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Web of the Golden Spider, The

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<h2>CHAPTER XXIII</h2> <h3>The Spider Snaps</h3> Stooping, Stubbs ran his hand down the length of Wilson’s arm and felt for his pulse. He caught a weak but steady beat. Prying open his mouth, he poured a large mouthful of water down the dry throat. Wilson quickly revived and begged for more. “No, m’ son, this’ll do fer now. You’ll need it worse later on. An’ I’m darned glad to see yer again.” “How––how long have I been here, Stubbs?” panted Wilson. “Nigh twenty-four hours.” “A day––a whole day wasted!” “An’ another cross agin yer fren’ the Priest.” “Was it he?” “Th’ same.” He gave Wilson a little food and a wisp of the coca leaves to chew and briefly told him what he had just been through. He concluded with a wave of his hand about him. “So here we are at last, an’ a crew of savages waitin’ fer us at the top, which makes a fine and fittin’ end fer any v’yage upon which I embarks.” <div>275</div> “Water––give me more water.” Stubbs rested the bottle to the man’s lips a moment and then had to fight with him to get it away. “Now,” said Stubbs, “if ye’ve gut th’ breath, tell me, has ye explored at all?” Wilson shook his head. He answered vaguely, his thoughts still upon the one thing. “A day wasted and the Priest on his way! He said within a day, didn’t he, Stubbs? Lord! we’ve got to get out of here; we’ve got to get to her. He’ll kill them both–––” Wilson struggled to his feet and plunged towards the exit to the cave. Stubbs was upon him in a second and bore him down. “Gawd, man, h’ain’t yer any sense left at all?” A second later he repented his sharp speech, and added, “There, lay still a moment, lad. I knows how yer feel, but we might’s well look aroun’ an’ find out how much bigger damned fools we are. Ye’ve gotter git yer strength before ye can move back over that course.” “The treasure is there,” whispered Wilson; “but, Stubbs, I want more water––buckets of it.” “What’s there?” “Diamonds––diamonds, and not a drop of water.” Stubbs did not believe it. He took it to be the hallucination of a man weak with thirst. But one thing was settled in his mind: if the cave were empty, he wouldn’t waste any more time here. Danger was increasing with every minute. He pawed his way 276 into the rear of the cave and had not gone ten feet before he stumbled over the same pile Wilson had found. He seized a handful of the stones and made his way back to the light. The jewels sparkled in his rough palm like chips from the stars themselves. They were of all sizes from a beechnut to a pecan. Even roughly cut and polished as they were, they still flashed back their rainbow hues with pointed brilliancy. He picked out a large yellow diamond which even in this dim light glowed like molten gold in a fog; another which imprisoned the purple of the night sky; and another tinged with the faint crimson of an afterglow. Jumbled together in his hand, they were a scintillating pile of tiny, living stars, their rays fencing in a dazzling play of light. Even to Stubbs, who knew nothing of the stones, they were so fascinating that he turned them over and over with his finger to watch their twinkling iridescence. Just those he held there now were such as a lapidary would spend his life willingly in the getting. If not another stone were found in the cave, these alone represented a fortune worthy of the expedition. Each stone as it stood was worth probably from three to eight hundred dollars, and some of the larger would run into the thousands. It was difficult to realize their full value here where they counted for so little,––no more than the rays of the stars themselves,––here where so many others lay in a heap like broken glass. Vaguely Stubbs grasped the fact that he had in his possession the worth of many good ships and 277 freedom for the rest of his life. Yet he thrilled less with this thought than he did with the sheer joy of discovery. A man will cherish a dime he picks up on the street more than he does a five-dollar bill in his pocket. It was this spirit of treasure-trove that got into his blood, sending a tingle of new life through his veins. He tried to rouse Wilson to it. “Come here, man,” he shouted. “Come here and see what we’ve got. God! there’s millions in this cave!” But Wilson lifted his head indifferently. “I don’t give a damn,” he answered. “You haven’t seen ’em sparkle––you haven’t gut it inter yer head! Ye’re rich––richer than Danbury!” He hurried back to where Wilson sat and thrust the jewels before his eyes. “D’ ye see ’em?” he cried excitedly. “Bigger ’n yer thumb?” For a second his old-time suspicion and doubt returned. “But maybe,” he added sorrowfully, “maybe they’re jus’ glass. Jus’ my luck.” Nevertheless he believed sufficiently in them to return to the quest. He struck match after match, wandering farther and farther into the darkness, hoping to find something with which he could make light enough to see around him. He gave a little cry of joy as he came upon an old-time altar light––a platter of oil containing a crude wick. He lighted this. 278 The flame sputtered feebly, died down, then revived to a big, steady flame. With his arms at his side, his mouth wide open, he gaped at what the light revealed. The cave was not large; this lamp disclosed its boundaries. It also disclosed other things, chief of which was a leering idol some three feet tall which squatted, cross-legged, with one hand extended. This hand held a polished diamond larger than a walnut. The eyes were of ruby which, catching the light, burned with ghoul-like ferocity, while the mouth grinned,––grinned with a smile which strangely resembled that of the Priest. The image was of gold. To the right and left, piled up as though they had been hastily thrown together, was a jumble of vases, bowls, plates, shields, all of beaten gold. They made a heap some four feet high, and from six to eight feet broad at the base. Strewn about the foot of this were many little leather bags tied at the top with dried sinews. Minute after minute Stubbs stared at this sight in silence. There was more gold here than he thought existed in the world,––so much that it lost its value. Here was enough almost to load down a ship. If he could crowd a few hundred dollars into a bag small enough to stuff into his pocket, this must run up into the millions. He had always spoken of a man worth a million with a certain amount of awe and doubt; and here lay ten, perhaps fifty, times that amount. At the end of forty years of sailing the seas he had saved a little over three thousand dollars against the days he should be old and feeble. Three thousand dollars! Two or three of those stones he had slipped into his pocket,––four or five of these plates of which there were hundreds! <div class='figcenter'> <ANTIMG src='images/spider-278.jpg' alt='' title='' style='width: 255px; height: 420px;' /> Minute after minute, Stubbs stared at this sight in silence. </div> <div>279</div> He moved forward and tried to lift one of the big vases of crudely beaten gold. With his full weight against it, he could scarcely move it. Farther on there was a bar of gold heavier than three men could carry. To the left of this there was a pile of golden shields studded with jewels, strange ornaments, and heavy plates. Back of this he caught a glimpse of still other ingots of gold in the shadows. And always the big image held extended towards him with a cynical leer the big, polished diamond which seemed rather to give out light from within itself than to reflect the altar flames. It blazed with a brilliancy that he had never seen equalled save by the stars on faultless winter nights. He was too dumbfounded at first to take it all in. He turned about in a circle, resting his eyes again upon one thing after another, and then raised his hand and looked at that to make sure that he was seeing correctly––was not the victim of some strange illusion. Yes, his eyes were all right; he saw his calloused, big-jointed hand––the hand which had labored so long for a millionth part of what he now saw here. The gold and the jewels were within arms’ reach of him––there was no longer any doubt about that. His luck must have turned. He moved back to where Wilson still lay sprawled out upon his back only half conscious of his surroundings. 280 He tried to speak calmly, but he blurted out, “Gawd, man, there’s tons of it!” Wilson did not move or speak. “Shiploads of it. Man! Man! wake up an’ see what’s afore yer eyes!” “What is it, Stubbs?” “Gold! Gold! Gold! The stuff thet outside here yer haster fight ter git a pinch of,––the stuff I’ve sailed aroun’ the worl’ ter git a handful of; the stuff ye’ve come so far on the bare chance of seein’.” “It’s here, then? The treasure is here?” “More than ever ye dreamed of. Small wonder that Sorez was willin’ ter take chances agin the Priest if he knew of this.” Wilson brushed his hand over his eyes. The name roused him. This meant getting back to Sorez––getting back to him with proof of the treasure and so releasing the girl. He made his feet and stood a moment with his hand upon Stubbs’ shoulder. “I’m glad, Stubbs,” he answered. “Now––now let’s get back to her.” “Aye, we’ll get back, but first we’ve got ter figger out some way for gittin’ of this stuff out.” As a matter of fact, they learned that they were really facing something of a problem. It was a marvel how ever these things were got down here, but it would be a still greater task to get them out again. Twenty fanatical worshipers of the Sun God gave their lives to bearing these priceless offerings from the lake to 281 this cave with the incentive of winning everlasting happiness. It was a different problem for two tired and nerve-exhausted men to retrace their steps. Even if it were possible to get the treasure to the surface, it would need a small army of men and burros to carry it over the mountains to civilization, and another small army to defend it while on the journey. It would be almost equally impossible, probably, for them ever again to reach this cave. If they were successful in getting out of this country alive now that the Priest was roused and the natives incensed over the death of their fellows, it certainly would be sure death ever to return. As for organizing a company either at Bogova or in America for the purpose of removing the treasure, Stubbs had the usual independent man’s distrust of such means. It became clearer to him every minute that the only share of this hoard of which they ever could be sure was what they might now take out with them. This practically eliminated the vast store of golden implements, for it was impossible to carry even the smallest of them on their shoulders over so rough and dangerous a trail as this. It began to look as though they had reached this treasure at length merely to be tantalized by it. The very thought was like a nightmare. His eyes fell upon the small leather bags. Stooping, he picked up one of them, untied it and poured its contents upon the cave floor; a flashing stream of rubies rippled out and glowed at his feet in a tiny, blood-red heap. And there were a dozen more of these bags in sight! 282 “Lord, man!” he exclaimed below his breath, “it’s ’nuff to make yer b’lieve ye’re dreamin’.” The jewels gave him fresh courage. Here, at any rate, was a fortune which was within their present reach. They could carry these things back with them even though they were forced to leave the bulk of the treasure in its heavier form. A single one of these little leather bags was sufficient to repay them for their trouble if they didn’t get anything else. But one thing was sure––their single chance of escaping with even these was to start at once. The Priest would undoubtedly have the whole region up in arms before dark, and, if he didn’t find them before, would have a force at the mountain pass. It went against his grain to abandon such riches as these, but life and a few million was better than death with all the gold in the world piled about your tomb. To Wilson, who in the last few minutes had become more himself, the treasure still meant just one thing––the opportunity of freeing Jo. With this evidence he could return to Sorez and persuade him of the futility of his search in the lake itself and induce him to join his party and escape while there was time. If he didn’t succeed in this, he would take the girl even if he had to do so by force. “It’s a case of grab and jump,” said Stubbs. “You gather up the loose stones on the floor and I’ll collect the bags. The sooner we gets to the top, th’ better.” Stubbs took the altar light and made a careful search of the bottom of the cave for jewels. These were 283 the things which embodied in the smallest weight the most value. It made him groan every time he passed an ingot of gold or some massive vase which he knew must run into the thousands, but at the end of ten minutes he felt better; the stones alone were sufficient to satisfy even the most avaricious. About the base of the grinning idol they found fourteen leather bags, each filled with gems. The loose diamonds which had been roughly thrown into a small pile would fill four bags more. Even Wilson became roused at sight of these. He began to realize their value and the power such wealth would give him. If the girl was still alive, he now had the means of moving an army to her aid. If she was still alive––but the day was waning and the Priest, now thoroughly aroused, doubtless moving towards her intent upon wiping out every stranger, man or woman, in the hills. Stubbs was for going farther back into the cave and exploring some of the recesses into which they had not yet looked at all. But Wilson, with returning strength, became impatient again. The coca leaves which he had chewed constantly brought him new life. “Lord! would you sell the girl for a few more bags of jewels, Stubbs?” he burst out. The latter straightened instantly and came nearer. But before he had time to speak, Wilson apologized. “No, I know better, comrade, but I can’t wait any longer to get to her. I’m five years older than I was a day ago.” The while they were gathering the little bags full of 284 jewels, the big image in the corner smiled his smile and offered them the big diamond in his hand; the while they buckled the bags about their waists––as precious belts as ever men wore––the image smiled and offered; as they moved towards the mouth of the cave it still insisted. Yet for some reason neither man had felt like taking the stone. Stubbs felt a bit superstitious about it, while Wilson felt enough reverence, even for heathen gods, to refrain. But still it smiled and offered. In the flickering flare of the altar light the stone burned with increasing brilliancy. It was as though it absorbed the flames and, adding new fuel, flashed them forth again. Wilson led the way out. Before they left the cave Stubbs turned. He saw the image once again, and once again the stone. The temptation was too great, especially now that they were on the point of leaving––perhaps forever. He started back and Wilson tried to check him. “I wouldn’t, Stubbs. Those eyes look too ugly. It is only the mouth that smiles and–––” “Ye haven’t turned heathen yerself, have ye?” he called back. He stepped forward and clutched it. But the jewel was fastened in some way although it seemed a bit loose. He pulled strongly upon it and the next second leaped back, warned in time by a suspicious rumbling above his head. He looked down to see a slab of granite weighing half a ton on the spot where he had stood a moment before. It was an ingenious bit of 285 mechanism arranged to protect the treasure; the jewel had been attached by a stout cord which, when pulled, loosed the weight above. Not only this, but it became evident in a few seconds that it loosed also other forces––whether by design or chance, the two men never determined. They had pressed back to the path outside the cave, when they heard a rumble like distant thunder, followed instantly by a grinding and crashing. Before their eyes a large section of the cliff crashed down over the cave itself and into the chasm below. They didn’t wait to see what followed, but made their way along the path as fast as they dared. Neither man spoke again until a half hour later after a journey that was like a passage through Hell, they lay exhausted in the sunlight above the chasm. The thunder of tumbling rock still pounded at their ears. <hr class='major' /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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