Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea

Chapter XIV

Terrified beyond measure by the awfulness of the storm, I gave little heed to the fact that the rocky hollow in which I lay with the two faithful blacks had filled with water, so that our bodies were nearly covered by the pool that had formed. My head still rested on the trousers packed with gold, and one arm was closely clasped around a leg containing the treasured metal grains. So I lay, half dazed and scarcely daring to move, while the rain pattered down upon us and the storm sobbed itself out by degrees.

I must have lost consciousness, after a time, for my first distinct recollection is of Bryonia drawing my body from the pool to lay it on a dryer portion of the rock, where the overhanging trees slightly sheltered me. The sky had grown lighter by now, and while black streaks of cloud still drifted swiftly across the face of the moon, there were times when the great disc was clear, and shed its light brilliantly over the bleak and desolate landscape.

Within an hour the rain had ceased altogether, and stars came out to join the moon; but still we lay motionless atop the peak of rock, worn out by our struggles with the elements and fitfully dozing in spite of the horrors we had passed through.

Bry was first to arouse, and found the sun shining overhead. There was no wind and the temperature of the morning air was warm and genial. The black’s legs pained him, for in his terrible climb up the rock during the storm a jagged piece of rock had cut his thigh and torn the flesh badly. He had not noticed it until now, but after examining the wound he bathed it in the water of the pool and bound it up with a rag torn from his shirt.

While he was thus occupied Nux sat up and watched him, yawning. They spoke together in low tones, using the expressive Sulu language, and had soon acquainted each other with the events that had occurred since they separated. Their murmured words aroused me to a realization of the present, and having partially collected my thoughts I began to rub my eyes and look wonderingly around me.

The top of the rock was no longer flat, but inclined toward the sea. The three tall trees also inclined that way, instead of growing upright, and the neighboring cliff of the mainland seemed further removed from us than before. Something appeared to be missing in the landscape, and then I suddenly remembered how the rocking–stone had leaped into the gulf during the storm.

“All safe?” I asked, looking at my black friends gratefully.

“All safe,” answered Bry, smiling.

“It was a dreadful night,” I continued, with a shudder. “Have you heard anything from the robbers yet?”

“No, Mars Sam.”

“They’re probably sleeping late. Anyhow, they can’t have gone away on the raft yet.”

Bry shook his head.

“All very wicked mans, Mars Sam,” he said. “Even in big storm, while we climb up to cave, Mars Daggett tell me to go behind Pete an’ push him off rock.”

“The villain!” I exclaimed, indignantly.

“He tell me if I not push Pete off, he kill me,” continued Bry, with a grin.

“What did you do?”

“When they run into cave, I run by it, an’ come here. That’s all, Mars Sam.”

“You did well, Bry. If they climb up here after you, we’ll fight them to the death.”

“No climb rock any more, Mars Sam,” said Bry, soberly.

“Why not?”

“See how rock tip? Only fly can climb rock now.”

“I believe you’re right, Bry!” I cried, startled at this dreadful assertion; “and, if so, we’re prisoners here. Let us see what it looks like.”

I crawled rather stiffly down the inclined surface to the edge overlooking the sea, and one glance showed me that it would now be impossible for anyone to walk along the narrow ledge.

While I looked a sharp cry of horror from Nux reached my ears, and swiftly turning I hastened with Bry toward the place where the black was leaning over the gulf that separated the peak from the mainland.

“What is it, Nux?” I asked, anxiously.

But the Sulu only stood motionless, pointing with one finger into the abyss, while his eyes stared downward with an expression of abject fear.

We both followed his gaze, and one glance was sufficient to fully acquaint us with the awful catastrophe the vengeance of the storm had wrought.

The huge rocking–stone, weighing thousands of tons, which for ages had remained delicately balanced upon the edge of the chasm, had been struck by a bolt of lightning and torn from its base. Crashing into the gulf, a point of the great, wedge–shaped boulder had entered the mouth of the cave where the desperadoes sought shelter, and, crowded forward by its own weight, it had sealed up the robbers in a living grave, from whence no power of man could ever rescue them.

It was this mighty wedge, crowded into the space between the slender peak and the main cliff, that had caused the former to lean outward; and in one comprehensive look we were able to read the whole story of the night’s tragedy—a tragedy we had instinctively felt in the crash of the storm, but could only realize now.

“Poor fellows!” I whispered, softly, forgetting in my awe that they had been our relentless enemies. “It was a terrible fate. Perhaps they’re even now sitting in that dark hole, shut off from all the world and waiting for death to overtake them. Isn’t it dreadful.”

The blacks glanced at one another without reply; but I noticed that they exchanged a secret sign which their pagan priests had taught them when they were boys, and which was supposed to propitiate the demon of retribution. To their simple minds Daggett and his gang of cut–throats had been properly punished for their wickedness.

But for my part I am glad to remember that at the moment I ignored the fact that these men were wicked, and grieved that four human beings had suddenly been cut off in the prime of their manhood. The recollection of their crimes might temper my regret afterward, but just now my thoughts were all of sorrow and commiseration.

Nux roused me from my reflections by asking:

“What we do now, Mars Sam?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, despairingly. “If we can’t escape from this rock we are little better off than those poor fellows below us. See! the stone, as it fell, tore away the ledge completely.”

“No climb down, any way at all,” said Bry, squatting upon the rock and clasping his knees with his hands.

“We haven’t any rope, or enough clothing to make one,” I continued, striving to be calm and to force myself to think clearly. “But if we remain up here it won’t take us long to die of thirst or starvation. The aggravating thing about it is that the mainland is just too far away for us to leap across to it. We’re in a bad fix, boys, and no mistake.”

Bry gazed reflectively at the trees.

“If we had axe,” said he, “we chop down tree, and make fall across the gulf.”

“Ah! that’s a clever idea,” I cried; but my elation quickly subsided, and I added gloomily, in the next breath: “only we have no axe.”

Bry made no answer, but sat thoughtfully gazing around him. Presently he began to creep around the table of rock on his hands and knees, examining every part of its surface with great care.

At one place, where the edge of the rock was jagged and of a harder character than the rest, he paused to make a more thorough examination, and then he drew out his one–bladed jack–knife and began prying into the rock with its point.

Nux and I immediately crept to his side to see what he was doing, and soon Bry had loosened a piece of rock that weighed about five pounds. It was flat on the lower surface and of irregular circular form. This fragment the Sulu examined with great care, and struck it sharply against the rock without breaking it. It seemed to meet his approval, for he laid it carefully aside and at once attempted to pry up another portion of the hard rock. Then, when he had again succeeded, he sat down and began cautiously chipping one piece of rock against the other, until he had brought the first fragment to a wedge shape that resembled a rude axe.

“Ah! I understand now what you’re about, Bry,” I exclaimed, delightedly. “Do you think you can make it work?”

Bry nodded.

“That way we make axe in Jolo–Jolo,” he said, proudly.

He now handed the rude implement to Nux, who seemed to comprehend without words what was required of him, for he at once began rubbing the edge of the stone axe upon a rough portion of rock to smooth and sharpen it more perfectly.

Meanwhile Bry pried up more rock and formed a second axe–head, and so for several hours the men labored patiently at their task, while I, unable to be of assistance, sat watching them with breathless interest.

When the second axe was ready for Nux to sharpen, Bry climbed up the trunk of one of the tall pines and, selecting a branch of the size he desired, with much effort cut it from the tree with his knife.

Then he descended, trimmed the branch, and, began fashioning it into an axe–handle. He made no attempt to render it graceful or beautiful, you may be sure. The one requirement was service, and the wood was tough and strong enough to answer the purpose required.

By the time the handle was ready Nux had worn the edge of the first rude stone axe to a fair degree of sharpness, and with it Bry split the end of the handle far enough down to wedge the axe–head between the pieces. Then he bound the top together with strips of bark cut from a young limb, which was far stronger than any cord would have been.

A clumsy instrument it seemed to be, when it was finished; but Bry balanced it gravely in his hands, and swung it around his head, and nodded his full approval and satisfaction.

“Now we chop down tree,” he announced.

Of the three trees that fortunately grew upon the column of rock, two were evidently too short to reach across the gulf from where they stood. But the third was close to the edge, and towered well above its fellows; so this was the one Bry selected. A woodsman would probably have laughed at the strokes dealt by the Sulu; but Bry knew what he was about, for he had chopped trees in this way before. Too hard a blow would have crushed the stone edge of the weapon, and a prying motion would have broken it at once; so the black struck straight and true, and not with too much force, and slowly but surely wore through the stalwart trunk of the tree.

When the axe got dull he unbound the bark thongs and exchanged it for the other, while Nux re–sharpened it. This consumed a good deal of time, and the day was far advanced before Bry decided that the chopping was deep enough to allow them to fell the tree. This they did in a peculiar way, for Nux climbed into the high branches and then, aided by Bry and me, who pushed from below, he began swaying the tree back and forth, his own weight adding to the strain, until suddenly it gave way at the stump and—slowly at first, but with ever accelerating speed—fell with a crash across the gulf.

It looked like a trying and dangerous position for Nux; but the black cleverly kept on the outer side of the branches, which broke his fall so perfectly that even as the tree touched the cliff he sprang to the ground safe and uninjured.

“Hooray!” I shouted, in delight; for this bridge removed from my heart all terrors of starvation and imprisonment, affording us a means of leaving the islet of rock as soon as we pleased to go.

But the sun was even now sinking below the horizon; so we decided not to effect the crossing until morning. Nux climbed back over the swaying trunk, and after he had rejoined us we ate the last crumbs of food we possessed for our supper and then lay down to sleep.

Having passed the day in idleness I found I was not very tired or sleepy; but the blacks were thoroughly exhausted by their labors, and they welcomed the rest as only weary men can.

Long after they were snoring I sat in the moonlight thinking of our strange adventures of the past twenty–four hours; the recovery of the gold, the destruction of the robbers, and our present means of release from the dangerous pinnacle that had threatened to hold us fast prisoners. And I realized, with a grateful heart, that I owed all of my good fortune and narrow escapes to the faithful black men, and made a vow that I would never in the future forget the services they had rendered.