Kitabı oku: «In the Wonderful Land of Hez: or, The Mystery of the Fountain of Youth», sayfa 8
CHAPTER XXI.
THE EARTHQUAKE SHOCK
Two years had slipped by since the advent of the party into the land of mystery, and at length the white men left in Hez determined they would endeavor to find their companions who had disappeared, and who, they believed, were not far distant, but for some reason were prevented from rejoining them.
Prof. Easy, Haypole and Jones concluded to make an effort to find a way to get below on a level with the Devil’s Kingdom.
They set out very early one morning, taking the passage that led to the brink of the latter-named place.
When they arrived there they began carefully studying their surroundings, to find a means of descent.
They had scarcely been there ten minutes when a low rumble was heard, coming, it seemed, from beneath them.
“An earthquake!” exclaimed the professor.
The words had hardly left his lips when all three were thrown upon the ground by a tremendous shock, which lasted nearly half a minute.
When they rose to their feet, a few moments later, in a half-dazed condition, a startling sight met their gaze.
The light, which had hitherto been quite bright, was now very dim, and flashed forth in fitful bursts.
But it was enough to enable them to see that a huge pile of rocks had been scattered about, showing a clear passage to the country below.
“If there are no further shocks,” remarked the professor, calmly, “this will prove a Godsend to us. It has shown us what we have been looking for for so long.”
They waited for perhaps half an hour, and then, as they experienced no further signs of another quake, they started down the decline before them.
Down they went, until they struck the level of the stream that emerged from the Devil’s Kingdom.
Once here, they had no difficulty in discovering footprints made by somebody who had been there before them.
“Hurrah!” shouted the Yankee. “I knew I was right. We’ll find Leo and Dick sure – see if we don’t! These are the prints of the gal’s feet, who brought Leo here.”
His companions were forced to admit that he was right, and so they followed the trail along the bank of the stream until the falls were reached, and then another descent had to be made.
There was nothing to hinder them from going down, so they did so at once.
Andrew Jones produced a torch, and was just about to light it, when Haypole caught him by the arm in an excited manner, and exclaimed:
“Gosh-ding it, look there! It looks like a political torchlight procession, don’t it?”
He pointed to a spot on their left as he spoke.
About three miles distant they plainly observed a band of men, carrying torches, emerge from the mouth of a cavernous passage.
“I ain’t got a great deal of money with me, but I’ll be ding-wizzened if I won’t bet fifty dollars that Leo is in that gang!” said the Yankee, producing his pocketbook in a matter-of-fact way.
“I have not got any money, and if I had I would not bet with you,” returned Jones. “I am of the same opinion as you. Let us advance toward them; we can get near enough to see just who and what they are without being observed ourselves.”
“Agreed!” exclaimed Prof. Easy; whereupon they set out in the direction of the approaching torchlights.
As they gradually neared them, they saw that there were about thirty persons marching along, dragging some heavy concern behind them, and carrying torches.
“Do you know what I am a-goin’ ter do?” said Martin Haypole, coming to a halt. “I am a-goin’ ter fire off my revolver an’ prove that Leo Malvern is in that crowd.”
In an instant he had drawn his revolver and fired a shot.
The echo of the report had scarcely died out when there was an answering one from the approaching torch bearers.
“Great boots!” yelled the Yankee, jumping about three feet in the air; “what did I tell you?”
Then he opened wide his mouth and led his companions in a deafening cheer.
CHAPTER XXII.
FREEDOM AT LAST
Well satisfied that Leo was in the approaching party of torch bearers, the professor and his two companions hurried to meet them as fast as they could run.
In less than five minutes the two parties met.
A cry of joy went up from the three searchers.
There were four men of their own race in the party of torch bearers.
A single glance told them this much, and they also recognized all four.
They were Leo Malvern, Dick Vincey, Reginald Lacy and Philander Owens.
Martin Haypole uttered a whoop, and, rushing forward, seized the hands of the two brave, young fellows who had been his companions in their journey through the Everglades to the end of mystery.
“I’m downright glad to see you both alive an’ well!” he exclaimed. “Where in thunderation have you been so long, Dick?”
“I can tell you the whole thing in a few words,” replied Dick, as he shook hands with his former associates.
Then he proceeded to relate what had befallen him from the time he and the queen had disappeared from the magic chamber.
When he came to the point where their newly constructed cannon was fired off, in order to test it, he said:
“The report must have caused some disturbance among the gases and electric fluids in the underground country, for immediately afterward there came a terrible shock, and everything was in darkness.
“It seemed to be a veritable earthquake, and we were thrown to the ground with such force that it was several minutes before we regained our senses and rose to our feet.
“When we did so we knew that something awful had happened, so we put for the city with all possible speed.
“On arriving there, we discovered that it was but a mass of ruins.
“Every building in it was leveled to the ground, and all the combustible substances in the place had taken fire from the burning furnaces that had been in some of the houses.
“As the flames leaped upward it was a grand but terrible sight, and we could but look upon it with a feeling of awe.
“But we were sickened at heart when we learned, a few minutes later, that of all the inhabitants of the thriving little city, only twenty-nine were left.
“The others had all been crushed to death by the falling buildings.
“Among the victims of the terrible disaster, brought about by the discharge of our gun, were our wives – I mean Queen Olive, Azurma and two Naztec ladies, whom Lacy and Owens were wedded to.
“The survivors were terror-stricken, and begged us to lead them from the spot at once to the land of the Hezzians, and fearful that another shock might take place, we placed our gun on an improvised drag and started, knowing that we could do nothing further for those who lay beneath the ruins of the city.
“Full of sorrow, we turned the angle that hid our view of the destroyed city, and journeyed through the chamber of rock to the open.
“Here everything was in darkness, but we had provided ourselves with torches, and lighted them as we emerged. Shortly after that we heard the shot you fired, and Leo answered it. That is all there is of it, but it is quite enough, I can tell you.”
There were tears in Dick’s eyes as he related the events that had so recently taken place, and, recognizing the situation, the professor and his two companions did not question him further.
On the contrary, they related their experiences since they had parted company, and then, seizing hold of the ropes attached to the drag, they all started for Hez.
Andrew Jones knew full well that the Hezzians would not allow them to depart in peace from the underground world, or he would never have sanctioned the movement to drag the cannon along with them.
He thought if the destructive powers of the weapon was once proved to them, they would give in and allow the party to depart.
It was no easy matter to drag the heavy piece up the steep hills they were forced to traverse, but there were enough to do it, and so they managed it very well.
On their way to Hez they observed that the earthquake, or whatever it might be called, had caused many changes.
But, luckily for them, their way was not blocked up, and in due time they came in sight of the village.
But what a wonderful change had been wrought here!
The surface of the ground above had given way and caved in, making the opening above the village of stone huts more than four times its former size.
The majority of the buildings were buried from sight beneath tons of dirt, and not a sign of any of the Hezzians could be seen.
The earth had caved in in the form of a slant, and, with a cry of joy, our friends began mounting this.
When they reached the top crust of the earth once more, a prayer of heartfelt thanks left the lips of one and all.
But the Naztecs could not be induced to follow them to the outside.
The light of day was so strange to them that they were too frightened to proceed further.
In vain did Dick and Leo coax them to come up; but they only shook their heads, and at length turned their steps in the direction of their former homes in the bowels of the earth.
The swamp explorers found themselves upon a comparatively high piece of ground, which was surrounded by the marsh lands that composed the greater portion of the vast Everglades.
It was the first time they had set eyes upon the huge trees and tangled undergrowth of the outside world in two whole years, and, dreary as their surroundings were, they thought it the most beautiful sight they had ever witnessed.
Those who had reached the earth’s surface were Dick Vincey, Leo Malvern, Prof. Remington Easy, Martin Haypole, Andrew Jones, Reginald Lacy and Philander Owens.
The only one missing of those who had entered the door in the obelisk, two years before, was Lucky, the darky.
Leo and Dick thought of this at about the same time, and were for going back to search for him.
As they were arguing over the matter with their friends they heard a whistle in the distance, and, on looking in the direction it came from, discovered the darky approaching them.
“Hurrah!” yelled Lucky, as he observed them, “I’s so glad I hab foun’ youse, Massa Leo and Massa Dick.”
“How did you get out of the Land of Hez?” asked Leo.
“De roof done cave in a little while back an’ kill putty nigh all de people. I run for de stairs dat we cum down when we fust cum here, an’ went up them till I seed a light. I got out easy enough, as de big gravestone had fall down an’ broke in two. I was terribly scared – ’deed I was; an’ waited in de bushes till I heered youse a-talkin’. Den I whistled an’ cum over here.”
That was the explanation Lucky gave for his sudden appearance, and it about covered the matter.
CHAPTER XXIII.
OUT OF THE EVERGLADES
“Now, then,” observed Dick Vincey, “let us leave the land of mystery forever! We have passed through many strange things while in it, and many enjoyable days, as well. Let us say farewell to the underground world and our families, who are buried beneath the ruins of the Naztec city and the village of Hez!”
There were tears in the eyes of the young man as he spoke, and, with their eyes turned to the cavern they had emerged from, all hands uttered the one word:
“Farewell!”
Then they left the spot and started for the place where the obelisk had been.
The huge stone column lay upon the ground in a dozen pieces, while the stairs leading into the earth’s bowels were plainly visible.
“Now,” said Leo, “to get out of the Everglades.”
As they started over the ground in the direction they first came, Dick suddenly missed Jupiter, the dog, for the first time.
When he came to think of it, he had not seen him since they left the ruined city of the Naztecs.
He spoke about it to his friends.
“The poor animal must have been killed during the earthquake, and his master was too much excited to notice his absence,” said Leo.
The attire worn by our friends was of the style of the places they had lived in, and they looked curious enough as they made their way through the swamp.
When they came through the Everglades, they had chipped the trees on the route they took, and as these marks were still plainly visible they anticipated but little difficulty in getting back to their boat, the Maid of the Marsh, which was looked upon with so much disgust by the Yankee.
They found the boat half covered with mud, but otherwise she was uninjured.
It took them nearly a day to clean her and get her ready for use once more, and when this job was finished all hands felt better.
A week or so later eight forlorn-appearing men might have been seen camped upon the borders of Lake Okechobee.
They were Dick Vincey, Leo Malvern, Prof. Remington Easy, Martin Haypole, Andrew Jones, Philander Owens, Reginald Lacy and the darky, Lucky.
The long gowns they wore were torn and dirty, and they looked more like a crowd of ragpickers than anything else.
But they would soon be in the limits of civilization again, and they felt thankful for it.
Their journey from the Land of Hez to their present position had been a perilous one, indeed.
But by perseverance and pluck they managed to elude the quicksands of the great swamp, and escape from being devoured by the ferocious alligators it contained.
Two weeks more and they reached the home of Leo Malvern.
It is needless to state that the cousins were received with pleasure.
Their relatives had long given them up as dead, and hence their joy at meeting them alive and well.
The wonderful story of their adventures was taken as a joke at first, but when all hands stoutly adhered to it, the relatives of Dick and Leo were forced to believe it.
“There are a few questions I would like ter ask some of you fellows,” said Martin Haypole, a day or two after their arrival at Leo’s home. “First – who built the obelisk at the entrance of Hez? Second – was the legend of Hez true, and was Roderique de Amilo as old as he claimed? Third – was the pool and fountain in the dazzlingly lighted cavern really the Fountain of Youth Ponce de Leon was in search of? And, fourth – was it really the discharge of the cannon that caused the earthquake that wrought such a ruin upon the city of the Naztecs and the Land of Hez?”
As the Yankee asked these questions he knocked the ashes from his pipe and glanced around at his hearers.
“Your questions will never be answered in this world,” replied the professor, gravely. “We can form our own opinions – that is all.”
And so it is. We have stated the incidents of our story in a manner meant to be plain; now we will leave the reader to answer Martin Haypole’s questions.
