The Land of Mystery

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  THE FLIGHT.

  Never had Ziffak shown such fearful excitement. He swung his arms, andin his wild agitation uttered some of his words in Murhapa, but hismeaning was caught by Ashman, who was infected by his overwhelmingemotion. He was distraught for the moment, and stood undecided what todo.

  It was the lovely Ariel who showed the most self-command.

  "Whither shall we go, Ziffak?" she asked in English.

  "To the enchanted lake; to the burning mountain! You know the way!Nothing else will save you, and you are lost if you wait anotherminute!"

  And laying hands on the young man, he whirled him about and gave him ashove which nearly threw him off his feet. Then he reached to catchher, but she eluded him and slipped like a bird to the side of herlover.

  "We will go!" said she; "leave us alone!"

  Ashman turned his head and seizing the hand of his companion, said,

  "You are my guide now! Lead on, and I will follow you to the death!"

  She made no answer, but moved rapidly through the wood until they cameto the open space along the river. Here, since there were noobstructions, they increased their pace almost to a run. He sought tomaintain his place beside her, but she moved so fast, with littleapparent effort that it was hard to do so.

  He had his Winchester and revolver, and he glanced behind to learnwhether they were followed. Ziffak had vanished, and no one was insight. It was well that such was the fact; for he would not havehesitated to shoot down any that might appear.

  The extraordinary flight continued for a furlong, and then Ariel pausedon the edge of the Xingu. Her lover saw the reason: a small canoe layagainst the shore.

  "Is this to be used?" he asked, glancing in her pale face.

  She nodded her head, and, lifting her skirts, stepped daintily within,and sat down near the stern. He shoved the boat clear, sprang in andsat down near the middle, as he seized the broad thin paddle.

  Although considerably above the rapids, which had been the cause of allhis difficulty, Ashman noticed that the current was not so swift asthat encountered at many places leagues below; and, since the width wasno greater, it followed that that portion of the Upper Xingu was ofunusual depth.

  In the strange excitement of the occasion, the lovers spoke few words.They had said much, and, when the opportunity should again come, theywould say a great deal more; but they were fleeing for their lives, andany distraction of their whole interest and effort was likely to befatal.

  Ariel realized this as fully as did Ashman. She continually glanced inevery direction, especially toward the village which was fast recedingbehind them. Fred swung the paddle powerfully, but with as littlenoise as possible.

  In such crises of a man's life he thinks rapidly. While the youngman's heart was aglow with the ecstacy of a promised fulfillment of hislove--a more glorious fulfillment than he had dared to dream of--he sawthat a desperate struggle was not only certain but close at hand.

  Very soon the flight of Ariel must be discovered, and her infuriatedfather would stop at nothing to punish the elopers. He could commandhundreds of the most valiant warriors of the Matto Grosso, and any one,except such a lover as Fred Ashman, would have shrunk from theprodigious task before him.

  When the flight of the canoe had continued for several minutes, and hecould breathe a little more freely, he asked of his companion, whethershe was familiar with the region they expected to visit.

  The reply was singular. King Haffgo was accustomed to make regularexcursions to the wonderful place, and he rarely did so without Arielas his companion. He had guards stationed night and day to watch forthe approach of strangers, for there was wealth enough to awaken theavarice even of the Emperor of Brazil himself.

  Leaving his warriors at the entrance to the lake, with instructions toprevent any one following him, Haffgo would paddle the frail craft outupon the lake, with his daughter as his only companion.

  They explored much of the strange locality, visiting places unknown, sofar as they were aware, to every one else.

  Ashman reflected that this was extremely fortunate so far as Ariel wasconcerned, for it gave her the very knowledge that was so necessary intheir flight; but, unfortunately, their bitterest and most unrelentingenemy possessed the same knowledge.

  Now the Xingu broadened, and the flow became still more moderate.Ashman held his paddle suspended and looked around.

  "Are we entering the lake?"

  "Not yet," she replied with a shake of her lovely head.

  The oar was dipped again, and the light boat shot forward like a waterfowl over the smooth surface.

  He had noticed that the boat was similar to that used by Ziffak, beingcomposed of a species of bark, the seams of which were skilfully joinedwith tendons, and the outside covered with a gum which rendered itclose enough to exclude even air itself.

  What seemed to be a creek a hundred feet wide, suddenly opened on theright, winding through an exuberant forest whose branches overhung thewater. She motioned with her hand for him to guide the boat into this,adding that it was the entrance to the enchanted lake of which he hadheard such glowing accounts, and whose existence, he remembered, hadbeen denied by Ziffak, though it had been admitted by him only a briefwhile before.

  The course of the canoe was changed, and Ashman involuntarily slackenedthe pace, while he gazed around with increasing wonder.

  The distance was not far, when a towering rock was observed jutting outfrom the bank. It was fully twenty feet high, rough, jagged andmassive and obtruded half-way across the stream.

  She whispered to him to proceed as cautiously as he could, for on therock was stationed one of the lookouts of King Haffgo, whose duty itwas to challenge every one on his way to the enchanted lake. Ashmanwas told to keep his lips mute, in case they were hailed, as they werelikely to be, and to leave to her any explanation it might be necessaryto make.

  In the bright moonlight, the sentinel was sure to notice the presenceof a white man in the boat, but would be likely to believe he waseither Waggaman or Burkhardt, while he would not dare to question thedaughter of the king, however much he might be astonished at herpresence at this time.

  Ashman saw the figure of a Murhapa, but instead of being erect, he wasseated on a ledge of the rock, his body half prone and in a motionlessposture. The paddle was dipped more softly than ever as the craft cameopposite him, but he did not speak, or stir.

  "He's asleep?" whispered Ashman, looking inquiringly at her.

  She nodded her head, and he did not require to be told of the greatgain that would be secured, if they could pass without awaking him.

  With that view, he used the utmost care, causing only the faintestripple, as he propelled the light craft over the mirror-like surface.

  In a few seconds, the massive rock was passed, and still the sentinelremained as motionless, as if he were a part of the solid stone, onwhich he was seated. He surely was a negligent servant to lose hisconsciousness thus early in the night.

  A few more strokes, and a turn in the creek left him out of sight._That_ danger was safely passed, and Fred Ashman drew a sigh of relief,accepting it as a good omen of their future.

  He now dipped the paddle deeper, and, within the following fiveminutes, the canoe and its occupants debouched upon the waters of thewonderful enchanted lake.