“Keep your eyes open, boys, for it’s certain they’ll try to take us from both sides at the same time.”
“I reckon you and I had better hold on here,” Gil said to Nelse. “There’s mighty little use rushing into a place where you can’t see a thing, and unless we look sharp the whole crowd will be in from this end.”
Andy remained motionless, and for this he could not be blamed very severely, since he had no weapons with which to defend himself; therefore he would only be in the way of the others in case a hand-to-hand fight ensued.
Stones, fragments of trees, and even earth were thrown in from the top of the shaft, the enemy remaining concealed from the view of those at the bottom meanwhile, until the prisoners succeeded in making their friends understand that no damage was being done to the white party, and then the attack ceased at this point.
From the tunnel the boys could hear a medley of sounds; but since there was no report of firearms they rightly concluded that the danger was not sufficiently great to warrant Jenkins in making his presence known.
“What is going on in there?” Gil shouted, after five minutes passed and the din had not subsided.
“The whole boilin’ of ’em have struck the trap, an’ are flounderin’ around in great style,” the mate replied. “Are you all right out there?”
“The blacks can’t do anything without inflicting the most damage on their friends, and since understanding that fact have been quiet. There’s nothing to fear here for a while, so if you need one of us I’ll come.”
“I reckon this end of the fight is takin’ care of itself; but we’re shut in now, an’ can count on starvin’ or surrender.”
Up to this moment the boys had been so interested in the manuscript found in the so-called treasure-chamber that they had forgotten both thirst and hunger; but now they began to realize there was nothing in the way of provisions, and, what was worse yet, not a drop of water had been procured.