CHAPTER IX.
THE GHOSTS OF BLOODY DAM
There were no further interruptions during the unfoldment of the crowdedhours of the Flying Buddies until the final flight for the Britishbarracks. There was a general sigh of relief and a smile when the menlistened to that part in which the lads had discovered that they hadmade a circle in their wanderings and had returned to their startingpoint. Numerous pipes had been lighted and permitted to go out duringthe recital, and when Jim finished, Captain Seaman struck his tenthmatch and puffed vigorously. Only the doctor and his adopted son did notsoothe tensed nerves with the narcotic. The room was as still as if itwere empty when the boy's voice ceased, but finally Bradshaw broke thesilence.
"There would have been a howl which could have been heard from Chili toQuebec if some of the pilots had discovered you lost within a few yardsof the plane," he grinned.
"Surely would," Jim admitted.
"Will you send to search for Mills?" Bob asked their host, but beforethe captain could answer, Donald spoke.
"It will be as well, if I may be allowed to express an opinion, to lethim remain as he is for the present."
"Until the last butterfly passes?" asked the doctor.
"Yes sir, until the last butterfly passes," the lad replied.
"He might injure himself or starve," Seaman objected, but he made nomove to start the search.
"He will not starve, for the forest is full of berries, larger fruitsand roots upon which he will learn to sustain himself. He found a firelighted and will probably have sense enough to keep it going. Even if hedoesn't, he need not suffer. The ruin has many nooks in which he canprotect himself from cold or storms if it is necessary--"
"But snakes, or wild animals--" Bob protested.
"They will not molest him," Donald insisted.
"If we send air men in after him are they likely to be in danger?"Seaman asked quietly.
"They are." He turned to the Flying Buddies. "I believe that you are thefirst white men who have been through the Black Range Woods, seen whatyou have seen, and lived to tell your story," he told them quietly.
"I've heard that no white man who entered them during the time of theButterfly Flight ever came out. As a matter of fact, I understand theyhave never been heard from again," the doctor added soberly.
"We were lucky," Jim answered.
"I say," Bob turned to the young Indian. "Tell us about this thing, willyou?" He glanced about the room. "I'm sure we should all be glad to hearsomething and none of us will speak of it outside this room."
"You can depend upon us," Ruhel spoke up.
"Well--" Donald glanced at his father.
"Donald doesn't often discuss the--er things which are very close to hispeople," Manwell answered for the boy. "Not even with us."
"There are some things I may tell you," he replied, "but they must notbe repeated before the womenfolk. I shall be glad to have thisopportunity to talk of them now if we will not be interrupted." Heglanced at the captain. Immediately that gentleman went to the door, andsignaled to an orderly who stood at attention further down the hall.
"I shall be occupied here for a time. Is anyone in the house?"
"No sir. Madam has gone to the garden party, and the servants are intheir own quarters, sir."
"Excellent. Have a couple of the boys keep watch outside so that no onecomes near."
"Yes sir."
"Thank you."
He closed the door and a moment later they heard the click of heels asthe guard hurried to see that the command was carried out explicitly. Inthe meantime the men puffed, the doctor glanced a bit anxiously at hispatients, while the young Indian sat as still as if he had been carvedout of some fine dark marble. Jim's eyes traveled over the well-shapedhead, and thought of Ynilea, their special friend in the greatLaboratory, and he wondered if this young fellow might not be receivingsome of his training in one of the marvelous underground schools. Herecalled that Don Haurea had told him that the world was ready for someof the information those scientific men had proved and it was possiblethat this lad, because of his advantages as a doctor's son might havebeen chosen to bring out for humanity medical or surgical truths stillunknown to modern life. He remembered too, that the doctor had said thatDonald had "been an education" to himself and his wife. Perhaps thestory the lad would tell them would answer the questions Austin darednot ask at this time. He rather hoped they would get an opportunity tobe alone with Donald before the "Lark" was ready to take them northagain.
"It seems to me you boys are making a rather long day of it," saidBradshaw with a scowl.
"Why remind us of that? This looks like the best time in the world, andif we know a little of the truth of the Black Woods and the Dam, we cango to sleep in peace and not spend hours tossing around while our feeblebrains try to find a solution--"
"Feeble is good," said Bradshaw with a grin. Just then they heard thetwo guards pacing back and forth and the orderly returned to his stationin the hall.
"Guess it's all set," the captain told them.
"You know," Donald looked at their host, "that Doctor Manwell adopted mewhen my mother died. I was a baby and he and his wife have been most--"
"Why not skip that part?" the doctor put in quickly.
"I shall try not to embarrass you, sir, but I may as well mention thefact so everyone will understand," he said, then went on, "They havebrought me up as carefully as if I were their own son, taught methemselves, hired tutors, and sent me to good schools--"
"That you ran away from, you young rascal," the doctor chuckled.
"You had already taught me all they could and I wanted to be with you,work with you," he replied. "As long as I can remember some of my ownrace have been near me. It has always been my privilege to visit themand they too have instructed me. I am especially interested in myfather's profession and with his help hope to carry it on--I hope I canbecome as honored as he is--"
"My boy, my boy--"
"Please don't interrupt. That's not cricket," said Bob.
"Pardon me."
"Because of this desire in me, my own people have taught me the numerousherbs which grow hereabouts, the chemicals that can be extracted fromthem, the trees, soil, and even insects. I have not learned a great dealas yet--"
"I may as well throw in a bouquet myself. Everything he has shown to meis new to medical science, and has proved of great value in curingillnesses considered incurable," the doctor told them.
"Thank you, sir. As well as these matters, I have learned much about myown race, its traditions, history before the conquest and thedestruction of the Empire. All of these things are fairly well known toyou, so I shall go to the story of the temple ruin the boys visitedearlier this morning. It was an ancient city long before the Spaniardsvisited these shores, had a large population, while many of its leadingmen knew of the Ynca Empire to the south. The tribes frequently tradedwith each other, and it was the ambition of our race to extend thenorthern section of the development to meet that of the Yncas whichended, at the time of the conquest, at Quito, which was the last greatstation on the Royal Road," he paused, and Jim nodded.
"We've seen some of the ruins," Jim said.
"No doubt, the land is full of them. In the temple were men and women,the best of the tribes, who recorded the traditions and history insculpturing, carving, weaving and the knotted twines which are stillfound in certain localities. The range of the Andes mountains whichseparated us from the southern empires was, and still is, a greatbarrier. There were no horses, wagons or other means of building, butconstruction was going on constantly. Then our ancient prophets whoforetold many things with great accuracy, and read the signs in theskies, the rocks, and the mountains, grew very sober. They foretold thatthe Empire to the south would be annihilated almost entirely and a newrace would take complete possession of the whole country."
"Those prophets surely knew their onions," Bob remarked, and Donaldnodded.
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p; "They met with the great men of the land, and for the next hundred yearsthey ceased to build in the sections of the Black Woods. They devotedthemselves to planting great forests, to cutting ways through themountains which are still undiscovered by the white men, and quietlystarted a community far from the coast, and so distant from other tribesthat their existence in the new community was unknown. Each newgeneration studied the signs, and although many of the people werediscontented because of the activities carried on, which were inopposition to their own desires, the younger prophets continued toverify the findings of the old men, so that no change was made in theplan. The people who did not believe that it was possible for a strangerace to come here and survive, separated themselves from the others andresolved to remain where they were. However, they did assist in theconstruction of hiding-houses and passages to which they could flee ifthe threatened danger ever came. The southern empire was growing bothnorth and south and our people, some of them, were sure the otherslacked what you now call a progressive spirit." He smiled at the FlyingBuddies.
"Great old spirit," Bob remarked.
"Over a hundred years from the time of the first prophecy, tribes comingfrom the northern islands began to tell strange tales of a race whichcame out of the sea in winged boats, spit fire from sticks, and threwred hot stones which caused everything they struck to crumble and fall.They dressed in a shiny metal and mounted themselves on strange animalsthey called horses, whose hoofs trampled men, women and children. Theyspoke of their king, made amazing promises to the natives, stole goldand jewels by the boat-load, and forced the tribes to work for them andpay them tribute."
"Generous little habit those middle-agers had," said Jim.
"The people of our land heard these stories and most of them withdrew tothe fastness they had prepared for themselves, but the others refused tocredit the strange stories and could not conceive of any race makingslaves of them. They built themselves more hiding places, buried theirtreasures, made circuitous passages through the thick forests and filledthem with spiked traps, deadly snakes, vipers, and treacherous bridgeswhich would fall as soon as any weight was put upon them. They desertedtheir city and temple, and stripped it of its wealth. In the course of afew years the white men appeared in their boats, threw their hot stones,or bullets, fired their guns, and marched into the land. They found,here in the north, a few wild tribes besides all that was left of ourpeople who had remained behind."
"Reckon they wished they had gone when the going was good," said Jim.
"One day they learned that a new army of white men was coming, so a bandcarrying the treasures of the temple with them started by a roundaboutroute to join the distant community. They marched through their passageto a deep meadow where they expected to find an opening by which theycould continue their journey, but they discovered that a solid wall rosein front of them and that behind it a stream had formed a good-sizedlake. Some of the men went to locate a route around this. While theothers waited, the white men appeared with their guns, armor, horses andblood thirsty dogs. They destroyed the band, took the treasure, andbeing unfamiliar with the country, started their horses up the cliffs,which were rugged and appeared possible to ascend. In the struggle andthe scrambling, stones were loosened, a stream burst through and theentire wall gave way, killing them all."
"But that was hundreds of years ago," protested Jim.
"Yes, over four hundred," Donald replied. "The men of the band who wentin search of a passage met a party of hunters from the new community.Their prophets had foreseen the disaster and these men were on their wayto help their people if they could. When they reached the spot they sawthe destruction which had been wrought and grieved deeply, for among thedead were many of their own relatives."
"Pretty tough," said Bob.
"One of the old prophets from the temple was with the party. They spentthree days at the lake, fasting and praying to the sun, then they cursedthe site, the Black Woods, all that was in it, and all that came intoit. As they prayed the heavens grew dark, although it was day; a greatcomet shot across the sky, leaving a long pathway of green light whichdid not fade for many hours. By this sign the men knew that theirprayers were answered. They cursed the place again, willed that thespirits of their slaughtered companions should return every year throughall time as long as the white butterflies passed over the land to thesea; that the white men who had destroyed the band should repeat theircrime and again take their punishment as meted out to them by thestored-up waters of the lake."
"Whew," exploded Bradshaw and he mopped his forehead.
"They further willed that any man who deliberately forced himself intothe woods and under the butterflies should find destruction before themoon changed," the boy went on solemnly. "That while the spirits ofthose men of the temple walked the earth, if one of them gazed on awhite man, met his eyes, that man should go mad, should live the life ofan animal, so that no animal should injure him, but he should burrow inthe ground for shelter as long as he lived, and that he should thus passa span of years equal to the life time of three men--"
"Good God," whispered Ruhel.
"They surely made a good job of it while they were at it," Jim saidsoftly.
"The last we saw of Mills, he was digging in," added Bob, and there wasno mirth in his tone.
"And he's got three life-times to serve," said the doctor sadly, thenadded, "I have seen two men in the forests who seemed to be doing thesame thing--they are so old no one knows how many years they havelived."
"That is why I said we must leave Mills. He would fight you like ademon, probably injure your men who tried to help him--"
"He picked up that chap who was with the dwarf and tossed him about asif he were a rubber ball," Bob reminded them.
"The strength of a man who is insane," said Ruhel. "We've had somedealings with them in Canada, powerful woodsmen, and it takes almost thewhole force to overcome one."
"Guess we've all had such experiences," said Seaman. He smokedthoughtfully and stared at Donald.
"Now you know the story of the Bloody Dam. There are few of the nativeswho really know the tale, but every year someone brings out evidencethat the Black Woods must be avoided; many legends have grown up aboutit, and neither the natives nor the negroes will go into it at this timeof the year. You are in charge of this section of the country, CaptainSeaman, my father and mother have made their home here, so I receivedpermission to tell you the story that you might understand," he finishedimpressively.
"Thanks no end. It will probably save us many difficulties," the captainanswered, and he gave no sign of doubting the strange tale. "I've beenin these parts many years and I've seen queer things--"
"Jinks, isn't there any end to the curse?" Bob demanded. "Surely thoseold fellows ought to be satisfied with four hundred years ofpunishment."
"And their own people have to be a part of it," Jim added.
"As long as the butterflies make their flight to the sea," Donaldreplied. "The Black Woods and range are really a small area of land,probably about fifty miles square, and all white men will do well tokeep out of it."
"It's a small space to avoid, considering the extent of the land whereone can travel with safety," said Seaman. "It happened to be on the edgeof my province and I'm willing to give it a wide berth, but it does seemas if there must be some way of cleaning it up."
"Better concentrate on cleaning up things nearer at hand," the doctoradvised, then he turned to the Buddies. "In spite of my son's story Ican see that your lids are heavy. You must not make your bodies pay toodearly because of your adventure. Get into a couple of bunks and forgetthe world for the next few hours."
"Reckon you are right," Jim replied, and he did have difficultysuppressing a yawn.
"We shall not need rocking," Bob added, then he held out his hand toDonald. "Thanks a lot for telling us what it was all about. We have tohang around here for a few days until our plane is in ship shape again.She bumped her nose on an iceberg, or something like that, and has tohave her fa
ce lifted. Hope we see you again before we leave."
"My hope is the same. Rest as my father advises and when you have wakedperhaps the Captain will send up an American flag to let us know thatall is well with you--"
"Nothing of the kind," the captain declared. "But I'll have the boys runour own flag up and down so you'll get the word quickly."