CHAPTER XX
A FAILURE IN CALCULATION
"What shall we do now?" asked Ruth finally, and in a whisper.
"Let's go down to that place where we saw the boat land the othermorning," returned her companion. "I'd like to look about there a bit."
"Do you think it is wise?"
"I don't know about the wisdom of it," chuckled Chessleigh. "But I doknow that I'm not at all satisfied. Some people are here on the island,and I'd like to know where they are."
"I am afraid we will get into trouble."
"If it is only that old man----"
"We don't know that it is. He must be talking to somebody--if that is hisvoice we hear."
"Maybe he is only talking to himself. I don't hear anybody else," repliedthe young fellow. "Come on. Let's see the thing through, now we havestarted."
Indeed Ruth wanted to see it through. She was quite as curious as hercompanion. So she made no further objection.
Pushing through the brush, they climbed carefully down the slope on theouter side of the island. The landing where they had fastened their ownboat was on the inner side of the island, while this side fronted thebroad expanse of the river.
They could see the hurrying current, glinted here and there by the softstarlight. Everything looked ghostly about them. The dim silvery lightmade it possible for them to pick their way without stumbling. They madelittle noise in reaching the shore.
There was a little indention here--a tiny cove. The shore was shelving,and of sand and gravel. Chess pointed silently to the unmistakable marksof a boat's bow in several places.
"That boat has been here more than once," he whispered.
Ruth breathed "Yes," but said no more.
Up-stream of the cove was a great mass of rock--not one rock, but severalhuddled together and the cracks between overgrown with brush and vines.Chess brought into use the electric torch again.
He shot the spotlight into the crannies. Was there a path there betweentwo of the big boulders? He drew Ruth's attention to it with a touch onher arm. She saw that some of the bushes were broken--the vines torn awayand dead.
"Somebody has been here," she murmured.
"Of course. That is what we came to find," said the young man. "We are onthe verge of a discovery, Ruth."
"I hope we are not on the verge of trouble," she returned, in the samelow tone.
"Don't have a bit of fear," he told her, in a louder voice.
He was about to mention the loaded pistol in his pocket; then thoughtbetter of it. But he went ahead, venturing into the narrow passagebetween the two boulders.
The ray of the torch showed the way. It played on the ground at theirfeet and upon the rocky sides of the passage. Was that an abrupt end tothe passage ahead of them, or a sharp turn in it? Chess pressed on, Ruthtrying to peer over his shoulder, although to do this she had to stand ontiptoe.
"By jove!" uttered the young man in surprise, "I believe it is a cavern.It's the entrance to a cave."
"Then those voices did come from a cavern. Be careful, Chess--do!"
He had reached the turn in the passage. A jutting shelf of rock roofedthem over. The young man shut off the lamp and they were in darkness. Hethrust forward his head to peer around the corner.
As he did so, without the least warning, something swished through theair and Ruth heard the sound of a dull blow. Chess pitched forward, witha groan of pain, falling to his knees.
Ruth uttered a scream. She did not try to retreat, but seized the youngman by the shoulders and dragged him back.
Her brave act saved the young fellow from receiving a second and heavierblow. A club was being wielded in the hands of a powerful man who had metthem in the passage!
Chess was speechless and apparently in a confused state of mind. Theelectric torch had fallen from his hand. He seemed struggling to getsomething out of his jacket pocket, but before he could accomplish this alight flashed up in the tunnel ahead.
The same sing-song, chattering voice they had heard so faintly on thesummit of the island broke out close at hand. In the red, flickeringlight of a burning pine torch the frightened girl saw a man in abroad-brimmed hat and loose, flapping upper garment bending over Chesswith a club again raised to strike.
"Don't hurt him! Don't hit him again!" she cried.
Other voices--all speaking in that strange, sing-song tongue--broke out,and Ruth suddenly realized that these enemies that confronted them wereChinese.
In the red light she saw clearly now, under the round, broad-brimmed hat,the yellow face and slanting eyes of the man. Ruth did not understandit--she could not imagine why these Orientals should be here on theisland. But she realized fully that the calculations of Copley andherself had gone astray. They were in peril--serious peril.
The leading Chinaman glared into Ruth's frightened face and his thin lipscurled back from his yellow teeth in a snarl like that of a rabid dog.His very look was enough to turn the girl cold. She trembled, stillstriving to drag the half-senseless Chessleigh back.
The Chinaman uttered a long, jabbering howl, turning his face over hisshoulder as though speaking to those who crowded behind him in thepassage. Ruth might still have escaped, but she would not desert herinjured companion.
Suddenly there was a stir in the passage and the big Chinaman was thrustaside. Another figure pushed forward--a ragged, bushy-haired figure. Itwas the King of the Pipes!
"Hush!" he commanded in his old way.
He waved the Chinaman back. He seemed to have some authority, for theburly Chinaman obeyed. The old man thrust his face forward and peeredwith his wild eyes into Ruth's countenance.
"Hush!" he whispered. "What did I tell you? I know you, of course. I toldyou that I could not divide my kingdom with any one. It was quite uselessfor you to come here again.
"And see what has come of it," he added. "The Pipes have seen you. Theyknow your intentions. They will never in this world stand for a dividedkingdom. I shall have to cut off your head. Too bad! Too bad!"
He seized Ruth's wrist. She tried to draw away from him, but he was muchmore powerful than she had supposed. One quick jerk and she was fairlydragged over the crouching figure of Copley and around the corner of thenarrow passage.
The head Chinaman darted forward and seized Chess. He likewise wasdragged into the place. Amid the chattering of several high, sing-songvoices, and only half seeing what was being done because of theflickering torchlight, Ruth knew that she was being hurried into a tunnelof some size that ran back into the island.
It was rocky all about her--on both sides as well as under foot andoverhead. It was a natural tunnel, not one made by man. The figuresflitting before her were gnomelike. She saw clearly only the old man wholed her, holding her tightly by the arm. She knew that the Chinaman wasdragging Chess behind them, as though that unfortunate young man was asack of potatoes.
This outcome of their innocent adventure was entirely different fromanything Ruth had dreamed of. If she did not exactly fear the queer oldman who called himself the King of the Pipes, she certainly did fear themen who were with him in this cavern.