Young Hunters in Porto Rico/Chapter 29
CHAPTER XXIX.
A FRIEND IN NEED.
"Bob! Bob! Where are you?"
It was Dick who called out, about quarter of an hour after Bob had disappeared.
The party was ready to descend into the gigantic cave once more, and wondered why Bob did not return.
"Where can he have gone?" asked Robert Menden.
"I reckon as how somethin' has happened to him," burst out old Jacob, putting away the short briar-root pipe he had been smoking. "Didn't he saunter off in thet direction?" and he pointed with his long finger.
"He did," answered Leander.
"Where is Dash? He will find him," cried Don.
They looked around for the dog, but he was nowhere in sight, having gone off on a trail of his own after some small ground-animal.
Soon the entire party was hunting in earnest for Bob, but without success.
When they reached the pool of water, old Jacob inspected the wet ground with interest.
"Here are lots o' footprints," he exclaimed. "Poor Bob's got into trouble, jest as I supposed."
"Some of the prints are of naked feet," put in Leander. "Those negroes with Farvel were barefooted."
"That's true," said Robert Menden. "Can it be possible that Bob has been carried off by Farvel and his tools."
"It looks that way," said Leander. "The question is, what have they done with our chum?"
All stared blankly at each other. Then Don got down on his knees and began another examination.
"If I was an Indian I might follow this trail," he said; "but as it is, I fancy I am not equal to it."
"If only Dash was here," sighed Leander. "What can have become of that dog? Dash! Dash!"
The call was followed by several others. At last came a short, suppressed bark from a neighboring thicket. Instantly Don and Leander made a run in that direction, and arrived just in time to see a big black fellow running away.
"Stop, or I'll fire at you!" cried Don, and pulled his pistol; but in a second more the fellow was out of range behind several trees.
The native had been sent forward to kill the canine, Farvel feeling certain that otherwise Dash would be used to locate his captive master.
The native had been in the act of firing at Dash, when Leander and Don appeared.
As it was, Dash was limping painfully from a slight wound in the foreshoulder.
"Good dog!" cried Don. "So he meant to kill you? Too bad!" And he hugged faithful old Dash around the neck.
The others soon came up, and it was decided to follow the trail of the native without delay.
This was an easy but slow undertaking for Dash, and this time they kept up with the canine with ease.
The trail led directly to where Farvel was keeping Bob a prisoner, and they came in sight just as the rascal had punched the helpless lad in the nose.
"Oh, the villain!" cried Dick, and rushing up behind Farvel he hit the man such a heavy blow in the neck that Farvel dropped like a log.
Seeing this, the native disappeared, and it may as well be stated here that he did not return, nor did the other black come back.
Farvel was nearly stunned, and by the time he recovered, old Jacob had released Bob by cutting the vines with his sharp jack-knife.
"Who—what—" stammered Farvel, when he could speak. Then he saw the crowd gathered around him and his face fell.
"Oh, how glad I am that you came up," cried Bob. "I believe he was going to kill me!"
"Wasn't going to do anything of the sort," growled Farvel. "You just let me alone."
"I fancy I will let you alone," panted Bob, "after I am square with you. Take that!" And as the man got up, Bob slapped him with such force in the mouth that Farvel's teeth rattled. "You are a brute, and ought to be in jail."
"Tell us your story, Bob," said Robert Menden, and the tale was speedily forthcoming. Farvel tried several times to interrupt, but was not allowed.
"We'll make him our prisoner now,", said old Jacob, grimly. "It ain't safe to leave him roamin' around loose."
"Me a prisoner!" gasped Joseph Farvel. "I rather guess not!"
"Yes, tie him up," said Bob. "We can set him free later on, when we hand him over to the authorities."
Farvel fumed and used language not fit to transcribe to these pages. But this availed him nothing, and soon his hands were bound as tightly as Bob's had been.
"Now march!" ordered old Jacob.
"Where to?"
"March, an' ye'll find out soon enough. Forward, or I'll boot ye!" and the old tar looked so fierce that Farvel moved off without further parley.
The course of the party was directly for the cave entrance. Arriving here, a consultation was held, and it was decided to take Farvel to a grove some distance to the left. Here the rascal was fastened to a cedar tree.
"We'll come back for you by night," said Robert Menden. "In the meantime here are some crackers and a drink of water for you," and he held them up so that Farvel could get at them. At first the fellow wanted to refuse, but soon thought better of it, having a fear of suffering from thirst and hunger.
Joseph Farvel was boiling with inward rage. Yet he did not dare say too much, fearing that the party would turn on him. Soon he was left to himself. Yet they were not yet done with him,
"A good bit of time lost," remarked Robert Menden, as he consulted his watch. "But I am glad we now have Farvel where he can do us no further harm."
The entrance to the cave passed, they speedily found their way to the chamber of bones, and then to where the tablet was located.
All was exactly as they had left it and Robert Menden breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Now, we ought to have that treasure in our possession before we leave to-night," he said.
"Ye can't git it none too quick for any o' us!" grinned old Jacob. "Ain't thet so, boys?"
"You're right!" cried Dick. "Hurry up with the ropes."
The coils were speedily forthcoming, and the two heaviest were well knotted together. Then Robert Menden prepared to descend once more—this time with the canvas bag on his back. In one hand he carried a fresh torch, which made that portion of the crack in the rocks almost as bright as day.
"Gently now," he cautioned, as he swung downward. "I don't want to break my neck for all the gold on the island."
"We'll be careful," answered Bob; and then all took hold of the rope, and Menden was lowered slowly but steadily.
He had passed something like twenty feet further down than on his previous trip, when he called to them to halt.
"I've found a resting-place," he said, when Dick threw himself flat to look down into the gloom. "It's a sort of ledge. There is a wider opening further down."
"Is the box there?"
"I don't see it—yet. Hold onto the rope, for I may slip from here at any instant."
Dick promised to do so, and all kept the line taut as before. They heard Menden moving around and heard him toss several small rocks aside.
Then came a sudden yell, followed by the fall of some dirt or rocks, they could not tell which. The rope came up so quickly that all fell back in dismay.
"Something is wrong!" gasped Don. "Menden, are you all right?"
There was no answer to his cry, and he and Dick bent over the edge to investigate. But the torch was hidden, or had gone out, and they could see nothing.
"Haul up the rope," said old Jacob, quietly; and it was quickly done. The noose which had been around Menden's body was gone, and the end of the line showed that it had been cut by the edge of a jagged stone.