CHAPTER XXXIX
THE PASSING OF THE BRIDGE
Lifting his head very cautiously, Leonard looked over his shoulder andthe mystery was explained. In her madness and the fury of her love forthe mistress whom she had outraged and betrayed, Soa had striven tothrow herself upon the stone with them so soon as she saw it commenceto move. She was too late, and feeling herself slipping forward, shegrasped despairingly at the first thing that came to her hand, whichchanced to be Leonard's ankle. Now she must accompany them upon theirawesome journey; only, while they rode upon the stone, she was draggedafter them upon her breast.
A flash of pity passed through Leonard's brain as he realised herfearful plight. Then for a while he forgot all about her, since hisattention was amply occupied with his own and Juanna's peril. Now theywere rushing down the long slope with an ever-increasing velocity, andnow they breasted the first rise, during the last ten yards of which,as in the case of Otter, the pace of the stone slowed down so much inproportion to the progressive exhaustion of its momentum, that Leonardthought they were coming to a standstill. Then it was that he kickedout viciously, striving to free himself from the weight of Soa, whichthreatened to bring them to a common ruin. But she clung to him likeivy to a tree, and he desisted from his efforts, fearing lest he shouldcause their sledge to alter its course.
On the very top of the rise the motion of the stone decreased almost tonothingness, then little by little increased once more as they traverseda short sharp dip, the same in which they had lost sight of Otter, tobe succeeded by a gentle rise. So far, though exciting and novel, theirjourney had been comparatively safe, for the path was broad and the iceperfectly smooth. Its terrors were to come.
Looking forward, Leonard saw that they were at the commencement of adecline measuring four or five hundred yards in length, and so steepthat, even had it offered a good foothold, human beings could scarcelyhave stood upon it. As yet the tongue of ice was fifty paces or morein width, but it narrowed rapidly as it fell, till at length near theopposite shore of the ravine, it fined away to a point like that of agreat white needle, and then seemed to break off altogether.
Now they were well under way, and now they sped down the steep green iceat a pace that can hardly be imagined, though perhaps it is sometimesequalled by an eagle rushing on its quarry from some vast height ofair. Indeed it is possible that the sensations of an eagle making hisheadlong descent and those of Leonard may have been very similar, withthe important exception that the bird feels no fear, whereas absoluteterror are the only words wherewith to describe the mental state of theman. So smooth was the ice and so precipitous its pitch that he feltas though he were falling through space, unsupported by anything, fortravelling at that speed the friction of the stone was imperceptible.Only the air shrieked as they clove it, and Juanna's long tresses, tornby it from their fastenings, streamed out behind her like a veil.
Down they went, still down; half--two-thirds of the distance was done,then he looked again and saw the horror that lay before them. Alreadythe bridge was narrow, barely the width of a small room; sixty yardsfurther on it tapered to so fine a point that their stone would almostcover its breadth, and beneath it on either side yawned that unmeasuredgulf wherein Nam was lost with the jewels. Nor was this all, for at itsnarrowest _the ice band was broken away for a space of ten or twelvefeet_, to continue on the further side of the gap for a few yards ata somewhat lower level, and then run upwards at a steep incline to thebreast of snow where Otter sat in safety.
On they whizzed, ice beneath them and before them, and ice in Leonard'sheart, for he was frozen with fear. His breath had left him because ofthe rush of their progress, but his senses remained painfully acute.Involuntarily he glanced over the edge of the stone, saw the sheerdepths below him, and found himself wondering what was the law that kepttheir sledge upon this ribbon of ice, when it seemed so easy for it towhirl off into space.
Now the gap was immediately in front of them. "God help us!" hemurmured, or rather thought, for there was no time for words, and theyhad left the road of ice and were flying through the air as though thestone which carried them were a living thing, that, seeing the peril,had gathered up its energies and sprung forward for its life.
What happened? Leonard never knew for certain, and Otter swore that hisheart leaped from his bosom and stood in front of his eyes so that hecould not see. Before they touched the further point of ice--whilethey were in the air, indeed--they, or rather Leonard, heard a hideousscream, and felt a jerk so violent that his hold of the stone wasloosened, and it passed from beneath them. Then came a shock, less heavythan might have been expected, and lo! they were spinning onwards downthe polished surface of the ice, while the stone which had borne them sofar sped on in front like a horse that has thrown its rider.
Leonard felt the rubbing of the ice burn him like hot iron. He felt alsothat his ankle was freed from the hand that had held it, then for someminutes he knew no more, for his senses left him. When they returned, itwas to hear the voice of Otter crying, "Lie still, lie still, Baas, donot stir for your life; I come."
Instantly he was wide awake, and, moving his head ever so little, sawtheir situation. Then he wished that he had remained asleep, for it wasthis:
The impetus of their rush had carried them almost to the line where theice stopped and the rock and snow began, within some fifteen feet of it,indeed. But those fifteen feet were of the smoothest ice and very sheer,so smooth and sheer that no man could hope to climb them. Below them theslope continued for about thirteen or fourteen yards, till it met thecorresponding incline that led to the gap in the bridge.
On this surface of ice they were lying spread-eagled. For a momentLeonard wondered how it was that they did not slide back to the bottomof the slope, there to remain till they perished, for without ropesand proper implements no human being could scale it. Then he saw that achance had befallen them, which in after-days he was wont to attributeto the direct intervention of Providence.
It will be remembered that when they started, Leonard had pushed therock off with a spear which Olfan had given them. This spear he drew inagain as they began to move, placing it between his chest and the stone,for he thought that it might be of service to him should they succeedin crossing the gulf. When they were jerked from the sledge, and left toslide along the ice on the further side of the gap, in obedience tothe impetus given to them by the frightful speed at which they weretravelling, the spear, obeying the same laws of motion, accompaniedthem, but, being of a less specific gravity, lagged behind in the race,just as the stone, which was heaviest, outstripped them.
As it happened, near the top of the rise there was a fissure in theice, and in this fissure the weapon had become fixed, its weighted bladecausing it to assume an upright position. When the senseless bodies ofLeonard and Juanna had slid as far up the slope as the unexpended energyof their impetus would allow, naturally enough they began to move backagain in accordance with the laws of gravity. Then it was, as luck wouldhave it, that the spear, fixed in the crevice of the ice, saved themfrom destruction; for it chanced that the descent of their two forms,passing on either side of it, was checked by the handle of the weapon,which caught the hide rope whereby they were bound together.
All of this Leonard took in by degrees; also he discovered that Juannawas either dead or senseless, at the time he could not tell which.
"What are you going to do?" he asked of Otter, who by now was on theverge of the ice fifteen feet above them.
"Cut steps and pull you up, Baas," answered the dwarf cheerfully.
"It will not be easy," said Leonard, glancing over his shoulder at thelong slope beneath, "and if we slip or the rope breaks----"
"Do not talk of slipping, Baas," replied Otter, as he began to hack atthe ice with the priest's heavy knife, "and as for the rope, if it wasstrong enough for the Water-Dweller to drag me round the pool by, it isstrong enough to hold you two, although it has seen some wear. I onlywish I had such another, for then this matter would
be simple."
Working furiously, Otter hacked at the hard surface of the ice. Thefirst two steps he hollowed from the top of the slope lying on hisstomach. After this difficulties presented themselves which seemedinsuperable, for he could not chip at the ice when he had nothing bywhich to support himself.
"What is to be done now?" said Leonard.
"Keep cool, Baas, and give me time to think," and for a moment Ottersquatted down and was silent.
"I have it," he said presently, and rising he took off his goat-skincloak and cut it into strips, each strip measuring about two inches inwidth by two feet six inches in length. These strips he knotted togetherfirmly, making a serviceable rope of them, long enough to reach to whereLeonard and Juanna were suspended on the stout handle of the spear.
Then he took the stake which had already done him such good service,and, sharpening its point, fixed it as deeply as he could into the snowand earth on the border of the ice belt, and tied the skin rope to it.
"Now, Baas," he said, "all is well, for I can begin from the bottom."
And, without further words, he let himself down till he hung besidethem.
"Is the Shepherdess dead, Baas?" he asked, glancing at Juanna's paleface and closed eyes, "or does she only sleep?"
"I think that she is in a swoon," answered Leonard; "but for heaven'ssake be quick, Otter, for I am being frozen on this ice. What is yourplan now?"
"This, Baas: to tie about your middle the end of the rope that I havemade from the cloak, then to undo the cord that binds you and theShepherdess together, and return to the top of the slope. Once there Ican pull her up by the hide line, for it is strong, and she will slipeasily over the ice, and you can follow."
"Good!" said Leonard.
Then hanging by one hand the dwarf managed, with such assistance asLeonard could give him, to knot beneath Leonard's arms the end of therope which he had constructed from the skin garment. Next he set to workto untie the hide cord, thereby freeing him from Juanna. And nowcame the most difficult and dangerous part of the task, for Leonard,suspended from the shaft of the spear by one hand, must support Juanna'ssenseless form with the other, while Otter made shift to drag himselfto the summit of the ice, holding the hide line in his teeth. The spearbent dreadfully, and Leonard did not dare to put any extra strain uponthe roughly fastened cord of goat-skin, by which the dwarf was haulinghimself up the ice, for if it gave they must all be precipitated to thedip below, there to perish miserably. Faint and frozen as he was, itseemed hours to him before Otter reached the top and called to him tolet go of Juanna.
Leonard obeyed, and seating himself on the snow, his feet supported bythe edge of the ice, the dwarf put out his strength and began to pullher up. Strong as he was, it proved as much as he was able to do;indeed, had Juanna lain on any other material than ice, he could nothave done it at all. But in the end he succeeded, and with a gasp ofgratitude Leonard saw her stretched safe upon the snow.
Now Otter, hastily undoing the cord from Juanna's waist, made it intoa running noose which he threw down to Leonard, who placed it over hisshoulders. Having lifted the spear from the cleft in which it stood, hecommenced his ascent. His first movements cost him a pang of agony,and no wonder, for the blood from wounds that had been caused by thefriction of his flesh as he was hurled along the surface of the slide,had congealed, freezing his limbs to the ice, whence they could noteasily be loosened. The pain, sharp as it was, did him good, however,for it aroused his benumbed energies and enabled him to drag on thegoat-skin cord with all his strength, while Otter tugged at that whichwas beneath his arms.
Well for him was it that the dwarf had taken the precaution of throwingdown this second line, for presently Otter's stake, which had no firmhold in the frozen earth, came out and slid away, striking Leonard as itpassed and bearing the knotted lengths of the cloak with it. The dwarfcried aloud and bent forward as though he were about to fall. By afearful effort he recovered himself and held fast the rope in his hand,while Leonard, suspended by it, swung to and fro on the surface of theice like the pendulum of a clock.
Then followed the most terrible moments of all their struggle againstthe difficulties of this merciless place. The dwarf held fast above, andLeonard, ceasing to swing, lay with hands and legs outstretched on theface of the ice.
"Now, Baas," said Otter, "be brave, and when I pull, do you wriggleforward."
He tugged till the thin hide rope stretched, while Leonard clawed andkicked at the ice with his toes, knees, and disengaged hand.
Alas! it gave no hold--he might as well have tried to climb a dome ofplate glass at an angle of sixty degrees.
"Rest awhile, Baas," said the dwarf, whose breath was coming in greatsobs, "then make a little nick in the ice with the blade of the spear,and when next I pull, try to set some of your weight upon it."
Leonard did as he was bid without speaking.
"Now," said the dwarf, and with a push and a struggle Leonard was twofeet higher up the incline. Again the process was repeated, and thistime he got his left hand into the lowest of the two steps that Otterhad hacked with the knife, and once more they paused for breath. A thirdeffort, the fiercest of them all, a clasping of hands, and he was lyingtrembling like a frightened child above the glacier's lip.
The ordeal was over, that danger was done with, but at what a cost!Leonard's nerves were completely shattered, he could not stand, hisface was bleeding, his nails were broken, and the bone of one knee wasexposed by the friction of the ice, to say nothing of the shock to thesystem and the bruises which he had received when he was hurled from thestone. Otter's condition was a little better, but his hands were cutby the rope and he was utterly exhausted with toil and the strain ofsuspense. Indeed, of the three Juanna had come off by far the best, forshe swooned at the very beginning of the passage of the bridge, and whenthey were jerked from the stone, being lighter than Leonard, she hadfallen upon him. Moreover, the thick goat-skin cloak which was wrappedabout her had protected her from all hurt beyond a few trifling cuts andbruises. Of their horrible position when they were hanging to the spear,and the rest of the adventure, including the death of Soa, she knewnothing, and it was well for her reason that this was so.
"Otter," murmured Leonard in a shaking voice, "have you lost that gourdof spirit?"
"No, Baas, it is safe."
"Thank Heaven!" he said; "hold it to my lips if you can."
The dwarf lifted it with a trembling hand, and Leonard gulped down thefiery liquor.
"That's better," he said; "take some yourself."
"Nay, Baas, I have sworn to touch drink no more," Otter answered,looking at the gourd longingly; "besides you and the Shepherdess willwant it all. I have some food here and I will eat."
"What happened to Soa, Otter?"
"I could not see rightly, Baas, I was too frightened, much morefrightened than I had been when I rode the stone myself; but I thinkthat her legs caught in the ice on this side of the hole, and so shefell. It was a good end for her, the vicious old cow!" he added, with atouch of satisfaction.
"It was very near being a bad end for us," answered Leonard, "but wehave managed to come out of it alive somehow. Not for all the rubies inthe world would I cross that place again."
"Nor I, Baas. _Wow!_ it was awful. Now my stomach went through my head,and now my head went through my stomach, and the air was red and greenand blue, and devils shouted at me out of it. Yes, and when I came tothe hole, there I saw the Water-Dweller all fashioned in fire waitingwith an open mouth to eat me. It was the drink that made me think ofthese things, Baas, and that is why I have sworn to touch it nomore. Yes, I swore it as I flew through the air and saw the flamingWater-Dweller beneath me. And now, Baas, I am a little rested, so let ustry and wake up the Shepherdess, and get us gone."
"Yes," said Leonard, "though I am sure I do not know where we are to goto. It can't be far, for I am nearly spent."
Then crawling to where Juanna lay wrapped in her cloak, Otter pouredsome of the native spirit down her
throat while Leonard rubbed herhands. Presently this treatment produced its effect, for she sat up witha start, and seeing the ice before her, began to shriek, saying, "Takeme away; I can't do it, Leonard, I can't indeed."
"All right, dear," he answered, "you have done it. We are over."
"Oh!" she said, "I _am_ thankful. But where is Soa? I thought that Iheard her throw herself down behind us."
"Soa is dead," he answered. "She fell down the gulf and nearly pulledus with her. I will tell you all about it afterwards; you are not fit tohear it now. Come, dear, let us be going out of this accursed place."
Juanna staggered to her feet.
"I am so stiff and sore that I can hardly stand," she said, "but,Leonard, what is the matter with you? You are covered with blood."
"I will tell you afterwards," he replied again.
Then Otter collected their baggage, which consisted chiefly of the hideline and the spear, and they crawled forward up the snow-slope. Sometwenty or thirty yards ahead of them, and almost side by side, lay thetwo glacier stones on which they had passed the bridge, and near themthose which Otter had despatched as pioneers on the previous morning.They looked at them wondering. Who could have believed that these inertthings, not an hour before, had been speeding down the icy way quickerthan any express train that ever travelled, and they with them?
One thing was certain: did they remain unbroken for another two or threemillion years, and that is a short life for a stone, they would neveragain make so strange a journey.
Then the three toiled on to the top of the snow-slope, which was aboutfour hundred yards away.
"Look, Baas," said Otter, who had turned to gaze a fond farewell at thegulf behind; "there are people yonder on the further side."
He was right. On the far brink of the crevasse were the forms of men,who seemed to be waving their arms in the air and shouting. But whetherthese were the priests who, having overcome the resistance of Olfan, hadpursued the fugitives to kill them, or the soldiers of the king who hadconquered the priests, the distance would not allow them to see. Thefate of Olfan and the further domestic history of the People of the Mistwere now sealed books to them, for they never heard any more of thesematters, nor are they likely to do so.
Then the travellers began to descend from field to field of snow, thegreat peak above alone remaining to remind them that they were near tothe country of the Mist. Once they stopped to eat a little of such foodas they had with them, and often enough to rest, for their strength wassmall. Indeed, as they dragged themselves wearily forward, each of themen holding Juanna by the hand, Leonard found himself wondering how itcame about, putting aside the bodily perils from which they had escaped,that they had survived the exhaustion and the horrors, physical andmental, of the last forty-eight hours.
But there they were still alive, though in a sorry plight, and beforeevening they found themselves below the snow line in a warm and genialclimate.
"I must stop," said Juanna as the sun began to set; "I can drag myselfno further."
Leonard looked at Otter in despair.
"There is a big tree yonder, Baas," said the dwarf with an attempt atcheerfulness, "and water by it. It is a good place to camp, and here theair is warm, we shall not suffer from cold. Nay, we are lucky indeed;think how we passed last night."
They reached the tree, and Juanna sank down half fainting against itsbole. With difficulty Leonard persuaded her to swallow a little meatand a mouthful of spirit, and then, to his relief, she relapsed into acondition which partook more of the nature of stupor than of sleep.