The Peril Finders

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

  PETRA THE SECOND.

  Daybreak came all too soon for Chris, who sprang up rubbing his eyes andyawning, in response to a summons from Griggs, who stood over the boylike a black figure cut out of cardboard showing against a ruddy glow.

  "Why--oh bother! It can't be time," cried the boy.

  "Yes, it is, and we're late."

  "So we are. You said daylight, and the sun's rising."

  "Is it?" said Griggs. "Then it's before its time. There, unbutton youreyelids and look again. The sun doesn't crackle and spit when it getsover the world's edge."

  "Humph!" grunted Chris, as he realised the truth that a roaring fire ofpinewood was burning in a sheltered spot. "Have you woke Ned?"

  "Yes, and he's growling for his breakfast. Going to have a sluicefirst? You'll just have time."

  Griggs went back to see after the breakfast, and Chris turned to whereNed had lain down on a fragrant pine-bough couch.

  "Here, look sharp," he said. "I suppose we must have a dose of coldwater."

  Ned grunted and seemed as ill-humoured as his companion at beingawakened from sleep, and the pair hurried through the gloom to the sideof the gully, where there was a soft, splashing roar caused by waterfalling like so much foam from a ledge about a hundred feet above theirheads into a rock-pool at their feet.

  The boys' preparations did not take long, neither did the application oftheir bath. Chris stepped into the rock-pool, took a couple of paces,and stood right in the middle of the descending broken water, uttered agasp or two, stepped out, and began to apply a rough home-made towelwith tremendous energy.

  "Is it cold?" said Ned, with a preliminary shiver.

  "Ugh! Horrid!" was the smothered reply.

  The words seemed to check Ned, but the shock had to be suffered, and hetoo stepped into the natural shower-bath, and sprang out again, tofollow his companion's example.

  "Feel sleepy now?" cried Chris, with a laugh, and in quite a differenttone of voice.

  "Sleepy? Who could?" was the reply, punctuated with gasps. "My! Isn'tit icy this morning!"

  "Yes. Washed all the snarl out of you, old chap," cried Chris merrily."I say, you did sound disagreeable."

  "Oh, I like that!" said Ned. "Why, a bear with a sore head was nothingto you."

  "Humph!" grunted Chris, feeling too guilty to defend himself. "I say,feel cold now?"

  "No; burning hot," was the reply. "I say, what a pity there are notfalls like this all over the salt desert."

  "There'd be no salt desert if there were," said Chris, who was nowdressing rapidly in the increasing light. "They'd soon wash all thesalt away. Look sharp: old Griggs will be shouting directly."

  The word "Breakfast!" came almost as he spoke, and as the boys hurriedtowards the fire, fully alert now and ready for anything, they saw thatthe mules were all laden but the one which carried the kitchen, as theycalled it, and this beast was feasting in company with the ponies.

  "Oh, I say, father, it isn't fair," cried Chris, in response to themorning greeting. "You know I like to help load."

  "Yes, my boy, but we woke earlier than usual, and I wanted you two tohave a good rest, for we shall have a long day."

  Ned was making a similar protest to his father, who responded by tellinghim that he would be tired enough before night.

  The words proved to be quite true, for they had a long, long journeythrough rugged valley, up steep mountain side, down precipitous gulch,and across many a roaring torrent, one of which necessitated the use ofknotted-together ropes to ensure that the mules with their loads werenot swept away.

  For in spite of the descents they were gradually ascending into a highermountainous region which grew more and more grand, while,notwithstanding the fierce heat of the sun, fatigue seemed non-existent,as the party drank in the strong, invigorating air.

  The ideas that had been suggested about this part of the country beingisland-like, rising out of a vast sea of salt desert, were proved to becorrect, for during quite a fortnight's journeyings here and there theyobtained glimpses in the far distance of the glistening plains overwhich hung the cloud-like haze of heat.

  But whenever after scaling some height their approach towards theboundaries of the island was revealed, the doctor called a halt, andafter a discussion with Griggs they struck off in a fresh directionthrough what proved to be a perfect wonderland of mountain gorge andforest, the home of wild animals and birds, every valley and plainfurnishing supplies, while the want of water was never once felt.

  "Why, we must have pretty well explored this part of the country," saidWilton, one evening, as they sat resting and watching the sun-glow dyingout amongst the peaks.

  "A little bit of it, sir," said Griggs dryly; "just to show us how wemight spend a year or two."

  "What!" cried Wilton with a mocking laugh. "If we started westto-morrow in a couple of good marches we should be right out on the saltplains again."

  "Perhaps so; but this Amurrica's a bigger place than you think for, sir.We're going south-west to-morrow, aren't we, doctor, so as to get alookout from that double-topped mountain where the tongue of desert cameright in?"

  "Yes; that is what I proposed," said the doctor. "He is quite right,Wilton. We have seen only a little of one of the grandest parts of thecountry I have been in."

  "Like some of the Rockies, sir," cried Griggs enthusiastically. "Iguess that Mr Wilton will alter his opinion as we go on."

  "Perhaps," said Wilton good-humouredly. "I don't mind. It is, as youfolks say, very grand."

  "Grander than you think, sir," said Griggs. "I went higher than thedoctor yesterday, and I think we're going to have a surprise to-morrow."

  The surprise did not come that next day as Griggs had prophesied, buttwo days later, when after an arduous struggle through a wild ravine,with the perpendicular cliffs rising to such a height on either sidethat the bottom was in twilight at mid-day, they took advantage of afall of water to halt and refresh their ponies and mules, letting themdrink their fill and then begin cropping the rich grass growing near,while wallets were opened and the tired party lay about partaking withexcellent appetite of the provisions they had brought with them.

  "This is about the wildest place we've been in yet, father," said Chris,as he looked up at the mighty cliffs by which they were enclosed.

  The doctor nodded, but Wilton, who heard the remark, made reply.

  "Yes," he said; "I shouldn't care about being here in a storm. I shouldexpect to have the rocks loosened by every peal of thunder, and cometumbling down upon our heads."

  "A frightful gorge," said Bourne; "but we seem to have come to the end.It closes in yonder. A regular blind lead."

  "Just the sort of place where we ought to search for minerals," said thedoctor.

  "Why don't you come and lie down for a rest, Griggs?" cried Ned, for theAmerican, after hurrying through his lunch, had gone forward a hundredyards or so to begin climbing up from ledge to ledge, pausing to lookround from time to time.

  He heard Ned's question, which came to his ears like a strange whisper,and then again louder as if it was reflected from the rock-face on hisleft; but he only waved his hand by way of reply and went on climbinghigher.

  "If he were not as active as a goat," said the doctor, "I should feelnervous and expect to see him fall."

  "Yes, it is very risky," said Bourne thoughtfully, "and, though we haveyou with us, a broken limb would not add to the comfort of our journey."

  "Oh, Griggs won't fall," said Chris decisively. "He's going up there tosee where the spring comes from."

  "No," said the doctor. "He is climbing up beside the fall because thewater has worn the gully into rough steps and formed a staircase bywhich we might get out of this gorge and perhaps find ourselves inanother perhaps wilder valley. What's he doing now?"

  "Chipping at the stones by the water-side to see if there's any gold,"said Ned, who was watching their companion attentively. "But he hasn'tfou
nd any, for he's going on."

  This was the case, and at last they saw him come to a stand as ifunwilling, or unable, to go any farther.

  "Quite a blind lead there," said the doctor.

  "You wouldn't attempt to take the mules up there, would you," saidWilton, "even if he said it was passable?"

  "No, it would be folly; too much risk. We'll go back soon, and try someother way."

  "Here he comes back," said Chris, as he saw the American turn and beginto descend by another way, leaving the rushing torrent above him andfollowing the sharp descent into the bottom of the gorge, along which hemade his way till he was level with and joined them.

  "Find the door locked?" said Wilton, laughing.

  "No," was the reply, as the American stretched himself on the grass.

  "No? You couldn't have got along that way any further, could you?" saidthe doctor.

  "Oh yes; the place seems to come to a blank end from here, but from upyonder you can see that it doubles back round a sharp corner to theleft."

  "But the mules couldn't get by?"

  "Oh yes; it looks narrow, but not so strait as that. We can ridealong."

  "Indeed?" cried Bourne, while the boys listened eagerly.

  "I half thought we should have to go back, but it's all right. Thisplace only zigzags a bit, and we can get through into the next valleywhen the beasts have had their feed. It's much better to go forwardthan journey back."

  "Did you find anything when you were chipping up there?" said Ned.

  "Yes," replied the American coolly; "there's gold in the rock up yonderby the water, and I found this in one little hole."

  He took a scrap of yellow metal from his pocket, and held it out to thedoctor.

  "A nugget of gold," said that gentleman, "very much worn by the water."

  "And the stones," said Griggs sharply; "and no wonder, for it was beingswept round and round. One minute I could see it, the next it was gone;but it was washed right into my hand at last. I dare say we might washa good deal here."

  "But you do not propose to stop?"

  "No, sir; I've an idea that this is the most likely part we've come toyet. Let's get on. We could come back then if we found nothingbetter."

  Griggs' remarks roused the interest of all present, and at the end ofhalf-an-hour, spent by the boys in washing the sand in a pool lowerdown, where they found a few scales of the rich metal, the journey wascontinued, Griggs leading, to where all further progress seemedimpossible, for they were compelled to halt by the apparent closing-inof the gorge, which presented, in fact, an unclimbable precipice. A fewsteps farther there was a narrow rift extending from their feet to thetop of the cliff a couple of thousand feet above their heads, andliterally doubling back into this, they threaded their way along apassage not twenty feet in width, which zigzagged here and there forabout a quarter of a mile deeper and deeper into the mountains, growingmore and more gloomy, and then all at once displaying the bright glow ofsunshine right in front, as if it came round an elbow of the way. A fewminutes later Griggs led the party into a vast amphitheatre walled in bytowering walls that were on the whole perpendicular, but seamed withrifts running up to natural terraces or breaks in the strata of whichthe vast walls were composed.

  The change from the gloom of the zigzag ravine along which they had madetheir way, to the sunlit amphitheatre, was almost painful, and the partystood in a group shading their eyes, gazing about in silence, till Chrissuddenly snatched off his hat, waved it in the air, and with a shoutstartled the mules into the beginning of a stampede.

  But this was nipped in the bud, and as soon as the animals were calmeddown, the boy cried excitedly--

  "I didn't mean to do that. But, I say, we've found the old city atlast."

  "Nay," cried Griggs, shaking his head. "This don't go on all fours withour map."

  "But it's a city," cried Ned eagerly. "It's precious old; but look allalong there, and up yonder, and down that bit--everywhere, there arehouses with doorways and windows. Why, there's quite one side of astreet along at the back of that shelf."

  "Yes, boys; it's a city, sure enough," said the doctor almost asexcitedly as the lads. "Why, Griggs, this must be one of the oldpueblas that the Spaniards talked about."

  "Yes, sir, that's it, sure enough; a city cut out of the rock-faces ofthis great shut-in place. Why, it must have been a regular strongholdwhere thousands of people lived, and we've hit upon the way in. Ishouldn't wonder if there's no way out."

  "Oh, there may be at the end yonder. How far is it to where that greatrock-wall closes in?"

  "Mile and a quarter, I should say," replied the American.

  "Then at the widest part yonder it must be nearly half-a-mile across,"cried Bourne.

  "Hardly, sir; say quarter, and here and there not half that."

  "But the cliffs seem about the same height," cried Chris, "just as ifthey had been cut level."

  "Nature cut them then," cried Griggs, laughing. "Seems to me that it'sjust one great fault in a bit of tableland."

  "But how could it come so regular?" said Wilton thoughtfully.

  "Who knows, sir? Earthquake perhaps, or shrinking. Anyhow, here it is,regular rock city such as we've read about; and the old folks made it bycutting away. Chopped it out of the stone and by filling up andsecuring the openings."

  "But look at the terraces one above the other. They must have builtthose."

  "Nay, squire; those regular lines are just how the rocks form in ledgesand cracks. I s'pose, doctor, we shan't go any further to-day?"