CHAPTER XIX
At 8 dial that bright day of January 5, 2001, an expectant andanxious party left the deck of the San Francisco, and landed at themole of Noniva. The Doctor had two men from the ship to carry thestretcher--he was a thoughtful man, and always had a stretcher alongfor emergencies--and the tools and such things as he believed might beneeded. In the town, saddle mules were obtained, and the party of fivequietly left the vicinity, as if for a day's camping in the hills.
The journey was through a broken and thickly-wooded country, andthe traveling slow and tedious. It was long past the meridian whenthe party reached and passed up the dry bed of the Ninta River, andnearly 15 dial when "The Finger of God," which all recognized from thedescription furnished by the natives of Noniva, was reached.
The gray cliffs on either bank of the river were steep and rugged.Huge festoons of tropical growth covered them from top to bottom,and stunted pines stood nodding their crested heads among the rockycrevices. Already the shadow of the rock was creeping up the easternbank, and by its position the pathway ledge was easily found.
Leaving the two seamen at the base of the rock, Dr. Town, with thetools which he had brought, and followed by the two girls, carefullymade his way up the narrow, overhanging ledge, and stood near thepoint of the dark shadow on the face of the rock. With watch in hand,which he had set to the meridian of Guadalupe, he awaited the timeof 16 dial, or 4 P. M., as recorded by the author of the letter ofinstructions.
The minutes passed slowly--too slowly for the two girls, who stoodby his side. Their feelings were wrought to a fever heat; theirhearts beat a tattoo within their bosoms, and a fear of some dreadfulrevelation possessed their souls.
The shadow crept on; the sun was going down to its bed in the ocean,which spread out in every direction. On moved the shadow; it hadreached a dense cluster of mountain-ivy, which completely hid the rockfrom view: the hour was 15:55 dial.
Seizing a large knife from his bundle of tools, the doctor sprangquickly to the spot, and with dispatch, cleared away the evergreen,exposing the solid rock of the cliffs. With his eyes upon his watch, henoted the passing moments.
"Sixteen dial!" he cried, and placed the point of his knife at the endof the shadow of the "Finger of God."
Carefully marking the spot, he diligently searched for the lettersmentioned in the communication. Not a trace of a letter was visible;the virgin rock lay bare, and undefiled by human hands. Above, below,and on either side, his search was equally unsuccessful, and ashe communicated the result of his examination to Mollie and Marie,consternation seized upon them. Could it be that they had beendeceived, and that the contents of the letter were false, and made forsome purpose of alluring Junius Cobb to this spot? They looked at eachother in bewilderment.
Suddenly the doctor exclaimed:
"Ah! It may be that!"
"What, doctor?" they both cried, excitedly.
But the doctor made no reply; he was climbing up the cliff, straight upfrom the knife-mark in the rock. With the celerity of a man intenselyexcited, he cut and slashed away the ivy, and threw it into the ravine;then, looking at his watch, he noted that twenty-five minutes hadpassed since the shadow of the rock had reached the point which he hadmarked. Noting the variation of the shadow from the vertical for thesetwenty-five minutes, he drew his knife slowly and carefully up the faceof the cliff, from the mark which he had made to where the shadow ofthe "Finger of God" then rested, the knife describing the path of theshadow.
Turning to Mollie, who had been watching his movements in wonder, hesaid:
"If the instructions are correct, then will the characters 'J. C.' befound near the line which my knife has described; for the letter, iftrue, as I have remarked, was written a long time ago, and the 'Fingerof God' was taller then than it is to-day, as the elements must haveworn many inches from its top in the course of a great number of years;its shadow was higher up the cliff, at any particular hour of the day,at a remote period, than it is to-day. Now come and examine closelyalong the line I have described."
With diligence and care, all three scanned the face of the rock,scraped away the mold, and sought to find the key to the mysteriouscavern.
Suddenly Mollie gave a scream--an exultant scream--and cried:
"Here it is! Here it is! I have found them!"
Crowding about her, the other two saw before them the letters in therock. Small, discolored, and covered with a green moss, it was a wonderthey had been discovered at all. Yes, there they were, "J. C." Leaningover, Dr. Town took his penknife and carefully dug the moss away fromthe point of the J, and exposed the hole mentioned in the letter.
There was no farce, no falsehood in the communication, after all; atleast, not as regards the letters "J. C." and the hole in the J. Thedecisive moment had arrived.
Putting the point of the steel rod, which he had brought along for thepurpose, into the hole, the doctor drove it in to its full length. Acreaking, cracking sound followed, and the rock in front of them sankinto the side of the cliff, leaving exposed a doorway about six feethigh by three in width. Involuntarily all started back as the yawning,dark passage was exposed, and a cry of alarm escaped the lips of Marie.
The opening had been made, but the interior was dark and unknown.
"I will go in," said the doctor, "and explore the place; I will return,and inform you if it is safe."
"Oh, I am not afraid," returned Mollie; "certainly there can be nothingthere to harm us."
"Oh, but there may be!" broke in Marie.
"Go in, doctor; we will follow you," not heeding Marie's alarm.
Dr. Town lighted a lantern, and, followed by the girls, passed inthrough the opening. A passage of some fifteen feet in length hewedinto the solid rock, led them into a large chamber with a high andarched roof. As the light of the lantern threw its rays about the room,its contents were plainly discernible by all.
The walls were draped with beautiful silks and plushes; chandelierswere suspended from the arched roof; costly chairs with embroideredcushions were upon every side; books and works of art lay upon themassive center-table and about the room. A thousand objects of beautyand richness adorned the large chamber.
As they walked across the room, a light cloud of dust rose at theirfeet as the carpet gave way in its rottenness. Reaching out her hand,Mollie took a book from the table, and was about to open it, whenit fell to the floor in a mass of rotten fibre. A beautiful picturehanging on the wall, its oil coloring still fresh and its gilded frameyet bright and handsome, was accidentally struck by the doctor, andcame tumbling to the ground, in a heap of decayed wood and canvas. Thetable, with all its beautiful ornaments, was but a phantom; for, asthey endeavored to move it to one side, it fell to the floor in ruins.Time and nature had caused such decay that it seemed to need but thetouch of man to change the vision of enchantment into a scene of ruinand chaos.
There was no moisture, no mold; but apparently a dry-rotting processhad been at work for years, and the destructible articles of thechamber were ready to fall in pieces at the least shock.
From the first chamber opened a second, to the left, and here wasfound what appeared to have been a kitchen. Utensils of all kinds werescattered about as if left where they had been last used; dishes offinest china lay broken on the floor, where also lay the once beautifulsideboard, now fallen by its weight and rottenness; decay worse thanwas found in the first chamber pervaded the place. A large oil-stove inone corner, and glass bottles with seals upon them, gave evidence ofthe methods which had been pursued in this the culinary department ofthe establishment.
From this room a long passage opened to the right, and led deep intothe cliff. With feelings of awe, not unmixed with terror on the partof Marie, the three moved forward. The light flashed upon the dark,rocky walls, and was absorbed in their dingy gray.
Moving cautiously forward, a dozen steps brought them to a thirdchamber, small and low. Mollie, who was close in rear of the doctor,glanced in as the light penetrated the darkness of the r
oom. With ascream, she drew back, shuddering with fear, and clasped Marie in herarms:
"A skeleton!" she cried. "A coffin!"
The fear was contagious; Marie sank to the ground, trembling likea leaf, and, in her fall, dragged Mollie with her. There they lay,frightened, and with chattering teeth.
"Come, young ladies," brusquely said the doctor, "there is nothing tobe afraid of. Scared at a skeleton, eh? I thought you had more nerve,"to Mollie.
"But it was so sudden," she gasped; "and it seems so terrible."
"Well, there is nothing to fear," as he assisted them to their feet.
"O Mollie! Let us go!" cried Marie.
"Stuff and nonsense!" broke in the doctor. "Let us fathom this mystery.We will go in."
In the center of the chamber and on a high bier, covered with blackvelvet, which fell in great folds to the floor, lay a golden casket.It bore no ornamentation, save the beading of silver about its edges.Its top was of glass, and a wreath of the most exquisite flowers laynear the head. On the four corners of the great black pall were sprigsof immortelles, and at the head of the casket, a wreath of orangeblossoms. The floor of the chamber was of slabs of white marble,skillfully laid and joined together.
At the side of the room, upon a low couch, lay the skeleton of a humanbeing; the grinning skull was turned upon one side, with its yawning,eyeless sockets turned toward the casket in the center of the chamber.
The garments which had been worn in life, still clung about the form,and showed it to have been a man. Upon a small table, at the head ofthe couch, stood a bronze lamp, from which the oil had long sincepassed into vapor; a paper lay by its side, and at the foot of thecouch stood an iron box.
Reverently they moved toward the casket, and, with feelings wrought upto the highest pitch, looked through the glass top. Again did the girlscry out in their wonder and awe; and the doctor, accustomed though hewas to sights of death, pressed his hand to his head, and stared witheyes almost starting from their sockets.
Within the casket, upon the whitest silk, lay the form of a woman ofwondrous beauty--a form of the most exquisite shape, a face of therarest mold; hair of the fairest golden blonde, and hands and feet asdelicate and small as a girl's. Naked from her feet to her loins, andexposing a bust of wondrous form, she lay among the folds of the whitesilk lining. A swathing of bandages covered the abdomen, and the mouthwas wrapped in cloth. By her side lay a golden saucer, and another,filled with a black substance, lay at her head.
Silently they stood and gazed upon the motionless form. Within hercasket she lay in death before them, but such a death as none had everseen before. The eyelids closed, the face as white as the driven snow,the hands folded upon her bosom, it seemed to all that sacrilege hadbeen committed by intruding within the sacred precincts of her tomb.
The awe-inspiring silence was at last broken by the voice of thedoctor, who had recovered himself, and whose thoughts had come backagain to the duty of the present.
"This is a most remarkable discovery, ladies," he slowly said; "but weshould look for a further solution of the mystery. We can do nothing bystanding here and gazing at this wondrous vision."
Laying his hand on the pall near the head of the casket, the velvetfell in dust and rags to the floor, and the sprig of immortelles,striking the marble slab, became mashed and battered. Picking up theflowers, he examined them carefully.
"Why, they are made of gold and silver and precious stones," heexclaimed, in astonishment.
Then they examined the three remaining sprigs, and the wreath of orangeblossoms at the head of the casket; all were of the finest gold andsilver, and diamonds were the petal-points of the flowers. Wonderingmuch, the doctor then took those from the top of the casket, and foundthem, likewise, of the same precious materials. But in removing thelast bunch of flowers, a discovery had been made. Where the wreath ofgolden flowers had lain, was now seen a silver plate, covered withengraved letters.
"Perhaps we have a clue to the identity of the beautiful woman who liesin this casket," exclaimed the doctor, as he threw the rays of thelight upon the plate on the top of the casket.
Crowding close to him, all three read the words cut in the silver plate:
"MY DAUGHTER: To God I trust thee; into His keeping I give thee. O Junius! If thou hast, in years past and numbered in the great cycle of time, loved, and loved with steadfast heart, then arise and rescue that love from oblivion; but--and search thy heart to its utmost depths--if such love has never been, or is past and gone, turn back again, and leave to eternal rest the being who lies entombed before you--my daughter, Marie Colchis.
"Within the second chamber are batteries and means of obtaining heat, and fluids of life-giving principles. Cause the chamber to be warmed, arrange the batteries for current, and prepare the nourishment which you will find in the glass jars. When all is ready, cover your nostrils well, break the top glass of the casket, quickly seize the form therein lying, and bear it to the second chamber.
"Once within the warmth of that room, tear off the bandages, and apply the poles of the battery to the heart, in front, and over the fifth rib, in the back. Let the current come with all its force. If it be God's will, the form will shake, will quiver, open its eyes, will breathe, and become a living woman once again. Nourishment and care are all that will be required to complete the resurrection. Within the folds of the bandages over the heart lies a golden case containing a letter which is to be read by my daughter alone. Give it to her when she is recovered, and may God be with you.
"JEAN COLCHIS."
"Ah!" sighed Mollie, with tears in her eyes; "I see it all--I know itall!" Then, with all semblance of fear vanished from her heart, shecried:
"To work, doctor! To work!"
Dr. Town was a man quick to grasp a situation. He did not stop towonder or ask questions. To be sure, he was very much surprised at whathe saw, and at Mollie's exclamation, but he was prepared to rescue awoman therein entombed--this from a knowledge of the contents of theletter found in the copper cylinder, and which Mollie had shown him.Wasting no time in speculation, the instructions engraved upon thetablet on the top of the casket were carefully followed out. Returningto the second chamber, they commenced their work. Oil was found inthe sealed bottles, and put into the stove, whose asbestos wick wouldstill perform its functions. The stove was soon aglow with a brightflame, and its warmth diffused about the chamber. The batteries wereready for adjustment, and only required the dropping of the carbonsinto the electropoion fluid. The bottles of beef extract and fluids ofnourishment were opened, and their contents prepared upon the stove.Clothing from their own persons was prepared by the two girls, as nonecould be found about the place.
When all was ready, the doctor prepared to break the glass top of thecasket.
"Remain here," he said to them, "and I will bring her to you;" then,modestly: "and you shall strip off the bandages and cover her form; butleave bare her bosom and back."
Having given his instructions, he proceeded to the chamber whereinMarie Colchis lay.
A moment of silence followed, then a crash was heard, and the doctorcame staggering into the room with the drooping, lifeless form of MarieColchis in his arms. Laying her upon a bed, which had been improvisedfrom their wraps, he cried, as he turned away:
"Quick! Strip off the bandages, and tell me when you are ready!"
A moment later, when the girls had performed their work and hadcalled upon him to come, he was by their side, and had adjusted thecopper plates; then, pushing down the carbons into the batteries, heseized her hand and placed his finger on her pulse. As the current ofelectricity passed through her heart, there was a spasmodic contractionof the muscles of the body, a quivering of the flesh, a gasp, and herlovely bosom rose and fell as the air was inhaled and expelled; thenthe lips parted, and a low, deep sigh escaped, her eyes opened, and shelived.
"What is it?" she asked, in a quiet, weak voice.
"Hush! You must not speak; you are ill," hast
ily said the doctor."Drink this, and you will feel better," and he put the cup of liquid toher lips.
Mechanically the girl obeyed the order, and drank the warm broth; then,closing her eyes, she became motionless, save a slight rising andfalling of the bosom in breathing. Gently throwing aside her clothing,the doctor commenced a brisk rubbing of the legs, arms, and body alongthe spine. The heat of the fire, together with the friction of therubbing, soon caused a free circulation of the blood, which had butbarely moved through her arteries and veins for years. The color cameslowly to her face, her breathing became stronger, she was receivingback the life which had been on the point of leaving her body. Oncemore the eyes opened, and she spoke, but in a stronger voice:
"Who are you? Where is my father?"
"Marie, dear girl," cried Mollie, bending over her, while tears of joyfell from her eyes, "we are your friends, your dearest friends. You areill now; do not speak or ask questions. All will be made known to yousoon."
Dressing her in warm clothing taken from their own bodies, they boreher to the litter which the doctor had ordered brought to the door ofthe cavern.
An hour later the whole party was en route to Noniva. The litter wasstrung between two mules, with a man on each side to steady it, whileMollie and Marie followed, mounted on their mules. The doctor led theway down the creek, across the country to the town. Mollie had thelittle gold case which had been found among the bandages, Marie thegolden flowers, and the doctor carried the iron box in front of him onthe saddle.
It was 2 dial the next day when the party reached Noniva, as they hadbeen compelled to travel very slowly. A fear that the lipthalener haddeparted caused Mollie much uneasiness, for they should have beenback at 20 dial. But, no; as they entered the town, they saw the SanFrancisco's lights streaming over the waters. Captain Gordon had notfound it in his heart to leave until the girls had joined the vessel.
Two days later, bidding a kind farewell to Captain Gordon and Dr. Town,the girls, with their charge, and the things brought from the cavern,left the deck of the cruiser in the Bay of San Francisco. Landing atMission street dock, a drag was taken, and the home of Mollie's auntLora soon reached.
The weeks followed, and by careful nursing from her two faithfulattendants, Marie Colchis regained her health, strength and beauty.
The letter in the golden case had been read by all the girls, and longand earnest were the conversations which had followed. Marie learnedof the resurrection of her lover, and of his entrance into the familyof the President; she became fully informed concerning the period oftime it was in the world's history, and all the details attending herown lifeless sleep and miraculous return to the world of the living.It seemed but a day since she was with her father in the cavern onGuadalupe Island; it was but a moment that her thoughts had been awayfrom her lover.
With all the fire and passion of her former life not decreased, butincreased, by long years of patient waiting, she longed for the timewhen she could meet him, could see him, and hear his loved voice. Shehad been told of his apparent lack of interest, his seemingly moodyways, and his careworn and sad expression of countenance. She felt thecause; she knew it: he still loved his little girl-wife of Duke's Lane.
And she? Ah, God! she worshiped him!