will was about to follow the stream, but henry called out to him, “don’t go there, will, for the ground is too soft after the rain. besides, we must be careful; the demon may be prowling around; and he might see us. let us follow this steep bank for a little way, and then we shall find a path leading right up to the top of it.”
it was a desert place, far from any habitation—a wilderness within sight of a town. high above them rose an almost perpendicular bank, of earth, not rock; while directly opposite rose a similar bank, nearly as high. between these lay the pasture-land. will and henry were sensible of the desolation of the place; it fired their enthusiasm, and warmed their blood; and they peered into the shadows as though they imagined a whole band of demons lurked near, ready to spring upon them.
if they should be attacked, as henry seemed to fear, so far from help, his pistols and pocket-knives would be frail weapons of defence.
they soon reached the path leading upwards, and began to ascend.
[170]
“henry, wouldn’t it be better to go boldly up to the door of the cave, and knock?” will asked. “surely, the demon would let us in, and show us around; and if he should, of course, he would let us out again.”
“no, will; that wouldn’t do at all. the demon never lets any one into his cave; and as i told you, the story runs that whoever he takes in never gets out again. if we should knock at his door he would be on his guard, and i doubt whether we should be able to get in at all. besides, it wouldn’t be poetical to get in that way. no; we must entice him out, and then rush in like a whirlwind.”
“but how are we to get out again?”
“now, will, i don’t mean you when i say it; but that is a coward’s thought. i never troubled myself about that—in fact, i never let such an idea come into my head. if we had wanted to get in that way, we should have stayed down in the valley. by going around on the top of the hill, as we are, we can lay a trap that the demon will certainly fall into. you see, will, if we want to get fun out of this expedition, we must have a plot. i don’t blame you for being nervous, will; those trick-playing boys at your place have unsettled your nerves, and unstrung your faculties; but if you stay with me long enough, i’ll string them up till you are ready for anything.”
will heaved a sigh, blinked painfully, and said, “thank you!”
henry resumed: “yes, will, i think we can safely leave that question till we get ready to go out. some way will be found then, never fear. the main point is to get in; it will be easy enough to get out.”
“let us stop a minute, and look around,” will said, as they strode warily along on the brow of the hill.
“by all means, will. here,” stretching out his arms, and speaking with theatrical vehemence, “here is scenery! this is where the travelling photographers come to astonish themselves!”
a splendid view was obtained from this elevation; the country could be seen for a long distance, and glimpses were caught of three or four towns besides henry’s.
but the writer seems to forget that he is not a school-girl[171] writing a prize composition in description of some far distant and romantic land of which she, in her younger days, had learned a piece of poetry, difficult and tiresome, but studded with beautiful metaphors that fired her budding genius.
a great many dumb beasts, but no human beings, were in sight.
henry soon broke the silence by saying, “come, will, we must go on.”
they hurried along on the brow of the long hill, conversing in low tones. still no appearance of the demon. there was a well-beaten path, evidently worn by the demon himself, which they followed. after following this path for a few minutes, henry suddenly stopped, and said in a hoarse whisper:
“will, i think we are directly over the cave. hush! keep very still, and look out for danger; but be as collected as a desperado. we are two to one; so there is nothing to be afraid of. now, will, crouch down, and we’ll lay our plans right over the demon’s head. he can’t hear us, and i want to make everything clear to you. don’t you see, will, its a striking idea to plot and scheme over the very cave itself?”
“yes, it’s just like outlaws,” said will.
“well, by going on a little farther, we shall find another path leading down this hill into the valley. we must take that path, so that we can come up to the cave from behind. the demon will never suspect any one of coming from that direction, and he will be trapped nicely. we can get behind the big old tree you see down there, and then fire! you see, will, we had to come this roundabout way over his cave; it would never do to pass in front of it, and run the risk of being seen.”
will saw, and admired henry’s stratagem.
“it makes me think of robinson crusoe and his cave,” he whispered, as they rose and went on.
soon they reached the path leading downwards, which they descended warily, and then found themselves once more in the valley. a few steps ahead was a monstrous old tree, lying flat on the ground, and jutting out towards[172] the opposite bank; while farther along, round an angle, was the entrance into the cave. any person behind that tree would be effectually hidden from that entrance; and, of course, that entrance would be hidden from him.
henry’s plan was to fire, and then keep a sharp look-out over the tree till the demon should come out and place some distance between himself and his cave, looking for the cause of the loud noise. he imagined that what with the angle, the surrounding cliffs, and the echoes that would follow, it would be impossible for a person in the cave to tell the exact place from which the report came. when the demon should be at a safe distance from his cave, henry and will would dash into it.
henry thought they would be perfectly safe; for would they not be protected on every side, except from the rear?
from the rear!
when they reached the foot of the hill, they paused and looked warily, even fearfully, up the valley. but it was fast getting dark, and they did not see a man who crouched against the cliff in time to escape observation.
he was the man commonly called the demon.
the cousins turned and proceeded slowly and circumspectly toward their ambush, fearing every minute that the demon might appear in front of them. as they went they conversed in whispers. the man, or demon, followed so closely behind them that he heard every word; and yet so carefully did he tread that they were not aware of his presence. as will be seen, he gathered the whole plan of attack from their whispered conversation, and took his measures accordingly.
“now, will, we must settle the last details of our plot,” henry said. “you may fire your pistol, will, but i’ll keep my fire till i see whether we need it or not. i’ll climb the trunk of the tree, when we think it is safe, from your shoulder, and then pull you up. of course we can jump from the tree to the ground, and then, to run for the cave!”
“but suppose the demon isn’t in his cave?”
“that’s just what we’re afraid of, will, and we are only[173] taking our chances. he ought to be in at this time of night, eating his supper and tormenting his captives—if he has any. he must be in! i feel that we haven’t come all the way here for nothing; i feel that we are in for a grand adventure! and what will the demon say when he finds two armed boys in his den!”
“suppose he won’t come out when i fire? he may be too cute to rush out, and leave the door open, and straggle off.”
“oh, do quit supposing! if he won’t come out, we will shove our way in. if he is a good old man, we must cheer him up, and help him; but if he is a wicked old knave, with captives and treasures, we must set them free, and plunder him for the national treasury. here we are at the tree, will; get out your pistol ready to fire. no, wait! let me take a look over the log, to see that he isn’t prowling around there.”
after much scrambling, henry succeeded in climbing upon the tree. will stood by, fumbling idly with the pistol. the demon, a few steps behind, pressed close against the cliff, and remained unseen.
“i don’t see anything of the demon,” henry whispered, from the trunk of the tree. “don’t fire till i slip down, because he might pop out quick, and see me. in a minute or two, i’ll venture up again.”
before he had finished speaking he was on the ground; and, as bravely as a war-worn general, he said, in a higher key than will’s proximity made necessary: “fire!”
of course every accomplished story-teller, when he “gets into the thick of it,” must pause deliberately, and give prolix descriptions of people or places about whom or which the general reader cares next to nothing. it is unjust to the impatient, but powerless, reader; but it is the custom. we must plead guilty of this time-honored meanness, and seize the present opportune moment to introduce the demon as he appeared at that time.
he was a tall, powerful man, with light, active movements, worthy of a soldier. his features were regularly formed, and apparently he had once been a fine-looking man. now, however, he was haggard and stooped from[174] long-continued privations. his eyes had a ferocious glare,—not pleasant to beholders, but supposed to be an attribute of maniacs,—a suspicious look, as though he dreaded some enemy were lurking near, ready to spring upon him. in fact, his entire appearance showed that he was always on his guard. his long and intensely black hair waved about his shoulders in wild profusion; whilst his beard, likewise black, reached far down his breast. his clothing, old and tattered, was in keeping with his general appearance.
all taken together, he looked like a madman; and if marmaduke could have seen him, he would have been in ecstacy, thinking that at last he had found one of dickens’ monstrosities.
the “gentle reader” has not been kept in suspense very long, but the narrative may now resume its course.
the demon crept stealthily out of the shadow, and, unperceived by the boys, stole swiftly, but noiselessly, upon them. when henry said “fire!” will raised his pistol with a trembling hand, and cocked it, preparatory to firing into the air. but before he could do so, the demon sprang upon him, and the luckless boy found himself encircled by two long and powerful arms—an embrace anything but loving.
with a gasp of intense terror, he turned and saw by whom he was held. to his heated imagination, the demon appeared a monster.
henry, also, turned around and saw him. with a cry of dismay, he threw up his arms, and struck the pistol, which still dangled in will’s nerveless hand.
how it happened—whether will unconsciously pulled the trigger, or whether the blow did it—can never be known; but with a stunning noise the pistol discharged its contents, and then fell to the ground.
to will’s consternation, henry staggered; flung his arms out wildly for support; gave a moan of pain or terror; and also fell, heavily. the charge had struck him somewhere—but where?
at this catastrophe, will forgot that the demon’s arms encircled him, forgot everything but that he had shot his[175] cousin henry. a boy does not swoon away, or else he would have done so; but he was horror-stricken: the terrible word murder seemed to be hissed into his ears by unseen spirits, and he was unable to move or speak.
the demon, heaving a sigh, lifted him easily off his feet, and bore him away. will made no resistance, for his brain was in too confused a state to perceive what was going on. his eyes were fixed on the prostrate form of henry, and the demon strode on with him, following the length of the tree. soon the end of the fallen tree was reached; and as the demon turned and walked towards his cave, will caught a last look of henry, who was still lying flat on the ground.
all this happened in a very short time, of course; for the demon paid no attention to the report of the pistol, but immediately marched off with our doughty hero.
the reader, unlike him, is aware that the pistol, though heavily loaded with powder, instead of a leaden bullet held a ball made of tow.
will grew calmer, but offered no resistance to his captor.
the entrance of the cave was now disclosed. before them an almost perpendicular cliff rose several feet towards the sky, twisting into strange shapes to the south, and on the north jutting out irregularly some distance westward, thus forming the angle spoken of before. exactly in the centre there was an opening in which a strong and heavy door was hung. two or three grated openings, which served for windows, were to be seen high above the door, and several feet apart.
the outside of the cave was somewhat formidable, as no doubt the demon wished it to be. what was the inside like?
will did not care to know. suddenly he put forth all his strength, and struggled manfully and furiously to break away from the demon. but the latter, without a word, folded his arms more tightly round him, and held him fast in a grip that put an end to all the poor boy’s hopes of escape.
advancing with the would-be knight-errant, the[176] demon arrived at the door of his cave; and manipulating some complicated contrivance which took the place of a lock, the secret of which was known only to himself, the door opened and captor and captive passed in.
so, this was the way in which will was to gain admittance into the stronghold! a great improvement on henry’s little plan!
a spacious apartment was disclosed, the floor bare, but the roof and sides covered with planks, to prevent the earth from crumbling in. it was very dark inside, as during the day but little light came in through the openings mentioned, during the night, none. a fire was struggling to burn in the middle of this dismal hole, but its feeble light only added to the gloom. round the walls on benches and rude tables all sorts of things were lying; blankets, old clothes (our “recluse” had more than one suit), trays, bowls, some other kitchen utensils, even eatables, being grouped together in confusion, with a view to convenience rather than neatness. in fact, the demon seemed to take no pride, no interest, in the affairs of the household. in one corner a big pile of firewood proved that the occupant could make himself quite comfortable. in spite of all his misery, will distinctly heard the cackling of hens and chickens, evidently the brood of which henry had spoken, in another apartment.
the cave was now stifling from a horrible smoke arising from the smouldering fire. when the demon was present he blew away the smoke by means of a huge fan suspended from the ceiling; but it accumulated in his absence.
although there were several bye-rooms, each one of which served its own purpose, this was the principal one—the one in which the demon lived.
of course will had no time to see what we have dimly outlined, for the demon hurriedly crossed this room and opened a door leading into another, much like it, excepting in its furniture. here there were no rude benches or tables. a comfortable and even handsome bedstead stood against the wall, with a few sheets and quilts, and one old buffalo-robe, upon it. there was an attempt made at[177] covering, or carpeting, the floor; and in one corner there was a crazy stove, or oven, clumsily built of refuse bricks. above this stove there was a chimney, which managed to dispose of most of the smoke when a fire was lighted—that is, it took it into another and larger room.
this was the bedroom, in which the demon slept as peacefully as a knight in his moated castle.
having thus, “by slow degrees, by fits and starts,” cooped will up in the demon’s cave, description may rest awhile and the narrative may be resumed.
the demon laid our hero gently on the bed, and then, for the first time, he spoke to him. “poor boy!” he said, in a not unpleasant tone. “perhaps you did not wish to do me any harm, but i shall keep you here till—”
he stopped abruptly.
there was nothing threatening in this, yet will trembled. his thoughts were doubtless of henry.
the demon turned and left the room, fastening the door behind him. then he left the cave, taking the precaution of fastening the outside door, also.
“there was another one,” he murmured; “i must see to him.”
swiftly he retraced his steps round the tree, and arrived at the scene of conflict not more than five minutes after he had borne will away. but henry was nowhere to be found! he had vanished, leaving nothing, not even a drop of blood, behind him!
“was there another?” the demon asked himself, dubiously. “what is it? have i dreamed, or is this some new device of the enemy?”
seeing the pistol which will had discharged, he picked it up and returned to the cave, not making the slightest effort to look for the missing knight-errant.
will remained inactive as long as the demon was near, but as soon as he heard him go out, he leaped off the bed and made a desperate attempt to open the door. he put forth all his strength—but in vain: the door was rock.
then he groped about the room, to see if he could find some other means of escape. again in vain—no outlet presented itself.
[178]
“i am a prisoner!” he groaned. “and what a terrible prison! but, oh! poor henry! was he dead? have i killed him? oh, this is too much!”
then he recollected that his cousin had insisted that there were captives hidden away in the cave, and in a voice that—we grieve to say it, but truth is inexorable—quavered with fear, he shouted: “is anyone hidden here?—speak! any captives here?”
his own voice mocked him, and he started back in terror.
evidently, no captives there.
but will was not comforted. hobgoblins crawled over the floor, and ground their teeth under the bed—demons crowded round him and jabbered ominously—human skeletons rattled their dry bones horribly, and pointed their fingers jeeringly at him—his murdered cousin came to him, and looked him full in the face with a sad, reproachful smile.
will could endure it no longer. with a cry of horror and agony he flung himself on the bed, and buried his face in the old buffalo-robe.
at that moment the demon of the cave returned and entered his dwelling.
this is a convenient, suitable, and orthodox place for the chapter to close; so let it close.
