The Kopje Garrison Part 36

As for the lantern, as soon as it was lowered down it ceased swinging, coming with a sharp tap against smooth rock which went downward in a pretty regular slope, but so steep that the lantern lay upon its side and glided down as fast as the men could pay out the rope.

"I sha'n't have length enough, I'm afraid, sir," said the sergeant, who leaned over the edge.

"Then why didn't you bring more?" cried the captain angrily.

The sergeant was silent, and grate! grate! grate! the lantern went on down over the rock face, which sparkled with moisture, for an exceedingly thin sheet of water glistened and went on wearing it down as it probably had from the time the great kopje cavern was formed.

But still there was no sign of the missing man-nothing but glistening rock, and beyond that darkness.

"How much more rope have you?" said the sergeant in a whisper.

"'Bout a dozen feet," said the man who was pa.s.sing it to him from behind.

"Swing the lantern to and fro," cried the captain sharply.

"It won't swing, sir," replied the sergeant. "If I try, it will only roll over on to its face."

"Never mind; you haven't tried. Now swing it," cried Roby.

"Bottom," cried the sergeant, for the lantern stopped short, and down beneath it there was a flash and a quivering reflection, showing that it was close to the flowing water.

"What is it resting on?" said Lennox eagerly, for he had forgotten the snub he had received and was all eagerness to help. "I didn't hear it click on rock."

"Just what I was thinking, sir," replied the sergeant, lifting the suspended lantern again and letting it descend once more.

"I wish to goodness, Mr Lennox, that you would not keep on interfering," cried Captain Roby angrily.-"Now, sergeant, what do you make out?"

"Rests on something soft, sir. No; it's. .h.i.t against something hard. Why, it's metal-a buckle."

"I know," cried Lennox, forgetting himself again. "You've lowered it right down on to the poor fellow, and he's above the water."

"Mr-" began the captain angrily, but his words were drowned in the hearty cheer given by the men.-"Silence!" cried Captain Roby, and leaning over, he shouted down the horrible-looking pit.-"Unfasten the rope from the lantern," he said, "and tie it tightly round your breast. Don't be frightened now: we'll soon have you out."

There was no response.

"Tut, tut, tut!" went the captain again. "Some one will have to go down. Who'll volunteer?"

"I will, sir," cried Lennox excitedly, before any one else could answer.

The captain was silent for a few moments, and then, in a way that seemed to suggest that he had been trying to find some objection to giving his consent, "Very well, Mr Lennox," he said.-"Here, sergeant, haul up the light again."

This was rapidly done, the lantern set free, and the rope tied securely just beneath the young man's arms.

"How will you have the lantern, sir?" said the sergeant.

"I will see to that, James," said the captain. "Unfasten your belt, Mr Lennox, and pa.s.s it through the ring of the lantern so that it can hang to your waist and leave your hands free."

"Just as if we didn't know!" said the sergeant to himself as he helped in this arrangement.

"Sure the knot will not slip, sergeant?" said Lennox.

"Oh, it won't come undone, sir. If it moves at all, it will be to get tighter."

"That is what I meant. I want to breathe."

"Less talking there," said the captain. "Recollect that a man's life is in danger. If you feel any compunction about going, Mr Lennox, make way for one of the men."

"Ready, sir, and waiting for your orders," said Lennox quietly.

"Very well. Now then, lower away."

The sergeant took a firm hold of the rope, and whispered "Trust me, sir," to the explorer, who nodded and looked calmly enough in the sergeant's eyes, and gave way as he felt himself lifted off the stones upon which he stood and gently lowered down till he was half-hanging, half-sitting, against the sloping side of the rock. Then a few feet of the rope glided through the sergeant's hands, and Lennox stiffened himself out, to hang rigidly, feeling his back rest against the wet rock, over which he began to glide slowly, and then faster and faster as he was let down hand over hand, seeing nothing but the black darkness lit up like a quaint halo in front of him, and going down what he felt to be a terrible depth. He fought hard against one horrible thought which would trouble him: should he ever be pulled up again? And no sooner had he mastered this than another gruesome idea forced itself as it were out of the darkness in front, the words to his excited imagination seeming to be luminous: suppose the rope should break!

It is wonderful how much thought will compress itself into a minute. It was so here, these ideas repeating themselves again and again before the young man's feet touched something soft and yielding, and upon his stretching his legs wide he felt slippery rock.

"Hold on!" he shouted, and there was what sounded like a mocking chorus of "On-on-on-on!" beginning loudly and distinctly, and going right away into a faint whisper.

Turning himself a little on one side, Lennox bent outward so that the light of the lantern flashed from a narrow stream of water which, from the bubbles and foam, he could see was rus.h.i.+ng towards him, to pa.s.s down under the ledge of rock upon which one foot rested; but now he was able to see what he wanted, and that was the missing corporal hanging face upward, but with head and neck over the edge of a block of stone which had checked his rapid slide down into the gulf, while the next moment the light showed that the poor fellow's legs were also hanging downward, the ledge being exceedingly narrow.

"Well?" cried Captain Roby. "Found him?"

"Yes, sir. Seems to be quite insensible. I can get my arms round him and hold him if you can haul us up. Will the rope bear us both?"

"No!" came in a roar from up above, every man, in his excitement, negativing the proposal.

"Silence, men!" cried the captain angrily. Then he shouted down, "It would be too risky. Here, I'll have the rope slackened, and you can untie it and make it fast round May's chest. I'll have him hauled up, and send the rope down again for you.-Slacken away, my lads."

The pressure on the rope ceased for a moment as it was slackened, and then it tightened with a jerk, and there was a loud, echoing splash as Lennox was plunged into rus.h.i.+ng water to the waist, the sensation being as if he had been suddenly seized and was being dragged under into some great hole.

"Hold hard!" he roared, and the echoes seized upon the last word-"Hard-hard-hard!"-running right away again till it was a whisper.

"Why, what are you about?" cried Roby.

"Trying to save the light," panted Lennox. "There is no room to stand on the ledge with the poor fellow. Haul up a little more. My face is on a level with him now. Haul! haul! The water seems to suck me down. Ha!" he gasped; "that's better," and he wrenched himself round, catching at a piece of slippery rock that was against his waist, and looking for foothold, for a few moments in vain, till he saw a way out of his difficulty.

"How are you getting on?" cried the captain excitedly.

"I'm obliged to kneel right on the poor fellow," said Lennox; "there's so little room. He's alive-I can feel his heart beating. Keep the rope tight for a few minutes."

"Tight it is, sir," shouted Sergeant James.

"Look here, Lennox," cried Roby hoa.r.s.ely; "can you unfasten the rope and tie it to the corporal? We can see nothing from up here."

"That's what I'm trying to find out, sir," replied Lennox.-"Yes, I think so."

"Think! You must be sure," cried d.i.c.kenson, whose voice sounded husky and strange. "Look here, I'm going to slide down to you."

"Silence!" roared the captain. "You will do nothing of the kind.-Look here, Lennox."