In the Wonderful Land of Hez: or, The Mystery of the Fountain of Youth

Crack! crack!

The reports rang out in rapid succession, and at almost every shot a man fell.

At first they seemed to be staggered and amazed, but they soon rallied and answered the rifle shots, by another flight of arrows.

It now behooved our friends to look for a place of cover.

A few yards distant was the mouth of a gallery or passage, and at the command of Leo Malvern they rushed for this with all possible speed.

The inhabitants of the underground place came after them with all their might, uttering, for the first time, loud yells of triumph.

“Hurry up!” cried Dick; “if we can reach the mouth of that passage we’ll give ’em fits.”

The arrows kept flying all around them, and Lucky, the darky, was wounded in the arm.

A minute more and the spot was reached in safety.

“Now!” exclaimed Leo, “give it to them! Everybody fire as fast as he can.”

The next instant five rifles began sending a veritable hailstorm of bullets.

Down went seven or eight of the savage barbarians, as the professor chose to term them, and several more began hopping about like mad from the wounds they had received.

Leo expected to see them turn and flee now, since he and his companions had reached a place where they could most likely hold their own.

But no! They kept on shooting their arrows, which, by the way, did our friends not the least bit of harm, as they had crouched behind a huge bowlder.

But in spite of the determined stand our friends made, they were doomed to defeat.

Suddenly they heard a pattering of feet behind them, and, on turning, beheld a crowd of the savages coming through the passage.

They were between two fires!

CHAPTER V.

THE DANCE OF DEATH

“God help us!” exclaimed Prof. Easy, as he saw the strange inhabitants of the underground place rushing for them from both front and rear.

But “God helps those who help themselves,” and both Leo Malvern and Dick Vincey were fully aware of this. They made up their minds that they would not be killed or captured until they had used every effort to drive away their enemies.

Brave, young fellows! But what could they hope to accomplish against such fearful odds?

Martin Haypole was the only man they had to stick to them now, as both the professor and Lucky at once threw down their weapons when they observed the horde approaching through the passage.

“Keep on firing!” shouted Leo, “and when they close on us use your revolvers.”

“No – no!” replied the professor; “let us surrender. It is the best thing to do, I think.”

“Never!” exclaimed Dick, and his reply was echoed by his cousin and the intrepid Yankee.

Nearer approached the swarming savages, and presently our friends were hemmed in from all possible means of escape.

It seemed that every man that fell had two or three to take his place.

At length there was a combined rush from all quarters, and the swamp explorers were forced to the ground and made prisoners.

This caused their hopes to rise a trifle.

They were not to be killed at present, and that was one consoling thought.

Their captors seemed to be very gleeful over the fact of having made them prisoners, and at once proceeded to bind their arms behind them, after having first divested them of their weapons.

Then the five swamp explorers were lifted to their feet in their deplorable condition.

“I wonder what in thunderation the scamps are a-goin’ ter do with us,” observed the Yankee.

“The Lord only knows,” groaned Prof. Easy, who now was thoroughly frightened.

“We will have to trust to luck,” said Leo.

“We is done gwine ter be killed – ’deed we is!” exclaimed Lucky, in a despondent tone.

“Wait until you are sure of that before you say it again,” replied Dick.

Then turning to the crowd surrounding them, he continued:

“Come! what are you standing there for? Why don’t you take us to the place you intend to, and have done with it?”

It seemed that he was understood, for without any further ado two men seized each of the captives, and the whole crowd started off down the passage.

It was rather dark in the tunnel-like place, and when they had traversed about three hundred yards, our friends were unable to see any of their surroundings.

But in a very few minutes they saw light ahead of them, and objects again became distinguishable.

A cry of wonder broke from the lips of the five as they were marched out into the light. If they had been surprised when they first entered the underground place, they were even more than surprised now.

They found themselves in a natural cave of many acres in extent, in which was a small village of stone huts.

The queerest thing about the place was that the top of the cave – if cave it could really be called – was entirely open in a circle of six or seven hundred yards in diameter. This admitted both light and rain, and hence it was that an unlimited supply of vegetation could be seen about.

The opening above was many feet from the ground upon which the stone huts were built, and there was no possible means of getting to the level ground above without the aid of an immense ladder.

“Well, this jist beats the Jews!” ejaculated Haypole. “This place looks like a big watermelon hollered out and one of ther ends cut off. I think if I knowed that song called ‘Down in a Coal Mine,’ I’d sing it.”

The prisoners were led along until they came to the largest building visible to them, and there a halt was called.

There were no doors to any of the huts, which showed that the inhabitants were not afraid of being robbed by their neighbors. The crowd who had charge of our friends faced the main doorway of the building they had halted in front of, and then clapped their hands.