Chapter XVIII: Nature Relents and Quits the Field

Just what was said and thought, and just how the next few minutes passed, it would be impossible with any definiteness to say. At a time like this things big and little are generally recalled in a confused way, and like the broken and disjointed parts of an oppressive dream. The poor creatures lying in what seemed to be their tombs were in a way stupefied by what was happening; the most of them soon ceased to speak or move, and awaited death in the way stricken animals do.

Whatever the time may have been--and it is impossible that it could have been very long--a change, though at first a small one, began to be noticed. Sure-dart, who perhaps was less dazed and confused than the most of the others, was one of the first to notice it. He thought that he could breathe a bit more easily, and that the wall of darkness, with its twinkling of little fire-flashes, seemed less dense and compact.

He was, as has been seen, of a hopeful nature, and was tough, and full of barbarian vitality. He roused, and with a little thrill of hope turned more fully about and again looked.

Yes, he was almost at once certain that there was really a change. Some of the smothering, breath-sapping feeling had gone, and the dreadful pack of blackness around had certainly thinned and lightened.

He called to Hop-foot:

“It’s growing better. I am sure of it. Can’t you get an easier breath?”

“I don’t know,” answered Hop-foot, weakly. “I haven’t tried.”

“Try, then. Come, get yourself together. Don’t give up. We are not dead yet.”

This breaking out of the voices from what had come to be a stillness roused others, and in a moment Big-axe spoke.

“It is a little better,” he said. “Yes, and there comes a breeze. As soon as it drives more of this stuff away we will turn out. It’s safer here just now.”

He had put his own head out while he was speaking, and had felt the breeze on his face. But he was for keeping where they were for a few moments longer, as he had already noticed that when thus near the ground, and sheltered by the overhang of the rock, they breathed more easily, and escaped the smothering and sometimes burning feathery stuff, and the ashes.

There could be no mistake about it now; the dreadful cloud was fast thinning, and it was already light enough to see a little way around. Big-axe scrambled out, and, like cliff swallows popping out of their nests, the others followed. Nobody remembered any danger from a human source.

The blessed breeze came with a bit of real strength now, and what was left of the vapors and powdery stuff sluggishly drifted off before it. The moon, though still red and dim, cut out its shape vaguely, and the whole east, though now catching the driven murkiness and blended vapors, was distinctly lighter.

There was a glad mumbling, and some broke out in laughter, and a few of the older or more excitable ones whimpered. Big-axe and the most of his fighting men said nothing, but even the dim moon-rays brought out the new light on their faces. All drew in long breaths of the changed air, and some walked up and down, threshing their arms about, and trying to throw off what was left of the torpor and heaviness.

But before this several of them, coming to their full senses, had found that not all their friends and companions were with them. Then there was a quick rush back, and a looking into the spaces. The truth was instantly clear; several of the old people, three children, and one wounded warrior were dead. Besides these, two or three others, also old and feeble persons, were in a collapsed state. As quickly as possible all but the dead were taken out, and placed where the air would come to them, and a little of the precious water was sprinkled in their faces. Barbarians though the Rock-people were, and not up to our pitch of thought and feeling, they were by no means wholly brutal or without kindness of heart; in fact, they compared favorably with many uncivilized peoples of our day.

While this was still going on, the chief and a few others were trying to find out what the enemy were doing, and how the terrible bombardment had left them. Out in the open, as they were, they must have received a sharp peppering from the fire particles, and though the party on the hill would early catch the relieving breeze, those below, being behind the hill, must have got the benefit considerably later. In fact, the open below was still foul and murky with the dreadful cloud. On going to the barricade, little could be made out, though here and there a dim shape seemed to be moving about; but there was a blending of grunts and groans, and snarls of savage impatience. Above there was hardly a sound, and though the space about the verge of the rock was much lighter than any part of the ground below, no shape of a human being could be seen.

On the whole, this was rather encouraging, and they could afford to wait patiently till more could be learned. It was reasonable to suppose that this very disturbing experience, even if it had not brought serious results, had severely tried the besiegers’ nerves, and had tended to reduce what was left of their stubbornness and resolution.

At this point there was a further change in the conditions, for the breeze stiffened and became a moderate but steady wind, and as it further drove off the murkiness and vapors, it carried with it the heat. In another half-hour it was almost cool.

And now Nature seemed like herself again. The hot blasts, the odors, the dun clouds, and the gigantic, fiery moon had given place to pure, cool air, harmless white clouds in the far-off sky, and a natural-sized, golden-bright globe that was like the old-time moon. The dusk of the woods and the outlines of the hills were once more distinct, and last, but to the watchers by no means least, every winged torment had been gathered into the net of the breeze and whirled away.

Yet this, in a measure, seemed to bring back some of the other original conditions. The human wolves outside must be refreshed and encouraged too, and who could say that they would not now be heartened for new efforts. So that, after all, the position of things had not so materially changed.

To find out all that could be learned with regard to this, Big-axe and the others took advantage of the growing light, and again went to the barricade. From there they scrutinized everything that was in sight below, and tried to find out what was going on above.

They soon made one discovery. Either from sheer fright, or because the pelting of the fire-flakes was there peculiarly tormenting, the Islanders had left the top of the rock, and were camped close by their allies on the open below. Beyond this all that the anxious chief and the others could make out was that the entire gang below seemed listless and sullenly sluggish. Few were stirring about, and none appeared to pay any attention to what was going on above. Whatever else might be true, they had tamed down wonderfully from their first restless eagerness.

It was not so very long from this to morning; and as soon as it was fairly light the anxious spying from above was again taken up.

There was now more stir below, but still without any particular appearance of zest, or energy, though it was true that this time a little attention was paid to the fort. Some of the fellows looked up at it, and for a time watched those on the barricade, but even then it was with an air more of curiosity than of apparent rage and hostility. It seemed as if they were wondering how much better or worse than themselves the garrison had come out of the terrible experience.

As the light grew stronger, so that things hitherto vague and dim came out, the watchers on the wall made another discovery. They had already found that on the path and everywhere on the open rock a gray, stony dust had fallen, and with it patches of stuff like light cinders, feathery, and in some cases black; they now found that this strange shower had extended at least over the whole eastward eye-range, for it had powdered the trees on the near hills, dulling their green to a forbidding and unnatural gray. The whole view was as of some place struck with a blight, or like one of our northern landscapes in the late fall, when the frost has struck the green from the grass and the trees. Or it might have been likened to a patch of scorched and sand-blown desert.

This was what they saw immediately around them, and to the limit of their view toward the south and east. Remembering then the direction the terrible cloud had come from, they looked that way, getting a range now to the west, and off to the distant pile of mountains.

At first they saw nothing new, and the mighty blue tumble seemed to stretch unchanged from the point where west became north, to a far point where west ran in with south. There was apparently nothing whatever to show for what had seemed the ripping up of the whole under world, and the blowing down on them of the dust and burned bits of some uplifted region of it. This was as they took it in at first, half thinking to see such a ruin as would lie broad to the eye, and mark a change from what had been. Some, indeed, stopped here and turned to other things, but a few were not satisfied, and looked yet again, noting this time the range peak by peak, and ridge by ridge. They had become tiresomely familiar with every one of these peaks and ridges, for there had been little else to see, as they crouched in the rock shelter through the long wearing hours.

And now they found what they were looking for. A young woman first saw it, picking it out as something new in the familiar picture. One careful look from the others showed that she was right, and that all they had heard and seen was at least in part accounted for.

Between two great peaks that ran up clear against the sky-line, with nothing between, there had shouldered up another peak, and this had spread and overflowed till the three points were left as mere saw-teeth above the great general mass. It was nothing less, then, than the birth of a new mountain--one belated when the others yielded to the ancient mighty crumpling and upward crowding as the earth was cooling.

But those ancient observers, knowing nothing of all this, merely gaped and wondered, and were satisfied with their little discovery. They thought that a mountain driven up out of the earth was enough to throw to an incoming wind a shower of ashes and cinders.

Meanwhile, the more practical of the company had been carefully going over the nearer field of view. They had found that the spring below was half full of the flakes and ashes, and that all the trees and bushes in sight were plastered over with them. Certainly this meant something, and possibly a good deal, for now it was going to be difficult for the enemy to get easily at either food or drink. It was not to be supposed that the fruit would be eatable, or that the water in the spring, with its load of rank mineral stuff, would be fit to drink.

The thought now was: What effect would this have on the besiegers, coming as it did on the heels of so many other failures and disappointments? It was easy to ask the question, and it had the help of a little hope in it; but the answer must come later.

The morning and then the rest of the day passed, the only change in the besiegers’ camp being that several men took their weapons and went off over the hills, doubtless in search of food and water. They came back toward night, three of them bringing some small game, including a scamperer and two marsh-hoppers,--creatures of the lizard family about the size of our common domestic hens; the others carried bundles of roots, and a lizard-skin partly full of some kind of berries. This seemed to be the best they had been able to do, though by the time they had been gone and the heavy way they walked, they had covered more than a few miles. Whether they had found any near supply of water, of course the watchers could not tell, but from something that shortly afterwards followed, they thought not. This something was that several men, before it was quite dark, went to the little hollow where the spring was, and began prodding about with their spears. It looked as if the prospects of a water supply from other directions were pretty poor. After some minutes of trial, one of the men seemed to have found a spot that was hopeful, for the others joined him, and all went sharply to work. They dug with their spears, and used also their knives and hands, and after a while they had dug a pretty deep hole. Then they waited, but after fully half an hour they got only water enough for a good drink each. Apparently discouraged and disgusted, they went back to the company.

A later effort to get water was made that evening, when a large party went to work on the spring itself. They delved and pawed, and threw out dirt and filth, and when they appeared to think they had done all they could, sat down, and waited for the result. This time, they had a measure of success, for when they finally tried the water, they managed, though evidently with an effort, to get some of it down. Then they also went back to camp.

“That helps them,” said Big-axe, with a troubled scowl. “I was in hopes they couldn’t make it work.”

Ten minutes later, while he was standing on the barricade, Wing-foot walked up to him.

“Chief,” the young man said quietly, “I think I can spoil those fellows’ new plan. Let me have one man that I want, and I will go down and undo their work. We will throw the stuff back into the spring. Yes, and we will bring up some of the water, if it is good for anything.”

Big-axe, though he did not often, or on light occasions, show surprise, showed some now, and seemed a bit moved, besides.

“How would you do it?”

“With a rope, and a little care. We have enough skins and other things to make a rope that will reach from the cliff to the ground. We two will go down, and tumble as much as we can of the bad stuff back into the spring. It won’t take much to spoil the water again.”

The chief smiled, showing his strong white teeth.

“It sounds well, and perhaps I will let you do it. It would be worth something to see their faces when they found it out. Who is the other man you would want?”

“He isn’t exactly a man, but he can do the work of one, and for a job like this he is my choice of the whole company. It is Sure-dart.”

The chief thought for a moment.

“You may try it,” he said then. “You would start, of course, before the moon got up?”

“Yes. It would need to be dark.”

“They have no guard there,” the chief then said reflectively, “for they didn’t think of anything like this. Well, I didn’t either.” He smiled again. “I think you had better not try to fetch any water,” he went on then, “for what you could handle would not amount to much, and it would bother and incumber you. We are not pressed for it, either, as we have a fair supply left. No, you must leave that part out.”

“Well, perhaps it would be better.”

“You may go about your plans, then.”

It was between eleven of our time and midnight when Wing-foot and Sure-dart, their rope in shape, and dangling down from the rock, told Big-axe that they were ready.

The chief first looked carefully down, and all around, and satisfied himself that no strollers from the camp were near. Without speaking, but with a grave look that showed how anxious he felt, he nodded, and himself took a guiding hold of the rope. It was not a very strong affair, and as far as possible it must swing free, and not chafe against the rocks.

The two adventurers had laid aside all their weapons save their stone knives, and were very nearly naked. Wing-foot took the rope in his hand, and slipped over the rock. He was to give a little tug, when he should be at the bottom, and then Sure-dart was to go. The rope itself had several great knots, besides some little ones, so that it was the better adapted to the purpose. Wing-foot made the signal, and instantly Sure-dart started. The chief, bending over the verge, kept the rope clear, and saw the dark, swaying spot that Sure-dart made bring up in the shadows below. The strain on the rope ceased. Big-axe could barely make out the two shapes, as they slipped away from the foot of the rock and went soft-footedly off in the darkness.

With a look more anxious than most of his people had seen on his face before, he drew his great axe up to him and sat down to wait.