“I assume Chenobi ’ll have to leave his pets behind?” said the Yankee.
“He proposes to take the hounds with him,” was the reply; “says he can rig up a pulley to hoist ’em up the cliff, or whatever it is we’ve got to climb. Of course he can’t take the elk; it would require a steam-crane to lift the great brute. But now get off to sleep; you’ve been awake quite long enough.”
With that Garth quitted the cabin, and ascended to the wheelhouse, where his comrades were assembled.
“Ah!” Mervyn said as he entered, “we were just going to call you up, Garth. We want to run the Seal ashore again. Seymour and Chenobi have decided to pay another visit to the city. You see, there are thousands of pounds’ worth of jewels on the hilts of the weapons in the armoury—wealth sufficient to make Chenobi a person of some importance above-ground—and he wishes to take some of the precious stones with him.”
“Quite right too,” returned Garth, grasping the wheel; “Tom, get down to your engines, will you?”
Ten minutes later the Seal’s nose was once more touching the beach. Seymour had again donned his mail, and he and the Ayuti were moving over the sand with the hounds at their heels. At intervals Chenobi raised a cry to summon the great elk, for they had decided to make the journey upon the broad back of Muswani, instead of proceeding through the subterranean passage.
Ere long the giant ruminant loomed out of the twilight, and mounting, the two men rode swiftly away across the plain.
[CHAPTER XXXIV.]
ON THE CREST OF THE TIDAL WAVE.
TIME dragged heavily for those left aboard the Seal. There seemed little to do; their preparations for the journey they thought to take ere long, were complete. Ammunition, provisions—consisting for the most part of tinned goods—personal belongings, were alike packed and ready. Nothing at all superfluous was allowed in the packages, for they would only have Muswani to carry their baggage as far as the cliff stairway; for the rest of the journey they would have to bear their own burdens.