Adventure stories; Islands -- Fiction; Love stories; Shipwrecks -- Fiction
Ridgeway touched his shoulder and bade him arise, pointing toward the
mounts and their attendant glory. To his amazement the chief uttered an
exclamation of satisfaction and abruptly ran back to the boats. In an
incredibly short space of time the restless savages were coming up the
beach with their canoes on their shoulders, heading straight for the
opening through which the moonlight streamed. Two of them formed a
"basket," and Lady Tennys, taking her seat upon their hands, and holding
timidly to their hard, muscular shoulders, was borne swiftly onward and
upward, Ridgeway having some difficulty in keeping pace with the
human carriage.
Big rocks told them that they were at the base of the rocky columns and
the course of the little band indicated that they were to pass between
the towering, almost perpendicular monsters. Suddenly the little
cavalcade of the night came to a halt, the boats were thrown down and
Hugh arrived at the conclusion that they were to stop until morning. In
this he found himself mistaken, for with the very next moment he heard
the splashing of water, seemingly beneath his feet. Up to now he had
been looking upward at the rift in the rocks. Instead of a rocky gorge
he now saw the shimmering of water, and a fresh exclamation of surprise
fell from his lips.
"Can this be fairyland?" he cried, completely dazed.
"We must be dreaming, Hugh," murmured she. The party stood at the
water's edge, looking up through the miniature cañon, the rushing of
distant rapids coming to their ears.
The boats were lowered, and the oarsmen were soon pulling sturdily
between the tall twins. These frowning monsters formed a perfect gateway
from the sea to the home of the savages. Hugh felt that he was shut off
forever from the outside world as he surveyed, with sinking heart, the
portals through which they had passed. Soon a second landing was made,
this time upon soft, rich soil, instead of crunching sand. It was easy
to tell that they were standing on velvety grass, soft, cool and dewy.
The boats were made fast, the spar and shell were swung upon broad
shoulders, and then the party plunged straight into the wood, Lady
Tennys being carried as before.
After ten minutes of rapid walking over a well-beaten trail the band
halted, and the chief uttered several piercing cries. From afar off in
the still night came an echoing answer and again the march was resumed,
the travellers keeping close to the bank of the river. In time they
reached an open stretch, across which the escort started, turning away
from the stream.
There were fitful flashes of light ahead. Across the little plain came a
jumble of flying human beings, two or three bearing torches. They seemed
to have sprung from the ground, so abruptly did they appear before the
eyes of the dumbfounded strangers in this strange land. The chief went
forward rapidly and checked the advancing figures, preparing them for
what was to follow. The entire company prostrated itself in good form.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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