Chapter 13 We Lose Hope

I cannot give a real description of the night that followed. We were prisoners in the centre of a great snow-topped mountain. Thousands of feet above us the fresh air rushed over the white snow, but no sound reached us. More than three feet of rock separated us from the awful Hall of the Dead, and the dead make no noise. The silence was total.

Enough treasures lay around us for a whole nation, but we could not buy the smallest chance of escape. We could not change them for a little food or a cup of water, or for a quick end to our suffering.

' Good,' said Sir Henry's voice at last, and it sounded terrible in that great silence,' how many matches have you got in the box ?'

'Eight.'

' Strike one and let's see the time.'

After that black darkness, the flame nearly blinded us. It was five o'clock. The early morning sun was now shining on the snow far above our heads.

' Let's eat,' said Sir Henry.' While there is life there is hope.'

So we ate and then drank a little water.

After some time we went to the door and shouted. Good, from long practice at sea, made a terrible noise. I had never heard such shouts, but there was nobody there.

So we sat down against the boxes of useless diamonds. There was nothing that we could do.

Brave Sir Henry Curtis tried to help. He told stories of men who had made wonderful escapes. And when these failed to make us happier, he reminded us that death must come to us all. It would be quick and easy, he said (which was not true).

And so the day continued — if 'day' is the right word for the blackest night. When we lit a match to see the time, it was seven o'clock.

We ate and drank again, and then an idea came to me.

' How,' I said,' does the air in this place stay fresh ?'

' You are right!' said Good.' I never thought of that! It cannot come through the stone door. It must come from somewhere. If no air was coming in, we would not be able to breathe now. Let's have a look.'

In a moment we were all creeping about on our hands and knees, feeling for the slightest sign of air. After an hour or two Sir Henry and I gave up, but Good still continued. It was better, he said, than doing nothing.

' Here, you fellows!' he said, after some time, in an excited voice.' Quatermain, put your hand where mine is. Now can you feel anything ?'

' I think I feel air coming up.'

' Now listen.' He jumped on the place and hope grew in our hearts because the sound was hollow.

With shaking hands I lit a match. As it burned, we examined the spot. There was a narrow space in the rock floor, and — a stone ring.

We were too excited to speak. Good had a knife. He opened it and moved it round the ring. Finally he got the knife under it and pressed gently up. Soon he could put his hands into it. He pulled and pulled, but nothing moved.

' Let me try,' I said. I held it and pulled, but with no result.

Then Sir Henry tried, and failed.

Good took off a strong black handkerchief which he wore. He put it through the ring.' Quatermain, take Sir Henry round his waist. Pull when I tell you to. Now!'

' Pull! Pull! It's moving!' said Sir Henry. Suddenly there was a breaking sound, then a movement of air, and we were all on our backs on the floor with a heavy stone on the top of us.

' Light a match, Quatermain,' Sir Henry said, when we had got up again.' Carefully now.'

There, in front of us, were stone stairs.

' Now what should we do ?' asked Good.

'Follow the stairs, of course, and hope for good luck.'

' Stop!' said Sir Henry.' Quatermain, get the food and water. We may need them.'

I went back to our place by the boxes, and an idea came to me. I put my hand into the first box and filled the pockets of my coat. Then I put in a few of the big ones from the third box.

'Won't you take some diamonds with you?' I said to the others.'I've filled my pockets.'

' Oh, forget the diamonds,' said Sir Henry.' I hope I never see another one.'

Good did not answer. He was, I think, saying goodbye to the poor girl who had loved him so well.

'Come on, Quatermain,' said Sir Henry, already standing on the first step of the stone stairs.'I will go first.'

' Be careful where you put your feet,' I answered.' There may be some awful hole underneath.'

' There is probably another room,' said Sir Henry, as he went down slowly, counting the steps.

When he got to fifteen, he stopped.' This is the bottom,' he said.' There seems to be a path. Come down.'

We reached the bottom and lit one of the last two matches. We saw two narrow doorways, one to the left and one to the right. Which way should we go ? Then Good remembered that the air blew the flame of the match to the left.' Air blows in, not out,' he said. So we went to the right.

We walked slowly through the darkness for about a quarter of an hour. Then the path turned, or joined another path. We followed this, and in time we were led into a third path. And so it continued for some hours.

At last we stopped. We seemed to be lost in these endless underground paths. We ate our last piece of meat and drank the rest of the water.

Then I thought that I heard a sound. I told the others to listen too. It was very faint, but it was a murmuring sound. No words can describe how good it was after all those hours of total silence.

' It is running water,' said Good.

We started again in the direction of the faint murmur, feeling our way along the rocky walls. As we went, the sound became clearer. We walked and walked until Good, who was leading, said that he could smell it.

' Go slowly, Good,' said Sir Henry.' We must be close.'

Suddenly a cry came from Good. He had fallen in.

' Good! Good!' we shouted in terror.' Where are you ?'

Then an answer came back in a faint voice. ' I'm holding a rock. Strike a light and show me where you are.'

Quickly I lit the last match. Its faint light showed us a dark river running at our feet. In the river was the figure of our friend holding on to a rock.

'Be ready to catch me,' shouted Good.'I'll have to swim.'

In another minute he caught Sir Henry's hand and we pulled him up out of the water.

' The stream is terribly fast,' he said. ' Only the rock saved my life.'

It was too dangerous to follow the river in the darkness. We had a good drink, and then went back the same way.

At last we came to a path that led to our right.

' We have nothing to lose,' said Sir Henry.' All roads are the same here. Let's take this one.'

We were very tired and continued slowly. Sir Henry was now in front.

Suddenly he stopped, and we fell against his back.

' Look!' he whispered.' Am I going mad or is that light ?'

We gazed, and there, yes, far away in front of us there was a faint light.

With a cry of hope we continued. In five minutes there was no longer any doubt. A minute later a breath of real fresh air came to us. The path became narrower and Sir Henry went down on his knees. It became smaller and smaller. It was earth now. The rock had ended.

Sir Henry was out, and then Good, and then I was out too. And there above us were the beautiful stars, and the sweet air was on our faces. Then suddenly something fell away, and we were all falling through grass and small trees and soft wet earth.

I held a branch and stopped. A shout came from Sir Henry who had fallen to some flat ground. We found Good against a small tree.

We sat down together there on the grass and I think we cried with happiness. We had escaped from that terrible room where we had almost died.

The grey light of day crept down the side of the mountain, and we saw that we were at the bottom, or nearly at the bottom, of the deep mine in front of the entrance of the cave.

The day grew brighter. We could see each other now. Our faces were thin, our eyes were hollow, and we were covered with dust and earth and blood. We were a terrible sight. But Good's eyeglass was still fixed in his eye. Nothing could separate Good and his eyeglass.

We stood up and, with slow and painful movements, began to climb up the sides of the mine.

After more than an hour we stood on the great road. Beside it, about 300 feet away, a fire was burning in front of some huts, and round the fire were men. We moved towards them, supporting each other and stopping after every few steps. Then one of the men stood up, saw us, and fell on the ground in fear.

' Infadoos, Infadoos! It is your friends.'

Infadoos ran towards us, shouting, ' Oh, my lords, my lords, back from the dead!'

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 586