CHAPTER XXIV.
A DANGEROUS JOURNEY.
"I think," remarked Alzura, one day toward the end of June, "I'll getthe sergeant to put me in irons."
"Why?" I asked in surprise.
"Because sitting here and looking at the land is driving me crazy."
"Then don't look at it."
"I can't help it, and that's the truth. Wouldn't it be grand if wecould only cross that morass safely!"
"But we can't!"
"No," said he; "but suppose we could? Suppose there came a night whenit was just dark enough to hide us, and yet light enough to show us thetrack? Wouldn't it be a feather in our caps if we could get backsafely to Miller?"
"It would; but we should lose our nerve in that horrible swamp, even ifwe reached it."
"Very likely; and our lives too. Let's go back to the hut."
We had often talked like this, but now there seemed more purpose andearnestness in my chum's manner. I looked at him closely as wereturned to our quarters, and wondered if he had decided to run therisk.
"A quarter of a mile isn't a long swim, is it?" he said, after a time.
"Oh no!" I agreed cheerfully.
"And we might easily save sufficient food from our rations to last along while."
"Most likely we shouldn't need it long."
"It would be very useful if we did."
"Look here, Alzura," said I, turning on him suddenly, "let's make anend of this business. What are you driving at? Are you going to riskyour life in that morass?"
"I'm very tired of this place," he answered moodily.
"So am I; but that doesn't lessen the danger of the swamp. Now, let usmake no mistake. There is, perhaps, one chance in a hundred. Is itworth risking? Death in a morass must be rather horrible. Don't youthink so?"
"Well, it can't be very pleasant; but you admit we stand a chance ofgetting across."
"One in a hundred, no more."
"Ah, well," said he thoughtfully, "let us sleep on it."
I could not help thinking that my chum must want his freedom badly toeven suggest such a venture. Any hot-blooded enterprise, I knew well,appealed to him strongly; but this one required cool, dogged patienceand nerves of iron. Barriero was a brave fellow too, but he honestlyadmitted he would rather be shot than try to cross the morass in thedark. As for me, I trembled at the thought of taking part in sohazardous an enterprise.
However, it seemed to me that Alzura was making up his mind to go.Every day he let fall broad hints, and at last stated his intentionswithout reserve.
"Juan," said he one evening, "I'm going. The war may last a couple ofyears yet. Are you coming with me? Don't if you'd rather not risk it."
"Have you counted the cost?"
"Yes. I know it's a touch-and-go affair; that is why I won't press youto join me."
"Two will stand a better chance than one," said I thoughtfully, "andyou mustn't try it alone. Shall we ask Barriero to come with us?"
"May as well pass the compliment," answered Alzura, laughing. "But hewon't, I'm positive."
And he was right; for Barriero, on being asked, said hotly,--
"You're a pair of idiots, and I don't know which is the bigger."
"It must be neither or both, if we're a pair," chuckled Alzura.
"Why can't you be satisfied?" growled Barriero. "You've plenty offood, no work to do, and are well treated. And there isn't one chancein a thousand of your getting through."
"Crawford said one in a hundred!"
"Well, anyway, you're certain to lose your lives, and I shall be blamedfor not stopping you. It's my duty to inform the sergeant, and haveyou chained up."
"You can't," said Alzura--"you can't betray us."
"You're two lunatics--stark, staring lunatics--and I wish you had toldme nothing of your mad scheme."
"It's awfully risky," said I, "but not so mad as you think. We shallchoose our night, and we know just where to land. Then we shall takeprovisions to last us three or four days."
"You won't need them," interrupted Barriero, in a tone of convictionwhich was far from encouraging.
But now that the affair had really been decided on, the dangers of themorass soon lost some of their terrors. We were able to talk aboutthem calmly, and thus grew familiar with them, at least in imagination.Every day we set aside a portion of the dried meat and biscuit whichformed the chief part of our food, until at last we had as much ascould be carried easily. It would be stupid to load ourselves with tooheavy a burden, as Barriero rather unkindly reminded us.
We waited three whole weeks after coming to our decision beforestarting on the venture, and then, one favourable night, slipped downto the edge of the islet. Barriero, who had kept the secret, came towish us good-bye, and the poor old fellow shook like a timid child.
"It is a mad game," said he, "a downright mad game. I shall neverforgive myself for allowing you to go. It isn't too late now to drawback. Do take my advice, and don't risk it. I shan't sleep a wink allnight if you go."
"Never mind, my boy," replied Alzura, laughing; "you'll have plenty oftime afterwards for a nap.--Now, Juan, off with your clothes."
The other prisoners were sound asleep in their huts; so were thesoldiers, with the exception of the two sentries. These men weresupposed to keep a sharp lookout, but nothing had happened for so longa time that their duty was mostly a matter of form. However, Barrierokept watch while we each stripped and made a bundle of our food andclothes to carry on our heads.
"Good-bye, old man," we said to him when we were quite ready; and he,gripping our hands, whispered back,--
"Good luck; but I wish you would not go. Take care, and come back hererather than lose your lives, if you cannot find the track."
We promised to do so, and then took quietly to the water. The firstpart of the journey gave us no trouble whatever. We were both goodswimmers, and quickly arrived at the spot which we had selected as thelanding-place. Here we crouched on a patch of firm ground, undid ourbundles, and proceeded to dress quickly. A smothered exclamation fromAlzura made me glance at him. In his hurry he had whisked his shirt ayard or two away, and it had settled in the liquid mud.
"There's an end to that garment!" said he. "Well, after all, it's nogreat loss; 'twas mostly made of holes. What have you found, Juan?"
"A stout staff tipped with iron, left here by the soldiers, mostlikely. What a piece of luck, my boy! Now we shall be able to testthe ground."
"Yes, the balance is on our side," said he happily, buttoning histunic. "Are you ready? Give me the staff, and I'll go first."
Of course I could not let him do that; so turning it off with a laugh,I cried,--
"No, thank you. I'm not going to trust my life to your hands, orrather feet. Now, follow me closely. Walk just where I do, and if yousee me disappearing, pull me back sharp. We're on the track now, andmust try to keep on."
"Spoken with the wisdom of a sage!" said Alzura saucily. "I say, Juan,how shall I know when you're moving?"
There was certainly reason for his sarcasm. As often as not, when Iraised my foot I brought it down in the same place again, or, accordingto Alzura, even went a step backward. The night was not particularlydark--indeed, we had doubted whether it was dark enough for us to swimashore unobserved--but the marsh was fearfully deceptive.
In places the track was merely a dry hump here and there, for which Ihad to feel with the staff. Twice, in spite of every precaution, Imissed my footing, and the second time had sunk to the waist beforeAlzura could pull me out.
"I can't see you very well, Juan," said he, laughing, "but I have anidea that you would cut a fine figure in a ballroom just now."
"Especially if it were a fancy-dress affair," I replied in the sametone.
We were in no merry humour, mind you; but the weakest joke was betterthan dwelling on the horrors which surrounded us. Each of us knewthat, but for Alzura's quickness, I should have disappeared for ever,leaving no trace behind
me. Twice before the break of day I had savedhim from a similar fate.
We left the islet about ten o'clock, and at midnight were still in themorass, unable to move. Alzura had joined me on a piece of firmground, just large enough for us to stand on, and no more. It wasdarker now, so that we could see nothing clearly, while I failed totouch any solid substance, except that behind us, with my pole.Alzura's attempts were equally unsuccessful.
"You're a pretty guide!" said he. "You've got off the track; we hadbetter try back. Give me the staff."
"Be careful; mind how you turn. Can you feel the ground where we stoodjust now?"
"Yes; here it is," and the next minute he stepped back to feel for theproper path, while I stood trembling lest he should slip in and besmothered before I could get to his assistance.
"Can you find a place?" I asked.
"Only towards the lake. It's nothing but marsh to right and left. Ithink I'll come to you again. What is it? Did I hurt you?"
"Oh no, not at all!--only crushed my toes a bit with the pole! Whatare we going to do now?"
"I suppose it's too early for breakfast?" he began, and then in adifferent tone he added hastily, "Oh, I say, what a joke! I've droppedmy bundle of food somewhere. Perhaps it's just as well; I shall walklighter."
"But you'll want something to eat," I suggested.
"Of course I shall. How dense you are! Don't you see how the accidentwill benefit us both? There are two now instead of one to eat yourrations, so you will have all the less to carry."
"Oh," said I doubtfully, not quite appreciating the logic. "Well, wedon't want breakfast yet, and the question is, what are we to do? Thesergeant's bound to discover our escape at breakfast-time, and asearch-party will be sent ashore immediately."
"It will be light in an hour or two," observed Alzura cheerfully--"atleast light enough for us to find the track again. Let us sit down; itwon't be so tiring, and we can't make ourselves any wetter or dirtier.It's a good thing I didn't start on this journey alone; I should bewith my provisions now."
"It's always pleasanter to have company," said I, shivering, and notnoticing the absurdity till Alzura laughed.
There was certainly very little pleasure in our position just then. Wewere wet through, chilled to the marrow, and plastered with mud fromhead to foot. Our limbs felt horribly cramped, yet we almost feared tostretch them, and the enforced delay was fast diminishing our chancesof escape. The dawning light might show us the route, but it wouldalso set the soldiers on our heels. Altogether, I was rather inclinedto envy Barriero, sleeping peacefully in his hut.
As soon as ever it became light enough, Alzura jumped up, saying,"Where is the pole?" and grasping it, he began trying to touch bottom.He poked long and vigorously in all directions, but without success,till it seemed as if our only plan was to return and give ourselves up.
"Yet there must be a way out," said I impatiently. "The track leadshere plainly enough, and it wouldn't come to an end just in the middleof the morass."
"I shouldn't think so," said Alzura. "I wonder whether they've missedus yet. How old Barriero will grin on seeing us back again!"
"We aren't back yet," I replied. "Look at that hump yonder. It seemssolid, doesn't it? Lend me the pole. Ah, too short! What d'youthink, Alzura?"
"It looks all right," said he; "but appearances are often deceptive.Besides, we can't reach it."
"We can jump it, perhaps."
"Yes," said he thoughtfully, "we might. It's a big risk, though. Ifit isn't firm ground, the one who jumps will go to his death."
"I'll chance it," said L
"No, you won't; it's my venture. Stand aside, and give me room for atake-off. Remember me to the others if I go down."
"Wait," said I; "there's no need for you to go. We can put it to thetest without risking life," and I hastily unslung the packet ofprovisions which hung over my shoulder.
"Bravo, Juan! that is a good dodge. Mind your aim, though!"
"All right," and raising the bundle, I swung it carefully to and fro,trying to gauge the distance. Then giving it an upward sweep, I let itgo, and we watched breathlessly as it fell plump on the spot.
"Firm as a rock," cried Alzura. "Viva! now for the jump, my boy; it'seasy enough."
"As long as we come down in the proper place. Stand back," and pullingmyself together, I took the leap, landing close beside the bundle.This I picked up, and, telling Alzura to throw me the pole, proceededto investigate.
"Is it all right?" he cried softly.
"Yes," said I, and stood back while he jumped across.
"Caramba!" said he, "that's a nasty bit well over!" and I noticed thathis limbs trembled.
"All's well that ends well," I replied. "Come on, my boy; we've donethe worst part, and the track's as plain as a pikestaff now. If we canreach the hill we came down months ago, 'twill be an easy matter tohide."
"I wonder if the sergeant has discovered anything yet? According tohis account, the guards will think us dead."
"So much the better for us; they'll give up the search sooner. Hurrah!the ground's getting firmer at every step. I believe we're out of themorass."
The words were hardly spoken, when, my foot catching in some coarsegrass, I fell sprawling, face downwards.
"Not quite," observed Alzura, pulling me up, while I tried to get themud from my mouth and eyes. "It's a lucky thing you didn't try thattrick before. Faith, Juan, you do look a picture! I'd willingly givea hundred dollars to be able to pop you down in Lima!"
"Come along, and don't be idiotic, or we shall find ourselves back onthe islet."
"Yes," said he, still grinning all over his face; "we can't stay herelaughing all day."
"I'm not laughing," I cried indignantly.
"Aren't you? Well, you see, old fellow, it's rather difficult to tellwhat you're doing through that black mask. I shouldn't try to rub itoff. Let it cake, and we'll chip it off with a stone."
"This way," said I gruffly, taking no notice of his attempts to befunny. "We'd better make straight for the mountains and hideourselves."
"We've need to," he replied, with a meaning laugh.
We were now in a wide plain, dotted with numerous hillocks, and a gooddeal cut up by streams from the overflow of the lake. The ground wasdamp, while here and there we plumped straight into a marsh. By thistime, however, we were in such a state that nothing mattered, and beingunwilling to lose time, we took the shortest though not the mostpleasant route.
We had a good start of the soldiers, who, as it happened, werecompletely thrown off the scent through finding Alzura's bundle.Knowing the terrible nature of the morass, they concluded we were bothdead, and returned to the island with the tidings.
We learned this long afterwards from Barriero, who told us how he hadmourned our sad fate, and blamed himself repeatedly for having let usgo. At the time, however, we expected every moment to hear the patterof feet behind us, and raced on till, breathless and panting, wereached the base of the mountain.
Here we stopped a few moments to recover breath, and then, climbingsome distance, proceeded to search for a cavern.
"There ought to be several," said Alzura, "for the mountain has beenmined. Didn't you notice the _rodados_ as we came down?"
"Those heaps of rubbish?"
"Yes. All that refuse has been taken out of the mountain. Here's aheap, and the mouth of the tunnel won't be far away. Now, keep youreyes open."
I did my best; but Alzura found the cavern, and in a short time we wereboth inside. The place was dark, and smelt dreadfully, the roof almosttouched our heads, and the passage was very narrow.
"A nice trap!" I remarked. "If the soldiers catch us here, there's anend to our freedom."
"I'm not so sure of that. The gallery may run a long way back, andperhaps communicate with another. Shall we explore it?"
"Not now; I'm hungry and tired."
"So am I, and wet and cold too. I wish we had a fire. Better takeyour
things off and wring them; you'll be a bit more comfortable."
I followed his advice, and then we sat down to feast on the dried beefand biscuits, which, happily, we had been able to keep in goodcondition. It was not a brilliant banquet, but we were hungry, and ourteeth were sharp.
"I think it's a pity I lost my stock," remarked Alzura, lazily enjoyingthe food. "That bit won't last long."
"You must eat less. I shall put you on short rations in the morning."
"Tell me that to-morrow; I'm sleepy now."
"Aren't we going to keep watch?"
"I don't think it's worth while. The soldiers aren't likely to lookhere for us, unless you attract their attention by snoring too loudly,"and the rascal chuckled himself off to sleep.
In a few minutes I lay down beside him, and slept soundly till hewakened me by beating a tattoo on my ribs, and saying that he wantedhis supper. We had, in fact, slept through most of the day, and it wastoo late to think of making a fresh start till the first thing in themorning.
However, as soon as day broke we set out with a hazy idea of making ourway to Lima. By dint of careful economy, our provisions would last forthree days, and then we must trust to luck. We had no notion how thewar had gone, and I should not have been surprised to hear that theRoyalists were again masters of the country.
About noon on the third day of our journey we sat down beside apleasant stream in a picturesque ravine. There was sufficient foodleft for one meal, and Alzura voted for having it at once.
"It's a long time since breakfast," said he, "and this mountain airsharpens one's appetite. Besides, it's good policy to make sure of athing while one has the chance."
"All right," said I, laughing, and opening the bundle, "here you are.Don't grumble with me when we have to go to bed without supper."
"We may get a fresh supply before then; who knows?"
I did not think it likely; but all the same I joined him in an attackon the provisions, which we devoured to the very last morsel. Then wehad another drink of water, and rose to resume our journey. As if thiswere a signal, the rocks round about suddenly became alive with armedmen, who yelled some orders which we could not understand. Thenclambering over the boulders, they surrounded us, and in a short timehad bound our arms tightly with strips of hide. They werefierce-looking fellows--Indians, never seen westward of the Andes--andapparently unfamiliar with the Spanish language. I tried to questionthem, but they did not understand, while neither of us could make out aword of their patois. It was clear, however, that they meant to takeus with them; and as we marched off, Alzura said, with a laugh,--
"What a lucky thing, Juan, that we ate our supper in good time!"
At the Point of the Sword Page 24
