The Fugitives | Page 4

a braver man than I am, Ebony, for I fear that climbin' plant worse than a ghost; so here goes to find out what it is."
Although the sailor spoke thus boldly, and tried to look cool, it is certain that he also was afflicted with sensations of an unusual description, which, of course, he would have scorned to admit were the result of fear! His power of will, however, was stronger than his fears. Drawing his cutlass, he was about to enter the cavern, when Mark laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Come, Hockins, you have accepted my lead hitherto. It is not fair to take it out of my hands at this critical point."
So saying he glided past his comrade, and was almost lost to sight immediately in the deep gloom.
"Softly, softly, doctor," whispered the seaman, as he followed, "there may be holes or pits within--"
"All right; I'm feeling my way carefully. Keep close."
As he spoke a slight, indescribable sound was heard--almost like a sigh.
"Hist! Did 'ee hear that?" said Hockins in the lowest possible whisper.
"Oh! massa, let's go back de way we come," urged Ebony, in the same low but earnest tone.
Mark Breezy did not reply, but the click of his gun as he cocked it showed that he was on the alert.
For nearly a minute the three men stood in absolute silence, listening for a repetition of the mysterious sound, and, though it did not recur, there was an indescribable feeling in the heart of each that they were not alone in that cavern.
"Have you not flint and steel?" asked Mark.
"Yes; but to strike a light would only show our whereabouts if there is any one here."
The seaman accidentally touched Ebony on the elbow as he spoke, and sent that worthy's heart, or something like it, into his throat with such violence as nearly to choke him.
"Git along, massa," he said in a gaspy whisper, when able to articulate, "we's got to go troo wid it now."
Acting on this advice the young man continued to advance cautiously, feeling his way step by step and fully expecting every moment to reach the inner wall of the cavern.
Presently the explorers were again brought to a stand by the sudden appearance of a light in the far distance. As, however, it did not move, they continued to advance, and soon were convinced that it was daylight shining through an opening in that direction. Every step convinced them more and more that they were right, and their spirits rose with the hope of escaping, though the light made no appreciable difference as yet in the darkness that surrounded them.
Suddenly a sharp, loud, short cry filled the cavern for an instant, and almost froze their blood! The loudness and abrupt stoppage of the cry left the impression that the creature which uttered it had been suddenly and effectively killed, for it ended in a sharp gasp or gurgle, and then all was still,--but only for a moment, for the shock to Mark's nerves was such that his finger inadvertently pressed the trigger of his gun, which exploded with a deafening crash, and awoke shrieks and cries that were not to be accounted for by mere echoes.
This was too much for ordinary human beings. Fabled knights of old in armour of proof might have stood it, but the two white men and the black, being ordinary heroes, regardless of pride and honour, went in for a regular stampede, and it is but simple justice to say that Ebony won, for he reached the outlet of the cavern first, and sprang through it into daylight like a black thunderbolt. It is also due to his comrades to add that they were not far behind him.
Their courage, however, was soon restored. Daylight has a celebrated power of restoring courage. On clearing the bushes which concealed the entrance to the cave they simultaneously stopped, turned round, and resolutely faced their foe!
But no foe was to be seen! Once again all was still as death. After glaring for a few seconds at the spot whence the expected enemy should have issued, the three fugitives relaxed their frowning brows and turned inquiring eyes on each other.
"Dis beats cockfightin' a'most," said Ebony, with a sigh of intense relief.
"Ay, an' every other sort o' fightin' as I ever heard on," responded Hockins.
"Come, friends," said their young leader, "whatever it may have been, it behoves us to get as far away from this spot as possible, and that as fast as we can."
CHAPTER TWO.
HARKS BACK A LITTLE.
The spot where our adventurers found themselves on issuing from the mysterious cave was a peculiarly rugged one. It formed a sort of hollow or depression in the forest-land, in which we introduced the three men as fugitives. From this hollow there descended a narrow track