The Peril Finders

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

  IT WAS ALL A DREAM.

  "Ugh! the dust!" cried Bourne, as they stood together looking backthrough what seemed like a mist.

  But this soon subsided, and they stepped inside again, to find that aportion of the heap of remains had glided through an opening at theback, evidently the way into another cell--one that was dimly lightedfrom somewhere above, and which proved as soon as it was examined to bethe way they sought, and not merely a narrow shaft, but a wide openinggoing upward and downward, the steps being in the wall which formed thedivision between the two chambers.

  There was only a narrow landing at the foot of the steps, and below thisthe opening seemed to go right down like a square well, into whosedepths the remains that disappeared had glided and lay far below.

  "A huge cistern," said Wilton eagerly.

  "No," said the doctor; "the old people could not have stored their waterjust below the way up to the next range of dwellings. More likely agreat corn-store or granary."

  "Yes," said Bourne, "that seems likely;" but Griggs grunted and saidnothing.

  "What do you think, then?" said the doctor.

  "I don't fancy those old folks would do much farming and corn-growing,sir," replied Griggs. "You see, it's a rocky sort of place all abouthere, with very little soil except in patches, and a short supply ofwater. Flocks and herds must have been more in their way."

  "Then what would have been the use of a place like this?"

  Griggs was silent for a few moments, and then he laconically uttered theword--

  "Trap!"

  "A trap!" cried Chris wonderingly. "What could they catch up here?"

  "Enemies," replied the American, as he stood looking down and then up.

  "What are you thinking?" said the doctor quickly.

  "Only this, sir. Perhaps I'm wrong, but you see this is a stronghold,and I can't help thinking that this is the only way into it. There wasthe first row of dwelling-places, got at only by a ladder, up which theenemy had to fight their way, and they seem to have killed all that weredefending that part before fighting their way up to the second row.There they did the same, and here must have been the way up to the toppart, which they tried to make stronger still. You see, it's rather aticklish bit up the side there, and plenty of room all round for thosewho defended the place to use spears and stones to beat down those whocame against them. Just look, it wouldn't only be driving them back,but knocking them off into a hole or trap where they'd be quite donefor."

  "But if that were the case this hole would be piled-up with the remainsof the enemy," said Chris eagerly.

  "That's so, my lad, and we can easily prove it. I'm going down to see."

  "What, down into that horrible pit?" cried Ned. "I should have thoughtyou had had enough of going down for the water."

  "I did, squire; but there's no water here. All's dry, and I fancythere's a bottom to it. There didn't seem to be any where the waterwent down. First of all, though, doctor, if it was a corn-store orgranary there'd be steps like those that go up, going down."

  "Certainly," said the doctor.

  "And from where we stand, so that the people could fetch up sacks fullor baskets."

  "Of course."

  "Let's see, then," said the American, and opening his box he took out amatch, lit it, and going down upon one knee held the burning splintbelow him.

  "No steps here," he cried, jerking the nearly burned-out match out intothe gloom.

  "Try another," said Chris sharply.

  This was done, and a fresh examination made, but as far as could be seenthe great square pit cut out of the rock went down smooth and squarewithout a sign of foothold.

  "I wonder how deep it is," said Chris, in a whisper tinged with awe.

  "We'll soon find that out," said the American. "Is there a loose stoneanywhere about?"

  "Yes, plenty on the terrace outside," said Ned, and he stepped back,passed out of the window-opening, and returned with a piece of shale asbig as his hand.

  "Pitch it right out in the middle, squire," cried Griggs, and thefragment quitted the boy's hand, to fall with a sharp sound upon stone,as near as they could guess some thirty feet below.

  "You're wrong, Griggs," said the doctor.

  "Am I, sir? Well, not the first time by many."

  "If this place had been as you think, the bottom would be covered withashes like those we saw glide down, and that stone would have fallenwith a dull thud."

  "Very likely, sir. That's only how it seemed to me. Shall I go downnow and see?"

  "No; let's climb up to the next range and see what that tells us; we mayfind some explanation there. Mind how you go, Chris; these steps arerisky."

  "Yes, I'll take care, father," panted the boy, who was already climbing."I don't want to tumble down there."

  The height climbed was greater than that of the two lower ascents, butproved to be fairly easy to one whose nerves were steady, and as hereached the top Chris called down--

  "It's so gloomy because the cliff overhangs it so. My word! There'sbeen some fighting here!"

  The rest followed him quickly, and as they gathered, all noticed thatthere was a fairly wide ledge on all four sides of the place, forming apathway fairly level, and chipped out of the solid cliff; while, makingquite a breastwork at the edge, but irregular in the extreme, stones ofall shapes and sizes were piled-up, quite regularly along the sidefarthest from the rough steps, and of all heights in other parts, thestones nearest to the steps being only few.

  Griggs came last, and he noted this appearance, and uttered a deep gruntas he pointed out the rough breastwork, but said nothing.

  "Stones used for building and squaring the openings on to the terrace, Isuppose," said Bourne, and the boys looked at them curiously.

  "What about mortar?" said Ned.

  "Think they were for building, sir?" said the American.

  "Yes; don't you?"

  "No, sir," was the reply. "It seems to fit with my idea."

  "What do you think, then?" said the doctor.

  "I think the same as I did before, sir. Those are powder and shot."

  "What!" cried the boys, in a breath.

  "Ammunition to cast down at an attacking force?" said the doctoreagerly.

  "Looks like it, sir. You see, they've used most from close to where theenemy was coming up the steps. Perhaps I'm wrong, though. Let's seewhat's been going on here. But first of all, is there another floorhigher up the cliff?"

  A careful search only seemed to prove that they were now on a level withthe highest terrace and range of chambers, while close by the top of thesteps there was ample endorsement of Chris's exclamation about thefighting that had gone on.

  There was a fairly wide space between the top of the great square shaftand the openings into the first cell and that leading to the terracefront, and here the remains lay literally heaped, looking as if a mostdesperate encounter had taken place. Further examination proved thatthe first cell had also been desperately defended, for the combatantshad lain in heaps. It was the same with the second, and as theadventurers went on without stopping to investigate, they found a direrepetition of the battle, and proofs that chamber after chamber had beena little battle-field in which many fell, right on to the extreme end ofthe range, all of which was in far better condition as to its stone-workthan the terraces below.

  The heaps of gruesome dust ended with the last chamber only, very littlebeing seen to take attention; but on the terrace, and here in the lastfour or five chambers, the doctor stooped several times to rake away thesoft, easily-swept ashes, to point out proofs of his former opinions,many of the relics he uncovered and touched being quite small.

  "A horrible massacre," he said softly. "Children, youths, and these aredoubtless the skulls of women."

  "Oughtn't we to preserve specimens of each to take back? They would beof intense interest to students of the past," said Bourne gravely.

  "How?" replied the doctor. "T
ouch any of them.--There, you see. Theycrumble into dust almost at a breath. What we carry away from here mustbe in our memories. As far as mine is concerned, it is already chargedwith the knowledge that we have, here the remains of two races ofpeople, the one fierce and barbarous, the other the civilised buildersand carvers of this strange city of the past. Here it is, all writtendown, how, in spite of all their efforts for their protection, dwelling,as they must have been, in the midst of fierce and bloodthirsty tribes,they were attacked, conquered, and massacred to the very last. For Iexpect when we examine the terraces on the other side of this place, weshall find a repetition of all we have found here. There, enough ofhorrors for one day."

  "But you'll come and examine all this again, father?" said Chrisexcitedly.

  "Yes, I should like to come too," cried Ned.

  "What, haven't you both had enough of these horrors?" said the doctor,raising his eyebrows.

  "N-no, father," said Chris slowly, and as if thinking the while. "It isvery horrible, of course, and one almost shivers to think of how thebrave people must have fought; but there's a something about it thatseems to draw one on to try and know more, and it is almost like readingof a dreadful battle and a brave defence; only it seems to be so muchmore true."

  "Yes, and it's so ancient, father," said Ned, meeting Bourne's eyes. "Iwant to know more, and to try and find some of the swords and spears andbattle-axes."

  "I know what I should like to find," said Chris, speaking as eagerly ashis companion.

  "What?" said the doctor, for Chris stopped suddenly, and seemed lost inthought.

  "I suppose it couldn't be done," the boy added dreamily, "but I seem asif I was on the side of all those people who were beaten, and I shouldlike to see how many of the enemy they killed before the last of themwere massacred."

  "You'd like to count their enemies' skulls, eh, Chris?" said the doctor,smiling. "Yes, I feel something of the same kind; but nature hasforbidden that, my boy. You see we are amidst heaps of dust."

  "But we may find some of their weapons that they used," said Bourne."We must search for them."

  "I should like to put a word in here, gentlemen," said Griggs suddenly,"for I've got a touch--a bad one--of our young friends' complaint.We've a good two hours' broad sunshine yet, I should say."

  "Oh, quite that," said the doctor.

  "Well, there's all that lot of ammunition yonder at the top of thetrap."

  "Yes," said the doctor; "I begin to think you're right about that,Griggs."

  "And seeing what a stand the poor people made here, fighting from roomto room--or house to house, I suppose I ought to call it--I can't helpthinking that there was something pretty desperate went on before theylet the enemy get up those steps."

  "No doubt," said the doctor, "and that accounts for so many of thestones of that breastwork being missing."

  "That's right, sir. Well, I want to go down into that hole with a biglight, and see what's at the bottom there. I'm reckoning that we couldfind out what kind of weapons the enemy had to fight against thestones."

  "Yes," cried Ned; "their swords and--"

  "Well, I don't know about swords, squire," said the American dryly, "butthey must have had something to fight with. I vote that we go and see."

  This was agreed to without hesitation on the doctor's part, and theparty made their way back to the top of the steps.

  There was a pause here while all walked along the four sides, wherehundreds of stones averaging the size of a man's head lay just as theyhad been placed ages before; and then the descent was made to theopening at the side where the heap of dust had disappeared, and a shortconsultation took place.

  "You'll have to give up for to-day, Griggs," said the doctor; "it's asblack as ink down there at the bottom."

  "That's what I've been thinking, sir," said Griggs. "One must have alanthorn for this job, and by the time I've been to fetch it, got backhere with another rope or two, and lit up ready for work, another hourwill have slipped away; so if Chris and Ned here will promise not totell me that I'm too much scared to go, I think I'll give it up forto-night."

  "You may take it for granted that no one will even dream of such athing," said the doctor quietly; "and I think it will be much wiser togive up. We've done quite enough for one day. Every one for camp, agood wash, and a hearty meal."

  An hour later they were seated round their camp-fire, talking over theadventures of the day, and that night almost the same dream disturbedthe slumbers of both boys, whose minds overleaped the long roll of ageswhich had elapsed, and conjured up for them the rock city occupied by abusy population. Then came the alarm of danger, the surprise made bythe active enemy, and then the fierce defence of the first standing, thefight on the lower terrace, and the desperate defence of cell aftercell. Then the fight for the next, and afterwards the escalading of thestaircase in the great square hole, down into which Chris seemed to seescores of fierce-looking Indian warriors beaten by the stones cast fromabove.

  Worst of all in the dream was the final slaughter along the lastplatform, a sight so horribly real that Chris woke up suddenly, bathedin perspiration, and suffering an agony of excitement before he couldforce himself to believe it was all a dream.