The shadows of evening were slowly falling as the little party of which Kitwater, Codd, and Hayle, with two Burmen servants, were members, obtained their first view of the gigantic ruins of which they had come so far in search. For many days they had been journeying through the jungle, now the prey of hope, now of despair. They had experienced adventures by the score, though none of them were of sufficient importance to be narrated here, and more than once they had come within a hair’s-breadth of being compelled to retrace their steps. They rode upon the small wiry ponies of the country, their servants clearing a way before them with their parangs as they advanced. Their route, for the most part, lay through jungle, in places so dense that it was well-nigh impossible for them to force a way through it. It was as if nature were doing her best to save the ancient city from the hand of the spoiler. At last, and so suddenly that it came upon them like a shock, they found themselves emerging from the jungle. Below them, in the valley, peering up out of the forest, was all that remained of a great city, upon the ruined temples of which the setting sun shone with weird effect.
“At last,” said Hayle, bringing his pony to a standstill, and looking down upon the ruins. “Let us hope we shall have penetrated their secret before we are compelled to say good-bye to them again.”
“Hear, hear, to that,” said Kitwater; Septimus Codd, however, never said a word; the magic hand of the past was upon his heart, and was holding him spellbound.
They descended the hill, and, when they had selected a suitable spot, decided to camp upon it for the night.
Next morning they were up betimes; the excitement of the treasure-hunt was upon each man, and would not let him tarry. It would not be long now, they hoped, before they would be able to satisfy themselves as to the truth of the story they had been told, and of the value of the hopes in which they had put their trust. Having eaten their morning meal, they took counsel together, examined the plan for the thousandth time, collected their weapons and tools, bade their servants keep a sharp lookout, and then set off for the city. The morning sun sparkled upon the dew, the birds and monkeys chattered at them from the jungle, while above them towered the myriad domes and sculptured spires of the ancient city. It was a picture that once seen would never be forgotten. So far, however, not a sign of human life had they been able to discover; indeed, for all they knew to the contrary, they might be the only men within fifty miles of the place.
Leaving the jungle behind them, they found themselves face to face with a curious stone bridge, spanning the lake or moat which surrounded the city, and in which the lotus flower bloomed luxuriantly. When they had crossed the bridge, they stood in the precincts of the city itself. On either hand rose the ruins in all their solitary grandeur — palaces, temples, market-places, and houses in endless confusion; while, at the end of the bridge, and running to right and left as far as the eye could reach, was a high wall, constructed of large stones, each one of which would have required the efforts of at least four men to lift it. These, with a few exceptions, were in an excellent state of preservation. Passing through the massive gateway the travellers found themselves in an open square, out of which streets branched off the right and left, while the jungle thrust in its inquisitive nose on every possible occasion. The silence was so impressive that the men found themselves speaking in whispers. Not a sound was to be heard save the fluttering of birds’ wings among the trees, and the obscene chattering of the monkeys among the leaves. From the first great square the street began gradually to ascend; then another moat was crossed, and the second portion of the city was reached. Here the buildings were larger, and the sculpture upon the walls more impressive even than before. The same intense silence, however, hung over everything. In the narrower streets creepers trailed from side to side, almost shutting out the light, and adding a twilight effect to the already sufficiently mysterious rooms and courtyards to be seen within.
“This is by no means the most cheerful sort of place,” said Hayle to Kitwater, as they passed down a paved street side by side. “Where do you expect to find the great temple and the courtyard of the Three Elephants’ Heads?”
“Straight on,” said little Codd, who was behind, and had been comparing the route they were following with the plan he held in his hand.
As he spoke they entered another square, and saw before them a mighty flight of steps, worn into grooves in places by the thousands of feet that had ascended and descended them in days gone by. At the top was a sculptured gateway, finer than anything either of them had ever seen, and this they presently entered. Above them, clear of the trees, and towering up into the blue, were the multitudinous domes and spires of the king’s palace, to which the gateway above the steps was the principal entrance. Some of the spires were broken, some were covered with creepers, others were mutilated by time and by stress of weather, but the general effect was grand in the extreme. From courtyard to courtyard they wandered, but without finding the particular place of which they were in search. It was more difficult to discover than they had expected; indeed, they had walked many miles through deserted streets, and the afternoon was well advanced, before a hail from Codd, who had gone on ahead of them, informed them that at last some sort of success had crowned their efforts. When they came up with him they found themselves in a courtyard somewhat larger than those they had previously explored, the four corners of which were decorated with three united elephants’ heads.
“By the great poker we’ve got it at last,” cried Kitwater, in a voice that echoed and reechoed through the silent halls.
“And about time, too,” cried Hayle, upon whom the place was exercising a most curious effect. “If you’ve found it, show us your precious treasure-chamber.”
“All in good time, my friend, all in good time,” said Kitwater. “Things have gone so smoothly with us hitherto, that we must look for a little set-back before we’ve done.”
“We don’t want any set-backs,” said Hayle. “What we want are the rubies as big as pigeon’s eggs, and sapphires, and gold, and then to get back to civilization as quick as may be. That’s what’s the matter with me.”
As I have already observed, the courtyard in which they were standing was considerably larger than any they had yet entered. Like the others, however, it had fallen sadly to decay. The jungle had crept in at all points, and gorgeous creepers had wreathed themselves round the necks of the statues above the gateway.
“I don’t see any sign of steps,” said Hayle, when they had examined the place in silence for some minutes. “I thought you said a flight of stone steps led up to where the king’s throne was placed?”
“Codd certainly read it so,” Kitwater answered, looking about him as if he did not quite realize the situation. “And how are we to know that there are not some steps here? They may be hidden. What do you think, little man?”
He turned to Codd, who was looking about him with eyes in which a curious light was shining.
“Steps must be somewhere,” the latter replied. “We’ve got to find them — but not to-night. Sun going down. Too late.”
This was undoubtedly true, and so, without more ado, but none the less reluctantly, the three travellers retraced their steps to their camp upon the hillside. Hayle was certainly not in a good temper. The monotony of the long journey from civilization had proved too much for him, and he was ready to take offence at anything. Fortunately, however, Kitwater was not of the same way of thinking, otherwise there would probably have been trouble between them.
Next morning they were up and had breakfasted before the sun was in the sky. Their meal at an end, they picked up their arms and tools, bade their servants have a care of the camp, and then set off on their quest once more. There was a perceptible change, however, in their demeanours. A nervous excitement had taken possession of them, and it affected each man in a different manner. Kitwater was suspicious, Hayle was morose, while little Codd repeatedly puckered up his mouth as if he were about to whistle, but no sound ever came from it. The sky overhead was emerald-blue, the air was full of the sweetest perfumes, while birds of the most gorgeous plumage flew continually across their path. They had no regard, however, for nature’s beauties. The craving for wealth was in their hearts, rendering them blind to everything else. They crossed the stone bridge, passed through the outer portion of the city, proceeded over the second moat, and at last, with the familiarity of old friends, made their way up the steps towards the courtyard of the king’s palace.
“Now, my friends, listen to me,” said Kitwater, as he spoke throwing down the tools he had been carrying, “what we have to do is to thoroughly sound the whole of this courtyard, inch by inch and stone by stone. We can’t be wrong, for that this is the courtyard of the Three Elephants’ Heads, there can be no doubt. You take the right-hand side,” he went on addressing Hayle; “you, Coddy, must take the left. I’ll try the middle. If we don’t hit it to-day we’ll do so to-morrow, or the next day, or the day after that. This is the place we were told about, and if the treasure is to be found anywhere, it will be here. For that reason we’ve got to set about the search as soon as possible! Now to work!”
Using the iron bars they had brought with them for the purpose, they began their task, bumping the iron down upon each individual stone in the hope of eliciting the hollow sound that was to reveal the presence of the treasure-chamber. With the regularity of automatons they paraded up and down the walled enclosure without speaking, until they had thoroughly tested every single stone; no sort of success, however, rewarded their endeavours.
“I expected as much,” said Hayle angrily, as he threw down the bar. “You’ve been humbugged, and our long journey is all undertaken for nothing. I was a fool ever to have listened to your nonsensical yarn. I might have known it would have come to nothing. It’s not the first time I’ve been treasure-hunting, but I’ll swear it shall be the last. I’ve had enough of these fooleries.”
A dangerous light was gathering in Kitwater’s eyes. He moreover threw down the iron bar as if in anticipation of trouble, and placed his fists defiantly on his hips.
“If you are going to talk like that, my boy,” he began, with never a quaver in his voice, “it’s best for us to understand each other straight off. Once and for all let me tell you that I’ll have none of your bounce. Whether or not this business is destined to come to anything, you may rely upon one thing, and that is the fact that I did my best to do you a good turn by allowing you to come into it. There’s another thing that calls for comment, and you can deny it if you will. It’s a fact that you’ve been grumbling and growling ever since we left Rangoon, and have made difficulties innumerable where you needn’t have done so, and now, because you think the affair is going to turn out badly, you round upon me as if it were all a put-up job on my part, to rook you of your money. It’s not the thing, Hayle, and I don’t mind saying that I resent it.”
“You may resent it or not, as you darned well please,” said Hayle doggedly, biting at the butt of his cigar as he spoke. “It don’t matter a curse to me; you don’t mean to tell me you think I’m fool enough to stand by and see myself----”
At that moment Codd, who had been away investigating on his own account, and had no idea of the others’ quarrel, gave a shout of delight. He was at the further end of the courtyard, at a spot where a dense mass of creeper had fallen, and now lay trailing upon the stones. The effect upon his companions was instantaneous. They abandoned their quarrel without another word, and picking up their crowbars hastened towards the spot where he was waiting for them.
“What have you found, little man?” inquired Kitwater, as he approached.
Mr. Codd, however, said nothing in reply, but beat with his bar upon the stone beneath him. There could be little or no doubt about the hollow sound that rewarded his endeavours.
“We’ve got it,” cried Kitwater. “Bring the pickaxe, Hayle, and we’ll soon see what is underneath this precious stone. We may be at the heart of the mystery for all we know.”
In less time than it takes to tell Hayle had complied with the other’s request, and was hard at work picking out the earth which held the enormous flagstone in its place. A state of mad excitement had taken hold of the men, and the veins stood out like whipcord upon Hayle’s forehead. It was difficult to say how many feet separated them from the treasure that was to make them lords of all the earth. At last the stone showed signs of moving, and it was possible for Kitwater to insert his bar beneath one corner. He did so, prized it up, and leant upon it with all his weight. It showed no sign of moving, however. The seal of Time was set upon it, and it was not to be lightly disturbed.
“Push your bar in here alongside of mine, Coddy,” said Kitwater at last. “I fancy we shall get it then.”
“A DARK, NARROW HOLE, THE BOTTOM OF WHICH IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE.”
The little man did as he was directed, Kitwater and Hayle seconded his efforts on the other side, and then, under the strain of their united exertions, the stone began to move slowly from its place. Little by little they raised it, putting all the strength they possessed into the operation, until, at last, with one great effort they hurled it backwards, and it fell with a crash upon the pavement behind them, revealing a dark, narrow hole, the bottom of which it was impossible to see.
“Now then, Gideon, my worthy friend, what have you got to say about the business?” asked Kitwater, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow. “You pretended to doubt my story. Was there anything in the old Frenchman’s yarn after all. Were we wasting our time upon a fool’s errand when we set off to explore Sengkor-Wat?”
Hayle looked at him somewhat sheepishly.
“No? no,” he said, “I am willing to admit that so far you have won the trick. Let me down easily if you can. I can neither pass nor follow suite. I am right out of my reckoning. Now what do you propose to do?”
“Get one of those torches we brought with us, and find out what there is in that hole,” Kitwater answered.
They waited while the latter went back to the camp, and when he reappeared, and had lighted the torch, they prepared to follow him down the steps into the mysterious depths below. The former, they soon discovered, were as solidly built as the rest of the palace, and were about thirty in number. They were, moreover, wet and slimy, and so narrow that it was only possible for one man to descend them at once. When they reached the bottom they found themselves standing in a narrow passage, the walls of which were composed of solid stone, in many places finely carved. The air was close, and from the fact that now and again bats dashed past them into the deeper darkness, they argued that there must be some way of communicating with the open air at the further end.
“This is just what the Frenchman told me,” said Kitwater, and his voice echoed away along the passage like distant thunder. “He said we should find a narrow corridor at the foot of the steps, and then the Treasure Chamber at the further end. So far it looks all right. Let us move on, my friends.”
There was no need for him to issue such an invitation. They were more than eager to follow him.
Leaving the first room, or ante-chamber, as it might more properly be called, they continued their way along the narrow passage which led from it. The air was growing perceptibly closer every moment, while the light of the torch reflected the walls on either side. Hayle wondered for a moment as he followed his leader, what would happen to them if the Chinese, of whom the old Frenchman had spoken to Kitwater, should discover their presence in the ruins, and should replace the stone upon the hole. In that case the treasure would prove of small value to them, for they would be buried alive. He did not allow his mind, however, to dwell very long upon this subject, for Kitwater, who was pushing on ahead with the torch, had left the passage, and was standing in a large and apparently well vaulted chamber. Handsomely carved pillars supported the roof, the floor was well paved, while on either side there were receptacles, not unlike the niches in the Roman catacombs, though for what purpose they were intended was not at first glance so easy to determine. With hearts that beat tumultuously in their breasts, they hastened to one of them to see what it contained. The niche in question was filled with strange-looking vessels, some like bowls, and others not unlike crucibles. The men almost clambered over each other in their excitement to see what they contained. It was as if their whole existence depended upon it; they could scarcely breathe for excitement. Every moment’s delay was unspeakable agony. At last, however, the coverings were withdrawn and the contents of the receptacles stood revealed. Two were filled with uncut gems, rubies and sapphires, others contained bar gold, and yet more contained gems, to which it was scarcely possible in such a light to assign a name. One thing at least was certain. So vast was the treasure that the three men stood tongue-tied with amazement at their good fortune. In their wildest dreams they had never imagined such luck, and now that this vast treasure lay at their finger-ends, to be handled, to be made sure of, they were unable to realize the extent of their future happiness. Hayle dived his hands into a bowl of uncut rubies, and having collected as many as he could hold in each fist, turned to his companions.
“ ‘LOOK HERE,’ HE CRIED, ‘IT’S THE BANK OF ENGLAND IN EACH HAND.’ ”
“Look here,” he cried, “it’s the Bank of England in each hand.”
His voice ended in a choke. Then Kitwater took up the tale.
“I must get out of this or I shall go mad,” he muttered hoarsely. “Come let us get back to the light. If I don’t I shall die.”
Without more ado, like men who were drunk with the finest wines, they followed him along the passage and up the steps into the open air. They were just in time to see the sun setting blood-red behind the jungle. His beauty, however, had no effect upon them, in all probability they were regardless of him altogether, for with almost simultaneous sighs of relief they threw themselves down upon the flagstones of the courtyard, and set to work, with feverish earnestness, to overhaul the booty they had procured. All three were good judges of stones, and a very brief examination was sufficient, even in the feeble evening light, to enable them to see that they were not only gems of the first water, but also stones of such a size as is seldom seen in these unregenerate days.
“It’s the biggest scoop on earth,” said Hayle, unconsciously echoing the expression Kitwater had used to him in Singapore. “What’s better, there are hundreds more like them down below. I’ll tell you what it is, my friends, we’re just the richest men on this earth at the present moment, and don’t you forget it!”
In his excitement he shook hands wildly with his companions. His ill-humour had vanished like breath off a razor, and now he was on the best of terms not only with himself, but also with the world in general.
“If I know anything about stones there are at least one hundred thousand pounds worth in this little parcel,” he said enthusiastically, “and what is more, there is a million or perhaps two millions to be had for the trouble of looking for them. What do you say if we go below again?”
“No! no!” said Kitwater, “it’s too late. We’d better be getting back to the camp as soon as may be.”
“Very well,” Hayle replied reluctantly.
They accordingly picked up their iron bars and replaced the stone that covered the entrance to the subterranean passage.
“I don’t like leaving it,” said Hayle, “it don’t seem to me to be safe, somehow. Think what there is down there. Doesn’t it strike you that it would be better to fill our pockets while we’ve the chance? Who knows what might happen before we can come again?”
“Nonsense,” said Kitwater. “Who do you think is going to rob us of it? What’s the use of worrying about it? In the morning we’ll come back and fill up our bags, and then clear out of the place and trek for civilization as if the devil and all were after us. Just think, my lads, what there will be to divide.”
“A million apiece, at least,” said Hayle rapturously, and then in an awed voice he added, as if he were discomfited by his own significance, “I never thought to be worth a quarter of that. Somehow it doesn’t seem as if it can be real.”
“It’s quite real,” said Mr. Codd, as he sprinkled some dry dust round the crack of the stone to give it an appearance of not having been disturbed. “There’s no doubt of it.”
When he had finished they picked up their tools and set off on their return journey to the camp. The sun had disappeared behind the jungle when they left the courtyard of the Three Elephants’ Heads and ascended the stone steps towards the inner moat. They crossed the bridge, and entered the outer city in silence. The place was very dreary at that hour of the day, and to Codd, who was of an imaginative turn of mind, it seemed as if faces out of the long deserted past were watching him from every house. His companions, however, were scarcely so impressionable. They were gloating over the treasure they had won for themselves, and one, at least, was speculating as to how he should spend his share. Suddenly Hayle, who was looking down a side street, uttered an exclamation of surprise.
“Did you see that?” he inquired of Kitwater. Then, without waiting for a reply, he dived into the nearest ruin and disappeared from view.
“What on earth is the matter with him?” inquired Kitwater of Codd. “Has he gone mad?”
Codd only shook his head. Hayle’s doings were more often than not an enigma to him. Presently, however, the runaway made his appearance before them. His face was flushed and he breathed heavily. Apparently he had been running, and for some distance.
“Didn’t you see him?” he inquired of his companions in some surprise.
“See who?” asked Kitwater, with elevated eyebrows. “Who do you think you saw?”
“A man,” Hayle replied. “I am ready to take my oath I saw him cross that narrow street back yonder.”
“Was it one of our own men do you think?” said Codd, referring to the two Burmen they had brought with them.
“Not a bit of it,” Hayle replied. “I tell you, Kitwater, I am as sure as I am of anything that the man I saw was a Chinaman.”
“Gammon,” said Kitwater. “There isn’t a Chinaman within fifty miles of the ruins. You are unduly excited. You’ll be seeing a regiment of Scots Guards presently if you are not careful.”
“I don’t care what you say, it was a man I saw,” the other answered. “Good Heavens! won’t you believe me, when I say that I saw his pigtail?”
“Believe you, of course I will,” replied Kitwater good-humouredly. “It’s a pity you didn’t catch hold of him by it, however. No, no, Gid, you take my word for it, there are no Chinamen about here. What do you think, Codd?”
Mr. Codd appeared to have no opinion, for he did not reply.
By this time they had crossed the last bridge and had left the city behind them. The jungle was lulling itself to sleep, and drowsy croonings sounded on every hand. So certain was Hayle that he had not been mistaken about the man he declared he had seen, that he kept his eyes well open to guard against a surprise. He did not know what clump of bamboo might contain an enemy, and, in consequence, his right hand was kept continually in his pocket in order not to lose the grip of the revolver therein contained. At last they reached the top of the hill and approached the open spot where their camp was situated.
“What did I tell you?” said Kitwater, as he looked about the camp and could discover no traces of their two native servants. “It was one of our prowling rascals you saw, and when he comes back I’ll teach him to come spying on us. If I know anything of the rattan, he won’t do it again.”
Hayle shrugged his shoulders. While the fact that their servants were not at the camp to anticipate their return was certainly suspicious, he was still as convinced as ever that the man he had seen slipping through the ruins was no Burman, but a true son of the Celestial Empire.
Worn out by the excitement of the day, Kitwater anathematized the servants for not having been there to prepare the evening meal, but while he and Hayle wrangled, Mr. Codd had as usual taken the matter into his own hands, and, picking up a cooking-pot, had set off in the direction of the stream, whence they drew their supply of water. He had not proceeded very far, however, before he uttered a cry and came running back to the camp. There was a scared expression upon his face as he rejoined his companions.
“They’ve not run away,” he cried, pointing in the direction whence he had come. “They’re dead!”
“Dead?” cried Kitwater and Hayle together. Then the latter added, “What do you mean by that?”
“What I say,” Codd replied. “They’re both lying in the jungle back there with their throats cut.”
“Then I was right after all,” Hayle found time to put in. “Come, Kit, let us go and see. There’s more than we bargained for at the back of all this.”
They hurried with Codd to the spot where he had discovered the bodies, to find that his tale was too true. Their two unfortunate servants were to be seen lying one on either side of the track, both dead and shockingly mutilated. Kitwater knelt beside them and examined them more closely.
“Chinese,” he said laconically. Then after a pause he continued, “It’s a good thing for us we had the foresight to take our rifles with us to-day, otherwise we should have lost them for a certainty. Now we shall have to keep our eyes open for trouble. It won’t be long in coming, mark my words.”
“You don’t think they watched us at work in that courtyard, do you?” asked Hayle anxiously, as they returned to the camp. “If that’s so, they’ll have every atom of the remaining treasure, and we shall be done for.”
He spoke as if until that moment they had received nothing.
“It’s just possible they may have done so, of course,” said Kitwater, “but how are we to know? We couldn’t prevent them, for we don’t know how many of them there may be. That fellow you saw this evening may only have been placed there to spy upon our movements. Confound it all, I wish we were a bigger party.”
“It’s no use wishing that,” Hayle returned, and then after a pause he added —“Fortunately we hold a good many lives in our hands, and what’s more, we know the value of our own. The only thing we can do is to watch, watch, and watch, and, if we are taken by surprise, we shall have nobody to thank for it but ourselves. Now if you’ll stand sentry, Coddy and I will get tea.”
They set to work, and the meal was in due course served and eaten. Afterwards Codd went on guard, being relieved by Hayle at midnight. Ever since they had made the ghastly discovery in the jungle, the latter had been more silent even than the gravity of the situation demanded. Now he sat, nursing his rifle, listening to the mysterious voices of the jungle, and thinking as if for dear life. Meanwhile his companions slept soundly on, secure in the fact that he was watching over them.
At last Hayle rose to his feet.
“It’s my only chance,” he said to himself, as he went softly across to where Kitwater was lying. “It must be now or never!”
Kneeling beside the sleeping man, he felt for the packet of precious stones they had that day obtained. Having found it he transferred it to his own pocket, and then returned to his former position as quietly as he had come. Then, having secured as much of their store of ammunition as he could conveniently carry, together with a supply of food sufficient to last him for several days, he deserted his post, abandoned his friends, and disappeared into the jungle!