“Beowald! Quick! Set us free!” shouted Ranni. The water was already high, and more and more was flooding into the cave. It had increased a great deal in the last few minutes. Ranni was afraid that the whole roof might give way beneath the terrific weight of water — and then there would be no hope for the little company at all.
“What is it? Where are you? What is this water?” cried Beowald, lost in this strange new world of roaring and wetness.
“Beowald! Listen to me!” shouted Ranni, urgently. “Listen carefully. You are standing at the entrance to a cave, where I and the others are, all bound tightly, so that we cannot walk, or free ourselves. Water is pouring into our cave, and we shall be drowned if you do not hurry. Step down, Beowald, walk towards my voice. Do not be afraid.”
“I will come,” said the blind goatherd. He stepped further into the water, and then stopped, afraid. He was never afraid in his own mountain world. He knew every inch, every rock, every tree. But this was all new to him and strange to him, and it frightened him.
“Hurry, Beowald, hurry!” cried Ranni. “Come to me, quickly. Get our your knife. Cut my bonds.”
Beowald stumbled through the water and felt about for Ranni. His hands brushed the big Baronians face. Ranni was half-lying, half-sitting. On his head was an enormous bump where he had struck it against a rock. Beowald’s fingers felt the bump, and he wondered what had caused it. His hands ran down Ranni’s body and he felt that the man had his arms tied behind his back.
He took out his knife and, with a careful stroke, cut the leather thongs that bound Ranni’s hands together. The big man stretched out his arms gladly, trying to get some strength back into them for they were stiff and swollen with being bound so tightly.
He snatched Beowald’s knife from him and cut the thongs that bound his ankles together. He stood up, and at once over-balanced, for the thongs had cut into his legs, and for the moment he could not stand on them. He rose again, and went to Paul.
In a trice the small boy was free, and was trying to get to the entrance of the passage. “Quick, quick!” he cried. “Set the others free, Ranni. They will be drowned!”
As quickly as he could Ranni cut the thongs that bound the others, and set them free. They tried to stagger out of the water that now swirled above their knees. The cave was rapidly filling.
Ranni picked up the torch that was still lying on the rocky ledge, shining brightly into the cave. He held it so that everyone could see how to get into the narrow passage that led upwards to the other cave, away from the water. Beowald had already gone into the passage, anxious to get back to the mountain-side he knew. He felt so strange and so lost underground.
Ranni swung his torch round the cave of the waterfall for the last time — and then he saw that what he had feared might happen, was about to happen! The whole roof of the big cave was giving way! The pressure and weight of the water above it, trying to find its way out of the already enlarged hole, was too much for it. It had to give way. The rain that had fallen in torrents on the mountain-top, had to get away somewhere, and it had found the ordinary channels in the mountain too small for it. It was forcing and pressing everything in its way — and now the roof of the cave had to give in to its enormous pressure.
With a terrific roar the roof fell in, and after it poured the biggest volume of water that Ranni had ever seen. He gave a shout of terror and rushed up the narrow passage after the others. He was afraid that the water might flood even that passage, and trap them before they could get into the other cave!
“What’s the matter, Ranni, what’s the matter?” cried Paul, hearing the terrified shout.
“Hurry! Hurry! The roof has fallen in and the cave is nothing but swirling water!” panted Ranni. “It will find its way up this passage, before it can get its own level and drain away downwards. Hurry, Paul; hurry, Mike!”
The five in front of him, frightened by the fear in his voice, hurried on as swiftly as they could, stumbling over the rough, rocky way. Beowald was terrified. He was afraid of falling, afraid of the unknown, afraid of the roaring of the water behind him.
The water had found the narrow passage and was making its way up there too. Ranni felt sure he could hear it lapping behind him! He pushed the others on, shouting and yelling, and they, full of panic, went staggering through the dark and winding passage.
“Thank goodness the passage goes upwards all the way,” thought Ranni, thankfully, as he came to a steep piece. “Now we are safe! The water cannot reach us here. We are too high. Never will anyone be able to get down into the cave of the waterfall again. There will always be water there now that the roof has fallen in.”
They came out into the cave below the temple at last. All of them sank down on the floor, trembling in every limb. Surely there had never been such a narrow escape.
“If Beowald had not come when he did, we should all have been drowned by now,” said Paul, in a choking voice. “Oh, Beowald — however was it you came down there just at that moment?”
Far away, down the passage, the muffled roar of the water could still be heard. Beowald’s voice rose clearly above it:
“The search party went down to this cave and to the waterfall cave, but they could not find you. They are seeking for you still out on the mountain. I was anxious, and when I came into the temple-cave, I felt that I must come down by myself, though I was afraid. That is how I found you.”
“We have had such adventures!” said Mike, beginning to feel quite a hero. “We’ve been to the Secret Forest, Beowald!”
“That is marvellous,” said the blind goatherd. “Surely no man has even set foot there before!”
“Oh, yes!” said Paul. “The robbers live there, Beowald. They must have lived there for years and years. Ranni, will the robbers ever be able to come up the mountain river now, climbing along that ledge, to get to Killimooin this side?”
“Never,” said Ranni. “We are well rid of them!”
Little by little the boys stopped trembling from their exertions, and their hearts beat less fast. They began to feel able to stand. Mike got up and found that he was quite all right again.
“I want to get back to the castle,” he said. “I want to see the girls and tell them all that has happened to us. My word, won’t they be jealous of our adventures!”
“I want something to eat,” said Paul. “I’m terribly hungry. I shall ask Yamen to give me the very nicest, most delicious food she’s got.”
The thought of food made everyone eager to set out again. Ranni got up and pulled Paul to his feet. “Well, come along then,” he said. “We shall soon be home now!”
One by one they hauled themselves up the rope that led to the temple-cave. Their feet found the rough places to help them, as they went up, and at last all six of them were standing in the big temple-cave.
It seemed dark there, darker than it should have been. Ranni looked towards the entrance.
“We can’t go home!” he said in disappointment. “Look at that mist! It is like a thick fog. We could not see our hands in front of our faces if we went out in that. We should be completely lost in two minutes.”
“Well, we must stay here till the mist clears,” said Pilescu. “I am afraid it will not clear for some hours. When the mountain mists are as thick as this one, they last a long time.”
“Oh, Pilescu! We must get back now we’re so near home!” said Paul, almost in tears. “We must! I’m so hungry I can’t stay here one more minute.”
Jack looked at the blind goatherd, who was standing, quietly listening.
“Beowald can guide us back,” said Jack. “You know your way by night, or in the thickest mist, don’t you, Beowald?”
Beowald nodded. “It is all the same to me,” he said. “If you wish, I will take you back to Killimooin Castle. My feet know the way! Is the mist very thick? I can feel that there is one, but I do not know how thick.”
“It’s the thickest one I’ve ever seen,” said Pilescu, peering out. “I’m not at all sure I like to trust myself even to you, Beowald!”
“You are safe with me on the mountain-side,” said the goatherd. He took out his little flute and played one of his queer tunes on it. An enormous horned head suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave, and everyone jumped in fright.
“Ha, old one, you are there!” cried Beowald, as he heard the patter of the big goat’s hooves. “Keep by me, old one, and together we will lead these friends of ours safely down our mountain-side!”
“Take hands,” ordered Ranni. “Don’t let go, whatever you do. If anything happens, and you have to let go, shout and keep on shouting so that we keep in touch with one another. We have had enough narrow escapes for one day!”
Everyone took hands. Beowald went out of the cave, playing his flute, his left hand firmly clasped in Ranni’s big one. Behind Ranni came Paul, then Mike, then Jack, then Pilescu, all firmly holding hands.
“I feel as if we’re going to play ‘Ring-a-ring-of-roses’!” said Jack, with a laugh.
“Well, don’t let’s play the ‘all-fall-down’ part,” said Mike at once. “It wouldn’t be at all a good thing to do on a steep mountain-side like this.”
They felt light-hearted at the idea of going home at last. With Beowald’s music sounding plaintively through the mist, they stumbled along down the steep mountain-path. Two or three times one or other of the boys fell, and broke hands. They shouted at once, and the party stopped and joined together again.
It was slow work walking in the thick mist. They could barely see the person in front. Only Beowald walked steadily and surely. He could see with his feet!
“Don’t go too fast, Beowald,” said Ranni, as he felt the little prince dragging behind him. “Remember, we cannot see anything — not even our own feet.”
“Neither can Beowald!” thought Mike. “How marvellous he is! Whatever should we have done without him?”
They stumbled downwards slowly for more than an hour and a half. Then Ranni gave a shout.
“We’re almost there! I can hear the hens clucking at the back of the castle, and a dog barking. Bear up, Paul, we are nearly home!”
They came to the flight of steps, and stumbled up them, tired out. Beowald slipped away with the big goat. The others hardly saw him go. They were so excited at getting back in safety. Killimooin Castle at last! They hammered on the big iron-studded door impatiently.