The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Pacific

Salloo turned a look of contempt on him and did not answer. Addressing the others, he continued:

“They say they know of cave. But no know if white man is there,” went on the Malay.

“Would they be willing to guide us to it?” inquired Mr. Jukes.

“That me no know yet. Me go see ’em again to-night,” replied Salloo. “They say nobody but old men, women and children left behind now tribe go to war. So maybe they no afraid to show us. You pay ’em good?”

“Anything, any sum at all,” was the response of the millionaire. “No sum is too great to restore my brother to his family.”

When night fell Salloo left the camp again and did not return till midnight. He brought the news that the two old men would guide them for three pieces of gold each. They did not want the coins to spend, explained Salloo, but to pierce and wear round their necks as ornaments.

“I’ll make it six each,” declared Mr. Jukes, “if they lead us aright.”

There was little sleep for anybody that night, and soon after daybreak the two old men appeared in the camp. They were odd-looking old fellows; unclothed except for a breech cloth, and were daubed with red and yellow earth, signifying that their tribe was at war, although their age barred them from taking part.

At Salloo’s suggestion, only himself, Mr. Jukes, Jack and Billy were to accompany the guides. The others were to remain behind and keep as well under cover as they could till the rest returned with success or failure. Final instructions having been given, they set off behind the two old men, who chattered volubly with Salloo as they went. They knew of the cave, it appeared, but nothing more, for they did not come from that part of the mountains.

The next day they were not far from the cave, their aged guides told them, and Salloo enjoined the strictest caution in proceeding. If they met a returning war party, their position would be ticklish in the extreme, he declared, and they readily agreed with him.

It was not long after this that, high up on the mountain side, they became aware of a dark hole. The two old men chattered and pointed, and then Salloo said:

“There him cave. You wait here. Salloo go, look, see.”

He made off up the mountain with the two old tribesmen, while the others waited with what patience they could for his return. The boys had never seen Mr. Jukes so nervous. He could not keep still under the tension, but paced to and fro, regardless of Salloo’s advice to keep under cover.

“He is taking his time,” said Jack after a long interval.

“Perhaps something has happened to him,” said Mr. Jukes, apprehensively. “We’d better have our pistols ready. Hark! what was that?”

There was a rustling in the bushes near at hand and they all sprang to their feet, only to burst into laughter a minute later when a rock coney, or small rabbit, emerged, looked at them for an instant and then vanished.

“That shows how we are keyed up,” said Jack. “We’ve got to keep our nerve or we shall be useless if any emergency did happen.”

As he spoke, something whizzed over their heads and then sank quivering in the ground not far from them. They looked round and saw standing not far off two hideous natives, with frizzed hair and painted faces and bodies. Both were wounded and apparently had been sent back from “the front.” But still there was a chance that they might be the advance guard of a big body of troops.

“We friends,” cried Jack, giving the peace sign as he had seen Salloo give it.

The natives merely stared, and there is no knowing what might have been the outcome, but at that moment there came a hail from high up on the mountain and the old tribesmen and Salloo began coming toward them. The natives awaited their coming with their eyes fixed on the whites. As soon as Salloo and the others arrived there was a long confab and Salloo explained that the two warriors said that the main body of the savage troops was not far off, and that they had been sent back on account of their wounds. They had thrown the spear because they thought the whites were coming to invade their country. When Salloo explained the object of their errand, everything appeared to be satisfactory.

“Now we go to the cave,” said Salloo, at the end of these negotiations. “Him velly big one, me think.”

“Did you – did you see any trace of my brother?” asked Mr. Jukes anxiously.

“Me no see anything yet,” was the reply. “Me only go little way into cave.”

“Then come, let us start at once,” said Mr. Jukes, stepping nimbly over the rough ground, in spite of his cumbersome build.

As Salloo had said, the cave was a large one. It ran back fully a mile under the mountain. But they paid little attention to its natural beauties, so eager were they to find some trace of Jerushah Jukes. To one side was a swiftly flowing stream. They did not doubt that it came from a waterfall, the noise of which they could hear in the distance.

Before long they stood in front of the waterfall, a beautiful ribbon of water falling fully a hundred feet into a clear pool. A sort of mist hung over the pool caused by the spray, which was lighted by a rift in the rocks above. It was a lovely sight and even in their anxiety to get on they could not help standing and admiring it for a few minutes.

“By the way, Salloo,” said Jack abruptly, “how about that ghost that is supposed to haunt the cave?”

“Me no know. Me – ”

“Look, look, the ghost!” cried Raynor suddenly. He pointed straight in front of him at the fall.

“Great Scott!” exclaimed Jack as he too perceived an apparition that appeared to rise out of the waters. Salloo fell flat on his face in terror and so did the two old natives, who had been their guides.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Mr. Jukes sharply. “I see nothing. I – for heaven’s sake!”

Out of the mist of the pool he had seen advancing toward him as he stepped forward the gigantic form of a man. Then he glanced again.

The ghost was Mr. Jukes himself, who certainly had nothing spiritualistic about him. The explanation of the queer sight struck the boys and the millionaire at the same instant. The sun, shining through the rift, was reflected upon the wet rock which in turn projected their figures against the watery mist that hung above the pool.

“And so that’s the ghost that’s been scaring the natives to death,” said Jack. “Get up, Salloo, and I’ll show you how the trick is done.”

After a brief demonstration the Malay was satisfied, but the two old men were unconvinced. They mumbled and were ill at ease till that part of the cave was left behind.

“Hullo, here’s a path leading up past the waterfall,” cried Jack suddenly.

“So there is. Let’s see where it goes,” cried Billy. They started up the slippery footway very slowly so as to avoid the consequences of a slip. As they went it grew lighter. They were coming to the upper world once more. A minute later and they emerged upon a small plateau in the heart of the mountains. It was surrounded by steep precipices. In the centre stood a group of bamboo huts.

At sight of the white men, several women and children set up a shrill cry. Suddenly above the hub-bub came a voice that brought a thrill to them all:

“Has help come at last?”

From behind one of the huts had stepped a tall, angular figure, wearing ragged white clothes and a battered sun helmet. Perched on his nose were a pair of huge horn-rimmed spectacles, a ragged, unkempt beard covered his face and his hair hung in matted locks about his shoulders.

At the sight of him, Mr. Jukes gave a gasp and then a glad cry.

CHAPTER XXXVI. – FOUND AT LAST!

“Oh, my brother,” cried Mr. Jukes, “I can hardly believe we’ve found you at last.”

“Thank God! you have, Jacob,” returned the other fervently. “For a moment I thought that you were only one of the fantastic visions that have visited my brain lately.”

“My poor brother,” exclaimed the millionaire, “but now thank heaven you are restored to your friends.”

“But how did you ever find me? I never deemed it possible that rescuers could find their way to this place where that villain Broom, after stealing the pearl, marooned me.”

“Ah, so the pearl is gone, – but never mind that now. I would not have given your life for an ocean-full of pearls,” declared the millionaire happily, “but I must introduce our friends who have shared with me the hardships of the trail.”

The boys, and then Salloo, added their congratulations to Mr. Jukes, while the women and children gathered round and chattered frantically. It was plain that they objected to all this, yet did not see how to stop it. The white men’s weapons glinted menacingly and there were no warriors in the village.

“And now let us hasten away from here,” said Jerushah Jukes. “The men are off on a fighting expedition and I might have escaped but without food or weapons I could never have made my way to the coast through the jungle. I suppose that is the reason they did not tie me up.”

“Undoubtedly,” said the millionaire, “but I’m forgetting something,” and he doled out to the two old men a reward, much over what they had demanded. They chattered their thanks glibly, making all sorts of gesticulations of gratitude.