Un capitaine de quinze ans. English Page 25

  CHAPTER VI.

  A DIVING-BELL.

  This sudden revelation that Mrs. Weldon was acquainted with the truestate of things left Dick speechless. Even had he been capable ofreplying, she gave him no opportunity, but immediately retired to theside of her son. The various incidents of the march had all graduallyenlightened her, and perhaps the exclamation of Cousin Benedict on thepreceding evening had crowned them all; anyhow the brave lady now knewthe worst. Dick felt, however, that she did not despair; neither wouldhe.

  He lay and longed for the dawn, when he hoped to explore the situationbetter, and perchance to find the watercourse which he was convincedcould not be far distant. Moreover, he was extremely anxious to be outof the reach of the natives whom, it was only too likely, Negoro andHarris might be putting on their track.

  But as yet no glimmer of daylight penetrated the aperture of the cone,whilst the heavy rumblings, deadened as they were by the thickness ofthe walls, made it certain that the storm was still raging withundiminished fury. Attentively Dick listened, and he could distinctlyhear the rain beating around the base of the ant-hill; the heavy dropssplashed again as they fell, in a way altogether different to what theywould upon solid ground, so that he felt sure that the adjacent landwas by this time completely flooded. He was getting very drowsy when itsuddenly occurred to him that it was not unlikely the aperture wasgetting blocked up with damp clay; in that case he knew that the breathof the inmates would quickly vitiate the internal atmosphere. He creptalong the ground and had the satisfaction of finding that the clayembankment was still perfectly dry; the orifice was quite unobstructed,allowing not only a free passage to the air, but admitting the glare ofthe occasional flashes of lightning, which the descending volumes ofwater did not seem to stay.

  Having thus far satisfied himself that all was well, and that there wasno immediate danger, Dick thought that he might now resign himself tosleep as well as the rest: he took the precaution, however, ofstretching himself upon the embankment within easy reach of theopening, and with his head supported against the wall, after a whiledozed off.

  How long his light slumber had lasted he could not say, when he wasaroused by a sensation of cold. He started up, and to his horrordiscovered that the water had entered the ant-hill and was risingrapidly; it could not be long, he saw, before it reached the cellswhich were occupied by Hercules and Tom. He woke them at once, and toldthem what he had observed. The lantern was soon lighted, and they setto work to ascertain what progress the water was making It rose forabout five feet, when it was found to remain stationary.

  "What is the matter, Dick?" inquired Mrs. Weldon, disturbed by themovements of the men.

  "Nothing very alarming," answered Dick promptly; "only some water hasfound its way into the lower part of the place; it will not reach yourupper cells; probably some river has overflowed its boundaries."

  "The very river, perhaps," suggested Hercules assuringly, "that is tocarry us to the coast."

  Mrs. Weldon made no reply.

  Cousin Benedict was still sleeping as soundly as if he were himself awhite ant; the negroes were peering down on to the sheet of water whichreflected back the rays of the lantern, ready to carry out any ordersgiven by Dick, who was quietly gauging the inundation, and removing theprovisions and fire-arms out of its reach.

  They set to work to ascertain what progress the waterwas making.]

  "Did the water get in at the opening, Mr. Dick?" asked Tom.

  "Yes, Tom, and consequently we are coming to the end of our stock offresh air," was Dick's reply.

  "But why should we not make another opening above the water level?" Tominquired.

  "A thing to be thought about," said Dick; "but we have to remember thatif we have five feet of water here inside, there is probably a depth ofsix or seven outside. In rising here the flood has compressed the air,and made it an obstacle to further progress, but if we allow the air toescape, we may perhaps only be letting the water rise too high for oursafety. We are just as if we were in a diving-bell."

  "Then what is to be done?" asked the old negro.

  "No doubt," replied Dick, "we must proceed very cautiously. Aninconsiderate step will jeopardize our lives." Dick Sands was quitecorrect in comparing the cone to an immersed diving-bell. In thatmechanical contrivance, however, the air can always be renewed by meansof pumps, so that it can be occupied without inconvenience beyond whatis entailed by a somewhat confined atmosphere; but here the interiorspace had already been reduced by a third part through the encroachmentof the water, and there was no method of communicating with the outerair except by opening a new aperture, an operation in which there wasmanifest danger.

  Dick did not entertain the slightest apprehension that the ant-hillwould be carried away bodily by the inundation; he knew that it wouldadhere to its base as firmly as a beaver-hut; what he really dreadedwas that the storm would last so long that the flood would rise highabove the plain, perhaps submerging the ant-hill entirely, so thatultimately all air would be expelled by the persistent pressure.

  The more he pondered the more he felt himself driven to the convictionthat the inundation would be wide and deep. It could not be, he feltsure, entirely owing to the downpour from the clouds that the rapidflood was rising; there must have been the sudden overflowing of somestream to cause such a deluge over the low-lying plain. It could not beproved that the ant hill was not already under water, so that escapemight be no longer possible, even from its highest point.

  With all Dick's courage, it was yet evident that he was very uneasy; hedid not know what to do, and asked himself again and again whetherpatient waiting or decisive action would be his more prudent course.

  It was now about three o'clock in the morning. All within the ant-hillwere silent and motionless, listening to the incessant turmoil whichtold that the strife of the elements had not yet ceased.

  Presently, old Tom pointed out that the height of the water wasgradually increasing, but only by very slow ascent. Dick could only saythat if the flood continued to rise, however slowly, it must inevitablydrive out the air.

  As if struck by a sudden thought, Bat called out,--

  "Let me try and get outside. Perhaps I might dive and get through theopening."

  "I think I had better make that experiment myself," answered Dick.

  "That you never shall," interposed Tom peremptorily; "you must let Batgo. It may not be possible to get back, and your presence isindispensable here. Think, sir, think of Mrs. Weldon, and Master Jack,"he added in a lower tone.

  "Well, well," Dick assented, "if it must be so, Bat shall go."

  And turning to Bat, he continued,

  "Do not try to come back again; we will try, if we can, to follow youthe same way; but if the top of the cone is still above water, knockhard on it with your hatchet, and we shall take it as a signal that wemay break our way out. Do you understand?"

  "All right!" he said, "all right, sir."

  And after wringing his father's hand, he drew a long breath, andplunged into the water that filled the lower section of the ant-hill.

  It was an exploit that required considerable agility; the diver wouldhave to find the orifice, make his way through it, and, without loss ofa moment, let himself rise to the surface outside. Full half a minuteelapsed, and Dick was making sure that the negro had been successful inhis effort, when his black head emerged from the water. There was ageneral exclamation of surprise.

  "It is blocked up," gasped Bat, as soon as he had recovered breathenough to speak.

  "Blocked up?" cried Tom.

  "Yes," Bat affirmed; "I have felt all round the wall very carefullywith my hand, and I am sure there is no hole left; I suppose the waterhas dissolved the clay."

  "If you cannot find a hole," exclaimed Hercules, "I can very soon makeone;" and he was just about to plunge his hatchet into the side of theant-hill, when Dick prevented him.

  "Stop, stop! you must not be in such a hurry!"

  He reflected for a few moments, and we
nt on,--

  "We must be cautious; an impetuous step may be destruction; perhaps thewater is over the top; if it is allowed to enter, then at once is anend of all."

  "But whatever we do," urged Tom, "must be done at once; there is notime to lose."

  He was right; the water had risen till it was quite six feet deep; nonebut Mrs. Weldon, Jack, Nan, and Cousin Benedict, who were lodged in theupper cells, were fairly above its surface.

  Dick now came to his determination. At about a foot above thewater-level, that is, about seven feet from the ground, he resolved tobore a hole through the clay. If he should find himself incommunication with the open air, he would have the proof he desiredthat the top of the cone was still uncovered; if, on the other hand, heshould ascertain that he had pierced the wall below the surface of theexternal water, he would be prepared to plug up the holeinstantaneously, and repeat the experiment higher up. It was true thatthe inundation might have risen even fifteen feet above the plain; inthat case the worst had come, and there was no alternative but thatthey must all die of asphyxia.

  Carefully considering the chances of his undertaking, Dick calmly andsteadily set about his task. The best instrument that suggested itselffor his purpose was the ramrod of a gun, which, having a sort ofcorkscrew at the end for extracting the wadding, would serve as anauger. The hole would be very small, but yet large enough for therequisite test. Hercules showed him all the light he could by holdingup the lantern. There were several candles left, so that they were notin fear of being altogether in darkness.

  The operation hardly took a minute; the ramrod passed through the claywithout difficulty; a muffled sound was distinguished as of air-bubblesrushing through a column of water. As the air escaped, the water in thecone rose perceptibly. The hole had been pierced too low. A handful ofclay was immediately forced into the orifice, which was thuseffectually plugged; and Dick turned round quietly, and said,--

  "We must try again."

  The water had again become stationary, but its last rise had diminishedthe amount of breathing space by more than eight inches. The supply ofoxygen was beginning to fail, respiration was becoming difficult, andthe flame of the candle burned red and dim.

  About a foot higher than the first hole, Dick now set about boring asecond. The experiment might again prove a failure, and the water riseyet higher in the cone; but the risk must be run.

  Just as the auger was being inserted, a loud exclamation of delight washeard proceeding from Cousin Benedict's cell. Dick paused, and Herculesturned the lantern towards the excited naturalist, who seemed beamingwith satisfaction.

  "Yes, yes; I see it all well enough," he cried; "I know now why thetermites left their home; they were wide-awake; they were more cleverthan we are; they knew that the storm was coming!"

  Finding that this was all the worthy entomologist had to communicate,Dick, without comment, turned back again to his operation. Again thegurgling noise! again the water's upward rush! For the second time hehad failed to effect an aperture to the outer air!

  All fired simultaneously at the nearest boat.]

  The situation was to the last degree alarming. The water had all butreached Mrs. Weldon, and she was obliged to take her boy into her arms.Every one felt nearly stifled. A loud singing was heard in the ears,and the lantern showed barely any light at all. A few minutes more andthe air would be incapable of supporting life. One chance aloneremained. They must bore another hole at the very summit of the cone.Not that they were unaware of the imminent danger of this measure, forif the ant-hill were really submerged the water from below wouldimmediately expel the remaining air and death must be instantaneous. Afew brief words from Dick explained the emergency of the crisis. Mrs.Weldon recognized the necessity,--

  "Yes, Dick, do it; there is nothing else to be done."

  While she was speaking the light flickered out, and they were in totaldarkness.

  Mounted on the shoulders of Hercules, who was crouching in one of theside-cells, his head only just above water, Dick proceeded to force theramrod into the clay, which at the vertex of the ant-hill wasconsiderably harder and thicker than elsewhere.

  A strange mingling of hope and fear thrilled through Dick Sands as heapplied his hand to make the opening which was to admit life and air,or the flood of death!

  The silence of the general expectation was broken by the noise of asharp hissing; the water rose for eight inches, but all at once itceased to rise; it had found its level. No need this time to close theorifice; the top of the ant-hill was higher than the top of the flood;and for the present, at least, they could all rejoice that their liveswere spared!

  A general cheer, led by the stentorian voice of Hercules, involuntarilybroke from the party; cutlasses were brought into action, and the claycrumbled away beneath the vigorous assault that was made upon it. Thewelcome air was admitted through the new-made aperture, bringing withit the first rays of the rising sun. The summit of the ant-hill onceremoved, it would be quite easy to clamber to the top, whence it washoped they would soon get away to some high ground out of reach of theflood.

  Dick was the first to mount the summit; but a cry of dismay burst fromhis lips!

  A sound only too well known to travellers in Africa broke upon his ear;that sound was the whizzing of arrows.

  Hardly a hundred yards away was a large encampment; whilst, in thewater, quite close to the ant-hill where he stood, he saw some longboats full of natives. From one of these had come the volley of arrowswhich had greeted his appearance above the opening of the cone.

  To tell his people what had happened was the work of a moment. Heseized his gun, and made Hercules, Bat, and Actaeon take theirs, and allfired simultaneously at the nearest boat. Several of the natives wereseen to fall; but shouts of defiance were raised, and shots were firedin return.

  Resistance was manifestly useless. What could they do against a hundrednatives? they were assailed on every hand. In accordance with whatseemed a preconcerted plan, they were carried off from the ant-hillwith brutal violence, in two parties, without the chance of a farewellword or sign.

  Dick Sands saw that Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Cousin Benedict were placedon board one boat, and were conveyed towards the camp, whilst hehimself, with the five negroes and old Nan, was forced into another,and taken in a different direction. Twenty natives formed a body-guardaround them, and five boats followed in their rear.

  Useless though it were, Dick and the negroes made one desperate attemptto maintain their freedom; they wounded several of their antagonists,and would doubtless have paid their lives as a penalty for theirdaring, if there had not been special orders given that they should betaken alive.

  The passage of the flood was soon accomplished. The boat had barelytouched the shore, when Hercules with a tremendous bound sprang on tothe land. Instantly two natives rushed upon him. The giant clave theirskulls with the butt end of his gun, and made off. Followed though hewas by a storm of bullets, he escaped in safety, and disappearedbeneath the cover of the woods.

  The giant clave their skulls with the butt end of hisgun.]

  Dick Sands and the others were guarded to the shore, and fettered likeslaves.