Fire Cloud; Or, The Mysterious Cave. A Story of Indians and Pirates.

by Samuel Fletcher

  CHAPTER XVI.

  Black Bill, on leaving the captain, after having vainly endeavored topersuade him to leave the cave, crawled in to his usual place forpassing the night, but not with the hope of forgetting his troubles insleep.

  He was more firmly than ever impressed with the idea that the cavernwas the resort of the Devil and his imps, and that they wouldcertainly return for the purpose of carrying off his master. To thishe would have no objection, did he not fear that they might nab himalso, in order to keep his master company.

  So when everything was perfectly still in the cavern excepting theloud breathing of the captain, which gave evidence of his being fastasleep, the negro crept cautiously out of the recess, where he hadthrown himself down, and moved noiselessly to the place where thecaptain was lying.

  Having satisfied himself that his master was asleep, he went to thetable, and taking the lamp that was burning there, he moved towardsthe entrance of the cave. This was now fastened only on the inside,and the fastening could be easily removed.

  In a few moments Black Bill was at liberty.

  As soon as he felt himself free from the cave, he gave vent to a fitof boisterous delight, exclaiming. "Hah! hah! hah! Now de debile maycome arter massa Flint as soon as he please, he ain't a goun to ketchdis chile, I reckan. Serb de captain right for trowin my fadder in desea.

  "Hah! hah! hah! he tink I forgit all dat. I guess he fin out now."

  Thus he went on until the thought seeming to strike him that he mightbe overheard, and pursued, he stopped all at once, and crept furtherinto the forest and as he thought further out of the reach of thedevil.

  The morning had far advanced when captain Flint awoke from hisslumber.

  He knew this from the few sunbeams that found their way through acrevice in the rocks at one corner of the cave.

  With this exception the place was in total darkness, for the lamp aswe have said had been carried off by the negro.

  "Hello, there, Bill, you black imp," shouted the captain, "bring alight."

  But Bill made no answer, although the command was several timesrepeated.

  At last, Flint, in a rage, sprang up, and seizing a raw hide which healways kept handy for such emergencies, he went to the sleeping placeof the negro, and struck a violent blow on the place where Bill oughtto have been, but where Bill was not.

  The captain started. "Has he, too, escaped me?" he exclaimed.

  Flint went back, and for a few moments sat down by the table insilence. After awhile the horror at being alone in such a gloomyplace, once more came over him.

  "Who knows," he thought, "but this black imp may betray me into thehands of my enemies. Even he, should he be so disposed, has it in hispower to come at night, and by fastening the entrance of the cavern onthe outside, bury me alive!"

  So Flint reasoned, and so reasoning, made up his mind to leave thecavern.

  Flint had barely passed beyond the entrance of the cave, when he heardthe sound of approaching footsteps. He crouched under the bushes inorder to watch and listen.

  He saw a party of six men approaching, all fully armed excepting one,who seemed to be a guide to the rest.

  Flint fairly gnashed his teeth with rage as he recognised in this manhis old associate--Jones Bradley.

  The whole party halted at a little distance from the entrance to thecave, where Bradley desired them to remain while he should go andreconnoitre.

  He had reached the entrance, had made a careful examination ofeverything about it, and was in the act of turning to make his report,when Flint sprang upon him from the bushes, saying, "So it's you, youtraitor, who has betrayed me," at the same moment plunging his daggerin the breast of Bradley, who fell dead at his feet.

  In the next moment the pirate was flying through the forest. Severalshots were fired at him, but without any apparent effect.

  The whole party started in pursuit. But the pirate having theadvantage of a start and a better knowledge of the ground, was soonhidden from view in the intricacies of the forest.

  Still the party continued their pursuit, led now by Henry Billings.

  As the pirate did not return the fire of his pursuers, it was evidentthat his only weapon was the dagger with which he had killed theunfortunate Bradley.

  For several hours they continued their search, but all to no purpose,and they were about to give it up for the present, when one of themstumbled, and fell over something buried in the grass, when up sprangBlack Bill, who had hidden there on hearing the approach of the party.

  "Lookin' arter massa Flint?" asked the boy, as soon as he haddiscovered that he was among friends.

  "Yes; can you tell us which way he has gone?" asked Billings.

  "Gone dat way, and a-runnin' as if de debble was arter him, an' Iguess he is, too."

  The party set off in the direction pointed out, the negro following.

  After going about half a mile, they were brought to a full stop by aprecipice over which the foremost one of the party was near falling.

  As they came to the brink they thought they heard a whine and a lowgrowl, as of a wild animal in distress.

  Looking into the ravine, a sight met their gaze, which caused them toshrink back with horror.

  At the bottom of the ravine lay the body of the man of whom they werein pursuit, but literally torn to pieces.

  Beside the body crouched an enormous she bear, apparently dying fromwounds she had received from an encounter with the men.

  Could his worst enemy have wished him a severe punishment?

  "De debble got him now," said Black Bill, and the whole party tooktheir way back to the cave.

  On their way back, Billings learned from the negro that Hellena incompany with Lightfoot, had left the cave several days previous totheir coming. Where they had gone he could not tell.

  He was so possessed with the idea they had been spirited away by thedevil, or some one of his imps in the shape of an enormous Indian,that they thought he must have been frightened out of his wits.

  Billings was at a loss what course to take, but he had made up hismind not to return to the city, until he had learned somethingdefinite in relation to the fate of his intended bride.

  In all probability, she was at some one of the Indian villagesbelonging to some of the tribes occupying that part of the country.

  For this purpose he embarked again in the small vessel in which he hadcome up the river, intending to proceed a short distance further up,for the purpose of consulting an old chief who, with his family,occupied a small island situated there.

  He had proceeded but a short distance when he saw a large fleet ofcanoes approaching.

  Supposing them to belong to friendly Indians, Billings made no attemptto avoid them, and his boat was in a few moments surrounded by thesavages.

  At first the Indians appeared to be perfectly friendly, offering totrade and, seeming particularly anxious to purchase fire-arms.

  This aroused the suspicions of the white men, and they commencedendeavoring to get rid of their troublesome visitors, when to theirastonishment, they were informed that they were prisoners!

  Billings was surprised to find that the Indians, after securing theirprisoners, instead of starting up the river again, continued theircourse down the stream.

  But what he learned shortly after from one of the Indians, who spokeEnglish tolerably well, astonished him still more. And that was, thathe was taken for the notorious pirate Captain Flint, of whose escapethey had heard from some of their friends recently from the city, andthey thought that nothing would please their white brethren so much asto bring him back captive.

  It was to no purpose that Billings endeavored to convince them oftheir mistake. They only shook their heads, as much as to say it wasof no use, they were not to be so easily imposed upon.

  And so Billings saw there was no help for it but to await patientlyhis arrival at New York, when all would be set right again.

  But in the meantime Hellena might be removed far beyond his reach.