CHAPTER XXXI
NOW to return to Tom and Becky's share in the picnic. They tripped alongthe murky aisles with the rest of the company, visiting the familiarwonders of the cave--wonders dubbed with rather over-descriptive names,such as "The Drawing-Room," "The Cathedral," "Aladdin's Palace," andso on. Presently the hide-and-seek frolicking began, and Tom and Beckyengaged in it with zeal until the exertion began to grow a triflewearisome; then they wandered down a sinuous avenue holding theircandles aloft and reading the tangled webwork of names, dates,postoffice addresses, and mottoes with which the rocky walls had beenfrescoed (in candle-smoke). Still drifting along and talking, theyscarcely noticed that they were now in a part of the cave whose wallswere not frescoed. They smoked their own names under an overhangingshelf and moved on. Presently they came to a place where a little streamof water, trickling over a ledge and carrying a limestone sediment withit, had, in the slow-dragging ages, formed a laced and ruffled Niagarain gleaming and imperishable stone. Tom squeezed his small body behindit in order to illuminate it for Becky's gratification. He found thatit curtained a sort of steep natural stairway which was enclosed betweennarrow walls, and at once the ambition to be a discoverer seized him.
Becky responded to his call, and they made a smoke-mark for futureguidance, and started upon their quest. They wound this way and that,far down into the secret depths of the cave, made another mark, andbranched off in search of novelties to tell the upper world about. Inone place they found a spacious cavern, from whose ceiling depended amultitude of shining stalactites of the length and circumference ofa man's leg; they walked all about it, wondering and admiring, andpresently left it by one of the numerous passages that opened intoit. This shortly brought them to a bewitching spring, whose basin wasincrusted with a frostwork of glittering crystals; it was in the midstof a cavern whose walls were supported by many fantastic pillars whichhad been formed by the joining of great stalactites and stalagmitestogether, the result of the ceaseless water-drip of centuries. Under theroof vast knots of bats had packed themselves together, thousands in abunch; the lights disturbed the creatures and they came flocking down byhundreds, squeaking and darting furiously at the candles. Tom knew theirways and the danger of this sort of conduct. He seized Becky's hand andhurried her into the first corridor that offered; and none too soon, fora bat struck Becky's light out with its wing while she was passing outof the cavern. The bats chased the children a good distance; but thefugitives plunged into every new passage that offered, and at last gotrid of the perilous things. Tom found a subterranean lake, shortly,which stretched its dim length away until its shape was lost in theshadows. He wanted to explore its borders, but concluded that it wouldbe best to sit down and rest awhile, first. Now, for the first time, thedeep stillness of the place laid a clammy hand upon the spirits of thechildren. Becky said:
"Why, I didn't notice, but it seems ever so long since I heard any ofthe others."
"Come to think, Becky, we are away down below them--and I don't know howfar away north, or south, or east, or whichever it is. We couldn't hearthem here."
Becky grew apprehensive.
"I wonder how long we've been down here, Tom? We better start back."
"Yes, I reckon we better. P'raps we better."
"Can you find the way, Tom? It's all a mixed-up crookedness to me."
"I reckon I could find it--but then the bats. If they put our candlesout it will be an awful fix. Let's try some other way, so as not to gothrough there."
"Well. But I hope we won't get lost. It would be so awful!" and the girlshuddered at the thought of the dreadful possibilities.
They started through a corridor, and traversed it in silence a longway, glancing at each new opening, to see if there was anything familiarabout the look of it; but they were all strange. Every time Tom made anexamination, Becky would watch his face for an encouraging sign, and hewould say cheerily:
"Oh, it's all right. This ain't the one, but we'll come to it rightaway!"
But he felt less and less hopeful with each failure, and presently beganto turn off into diverging avenues at sheer random, in desperate hope offinding the one that was wanted. He still said it was "all right," butthere was such a leaden dread at his heart that the words had lost theirring and sounded just as if he had said, "All is lost!" Becky clung tohis side in an anguish of fear, and tried hard to keep back the tears,but they would come. At last she said:
"Oh, Tom, never mind the bats, let's go back that way! We seem to getworse and worse off all the time."
"Listen!" said he.
Profound silence; silence so deep that even their breathings wereconspicuous in the hush. Tom shouted. The call went echoing downthe empty aisles and died out in the distance in a faint sound thatresembled a ripple of mocking laughter.
"Oh, don't do it again, Tom, it is too horrid," said Becky.
"It is horrid, but I better, Becky; they might hear us, you know," andhe shouted again.
The "might" was even a chillier horror than the ghostly laughter, it soconfessed a perishing hope. The children stood still and listened; butthere was no result. Tom turned upon the back track at once, and hurriedhis steps. It was but a little while before a certain indecision in hismanner revealed another fearful fact to Becky--he could not find his wayback!
"Oh, Tom, you didn't make any marks!"
"Becky, I was such a fool! Such a fool! I never thought we might want tocome back! No--I can't find the way. It's all mixed up."
"Tom, Tom, we're lost! we're lost! We never can get out of this awfulplace! Oh, why _did_ we ever leave the others!"
She sank to the ground and burst into such a frenzy of crying that Tomwas appalled with the idea that she might die, or lose her reason. Hesat down by her and put his arms around her; she buried her face inhis bosom, she clung to him, she poured out her terrors, her unavailingregrets, and the far echoes turned them all to jeering laughter. Tombegged her to pluck up hope again, and she said she could not. He fellto blaming and abusing himself for getting her into this miserablesituation; this had a better effect. She said she would try to hopeagain, she would get up and follow wherever he might lead if only hewould not talk like that any more. For he was no more to blame than she,she said.
So they moved on again--aimlessly--simply at random--all they could dowas to move, keep moving. For a little while, hope made a show ofreviving--not with any reason to back it, but only because it is itsnature to revive when the spring has not been taken out of it by age andfamiliarity with failure.
By-and-by Tom took Becky's candle and blew it out. This economy meant somuch! Words were not needed. Becky understood, and her hope died again.She knew that Tom had a whole candle and three or four pieces in hispockets--yet he must economize.
By-and-by, fatigue began to assert its claims; the children tried to payattention, for it was dreadful to think of sitting down when time wasgrown to be so precious, moving, in some direction, in any direction,was at least progress and might bear fruit; but to sit down was toinvite death and shorten its pursuit.
At last Becky's frail limbs refused to carry her farther. She sat down.Tom rested with her, and they talked of home, and the friends there,and the comfortable beds and, above all, the light! Becky cried, and Tomtried to think of some way of comforting her, but all his encouragementswere grown thread-bare with use, and sounded like sarcasms. Fatigue boreso heavily upon Becky that she drowsed off to sleep. Tom was grateful.He sat looking into her drawn face and saw it grow smooth and naturalunder the influence of pleasant dreams; and by-and-by a smile dawned andrested there. The peaceful face reflected somewhat of peace and healinginto his own spirit, and his thoughts wandered away to bygone times anddreamy memories. While he was deep in his musings, Becky woke up with abreezy little laugh--but it was stricken dead upon her lips, and a groanfollowed it.
"Oh, how _could_ I sleep! I wish I never, never had waked! No! No, Idon't, Tom! Don't look so! I won't say it again."
"I'm glad you've slept, Becky; y
ou'll feel rested, now, and we'll findthe way out."
"We can try, Tom; but I've seen such a beautiful country in my dream. Ireckon we are going there."
"Maybe not, maybe not. Cheer up, Becky, and let's go on trying."
They rose up and wandered along, hand in hand and hopeless. They triedto estimate how long they had been in the cave, but all they knew wasthat it seemed days and weeks, and yet it was plain that this could notbe, for their candles were not gone yet. A long time after this--theycould not tell how long--Tom said they must go softly and listen fordripping water--they must find a spring. They found one presently, andTom said it was time to rest again. Both were cruelly tired, yet Beckysaid she thought she could go a little farther. She was surprised tohear Tom dissent. She could not understand it. They sat down, and Tomfastened his candle to the wall in front of them with some clay. Thoughtwas soon busy; nothing was said for some time. Then Becky broke thesilence:
"Tom, I am so hungry!"
Tom took something out of his pocket.
"Do you remember this?" said he.
Becky almost smiled.
"It's our wedding-cake, Tom."
"Yes--I wish it was as big as a barrel, for it's all we've got."
"I saved it from the picnic for us to dream on, Tom, the way grownuppeople do with wedding-cake--but it'll be our--"
She dropped the sentence where it was. Tom divided the cake and Beckyate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety. There wasabundance of cold water to finish the feast with. By-and-by Beckysuggested that they move on again. Tom was silent a moment. Then hesaid:
"Becky, can you bear it if I tell you something?"
Becky's face paled, but she thought she could.
"Well, then, Becky, we must stay here, where there's water to drink.That little piece is our last candle!"
Becky gave loose to tears and wailings. Tom did what he could to comforther, but with little effect. At length Becky said:
"Tom!"
"Well, Becky?"
"They'll miss us and hunt for us!"
"Yes, they will! Certainly they will!"
"Maybe they're hunting for us now, Tom."
"Why, I reckon maybe they are. I hope they are."
"When would they miss us, Tom?"
"When they get back to the boat, I reckon."
"Tom, it might be dark then--would they notice we hadn't come?"
"I don't know. But anyway, your mother would miss you as soon as theygot home."
A frightened look in Becky's face brought Tom to his senses and he sawthat he had made a blunder. Becky was not to have gone home that night!The children became silent and thoughtful. In a moment a new burst ofgrief from Becky showed Tom that the thing in his mind had struck hersalso--that the Sabbath morning might be half spent before Mrs. Thatcherdiscovered that Becky was not at Mrs. Harper's.
The children fastened their eyes upon their bit of candle and watched itmelt slowly and pitilessly away; saw the half inch of wick stand aloneat last; saw the feeble flame rise and fall, climb the thin column ofsmoke, linger at its top a moment, and then--the horror of utter darknessreigned!
How long afterward it was that Becky came to a slow consciousness thatshe was crying in Tom's arms, neither could tell. All that they knewwas, that after what seemed a mighty stretch of time, both awoke out ofa dead stupor of sleep and resumed their miseries once more. Tom saidit might be Sunday, now--maybe Monday. He tried to get Becky to talk, buther sorrows were too oppressive, all her hopes were gone. Tom said thatthey must have been missed long ago, and no doubt the search was goingon. He would shout and maybe some one would come. He tried it; but inthe darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it nomore.
The hours wasted away, and hunger came to torment the captives again. Aportion of Tom's half of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. Butthey seemed hungrier than before. The poor morsel of food only whetteddesire.
By-and-by Tom said:
"SH! Did you hear that?"
Both held their breath and listened. There was a sound like thefaintest, far-off shout. Instantly Tom answered it, and leading Becky bythe hand, started groping down the corridor in its direction. Presentlyhe listened again; again the sound was heard, and apparently a littlenearer.
"It's them!" said Tom; "they're coming! Come along, Becky--we're allright now!"
The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. Their speed was slow,however, because pitfalls were somewhat common, and had to be guardedagainst. They shortly came to one and had to stop. It might be threefeet deep, it might be a hundred--there was no passing it at any rate.Tom got down on his breast and reached as far down as he could. Nobottom. They must stay there and wait until the searchers came. Theylistened; evidently the distant shoutings were growing more distant!a moment or two more and they had gone altogether. The heart-sinkingmisery of it! Tom whooped until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. Hetalked hopefully to Becky; but an age of anxious waiting passed and nosounds came again.
The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time draggedon; they slept again, and awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believedit must be Tuesday by this time.
Now an idea struck him. There were some side passages near at hand. Itwould be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of theheavy time in idleness. He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it toa projection, and he and Becky started, Tom in the lead, unwinding theline as he groped along. At the end of twenty steps the corridor endedin a "jumping-off place." Tom got down on his knees and felt below,and then as far around the corner as he could reach with his handsconveniently; he made an effort to stretch yet a little farther to theright, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand, holdinga candle, appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a glorious shout,and instantly that hand was followed by the body it belonged to--InjunJoe's! Tom was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified thenext moment, to see the "Spaniard" take to his heels and get himself outof sight. Tom wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice and comeover and killed him for testifying in court. But the echoes must havedisguised the voice. Without doubt, that was it, he reasoned. Tom'sfright weakened every muscle in his body. He said to himself that if hehad strength enough to get back to the spring he would stay there, andnothing should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again. Hewas careful to keep from Becky what it was he had seen. He told her hehad only shouted "for luck."
But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run.Another tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep broughtchanges. The children awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom believedthat it must be Wednesday or Thursday or even Friday or Saturday, now,and that the search had been given over. He proposed to explore anotherpassage. He felt willing to risk Injun Joe and all other terrors. ButBecky was very weak. She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would not beroused. She said she would wait, now, where she was, and die--it wouldnot be long. She told Tom to go with the kite-line and explore if hechose; but she implored him to come back every little while and speakto her; and she made him promise that when the awful time came, he wouldstay by her and hold her hand until all was over.
Tom kissed her, with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a showof being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from the cave;then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of thepassages on his hands and knees, distressed with hunger and sick withbodings of coming doom.