JAKE'S VENTURE.
The boys followed Cummings' advice; but owing to the fact that they had taken no exercise the slumber was neither prolonged nor refreshing.
When they awakened Poyor and Jake were yet asleep, and they went softly to where Cummings was keeping most vigilant watch.
"Had enough of it?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes: we are not feeling so comfortable in mind that we can sleep at will, and just now a little goes a great way," Neal replied.
"Don't make the mistake of dwelling upon your troubles. By putting them from your mind you are in better condition to meet what may come, and besides, fretting never did mend matters."
"I'll admit that the advice is good; but it is not every one who can follow it."
"Why not? Have you tried by looking for something else with which to occupy your attention?"
"Shut up here as we are it would be pretty hard work to think of anything except our own situation."
"I'm not so certain of that. Suppose we try by speaking of the country on whose shores you were cast by the waves?"
"It was formerly an independent republic; but now forms one of the Mexican states," Teddy replied promptly.
"I'll admit that to be true; but it is a small fund of information for a schoolboy to have regarding a country which was probably the most powerful on the hemisphere hundreds of years before Columbus crossed the ocean. Here have been found the ruins of forty-four large cities; the remains of enormous artificial lakes, paved roads, and, in fact, all the evidences of a high state of civilization which existed before Europe could boast of the slightest form of government."
"You may be certain that I shall study about it with more interest in case we are so fortunate as to be able to go to school again," Teddy replied. "Tell us about the people who lived here when it was so great."
"I wish I could," Cummings said with a sigh. "If it had been possible for us to have taken from the Silver City any records, or sculptured figures, or plates of a historical nature, I might have succeeded in solving that which the student can speak of only as a mystery. Before the Conquest it was known as Maya—that is to say, the territory now called Yucatan, and the Chan Santa Cruz yet speak the Maya language. It is only certain that for many centuries there was here an important feudal monarchy, which doubtless arose after the Toltec overthrow of the very ancient kingdom of Xibalba."
"Cortez was the first white man to come into this country," Neal said half questioningly.
"Not by any manner of means. In the year 1502 Ferdinand Columbus, driven by adverse currents out of his southerly course, sighted a group of islands off Honduras, and captured a huge canoe, which is described as having been as wide as a galley and eighty feet long, formed of the trunk of a single tree. In the middle was an awning of palm leaves, not unlike those of Venetian gondolas, under which were the women, children and goods. The canoe was propelled by twenty-five Indians who wore cotton coverlets and tunics without sleeves, dyed various colors and curiously worked. The women wrapped themselves in large mantles of similar material.
"The men wore long swords, with channels each side of the blade, edged with sharp flints that cut the body as well as steel. They had copper hatchets for chopping wood, belts of the same material, and crucibles in which to melt it. For provisions they carried roots and grain, a sort of wine made from maize, and great quantities of almonds. This is a fragment of the history of Yucatan, simply a suggestion of what can be found by study, and some day when you have nothing to do, ask Poyor to tell you of his people's traditions."
Cummings had succeeded in interesting the boys despite Neal's assertion that it would be impossible to think of anything but their own condition, and Teddy asked, hoping to hear more about the country:
"How large is Yucatan?"
"I question if even the officials know. It is set down as containing 76,560 square kilometres, with 302,315 inhabitants; but the last figures can be only guess-work, since regarding the unconquerable tribes of the interior, such as we are now trying to escape from, all is conjecture."
This concluded the conversation so far as Cummings was concerned, for Poyor had awakened and joined the party, and there was very much to be discussed with him relative to what move should be made, when a sufficient time had elapsed.
In order that the boys might understand all which was said, the two men spoke only in English, and when the consultation was brought to a close the former had a very clear idea of the condition of affairs.
"It is safe to venture out in search of food," Poyor said, when Cummings intimated by his silence that there was no further topic which he wished to discuss, "and I will go for a short time."
"Why not take one of the boys with you?" the leader of the expedition asked. "It is dull work for them here, and a little exercise will be beneficial."
"Not yet," the Indian replied quickly. "Too broad a trail would surely attract the attention of the enemy, and we must not run such a risk."
"Very well, we will do a little fishing in order to have something hearty for supper in case you are not successful."
Then the Indian went cautiously out through the narrow passage, and he had but just disappeared when Jake awakened.
"What's goin' on?" he asked with a yawn. "Has Poyor left us again?"
"He thought it might be possible to get some game near by, and proposes to make the attempt," Cummings replied carelessly. "Now that you are awake stand watch awhile, for the boys and I are going to catch a few more fish."
Jake seated himself by the entrance, and Cummings led the way to the stream, never fancying for a single moment that the sentinel might desert his post.
The second effort to draw food from the water was more successful than the first. Cummings had hardly dropped the line before the bait was seized, and he landed a fairly good sized fish, after which he proposed that Teddy should try his hand at the work.
"I don't want to monopolize all the fun," he said laughingly, "therefore you boys had better take turns until we get enough for supper. To-night we'll ask Poyor to cut another pole, and then both can enjoy the sport at the same time."
The fish were smaller than those previously taken and half an hour elapsed before there were enough on the shore to make up what Cummings believed was sufficient for a hearty meal.
Then the three walked slowly toward the entrance to relieve Jake; but, to the surprise of all, he was not there.
"It is my fault," Neal cried while Cummings was looking around in the belief that the sentinel had gone to another portion of the cave and would soon be back. "I knew from what was said this forenoon that he had an idea of venturing out, and made up my mind to watch him closely; but the history lesson and the fishing caused me to forget it entirely."
"Do you mean that he has had an idea of leaving us?" Cummings asked in astonishment.
"No; he simply proposed to take a walk. He thinks it is as safe for him as for Poyor."
"But I, who surely understand the woods better than he, would not dare to attempt it."
"You know what he has done."
"If he does not lose his own life ours may be sacrificed," Cummings said passionately. "The Indian can go through the undergrowth without leaving any sign of his passage: but for Jake to do so is simply to set up a guide-board by which the enemy can find us."
"I should have told you at once," Neal said in self reproach.
"You are not to be blamed in the slightest; but if I could get my hands on him at this moment he would regret most sincerely ever having such a thought in his head."
"What will be the result?" Teddy asked in distress.
"If he succeeds in finding his way back, which I doubt very much, we will be forced to make a change regardless of the consequences, and if he is captured it becomes a case of our putting the greatest possible distance between this cave and ourselves," Cummings replied bitterly.
"I might go out and try to find him," Neal suggested, and his companion put an end to any such idea by saying impatiently:
"Your efforts to aid him would only result in making our own position just so much the worse. We must wait until Poyor comes back, and learn what he has to say in regard to the affair."
"But it seems cruel to let him run into danger without saying a word."
"It is not half as bad as it is for him to jeopardize all our lives. He did the same thing once before, and the consequence was that instead of making back tracks to my shanty, as could easily have been done, we are forced to skulk around two or three weeks with no certainty of escaping even at the end of that time."
Both Neal and Teddy understood that it would be useless to say anything more in Jake's favor, and as a matter of fact, they felt quite as bitter toward him as did Cummings, for it was not difficult to see what might be the result of his foolish excursion.
In silence the little party waited until the Indian returned bringing the carcass of a tapir, a small quantity of alligator pears, and two so-called cabbages cut from palm trees.
"It is not difficult to get all the food that may be needed provided we can keep the fact of our being here a secret," he said in a tone which showed how greatly he was pleased by his success.
"And that we shall not be able to do many hours longer except by some piece of rare good luck," Cummings said bitterly. "Jake went out a long while ago, and is now, I presume, roaming around in order to give the enemy an opportunity of looking at him."
"Went out?" the Indian repeated in surprise. "Do you mean that he has left the cave?"
"That is exactly the size of it."
"Why did he do such a foolish thing?"
"Because he was too much of a baby or an idiot to stay in hiding until the danger had passed. He claimed that exercise was necessary."
"He will get all he needs," Poyor said half to himself, as he allowed the supply of provisions to fall unheeded from his hands. "We also must leave this place."
"Do you mean that we should go at once?" Cummings asked as if he had been expecting such a remark.
"When the night has come we will start, and with but little hope of breaking through the line of sentinels."
"Are we not to wait for Jake?" Neal interrupted.
"If he does not return before we are ready there will be little chance of ever seeing him again," was the grim reply as Poyor paced to and fro, evidently so disturbed that it was impossible for him to remain in one position.