her slumber, and so did not attempt to burst his bonds again.

The seconds flitted into minutes, and the minutes into hours, and still there was no change.

Had it not been for Queen Olive’s regular breathing, Dick would have thought her dead.

“Let her sleep,” he thought. “She is now entirely oblivious to our horrible situation, and if I wake her up, she will only rave and go on at a great rate.”

About five minutes later the boy heard a sound which sent a thrill through his body.

A faint pit-pat could be heard, which told him that some living creature was approaching.

“The picuasus!” he muttered to himself. “Well, it will soon be over.”

Nearer and nearer the sounds came, and presently the boy’s instinct told him that the animal, or whatever it was, had halted within a few feet of him.

The next moment he felt the cold nose of the creature touching his face!

CHAPTER XVII.
AZURMA AND THE NAZTECS

Azurma, the beautiful murderess, had jumped upon the rocky slide with the firm conviction that she was going to her death.

She held her breath and closed her eyes during the fearful descent.

When she had passed through the flames and found herself comparatively uninjured, a sudden hope arose in her breast that she might come out all right yet.

This thought no sooner entered her mind than she struck the water with a splash and sank below its surface.

Down, down, the girl went, for many feet.

When she struggled to the surface again she was at least two hundred yards from the place where she had fallen in.

Blinded and half choked, she kept her head above the water, and in a few seconds she was beyond the limits of the roaring fire and smoke.

The girl did not offer to struggle in the least, but allowed the merciless current to carry her along at its will.

This was the wisest thing she could do, for it left her what strength she possessed to be used later on.

On she whirled, the current running so strong that she kept on top of the water without the least effort on her part.

In a few more seconds the falls will be reached.

Azurma hears the angry roar of the tide in her ears, and prepares herself for the worst.

She lifts her head for a single instant, and sees the foaming crest but a few yards distant.

The next minute, with a rush and a roar, she is carried over.

Contrary to her expectations, she is not dashed to a shapeless mass upon a bed of jagged rocks, but finds herself struggling in a lake of comparatively still water.

Azurma knew how to swim, and, after brushing her long tresses from her eyes, she drew a long breath and started for the shore, close at hand.

Faint and exhausted, she reached it, and sank upon the ground in a semi-unconscious condition.

She was aroused to her full senses presently by hearing the pattering made by some animal running toward her.

In an instant she sprang to her feet.

A cry of joy escaped her lips.

Coming toward her was Jupiter, the dog she had seen go over the falls with his master the day before.

The animal came directly to her feet and lay down, acting in a very strange manner. His head was covered plentifully with clotted blood, showing the girl that he was suffering from a severe wound.

Lying upon the ground, he looked her in the face and whined in a piteous manner.

“Poor dog,” said Azurma. “What has become of your master? Is he dead? If not, take me to him.”

She waved her hand for the dog to get up and lead the way.

He seemed to comprehend her meaning, but acted in a dazed sort of way.

Running away from her for about fifty yards, he suddenly turned and made a circle, and then rolled over and over upon the ground.

Instead of being frightened at these strange actions, Azurma became interested.

Instinct told her that something unusual ailed the dog.

She made up her mind to find out what it was, if possible.

Quickly making her way to his side, she talked to him in a soothing manner, and then proceeded to examine the wound on his head.

A moment’s inspection sufficed to show her that the animal’s skull had received a fracture, and that a part of the bone was depressed.

Something told her that if she could lift the piece of bone back to its place, Jupiter would be all right.

A needle-like instrument was pinned to the white, gauzy sash about her waist, and with this she endeavored to do the job.

Though she knew little or nothing about surgery, she was successful.

The dog howled piteously during the operation, but did not offer to prevent her from doing it.

When it was finished he rolled over on his side and appeared to fall into a deep sleep. The girl bathed the dog’s wound with her water-soaked garments, and then seated herself by his side to await developments.

It must have been an hour before the dog began to show signs of awakening, and as soon as he did, Azurma, who had heard Reginald Lacy call him by name, arose to her feet.

“Come, Jupiter; show me where your master is.”

The animal seemed to have fully recovered; he began springing about her feet, uttering his quick, sharp barks in a joyful manner.

Then, catching Azurma by the dress, he attempted to pull her along after him in the direction of the opening where the light came from.

“I’ll go with you willingly,” said the girl, catching on to the idea that Lacy was somewhere in that direction.

Away they went, the faithful dog leading, and ever and anon turning around to see if Azurma was still following.

In this manner they soon reached the identical place Lacy had entered several hours previously.

Azurma was very much puzzled at her surroundings. She, nor none of her people, had ever been in that portion of the underground country before, but she could plainly see the tracks made by Lacy, and concluded to follow as far as Jupiter chose to lead her.

Along through the lighted passage they went until they arrived at the point where Lacy had been pounced upon and captured by the Naztecs when in the act of hurling the bowlder down upon the defenseless form of his enemy.

Azurma’s quick eye told her that a struggle had taken place here, for she found the shred of a garment, evidently a piece of the shirt Lacy wore, while upon the ground was a clot of blood.

But as she could find no more of the latter, she rightly judged that it had come from the dog.

A strange light shone in the girl’s eyes as she surveyed her surroundings.

“Is it possible that the last words I addressed to the women of Hez will come true?” she asked herself. “I have escaped death, and am now in the limits of another country, where people must certainly live, for they were not animals who carried off the dog’s master and left the poor creature lying here for dead. I will go down there where it is so light; Jupiter seems anxious to go, and I will follow.”

Without any further hesitation she started down the descent, and at length stood in the cave in which Owens had been lying bound hand and foot.

But the place was deserted now, and Azurma followed the dog through the opening at the other side, and stepped into the single street of the strange, little city.

The scene that met the girl’s eyes was so entirely different to what she had anticipated that for a moment she was completely bewildered.

But not so with the dog.

He gave a single bark and dashed away with the speed of the wind toward the further end of the street, where a large number of people were congregated.

It was at this identical moment that the contest of strength between Reginald Lacy and Philander Owens was about to take place.

Jupiter reached the spot just as the enraged Owens was about to plunge the gleaming blade into his master’s heart.

With a mighty bound the animal sprang upon the would-be assassin and bore him to the ground.

Then, but for the interposition of a number of the Naztecs, he would have literally torn him to pieces.

As it was, Owens’ shoulder was so badly lacerated by the dog’s teeth that he had to be carried from the place in a semi-conscious condition.

Lacy staggered to the side of Jupiter and hugged him as a mother would her child.

The Naztecs gazed upon the scene with a look of wonderment in their eyes.

True, they had such things as dogs in their country, but none like the faithful animal who was now before them, and who had saved his master’s life!

At a signal from the king, or ruler, of the place, the crowd clapped their hands in a burst of applause, and then began singing a sort of chant.

At this moment Azurma, who had hitherto been unobserved, came upon them.

Reginald Lacy was one of the first to notice her, and when he did so he gave a start of surprise.

She had joined the Naztecs in singing the chant, and appeared to be perfectly acquainted with it.

The moment the king laid his eyes upon the newcomer, he made a sudden signal, and everybody, save Lacy and the girl herself, dropped upon their knees.

Azurma seemed as much astonished as Lacy at the proceedings, but she did not hesitate to shake hands with the man who had preceded her to the queer country.

“Do you know these people?” asked Lacy, quickly.

“No; I never saw nor heard of them before.”

“Do you understand their language?”

“I know the chant they were singing. It was learned to the people of Hez by Roderique de Amilo, the founder of the race.”

“Oh!” exclaimed the man, brightening up; “if that is the case, you can, most likely, make yourself understood to them. Are you acquainted with the language in which the chant is sung?”

“I am.”

“Then advance to that man over there and ask him who and what they are, and what they are going to do with us.”

He pointed to the king, who stood with bowed head, as he spoke.

Azurma at once obeyed, and when she began talking the king lifted his head and nodded in a pleased manner.

He replied to all the girls’ questions, who, in turn, translated the conversation to Lacy.

The substance of it was that the people were really called Naztecs, and that their race had been in existence for hundreds of years.

For the past century the population had gradually dwindled, from some unknown cause, and they now numbered scarcely seven hundred, all told.

Many, many years before, the king said, one of their beautiful maidens had disappeared, leaving word that she would surely come back, or else send some one in her place, who was as beautiful as her, in some future generation.

This had been recorded by the forefathers of the Naztecs, and, consequently, they were always on the lookout for the girl to turn up.

When they saw Azurma they took it for granted that she was the one sent in place of the lost maiden of ages before.

With this brief explanation we will proceed.

Azurma was cute enough to allow the Naztecs to believe that she was really the one they took her to be.

By so doing she came in possession of a power which she would not otherwise have had.

She had no difficulty in persuading the king to set Lacy and his dog free, and give them the privilege of going anywhere about the city.

She told his royal highness where she had come from, and he at once set forth his desire to visit Hez, if possible.

Whereupon Azurma set her people down as a bloodthirsty race, and offered to lead the Naztecs upon them at some future day, and exterminate them.

This seemed to satisfy the king, and he gave orders that hereafter Azurma should be treated as a princess.