Some considerable time must have passed before my senses returned to me. When I opened my eyes again in a scared way, wondering whether or not I was in the midst of an extremely disagreeable dream, I found myself lying on my back on the floor of the cavern; which latter seemed strangely dim and dark, rendering it very difficult to distinguish anything. My head ached terribly, and I think I groaned aloud as the remembrance of late events came crowding into my mind.
“Hush!” was suddenly uttered in low friendly tones coming out of the semi-darkness around me; “be as quiet as possible, and I’ll try to give you some water.”
With astonishment and relief I recognized the voice of Mr. Triggs.
What was he doing here, and where were all our captors gone? The cave seemed buried in silence as well as in gloom.
I endeavoured to raise myself, and quickly realized that my arms were still confined by the cruel rope lashings. Like arrows through my temples shot agonizing neuralgic pains. Was my brain on fire? It felt uncommonly like it. My throat and lips, too, were dry and parched with feverish thirst, and my tongue seemed to cleave to the roof of my mouth.
And now the gunner’s friendly face came peering through the darkness as he bent over me.
“Keep up your pecker, Mr. Darcy,” he said soothingly; “’tain’t no use giving way. There is a pannikin of water here close to your head, and I want you to screw yourself round a bit and try to get a drink from it. I can’t assist you, worse luck, for my arms are bound too.”
Water! The very notion brought back with a rush the vitality which was at such a low ebb in my system. I was dying for a drink of water.
It seemed to cost me little or no effort now to raise myself, and I turned over upon my side and recognized the pannikin of which the gunner had spoken. Crawling over the short space which separated me from it, I plunged my face into the cool refreshing liquid and lapped greedily like a dog.
It was fresh life to me as far as actual strength of body was concerned, but it did not abate the pains in my head, which were still intense.