CHAPTER XII.—RELATES HOW A WRONG ROAD LED TO THE RIGHT PLACE.
They had barely gained the shelter of the tunnel and extinguished the light, when the prows of the canoes grated against the rock, and a number of natives scrambled out upon the platform, jabbering loudly.
Would they remain there, or enter the tunnel where the little band of unarmed adventurers—for the captain had neglected to fetch a musket, and Don to load his pistols—lay concealed? It was a moment of breathless suspense. Then a torch was lighted, and 'the intruders, to the number of perhaps a score, filed off to the right and disappeared.
When the last echo of their footsteps had died away, the captain heaved a sigh of relief, and bade Spottie relight the lantern.
“Not that I be afear'd o' the warmints, dye mind me, lad,” said he, as if in apology for the sigh; “only—spike my guns!—a couple o' brace o' fists 'ud be short rations to set under the noses o' sich a rampageous crew, d'ye see. Howsome-dever, the way's clear at last, as the shark says when he'd swallied the sailor; so beat up to wind'ard a bit, till we diskiver whereaway the warmints's bound for.”
“There's another passage, most likely,” observed Don, holding the lantern aloft at arm's length as they left the tunnel behind and reemerged upon the rock platform. “Ha! there it is, captain; yonder, in the far corner.”
“Right ye are, lad,” replied the captain with a chuckle. “We'll inwestigate into this 'ere subterraneous ramification, says you; so forge ahead, my hearty.”
The entrance to the second tunnel was quickly gained, and into it, as nothing was either to be seen or heard of the natives, they “inwestigated”—to use the captain's phraseology—-as far as a flight of steps which extended upwards for an unknown distance beyond the limits of the lantern's rays. Here the captain paused, and bending forward:
“Scrapers an' holystones, lad!” cried he with a chuckle; “the quarterdeck of a ship-o'-the-line itself ain't cleaner'n these 'ere steps. Native feet goin' aloft and a-comin' down continual, that's what's scraped 'em, says you; an' so I gets an idee. This 'ere subterraneous carawan as we've been an' diskivered is the tail o' the 'Elephant'!”