"What cave?" asked I.
"The pirates' cave," said the guard.
"The pirates' cave is closed," said I, wondering, I remember now, how this man knew of its existence. "Closed by the hand of God!"
At his look of astonishment, I added, "The earthquake."
"Is your side closed, too?"
Our side? Then he knew of the cave. How strange!
We said these words as we ran, shouting some unmeaning sentences. I saw that the Papaloi turned his head once or twice to see if we were following him, and, as he found no change in our demeanour, he again rushed onward, and we followed.
And now we heard the clash of arms in front and sharp battle cries. The invaders, I found from our guard, were the followers of an indignant father whose child was missing. Some traitor had deserted to him, and had informed upon the Papaloi. And though, probably, he would not have minded making his supper off the child of the Papaloi, he preferred that his own offspring should not go to make a feast for him or those of his sect. I heard the howls of wild men in battle. I saw the Papaloi set upon by two great warriors, who, I hope, tortured him a while before they put an end to him. It was every man for himself now, and I struck down the hillside. I was pursued a short distance, but under cover of night I got away, and was soon crunching the gravel of the seashore under foot. I ran right into the foaming breakers. I threw off my garments and flung them on the beach. I plunged into the delicious water. I swam out to sea. I dipped, I dove, I disported myself, I made a thousand brilliant drops leap high and shine with their glittering phosphorescence. I rolled, I wallowed, and drew the water, salt though it was, into my mouth and spat it out again, as if I would wash my interior, my mind as well as my body, from the foul stains with which I felt bedaubed and bedrabbled. As I thus refreshed myself, I heard a whistle. It came, of course, from the beach.
"I wouldn't go out too far. You know there are sharks hereabouts," called a voice that I knew. I did not wait for the end of the sentence, but struck out hastily for shore, for I had just escaped from the jaws of one death, and had no wish to fall into the more literal ones of another.
"Where is the Captain?" I asked.