The Rover Boys Series. Stratemeyer Edward
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Название: The Rover Boys Series
Автор: Stratemeyer Edward
Издательство: Bookwire
Жанр: Языкознание
isbn: 4064066380823
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The cave proved to be a large affair, running all of half a mile under the mountain. There were numerous holes in the roof, through which the sun shone down, making the use of torches unnecessary. To one side was a deep and swiftly flowing stream, coming from the waterfall Cujo had mentioned, and disappearing under the rocks near the entrance to the cavern.
"Gold, true enough!" shouted Dick, as he gazed on the walls of the cave. "Am I not right, Uncle Randolph?"
"You are, Dick; this is a regular cave of gold, and no mistake. No wonder King Susko wanted to keep us away!"
Soon the waterfall was gained. It was a fascinating scene to watch the sparkling sheet as it thundered downward a distance of fully a hundred feet. At the bottom was a pool where the water was lashed into a milky foam which went swirling round and round.
"Look! Look! The ghost!" suddenly cried Sam, and pointed into the falling water. "Oh, Uncle Randolph, did you ever see anything like it?" and he gave a shiver.
"There are no such things as ghosts, Sam," replied his uncle. "I see nothing."
"Stand here and look," answered Sam, and his uncle did as requested. Presently from out of the mist came the form of a man — the likeness of Randolph Rover himself!
"It is nothing but an optical illusion, Sam, such as are produced by some magicians on the theater stage. The sun comes down through yonder hole and reflects your image on the wet rock, which in turn reflects the form on the sheet of water."
"Gracious! And that must be the ghost the natives believe in," answered Sam. "I'm glad you explained it. I can tell you I was startled."
"Here is a path leading up past the waterfall," said Dick, who had been making an investigation. "Let us see what is beyond."
"Take care of where you go," warned Randolph Rover. "There may be some nasty pitfall there."
"I'll keep my eyes open," responded Dick.
He ascended the rocks, followed by Sam, while the others brought up in the rear. Up over the waterfall was another cave, long and narrow. There was now but little light from overhead, but far in the distance could be seen a long, narrow opening, as if the mountain top had been, by some convulsion of nature, split in half.
"We are coming into the outer world again!" cried Dick, and ran forward. "Well, I never!" he ejaculated.
For beyond the opening was a small plain, covered with short grass and surrounded on every side by jagged rocks which arose to the height of fifty or sixty feet. In the center of the plain were a number of native huts, of logs thatched with palm.
CHAPTER XXX
FINDING THE LONG-LOST
"A village!" said Randolph Rover. "And not a soul in sight."
"There are several women and children," returned Tom, pointing to one of the huts. "I guess the men went away to fight us."
"Probably you are right, Tom. Let us investigate, but with caution."
As they advanced, the women and children set up a cry of alarm, which was quickly taken up in several of the other huts.
"Go away, white men; don't touch us!" cried one old woman.
"Have the white men come at last?" cried a voice in the purest English. "Thank God! Help me! Help!"
"It is my brother's voice!" gasped Randolph Rover. "Anderson! Anderson! We have come to save you!"
"Father!" came from the three Rover boys, and they rushed off in all haste toward the nut from which the welcome cry had proceeded.
Anderson Rover was found in the center of the hut, bound fast by a heavy iron chain to a post set deeply into the ground. His face was haggard and thin and his beard was all of a foot and a half long, while his hair fell thickly over his shoulders. He was dressed in the merest rags, and had evidently suffered much from starvation and from other cruel treatment.
"My sons!" he gasped, as the boys appeared. "Do I see aright, or is it only another of those wild dreams that have entered my brain lately?"
"Father; poor father!" burst out Dick, and hugged his parent around the neck.
"It's no dream, father; we are really here," put in Tom, as he caught one of the slender hands, while Sam caught the other.
"How thin you are!" said Sam. And then he added tenderly: "But we'll take good care of you, now we have found you."
"And Randolph!" murmured Anderson Rover, as the brother came up. "Oh, thank God! Thank God, for this!" and the tears began to flow down his cheeks. "How long I have waited! Many a time I thought to give up in despair!"
"We came as soon as we got that message you sent," answered Dick. "But that was long after you had sent it."
"And is the sailor, Converse, safe?"
"No; the sailor is dead."
"Too bad — he was the one friend I had here."
"And King Susko has kept you a prisoner all this while?" asked Randolph Rover.
"Yes; and he has treated me shamefully in the bargain. He imagined I knew all of the secrets of this mountain, of a gold mine of great riches, and he would not let me go; but, instead, tried to wring the supposed secret from me by torture."
"We will settle accounts with him some day," muttered Dick. "It's a pity Tom didn't kill him."
The native women and children were looking in at the doorway curiously, not knowing what to say or do. Turning swiftly, Dick caught one by the arm.
"The key to the lock," he demanded, pointing to the lock on the iron chain which bound Anderson Rover. "Give it to me."
But the woman shook her head, and pointed off in the distance.
"King Susko has the key," explained Anderson Rover. "You will have to break the chain," And this was at last done, although not without great difficulty.
In the meantime the natives were ordered to prepare a meal for Anderson Rover and all of the others, and Cujo was called that he might question the Africans in their own language.
The meal was soon forthcoming, the Bumwo women fearing that they would be slaughtered if they did not comply with the demands of the whites. To make sure that the food had not been poisoned, Dick made several of the natives eat portions of each dish. This made Cujo grin. "Um know a good deal," he remarked.
"Cujo was goin' to tell Dick to do dat."
"I am glad the women and children are here," said Randolph Rover. "We can take them with us when we leave and warn King Susko that if he attacks us we will kill them. I think he will rather let us go than see all of the women and children slaughtered."
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