CHAPTER VII.
VAN'S PERIL.
Jack Howard and his companions were admirably equipped for an overland journey through the African wilds.
It did not take them a great while to outfit Van, the mate and Gregory, the sailor, as well as they were themselves.
Each one of the six wore high top boots, buckskin breeches, and broad-brimmed straw hats. They also carried knapsacks over their shoulders, which were well filled with useful articles.
Before starting out on foot they hauled their boat well up from the muddy stream and covered it with boughs and leaves, as they found Doc Clancy had done before them.
By the looks of the trail made by the murderer and his followers they must have arrived there fully two days in advance of our friends.
This part of the country was so thickly wooded that in many places the rays of the sun never reached the ground.
Poisonous serpents held carnival here, and the explorers had to be continually on the watch for them.
Just before sunset they came to a halt, weary from their first day's tramp.
Thus far they had not been molested by savages, though they had passed through the domain of more than one band.
If they had been a large, regular organized exploring party, they would have had no end of trouble, as they would then have visited black tribes, supposed to be friendly, and begged permission of them to proceed through the various kingdoms.
In this way their presence would become known to every tribe within fifty miles of them, no matter in what section they might be, as was the case with Stanley and other great explorers.
But our little party were in for it on their own hook, and asked permission from no one to travel on their way.
They would be all right so long as they were not intercepted by some roving band.
Jack Howard calculated that they were now in a section of country where no one had ever been before, save the natives and the villains they were following.
Prof. Drearland made a rather lengthy note of this, and seemed much pleased at his young friend's idea of it.
The professor was a curious sort of a man. Some people would have said that he was better fitted to become a village schoolmaster than to go roaming about the wilds of the interior of Africa.
Probably he was; but that is not for us to say now. True, the professor was not the bravest man on earth in the time of danger.
But Dr. Pestle! he was a regular cyclone when necessity demanded it. He could shoot as well as anybody in the party, and that is saying a great deal, for Van and Jack were excellent shots.
They managed to put in quite a comfortable night of it, and at the first signs of daylight they were up and ready to resume their journey.
They managed to make a light breakfast from some sardines and sea biscuit found in their knapsacks, which they ate as they made their way through the gully.
It did not take Van long to discover that they were following a dry water course, and he was soon surprised at seeing footprints in the sand and gravel it contained.
The footprints were made by men of civilized habits, too, for the tracks were those of boots or shoes.
"We are in luck!" our hero exclaimed. "Doc Clancy and his companion have gone this way. It will only be a question of time now before I will capture the scoundrel and force a written confession that he murdered my uncle from him."
"If you can get him to do that you will not have a great deal of trouble in taking him back to the United States," returned Jack Howard.
"I don't believe Doc Clancy will ever see ther States ag'in," observed Lank Edwards.
"Why?" asked Van.
"'Cause, he'll git killed afore we git through with him."
"If he does my uncle's murder will be avenged. Only I should like to see the villain die with a rope around his neck."
"He might die a wuss death than bein' hung," said the mate. "You can't tell what'll happen in this strange country," and Lank Edwards shrugged his shoulders.
No one made any reply to the mate's words, and the party continued on in silence.
They noticed that the water course led them up a gradual ascent, and the professor reckoned that it would conduct them to a range of mountains.
When noon arrived they were still in the gully, and all hands were ravenously hungry.
Though they could have shot lots of game during the morning, they did not do it for fear that the natives might be in pursuit of them and hear the report of their rifles.
But now it was getting to be a case of necessity, and Jack Howard said he was dying for a roasted chunk of meat, and did not propose to go any further until he got it.
"We may as well camp right here," he went on. "It is as good a place as we can find; and while the rest of you are getting a fire going, Van and I will go into the woods a little way and get something for dinner."
This was satisfactory to all hands, so they came to a halt. Van and Jack at once left the gully and started on their mission.
They had not gone far, however, before they encountered a boy running, and behind him a half dozen savages. Both opened fire at once, and when the rescue was effected they took him back to the camp. There the latter explained that he was Joseph Hedgewood, the son of an Englishman, who had been killed by the savages, and who had left him an orphan and homeless. He was small and fair, with large, dark eyes and abundant dark hair. He wore a corduroy suit, much too large for his slender form, and his feet were encased in a pair of stout leather boots that were, however, small and shapely. All of the company looked at him quizzically, but when they perceived he was so young and tender they agreed to take him under their protection.
He, for his part, was diffident and wanted to serve them in the capacity of servant, but to that all objected.
"No, you won't," exclaimed Jack. "We have enough servants."
So he was installed as a companion, and when the first meal had passed he was as much at home as any of them.
That afternoon they proceeded onward, and when night fell they concluded to look for a suitable place to pitch their camp. Accordingly they pushed up the water course to where a gradual descent of perhaps a foot to every hundred yards became apparent.
"We will land in some beautiful valley that is inhabited solely by Amazons, see if we don't," said Prof. Drearland.
"That is yet to be found out, professor. I wouldn't make a note of it yet, if I were you," returned Jack Howard.
As far as they could see they were in a richly wooded valley.
But not a sign of anything human could be seen, save, perhaps, a well-beaten path that led from the mouth of the passage into the depths of the forest.
"I told you we would come out into a beautiful valley!" exclaimed the professor. "Now, let us follow this path, and in due time we will come upon the Amazons."
"It seems to me that you are getting remarkably brave all at once, professor," returned Jack Howard.
The professor was about to make some retort when a rather startling occurrence took place.
With shrill, warlike cries, fully half a hundred women burst from the cover of the trees and surrounded the party.
CHAPTER VIII.
A WOMAN'S PARADISE.
Had it been a party of men that burst upon them so suddenly our friends would surely have opened fire upon them, but as they were women, they were at a loss what course to pursue.
As soon as the band of Amazons had completely surrounded the little party they came to a halt, and did not offer to lay hands upon them.
"Have your weapons ready, and the moment they attempt to harm us we will have to begin shooting, even if they are women," said Van.
"Right you are," returned Jack Howard, "but they are a too good-looking set by far, to do us any harm."
"Suppose I try and talk to them?" observed Prof. Drearland.
"Go ahead!" exclaimed Van.
Clearing his throat, the learned man began addressing the women in all the foreign tongues he could command.
But he was evidently not understood, as a rather musical chattering was the only answer he received.
"S'pose you try 'em in the United States language," ventured Lank Edwards. "If they can't understand that they ain't worth botherin' with."
Taking the cue, the professor at once addressed the assemblage in English.
To the astonishment of all hands one of the elder women promptly stepped forward and answered him in the same tongue.
"I can speak your language," said she. "It was taught our people by one of your own race several years ago. We mean you no harm, and if you will come with us to our village in a peaceful manner all will be well."
"Yes, but what race do you belong to?"
And the professor promptly drew his notebook and pencil.
"Wait until to-morrow and I will give you all the information you may desire," was the reply. "Come, we will go to our village now."
Thinking it good policy not to make any objections, our friends signified their willingness, and accordingly the band set out over the path through the forest.
After a journey of perhaps a mile a rich farming land was reached.
In the center of a vast clearing was a number of neatly thatched huts, and into one of these our six friends were placed.
"You will stay here till morning," said the woman who acted as speaker for the Amazons. "Don't attempt to get away, for you will only run into far more danger than you are in now."
All hands were completely tired out, and without any further ado they flung themselves upon the clean beds of dried grass the hut contained, and were soon fast asleep.
The sun was at least four hours high when they awoke the next morning, feeling much refreshed.
Van and Jack made their way out of the hut to take a look at their surroundings.
They saw that they were in a beautiful country. As far as the eye could reach well-cultivated lands could be seen, while here and there herds of cattle and horses could be seen grazing in rich pasture fields.
On the left was a range of mountains, and Van knew that they must have come under these in order to be where they now were.
At their right hand beyond the farming lands naught but a dense forest could be seen, and so it was both before and behind them.
Almost the first person they saw after coming out of the hut was the woman with whom they had conversed the night before.
She walked up to them as soon as she observed them, and, as she did so, Van and Jack took a good look at her.
She was of white blood beyond a question of doubt, but her manner and dress betokened that she had never seen civilization.
Like the rest of the women she wore a gown of some light texture with gaudy trimmings.
Shoes or hat she had none.
"Well," said she, when she reached the spot where Van and Jack were standing, "I suppose you are hungry. Call your companions and you shall all breakfast with me, and while we eat I will tell you something about myself and people."
Van quickly called the rest of the party from the hut, and then all hands followed the Amazon to the center of the group of huts.
She conducted them inside the largest of these, and bade them be seated upon piles of skins, of which there were nearly a dozen lying about.
Then she struck a sharp blow with a stick upon a round, metallic substance, and almost immediately two little girls appeared, carrying bark trays, upon which was an abundance of food, consisting of meat, vegetables and fruit.
Van and Jack were each given one of the trays, and then the girls brought in more until each one of the party was served.
"Now," said their strange hostess, "eat, and while you do, I will tell you a little story."
All were very hungry, and, as the food looked tempting, they needed no second invitation.
"To begin with," said the woman, "my name is Kanka. I am the recognized head of all the women and girls in this valley.
"No men live here at all, and the way our race is kept up is this: About twenty miles to the south of this valley there is a very fine country which is inhabited by people of my own race.
"Adjoining this country there is another that is peopled by a race of warlike blacks.
"Ever since time began my people have been at war with them, and thousands of our men are killed every year.
"About ten years ago the king of our nation caused a count to be made to see how many more women there were than men. The result showed that there were fifty females to every male in his kingdom.
"He at once issued an edict that a certain portion of the females should be placed in this valley to till the soil, so they might earn their own living and at the same time produce food for his warriors.
"Since that time a fresh supply of women and girls are brought here annually, and here they must stay till they die, simply because there is not enough men in the kingdom to wed and take care of them."
"That is truly wonderful!" exclaimed the professor, when he had finished writing down the remarkable story.
"Yes," added Van; "but you failed to tell us how you learned to speak our tongue."
"That is so," returned Kanka. "But I can tell you in a few words. About a year after I had been here in charge of the valley a man, who was one of your race, arrived here in much the same manner as you did.
"He was sick with fever and I nursed him back to health and strength, and as a reward for my services he became my husband.
"I had to hide him every year when the men brought the new recruits in and took away the produce and ivory we had accumulated for them. If I had not they would surely have killed him.
"Well, he died less than a year ago, and since then I have been very unhappy.
"It was he who taught me your language, and I have in turn taught it to many more. Now I guess I have told you about everything."
"Well," remarked Lank Edwards, clearing his throat and rising to his feet, "if you are all through, I'd like ter ask ther lady a question."
"What is it?" questioned Kanka.
"It are jist this: What are you a-goin' ter do with us fellers?"
"I am going to see that you all get wives this very day!"
"He, he, he!" giggled Prof. Drearland, as though he thought the idea a good one.
But he was the only one in the party who laughed.
The others grew decidedly uncomfortable, and Joe blushed to the roots of his hair.
"You may go out and take a walk about our little village," said Kanka, not noticing the looks our friends were exchanging. "In the meantime, I will assemble all the women of the place in a double line, and you can walk through them and select as many as you want for your wives."
Without making a reply all hands walked outside.
Just as they emerged from the hut they heard a confusion some yards distant.
Turning their gaze in the direction it came from, they beheld a number of the women marching in with two male prisoners in their midst.
Van gave a start.
The prisoners were Doc Clancy and his companion!
CHAPTER IX.
ESCAPE FROM THE AMAZONS.
"I am glad they caught those two scoundrels," observed Jack Howard, turning to our hero. "But I am sorry they caught us. This marrying business is not going to work very well, I am afraid. The moment we object to it there will be trouble."
"If it comes to the worst we will have to fight for it," replied Van. "I think we can put it off for a couple of days, and we ought to be able to make our escape before that time. But there's Doc Clancy! I can't go away and leave him here; for I have sworn that if the villain lives long enough, I will take him back to the United States to stand trial for the murder of my uncle."
"He'll never live long enough for you ter do that," spoke up Lank Edwards; "I'll kill him myself afore that happens."
The party now remained silent for a while, and watched the prisoners who had just been brought in to see what would be done with them.
They saw Kanka go up to them, and after she had held a rather lengthy conversation with the pair they were released, much to the astonishment of our friends.
Doc Clancy and the other man walked about with expressions of satisfaction on their faces.
The idea of getting married to as many wives as they wanted, and living a life of idleness, evidently pleased them.
A few minutes after their release they saw Van and his companions for the first time.
Their looks of satisfaction suddenly changed, and they showed signs of uneasiness.
Van made up his mind to keep a strict watch upon Doc Clancy, for fear the villain might get an opportunity to murder him.
Meanwhile Kanka had issued orders for all the inhabitants of the valley to assemble in a large field, for the purpose of allowing the eight male strangers to pick out wives.
It took a couple of hours to get them all together, and when the lines had finally been formed, Kanka summoned Van and his companions to her side.
"See here," said Jack Howard, turning his eyes upon the leader of the Amazons, "isn't this a rather queer way of doing business?"
"Why so?" demanded Kanka.
"Don't you think you had better find out if we all want wives before you go any further?"
The woman looked at him in mute astonishment as he uttered the words.
"Why, surely you are all willing to marry," she gasped.
"I am not, for one," returned Jack.
"And I would rather die first!" exclaimed Joe, with flashing eyes.
"You kin count me out, too," chimed in Lank Edwards.
"Same here," echoed Dr. Pestle.
"I wouldn't think of such a thing," observed our hero.
"Well, I suppose I will have to do as my friends do," said Prof. Drearland; "although I don't think it a half bad idea to marry."
"You shut up, professor," Jack exclaimed. "You have got a wife in England, you know you have."
"I shan't say any more," returned the professor meekly.
For the space of five minutes Kanka gazed at our friends with a mingled look of rage and surprise on her face.
Presently she spoke.
"Do you know what will happen if you don't marry?" she said.
"Yes," returned Jack, growing the least bit reckless.
"What?"
"Well, if we don't marry, we certainly won't have any wives!"
"More than that will happen. You will all be thrown into the burning pit under the mountain."
The face of the woman now grew as black as a thundercloud.
Placing her hand at her belt, she seized a small whistle.
She was about to place it to her lips when Jack Howard suddenly drew his revolver and leveled it at her heart.
"Blow that whistle and you are a dead woman!" he exclaimed.
Evidently the woman was acquainted with the nature of firearms, for her face turned deadly pale and the whistle dropped from her hands.
"What would you do?" she demanded, hoarsely.
"I would kill you, as sure as fate," was the reply. "Now, then, we are going to leave this valley. We will take a trip to the land of your people and see what sort they are. Don't attempt to oppose us, for if you do you will be the first one to die."
Jack's words had their effect upon the woman. She was completely cowed, and did not utter a word of protest.
"Draw your revolvers," said the young Englishman, turning to his companions. "We will leave at once. There are six of us, and if these women attempt to bar our way, shoot them down as though they were so many savages."
The next instant twelve revolvers flashed in the sunlight from as many hands.
It was at this state of affairs that a wild howl went up from a crowd of women about a hundred yards distant.
Glancing in the direction it came from, our friends beheld the forms of Doc Clancy and his pal seated astride a pair of horses, and galloping swiftly over the level country in the direction of the forest.
The two villains, thinking that Van and his friends were going to stop a while in the valley, deemed it advisable to get out.
They watched their opportunity, and, catching a couple of horses, mounted them and made off.
The Amazons were in a great state of excitement over this, and the majority of the assembled crowd promptly started in pursuit.
Kanka at once rushed away, leaving our friends standing alone where they were.
"This is our opportunity!" exclaimed Van. "There are some horses grazing over there; let's catch enough for our use and follow Doc Clancy."
"That is just what we will do," returned Jack Howard. "Come on, all of you!"
The next moment they were hurrying toward the horses.
The animals were very tame, and they managed to catch what they wanted before any of the Amazons reached them.
Each horse had a tough vine about its neck, and, placing this between their teeth, they managed to form a rude bridle and bit.
A minute more and they had mounted, and were riding away with the speed of the wind.
The Amazons mounted, too, and started in pursuit; but they were poor riders, and our little party of explorers soon outdistanced them.
In less than half an hour they reached a heavily timbered forest, and the strange horde of women were soon lost to sight.
The trail made by Doc Clancy and his companion was a very plain one; Van led the way, following it in every turn.
About noon they came to a halt near a stream of running water to give the horses a rest.
Van and Jack shot some game, while the rest of the party busied themselves in constructing better bridles for their horses.
Two hours later they started out again, following the trail as before.
Just before nightfall they arrived at the bank of a river, which was fully half a mile in width.
As they looked about them the country showed signs of being inhabited, as fastened to the bank were a number of rafts formed by felled trees tied together by tough vines.
"I wonder if we haven't struck the country the Amazons told us about," remarked Van.
"I shouldn't be surprised," returned the professor. "I shall make a note of this, for it is truly wonderful to find rafts of timber in the heart of this wild country."
While the professor was jotting down his notes the rest of the party were carefully scrutinizing the river.
Presently they were startled to see one of the timber rafts drifting swiftly down the center of the stream.
Upon it were two men and a pair of horses.
A single glance sufficed to show that the men were Doc Clancy and his villainous companion.
At that instant a puff of smoke came from the raft, followed instantly by the report of a rifle; Van clapped his hand to the side of his head and tumbled headlong from the back of his horse.
CHAPTER X.
DOWN THE RIVER.
As Van Vincent fell from his horse his companions immediately dismounted and rushed to his side.
But before they reached him he was upon his feet, though he appeared to be somewhat dazed.
It was Doc Clancy who fired the shot, but, instead of killing our hero, the bullet merely grazed the side of his head, momentarily stunning him.
As soon as he saw that Van was not killed, Lank Edwards leveled his rifle at the raft and pulled the trigger.
But the bullet flew wide of the mark, owing to the fact of his being a poor marksman, and the distance being rather great.
The current must have been running pretty strong, for the raft was fast leaving them, and as the two villains had sought seclusion behind a huge log, it was impossible to get another shot at them.
"We must follow them," exclaimed our hero, who had now recovered the full use of his senses.
"How are we a-goin' ter, I'd like ter know?" returned the mate.
"There are similar rafts of logs here, are there not?"
"That's so," spoke up Jack Howard. "We'll board this big one right here, and then push her off and go shooting down the river after those fellows."
The raft he indicated was about eighty feet long by thirty in width, and it was lashed together so firmly that they saw their horses could be taken upon it with the greatest of safety.
With our friends it was no sooner said than done.
The next moment they were leading their horses upon the logs, and Van and Jack got ready to sever the vines that held the raft to the shore.
There were several long poles, as well as some short pieces of timber, lying upon it, and seizing a couple of the poles, they pushed off toward the center of the stream.
Ten minutes later they were drifting rapidly along with the current in the wake of Doc Clancy, who was now over half a mile ahead of them.
Van and Jack proceeded to steer the huge craft, while their companions undertook the task of rolling the loose logs into a pile on either side, to serve as a cover against the possible attack from any persons on either shore.
They knew there must be human beings in the vicinity, or they would never have found the rafts as they were.
"I wonder what river this is?" remarked Jack Howard. "With the exception of ourselves and the two ahead of us, I believe we are the only civilized people who have ever floated upon its waters."
"I am perfectly satisfied on that point," returned Prof. Drearland. "Suppose we name it after you, Jack?"
"That's it," echoed Van. "Call it Howard River."
The rest of the party agreed to this, so the stream was named, as far as our friends were concerned.
Rifles in hand, the floating party kept a good watch on either shore.
As they reached a bend, round which the other raft had disappeared, they were suddenly startled by hearing a loud trumpeting noise.
At first they thought it was a company of soldiers they were approaching, but a moment's study told them that such a thing was utterly out of the question.
"I know what caused that noise," said Joe, who had been listening attentively. "It was made by a herd of elephants; I have heard them before."
"Gracious! you don't say so!" exclaimed the professor, with a look of alarm on his face. "You don't think there is any danger of their swimming out and attacking us, do you?"
"You can't tell what might happen, old man," spoke up Jack Howard, in a serious tone. "You'd better have your rifle ready."
As if to verify his words, a violent crashing was heard in the underbrush that lined the shore at that point, and the next moment a herd of eight elephants suddenly appeared and entered the water.
"If we don't want them to bother us, the best thing for us to do is to remain perfectly quiet," said Van.
"That is it," returned Joe.
The huge animals had evidently come to the river for the purpose of taking a bath, for they merely waded off a few feet and then proceeded to enjoy themselves after their own fashion.
They did not appear to notice the raft at all, and soon they were lost to sight as our friends drifted around a bend.
Prof. Drearland drew a long breath of relief. He evidently was very much afraid of the elephants.
When the raft had drifted perhaps five miles down the river the sight of cultivated fields met the eyes of our friends.
While they were speculating as to what would be the next thing to turn up they were startled to hear the reports of firearms down the river.
"That is Doc Clancy, I'll wager!" exclaimed Van. "Some of the natives have attacked the raft."
"You are right," returned Jack. "Now we must look out for squalls."
The further they drifted the narrower the stream became, while the current kept on increasing in force.
The mass of timber was now floating along at the rate of at least ten miles an hour.
Presently the explorers came in sight of a large village of log houses, situated near the river bank.
Hundreds of white people could be seen about the vicinity, and our friends at once concluded that this was the nation to whom the Amazons belonged.
Van caused their horses to lie down on the logs, and then all hands dropped from sight behind the timbers that had been piled up for that purpose.
A crowd of the natives were already at the edge of the water, and by their actions they seemed to be in a great state of excitement.
As our friends rapidly neared them, a shout went up from the crowd, and they proceeded to push off a number of canoes.
The next minute fully a dozen were making for the raft.
The natives were armed with spears and ugly-looking knives, so our friends thought it best not to allow them to land upon the raft.
As the foremost canoe neared them, Jack Howard fired a shot from his rifle, taking a lock of hair from the head of one of the men.
In an instant a wild howl went up from the occupants of the canoes and those on the shore.
The rifle shot was evidently too much for them to understand, since they were unable to see our friends.
The canoes put back for shore with all possible speed.
"I guess they won't trouble us much," remarked our hero. "But I believe we are drifting into danger, for all that."
"Why so?" asked Dr. Pestle.
"Because the way this current runs leads me to believe that there must be a falls close by."
"Then we'd better get ashore," remarked Lank Edwards.
"If we do that we will get into trouble. See! both sides of the river are lined with the white savages."
"Well," said Van, after a pause, "I think we had better stick to the raft as long as it holds together under us."
Our hero's words seemed to satisfy all hands, so they settled down and watched the shore, which was flitting by them so rapidly.
In half an hour the country no longer looked as though it was inhabited.
The scene was now one of wild grandeur—sublime and picturesque.
The stream had narrowed down to twice the width of the raft, and our friends knew that it was only a question of a short time before it would strike the shore and be split asunder.
Yet they dared not leave it. To trust themselves in the boiling, surging waters which were now running with the speed of a race horse, meant nothing but death itself.
With pale faces the little party waited.
Fifteen minutes later they saw that their journey upon the raft of logs was about ended.
About two hundred yards ahead of them the stream was so narrow that the raft would not be able to get through in its present shape.
"Mount your horses and make for the stern!" exclaimed Van. "We must take to the water now, and we will stand more show with the animals than without them."
CHAPTER XI.
THE DWARFS.
As Van Vincent spoke he seized the bridle rein of his horse and started for the rear end of the raft.
His companions quickly followed his example, and in an exceedingly short space of time all had sprung upon the backs of their horses.
By the time they had done so the foremost part of the raft was within a few feet of striking a rocky point of land.
There was not a moment to be lost.
Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash!
One after another the horses leaped into the foaming water.
As Van rose to the surface on the back of his steed, he at once urged the animal toward the nearest shore, which was not over twenty yards distant.
He had scarcely done so when he heard a grinding crash, followed immediately by a roar that was deafening.
The timber raft was bent and twisted in a hundred different shapes, and then for a moment became wedged in the narrow gut through which the turbulent water flowed.
This one thing saved the lives of our friends.
The tangled mass of logs stayed the current for an instant, and the water became almost still.
With mighty efforts the horses swam for the shore, reaching it just as the improvised dam gave way with a loud crash.
With a feeling of mute thankfulness, Van and his companions fell upon the necks of their faithful animals.
Their escape from a certain death seemed nothing short of a miracle.
For several minutes they stood upon the river bank, gazing at the roaring flood before them.
As it was near nightfall, Van suggested that they find a suitable spot to pitch their camp for the night, and start a fire to dry their wet clothing.
Following the course of the turbulent stream, they started forward at a quick trot.
In a few minutes they reached the crest of a monster waterfall, which went dashing fully three hundred feet to a bleak-looking valley below.
In the center of the valley was a smooth sheet of water, which was now filled with the logs that had formed their raft a short time before.
"I guess there is no use of following Doc Clancy any further," observed Jack Howard. "If he went over that falls it was the last of him."
"Maybe he didn't go over," returned Van. "We didn't, you know."
"I don't think he did, unless he bears a charmed life," exclaimed Joe. "Look down there!"
The boy pointed to the valley below.
All hands instantly turned their gaze in the direction indicated.
They beheld Doc Clancy and his companion coolly riding through the valley, with their horses on a slow walk, as though nothing had happened.
"Well, that beats me!" said Lank Edwards. "What'll we do now?"
"Why, go down there, of course," returned our hero, promptly. "Here is a footpath, and—by Jove! here are the hoof prints of the two villains' horses. Come on."
As Van seemed to be the recognized leader of the party, his friends promptly followed him.
The path they started to descend was a rather steep one, but by good management they succeeded in getting to the level country below in safety.
By the time they arrived at the foot of the falls, the two men they were following had disappeared around a projection of land.
But the trail was as plain as the nose on a person's face, and, urging their horses into a brisk canter, our friends started in pursuit.
The noise of the falling water was so great that the thud of the horse's hoofs could not be heard; and they expected to overtake Clancy in very short order.
The sun had now disappeared below the horizon, and it was growing dark rapidly, but they could still see the trail very plainly.
However, in less than five minutes, it was lost altogether, owing to the fact that the pathway was now of solid rock.
But, weapons in hand, the six bold adventurers kept on, expecting every minute to find soft earth once more.
Suddenly a wild, unearthly noise rang out, which sounded like the barking of a thousand dogs.
Joe's horse shied and collided with the animal ridden by Jack Howard. The consequence was that both riders were thrown to the ground in a confused heap.
Before the rest of the party could comprehend what had happened, a veritable swarm of dwarfish figures burst from the cover of the adjacent rocks and rushed upon them.
Jack Howard and Joe were instantly seized by the curious beings, and then, as if by magic, the whole crowd disappeared.
Meanwhile, Van and the rest of his companions had been carried several yards from the spot by their frightened horses.
So suddenly had the whole thing occurred that they were not aware of the fact that Jack and Joe were missing until they beheld their two riderless steeds galloping madly from the spot.
"What in thunderation has happened, anyhow?" gasped Lank Edwards, gazing about him in dumfounded amazement.
"The Lord only knows!" returned Prof. Drearland, who was thoroughly frightened.
It was now so dark they were unable to distinguish objects at a distance greater than a dozen yards, and the four remaining ones in the party were at a complete loss as to what course to pursue.
"Well," remarked Van, at length, when they came to a halt about a hundred yards from the spot where the dwarfs had sprung upon them, "we must make an effort to find Jack and Joe. There must certainly be some opening around here somewhere, where those little savages went in."
"That is certainly so," spoke up Dr. Pestle.
Our hero now dismounted and began searching about the place where the dwarfs had disappeared.
Almost immediately he discovered a long, narrow rift which extended into the side of a hill that formed one of the boundaries of the valley.
"Here is where they went!" he exclaimed, in an excited manner. "Come on, now; we must rescue Jack and Joe!"
"What are we going to do with the horses?" asked the professor.
"Hobble them so they can't stray far away," was the reply. "Hurry up, now."
In less than two minutes this was done, and all four were ready to enter the opening.
With Van at their head they pushed inside.
It was as dark as the grave itself, and they felt the need of a torch to light them on their way through the unknown place.
Dr. Pestle had enough oil left in a bottle to saturate a piece of his coat, and when this was twisted into a compact mass it was lighted.
The doctor walked by the side of Van, with his improvised torch, which served its purpose well enough.
When they had traversed a distance of probably two hundred yards, they found they did not need any light.
Before them they beheld a vast cavern of a circular shape.
In many places upon the ground small fires were burning, and these furnished enough light for them to see where they were going. Around the fires could be seen groups of the dwarfs, who were, by the way, the strangest people any of our friends had ever seen.
They wore short skirts, which seemed to be made of some sort of leather, the rest of their bodies being bare.
The tallest of them could not have been over three feet six inches in height, but they seemed to be very powerful, for all that.
Bows and arrows and clubs were the only weapons they possessed, and as Van and his three companions gazed upon them from their point of observation, they reckoned that they could clean out the place if they tried very hard.
But they were doomed to be badly mistaken in their idea.
The dwarfs, who were a race of cave dwellers, supposed by the world at large to be extinct, were about as bloodthirsty and determined as any savage who ever drew the breath of life.
Van had just suggested that they move forward to try and find their two missing friends, when they were startled to hear the sound of footsteps approaching from the way they entered the place.
They had scarcely turned around when they beheld Doc Clancy and his partner running toward them with all their might, a perfect horde of the dwarfs at their heels.
CHAPTER XII.
A HORRIBLE FATE.
We must now turn our attention to Jack Howard and the boy, Joe, and see what became of them.
The pair were half stunned from the fall from their horses, and before they could collect their scattered senses they had a vague idea of being picked up and carried away.
Jack was the first to recover the full use of his faculties, and when he did so he found himself in Stygian darkness.
A dozen pairs of arms were clasped about his body, it seemed, and he was being whisked swiftly along in a direction that was unknown to him.
Neither he nor Joe had as yet seen what sort of looking fellows their captors were, so, of course, they had not the remotest idea as to who were carrying them off.
Jack heard a series of doglike noises all around him, and he came to the conclusion that it must be a gang of some mysterious animals who were carrying him to their den.
The brave young Englishman determined to make a desperate effort to escape from them.
Exerting all his strength, he strove to free himself.
But he soon found it to be utterly useless. The more he struggled, the tighter the clutch became about his body.
And Joe! The delicate, little fellow was so badly frightened at his mysterious capture that he fainted.
In a very few minutes Jack beheld a light ahead of him, and in a short space of time he was able to see about him fairly well.
When he found that his captors were such little fellows, he again made a wild effort to free himself.
But, as before, it was of no avail.
Jack concluded not to waste his strength any further, but to wait for a more fitting opportunity.
About ten minutes after he reached this conclusion, the dwarfs came to a halt, and he was deposited upon the ground.
But before he was allowed to rise to his feet his hands were securely tied behind him.
Joe, who had not yet recovered from his faint, was also securely bound.
Jack found that he was in a small cave, which appeared to be situated in a vast cavern.
In front of its opening a fire was burning, and around this those who had brought him there were seated.
The young man soon saw that the cave was reserved solely for the use of Joe and himself, for the dwarfs all remained outside near the fire.
Knowing it was useless to attempt to escape, Jack sat down near the mouth of the cave and watched his captors to see what they were doing.
In a few minutes Joe came to himself, and crept to the side of his friend.
Jack explained their situation as best he could, and then said:
"There is one thing in our favor, and that is they haven't taken our weapons from us. I want you to crawl behind me, Joe, and see if you can't gnaw loose the bonds that hold my hands together. If you can do it I will set you free then; and we will then open fire on these little savages and run for it."
"All right," replied the boy, "I'll do my best."
He crept behind Jack and began the task allotted to him, which he found would be a difficult one, as the thongs which bound them were of leather.
Meanwhile the dwarfs, who had evidently been holding a consultation in regard to their prisoners, suddenly arose to their feet and began singing a weird chant in their queer language.
The moment they began it others came hurrying to the spot, and in five minutes' time it seemed as though there must be fully five hundred congregated about.
The noise they made was not so very loud, but it was mournful, and reminded Jack of the howling of a dog.
"What do you suppose they are making that awful noise for?" whispered Joe, resting from his gnawing task for a moment.
"I don't know," returned Jack, in his restless way, "unless they are singing our funeral hymn."
Joe made no reply, but again tackled the leather thongs with his sharp teeth.
He must have made an extraordinary effort, for in less than a minute Jack felt that his hands were free.
"Good!" he exclaimed. "Now, turn your back toward me, and I'll set you free in short order."
Carefully drawing his knife from his belt, he was as good as his word, and the next minute the two captives were standing upright in the cave with a revolver in either hand.
But the dwarfs paid no attention to them whatever. They still kept up their weird chant, and had now formed themselves into a procession and were marching about in every conceivable shape.
When the bulk of the crowd had moved a few yards from the mouth of the cave, Jack concluded it was time for them to step out.
"Come, Joe," said he, coolly; "we'll have to be going now. Our friends won't know what to make of our long absence."
Joe looked at his companion with a glance of admiration in his large eyes, and then followed him from the cave.
This seemed to be just exactly what the dwarfs wanted them to do, for the moment they stepped from the cave a double line on either side rushed up and completely surrounded them.
Both captives were too much surprised at the unexpected turn of affairs, and before they were scarcely aware of it they were tightly hemmed in like a wedge in a block.
Their arms were forced to their sides, though both still clutched their revolvers.
Jack had been in many a crowd in various cities throughout the world, but never had he been subjected to such a tight squeeze as the dwarfs forced him to undergo.
Joe, who was delicate, anyhow, was nearly crushed.
Presently the crowd began to move, and Jack and Joe were carried along without making a single effort.
Slowly they proceeded, and at length entered a dark passage.
"I say!" exclaimed Jack, "where are you taking us to, I'd like to know?"
The only reply he got was a fresh burst of the chant they had been singing, which sounded worse than ever in the narrow passage.
The two were forced along for perhaps a hundred feet in the same slow manner, and then a wild rush suddenly took place.
Pell-mell went the crowd of dwarfs, and, of course, Jack and Joe had to go with them.
The next thing Jack knew he felt himself going downward, and then he fetched up sprawling on a smooth, rocky floor.
The young Englishman was so badly dazed that it was a minute or two before he could arise to his feet.
He was in total darkness, and could not hear a sound beyond the beating of his heart, which was now throbbing away like a triphammer.
"Joe!" he called. "I say, Joe, where are you?"
But there was no response.
Jack now became very uneasy.
He was more frightened than he had ever been in his whole life before.
There was something so weird and mysterious about his situation that he was completely unnerved.
Suddenly it occurred to him to light a match.
With trembling hands he did so.
The first objects to meet his gaze were his revolvers lying at his feet.
He promptly picked them up and placed them in his belt.
"I wonder what has become of Joe?" he muttered. "Poor boy! I don't want to see any harm come to him, and I shan't, either, if I can help it. But this is enough to scare the life out of a little fellow like him. I wonder...."
At that instant a shrill scream rang out, and Jack started as though he had been shot.
Turning quickly, he held the still burning match in front of him, and beheld a startling, not to say horrible, sight.
Crawling over the ground, a few feet from him, was a monstrous creature resembling a crab!
But that was not the worst of it. Joe was gripped firmly in its huge claws.
CHAPTER XIII.
SEARCHING FOR JACK AND JOE.
"Hide!" exclaimed Van, when he saw Doc Clancy and his confederate running toward them with the dwarfs at their heels.
He darted around a point of rock as he spoke, and his companions quickly followed him.
Luckily for them, they were not seen by the dwarfs, and half a minute later the whole gang rushed by them.
The two fugitives had scarcely entered the vast cavern when they were overtaken by their pursuers.
Both villains at once threw up their hands and howled for mercy.
But the dwarfs did not understand them, and if they could have done so it is not likely that it would have made any difference.
Doc Clancy was thrown upon the ground in the twinkling of an eye, and his companion was flung almost on top of him.
It was just at this moment that our friends saw large numbers of the dwarfs leave their fires and rush to a point at the furthermost end of the huge cavern.
But as it was beyond the range of their vision, they could not see what it was that called the little cave dwellers to that certain spot.
Meanwhile the dwarfs picked up their two prisoners and started across the cavern.
They were bent upon joining their companions, by the manner in which they hurried, and in spite of the pleadings of Doc Clancy and his friend, they were hustled away in a fashion that was decidedly unceremonious.
"See here," said Van, suddenly; "there is a great deal of hubbub over there; let's walk out a little ways and see what is going on."
"That's it," returned Lank Edwards. "Them fellers can't see us as long as we don't carry a light."
The doctor and the professor being willing, Van led the way out into the open cavern.
He had scarcely done so when he gave a startled cry.
"What is the matter?" asked his three friends in a breath.
"I see Jack and Joe!" our hero exclaimed. "See! there they go. The dwarfs have cut them off from escape and surrounded them."
"We must get there as soon as possible," said Dr. Pestle, in a plucky tone of voice.
"Sure!" echoed Lank Edwards, at the same time tightening his belt in order to be ready for the fight that was sure to come.
The dwarfs who were conveying Clancy and his companion along were now running in the direction of the crowd where Van had seen Jack and Joe a moment before.
But before they reached them our friends saw the whole crowd enter a passage, similar to the one through which they had reached the place.
Though they were unable to catch a glimpse of them, they knew that Jack and Joe were among the crowd.
The four were now hurrying swiftly along in the wake of the dwarfs who had Doc Clancy and the other fellow.
Van conjectured that they would most likely lead the way into the same passage Jack and Joe had been taken.
In this he was right, for by the time he and his three friends had made half the distance across the open space the last dwarf had entered the passage.
The four now started forward on a run, and a couple of minutes later they were at the spot where the mysterious underground dwellers had disappeared with their prisoners.
But they had scarcely entered the passage when they heard the dwarfs coming back, as thought in a combined rush.
There was a niche close at hand, and, noticing this, Van quickly motioned his companions to follow him into it.
They had scarcely sought seclusion in the niche when the foremost of the dwarfs went rushing by.
In the semilight that prevailed in that part of the cavern our hero noticed that Doc Clancy and his ally were in their midst, still being carried along as prisoners.
He watched the curious crowd as they filed past, expecting every moment to see Jack and Joe being brought back.
But no such sight greeted his eyes, and at length the entire crowd of dwarfs who had entered the passage a few minutes before had left it and returned to the burning fires in the cavern.
"They have left Jack and Joe somewhere back here in this passage," said Van, in a tone of deep concern, when the dwarfs were out of hearing.
"They have, sure, if they took 'em in here," observed Lank Edwards.
"I know they took them in here," returned our hero. "I saw them; and as they are still here, and not far away, I should judge, I propose we look for them."
"I agree with you!" exclaimed Dr. Pestle, warmly. "Come on; there is enough left of the torch I manufactured to light us on our way."
"Suppose the little fiends have killed our two companions," spoke up the professor, in a faltering tone; "what then?"
"If such a thing has happened, they'll be dead," replied Lank Edwards. "But, come on; I'll wager a plug of terbacky that we'll find 'em."
Dr. Pestle struck a match and lighted the rudely constructed torch, and the four started along the passage.
It was slimy and damp in the place, and lizards could be seen crawling about in all shapes.
"Ugh!" grunted the professor; "a nasty place, this."
"For that reason we should be more anxious to get Jack and Joe out of it," said Van.
He had scarcely spoken when the smothered report of a revolver was heard from a point directly ahead of them.
Feeling that they had come upon their two friends, they made a rush forward.
But the next instant they were checked by a huge bowlder.
They came to a halt, completely nonplused.
"Why, here is the way," said the doctor, suddenly, holding his torch to the left as he spoke.
Sure enough, a continuance of the passage was disclosed!
"Well," observed our hero, "I'll fire off my revolver to let them know we are coming, and then we will go on."
Pointing the weapon in the air, he pulled the trigger.
A hundred echoes followed the report, and then an answering shot was heard.
The next instant all four darted into the passage.
They had hardly taken a dozen steps when their heels flew from beneath them, and they went shooting down a slippery decline with the speed of the wind.
But in a very few seconds they brought up in a confused heap on a rocky floor.
"Thunder!" ejaculated Lank Edwards. "What has happened now?"
He scrambled to his feet, followed by his companions.
Dr. Pestle's torch had become extinguished, and he hastened to light it again.
As the feeble flame flared up, they found that they were in what appeared to be a tomb.
All around them they beheld piles of bones and grinning skulls.
The professor's teeth began to chatter.
"Let us get out of here!" he exclaimed.
"You forget," said Van. "We came down here in search of Jack and Joe."
As he finished speaking, he fired off his revolver, and began shouting "Jack!" as loud as he could.
To the joy of all hands, an answering cry was heard close at hand.
"This way!" a voice shouted. "Hurry, for I have got more than I can attend to here!"
"That is Jack," said our hero. "Come on; he is in some sort of trouble!"