The Cryptogram: A Story of Northwest Canada

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  THE SECRET OF THE FACTOR'S DESK.

  I shrank from the encounter. The sight of the fair girl whom I loved sopassionately made me a coward, and I felt that I could not speak thewords of her doom and mine. So I lurked to one side while Mrs. Menziesrushed up to her husband and clutched him hysterically.

  "The house is on fire!" she cried. "The smoke drove us downstairs,and--Oh, you are shot!"

  "A mere flesh wound," Menzies answered huskily. "Tie it up for me with astrip of your skirt."

  With trembling fingers she obeyed.

  "The worse, Andrew!" she pleaded--"tell me the worst! I am a bravewoman; I can bear it."

  I did not hear Menzies' reply, for he quickly led his wife into adarkened room adjoining; but I had a glimpse of his face, and it seemedto have aged years in the last minute.

  "Denzil!"

  I recognized Flora's voice, and turning, I found her at my elbow. Hercheeks were white, except for a burning red spot in the middle of each.Her lovely eyes gazed into mine with a look of deepest affection, ofheart-rending fear that she could not disguise.

  "Come!" I whispered hoarsely.

  I drew her past the little group of men to the far end of the hall,where the staircase screened us from the light of the candle. How tobegin, what to say, I did not know. With one arm about her slender form,I pressed kisses on her lips and forehead.

  "My darling!" I cried. "Oh, the pity of it--the pity of it!"

  "Then it is true, Denzil?" she asked in faltering tones. "Don't deceiveme at such a time. Is there really no hope?"

  It would have been worse than folly to speak false words of comfort now,and with an effort I answered:

  "No; all hope is gone. You must know the worst, my darling! We have buta little while to live. Heaven has deserted us. Oh, God, that it shouldbe my lot to tell you this!" She crept closer to me, hiding her face onmy breast. For nearly a minute she was still, while confusion andclamor, Indian yells, and musketry fire reigned round us. I could feelthe agitated heaving of her bosom, the throbbing of her heart. Then shelooked up at me bravely, with a sublime expression in her tear-dimmedeyes that brought to my mind the Christian martyrs of old.

  "God is love and mercy, dearest Denzil," she said. "If it is His willthat we die we must submit. We will find in heaven the happiness that isdenied us on earth."

  "It is a cruel, cruel fate!" I cried fiercely. "I would suffer tendeaths to save you--"

  "It is better thus," she interrupted. "We shall not be separated!Promise me, Denzil, that you will not let the Indians take me alive!"

  I tried to speak, but a sob choked my utterance. I nodded assent, andjust then my name was called from the other end of the hall. I kissedFlora and led her forward, putting her in the care of Mrs. Menzies. Themen were standing about in groups, some talking, some nervously loadingguns, and others staring vacantly at the floor.

  "We are considering what we had better do," said Captain Rudstone, "andwe want your opinion, Carew. If we stick to the house it means death forall of us by suffocation or by flames. If we sally out there is apossibility that one or more of us may break through and escape."

  "No chance of that," Carteret answered bluntly. "The devils will beready for us, and we shall be hemmed in and butchered to a man. I preferto die fighting myself; but think of the women! Suffocation will be theeasiest fate for them."

  I made no reply, for I did not know what to say--what alternative tochoose. It was a horrible prospect either way, and I contemplated itwith rage and despair, with such a whirl in my brain that I thought Ishould go mad. The musketry fire was dwindling a little, but thewhooping and yelling of the exultant savages suddenly rose to a higherpitch, making such a din that the voices of my companions were quitedrowned.

  There was still an interval of time left in which to reach adecision--perhaps half an hour. By then, at the most, the house would bea furnace in which nothing could live. As yet owing to the snow on theroof, the flames were confined to the south side. But there they hadeaten through the wall, and were roaring and crackling with fury as theydevoured the thick beams and timbers. They had seized both angles of thehouse, and were licking their way into the room. We could see the ruddyglare under the closed door, and could feel the scorching heat. Fromcracks and crevices puffs of yellow smoke darted into the hall; had awind been blowing in our direction we should have been suffocated longbefore.

  "Shall we stay here to perish like trapped beasts?" cried AndrewMenzies, his voice ringing above the infernal clamor of the savages."Let us unbar the door, rush out, and sell our lives dearly! Take yourmuskets, my brave fellows! We will fight to the death, and kill as manyof the devils as we can. And if no merciful bullets reach the women, wewill shoot--them--with our--own--"

  He could say no more. He stood with his hands clasped and his lipsmoving in prayer, while the men, almost unanimously shouted eagerapproval of his plan.

  "Make ready, all!" cried Captain Rudstone, "we must be quick about it,for at any moment the heat or a spark may touch off the powder in yonderback room."

  That the explosion might come that instant, and so insure us a speedyand merciful death, was my heartfelt wish as I leaned against the wall.I groaned aloud as I pictured Flora lying in the snow, her beautifulface and hair dabbled with blood. Just then a bullet, fired through aloophole at one side of the door, whistled within an inch of my ear. Itgave me such a start that I lost my balance and reeled against an olddesk of the factor's that stood under the shelf holding the candle. Ityielded, and we came to the floor together.

  I picked myself up and saw the desk broken open and a number of loosepapers scattered at my feet. A word on one of them arrested myattention. I reached for it--it was a yellow document, faded with age,once folded--and on the outside, scrawled in big letters with a quill, Iread the following:

  "PLAN OF A SECRET PASSAGE FROM FORT ROYAL, 1762."

  I fairly held my breath as I tore the paper open. Inside was a rudedrawing that I recognized at a glance, and more writing below it. Thelatter I studied for a moment, and then my head turned dizzy with joy.

  "Hurrah!--hurrah!" I cried, waving the precious paper in the air. "ThankGod for His wonderful mercy! If this proves true we are saved--saved!"

  My companions crowded round me excitedly, some thinking that I hadsuddenly taken leave of my senses.

  "What is it?" they demanded. "What do you mean, Carew?"

  "Look, look!" I shouted. "A secret passage from the fort--an undergroundexit built years ago--leading from the cellar to the very bank of theriver! It opens from the east wall; the stone is marked with a cross!"

  The paper was quickly passed from hand to hand, studied and read. Thescene that followed--the transition from blackest despair to radianthope--I am utterly unable to describe. Indeed, I saw but little of thebehavior of the men. I ran to Flora, clasping her in my arms, and wemingled our tears of happiness together.

  "Listen, men!" shouted Andrew Menzies. "I fully believe that thisdocument is to be relied upon--that the passage exists. There was arumor years ago that one of the forts was so provided when it was built,and that the tunnel was not repeated afterward on account of the vastlabor; but I did not suspect it to be Fort Royal. Griffith Hawks aloneknew the secret, and he died with it untold. We will proceed at once toverify this good news; there is not a moment to spare. Denzil, you andCaptain Rudstone will come with me."

  He turned to the others.

  "There is much to be done," he added, "and it must be done quickly. Loada sledge with provisions, and get others ready for the wounded who areunable to walk. Let each may take a supply of powder and ball, and puton snowshoes. Helen, do you and Miss Hatherton prepare for a long andtiresome march."

  There was, indeed, no time to be wasted. The entire side of the housewas a mass of flames, and the hall was so scorching hot, so filled withsmoke, as to be almost unendurable. The Indians were in a cordon aroundus, whooping at the top of thei
r voices, firing occasional shots, andevidently expecting that the flames would drive us to meet death in theopen.

  Leaving the rest to execute Menzie's orders--Carteret volunteered tofetch the women their outdoor wraps from upstairs--the three of usprocured a lantern and gained access to the cellar from the room at theend of the hall. Assisted by the plan, we quickly found on the eastwall, a big square slab of stone marked by a faint cross.

  "Here we are!" exclaimed Menzies. "Try to pry it out with axes."

  Two minutes of work sufficed. The stone fell inward, and we shouted withdelight when we saw a yawning black hole before us, large enough for twostooping men to walk abreast. Captain Rudstone hurried upstairs with theglad news, and meanwhile Menzies and I ventured some distance into thepassage, finding the air sweet and pure.

  When we returned to the mouth all of our little party were assembled inthe cellar, each man--and the women as well--carrying a pair ofsnowshoes. Flora and Mrs. Menzies were protected against the bitterweather by furred cloaks. Of the five wounded men one had died withinthe hour; the other four were able to hobble along temporarily with someassistance. For transporting these when we were safely away from thefort we had two sledges, not counting the one laden with food supplies.

  As yet the redskins did not suspect that they were in danger of beingcheated of their triumph; we could hear their frenzied cries faintly.Overhead the flames were roaring and hissing, and the cellar itself washazy with pungent smoke.