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The Expedition of Captain Flick: A Story of Adventure

Chapter XV. The City of Awazil

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Chapter XV. The City of Awazil.

“Right so this knight departed, and gat him to a black city built of old time, by magic wholly. And the city height, Carlion, was ridden by many enchantments; whereby he who entered its gates was smitten with grievous dole, taking thereafter no pleasure in adventures perilous, or in the rescue of fayre ladies.”

We anchored at the head of the bay, almost under the shadow of the frowning cliffs. Here they rose some hundreds of feet, and immediately in front of the yacht they were split from top to bottom. This chasm admitted outside craft into the port of Isk, which was a deep pool at the base of the volcano, and almost in the heart of the island. Here was built the city of Awazil, the capital of the island, and indeed the only town of considerable size it contained, the rest being mere villages. Defended by the cliffs on one side, and the towering height of the fire mountain on the other, the capital of Isk was almost impregnable. It would take a crafty and patient foe to pierce through that narrow inlet and attempt the capture.

I think it was extremely wise of Flick to refuse page 166 to immediately enter this port. Once inside that death-trap, and our yacht would be at the mercy of these morose savages. Without the boat we could not escape; and, once prisoners, Heaven only knows what would have happened to us. Both Harry and myself agreed with Flick that it was wise to anchor the yacht at that giant portal till dawn, when we would decide what was best to be done.

The chief seemed disappointed at our decision—a fact which did not tend to dispel our suspicions of treachery—but he accepted it with stolid apathy, and shortly afterwards disappeared through the chasm, with the red ship and the whole fleet of boats. We were left in the bay entirely alone, and as the night came on swiftly, we found our boat rolling lightly in the darkness, under the mighty cliffs. The negroes had brought us fruit and fresh meat, so that they seemed disposed to welcome us; but we did not believe in their guarantees of good faith.

“They are a treacherous lot,” said Flick, as we stood on deck looking at our sombre environments. “No doubt they intended to decoy us into that port, and then shut up the passage.”

“Do you think, then, that there is any gate or barrier in that chasm, Flick?”

“I fancy so, Sir Denis; and I'd like to make sure of it before venturing in.”

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“But you surely don't intend to steam into the port?” said I anxiously.

“Not till I'm certain of our reception,” replied Flick grimly. “That chief—by the way, his name is Ixtael—that chief wishes me to see the king to-morrow, and explain my reasons for coming here.”

“But you surely won't tell him that you intend to steal the statue?”

“No; but I'll ask him to restore Bertha to you.”

“He won't do that,” struck in Harry, with a shake of his head.

“In that case we must take the law into our own hands, and get her aboard somehow,” said Flick quietly. “She already knows of our arrival, so we shall doubtless see her to-morrow.”

“Will you take the Carmen into port, then?”

“Not if I know it. The boat will remain here in charge of Harry; you and I, with half a dozen men, will visit the king.”

“Do you think that will be safe?” said Harry doubtfully. “Once in yonder, there won't be much chance of your getting out.”

“My dear lad,” said Roaring Tom determinedly, “I told you when we set out on this expedition that it was one of peril. We must interview the king, and penetrate into the interior of the island, else I see no chance of getting your sister saved, or of page 168 annexing the statue. Sir Denis and I will take our chance to-morrow. If we are made prisoners, you must wait for twenty-four hours here. If we don't turn up at that time, lift anchor and steam to the flat coast on the other side of the island. It would be impossible for eight men to force that gate of hell yonder; but we might fight our way to the coast on the other side of the island, and then, under fire of our gun, be able to get safely aboard.”

“I shan't leave till I save Bertha,” said I doggedly. “What is the use of our saving ourselves if she is left behind?”

“She won't be,” said Flick savagely. “If we are forced to retreat across the isle, she will be with us. Ay, and the statue, too, if I can get it. It's a risk, and we hold our lives in our hands in visiting the king to-morrow; still, we will go well armed, and hope for the best.”

Harry was leaning over the side of the yacht, looking at the mass of rock reared against the sky. Suddenly he turned towards us with a brisk air.

“I say, Flick,” he said quickly, “those niggers have gone inside. We are all alone here, so why shouldn't we lower a boat and explore the passage? Then we'll be able to find out if there's a barrier or not.”

Tired of doing nothing, Flick readily adopted this suggestion, and leaving me in charge of the yacht page 169 with Jenner, he went, with Harry and four men, into a boat. I saw them pull into the darkness with some misgiving; but we were so surrounded with perils that one more or less did not matter, therefore I took a cheerful view of the situation. The boat's crew were well armed, and moreover carried a dynamite bomb; so, if the negroes attacked the adventurers, I was certain they would get the worst of it. Science was on our side, and our handful was a match for the whole of these barbarians.

There was no moon that night and few stars, as the heavens were overcast with clouds. In front I could feel rather than see the lofty cliffs looming in the darkness; and at the back a grey sea swirled in white wavelets into the shadows. The night was chilly, and there was a feel of rain in the atmosphere which dispirited me. Never did our enterprise seem so foolhardy as at that moment. Bertha in the power of a savage and cruel race, beyond that giant barrier; ourselves shut out in a boat of no great size, with all to accomplish and nothing done. The task seemed hopeless.

Down came the rain, as I expected, lashing the waters white, and driving sharply across the decks. Jenner brought me a cloak, and, wrapped in this, I crouched in the lee of a boat, peering into the darkness, listening intently for the splash of oars. The page 170 wind ripping through the rigging, the swish of the deep-sea rain whipping the spars, and the sucking noises made by the waves lapping the sides of the yacht—these were the only sounds I heard. Flick and Harry had now been away for over two hours, and I was beginning to feel somewhat alarmed at their prolonged absence, when I heard the captain hailing, and the boat shot out of the drifting rain. In a few minutes they were 'longside, up on deck, and, without wasting any time, descended to the comfortable seclusion of the cabin.

“Whew! what a night!” cried Harry, shaking his rough coat. “Steward, bring in some hot water, and brew grog all round. I'm wringing wet.”

“Well,” said I, anxious to hear the news, “any success?”

“Depends upon what you call success, Sir Denis,” growled Flick leisurely. “We went to look for a barrier in that chasm, and sure enough we found one.”

“A regular portcullis, Denis,” said Harry eagerly, “all strongly formed of iron bars, which go deep into the water, and extend from side to side. I'm glad we did not sail the boat in, for there would have been no getting out again.”

“Pooh! nonsense!” said the captain, pouring himself out some rum. “A charge of dynamite would page 171 soon clear the obstruction away. It's mighty ingenious, I allow, and impregnable to savage foes; but against our scientific instruments of warfare it isn't worth a red cent.”

“That barrier sounds nasty,” said I doubtfully. “After all, it will be best to keep our boat in this bay. What do you say, Flick?”

“I say nothing at present,” he replied quietly. “After our interview with the king and with Miss Greenvile, I'll come to a decision.”

“Why with Miss Greenvile? she can't help us.”

“Indeed she can, Sir Denis. She has now had some experience of these islanders, and she will be able to tell us if they are to be trusted or not. And now, lads,” he added, finishing his grog, “let us turn in. There is a hard day's work before us, and we need all the sleep we can get.”

This was excellent advice, and in a quarter of an hour we were in our bunks. I do not know how the others passed the night; but the novelty of the situation prevented sleep coming to me for some considerable time. I thought of Bertha, of the undoubted peril of the next day's visit, of the savage looks of the islanders, and tossed, and turned, and worried my soul far into the night. Towards dawn I fell into an uneasy slumber, from which I was awoke by Harry.

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“Get up, Denis,” he said, shaking me; “it's close on nine o'clock, and the water is swarming with boats.”

Excited by this news, I dressed myself rapidly and came on deck. The rain had passed away during the night, and the bay looked more cheerful under the rays of the sun. As Harry had stated, the waters were covered with the canoes of the negroes; but these kept a respectful distance away, as though they mistrusted our intentions. As usual the predominating colours of the islanders were scarlet and black; and an uncanny-looking lot they seemed. They jabbered a good deal in their own dialect, but never a smile did I see, or a laugh did I hear. Morose, sad, and cruel-looking, one would think they were a race exiled under the grey skies of the north, instead of inhabiting a tropical island. They were the most misanthropic savages I ever saw.

Shortly after we finished breakfast, Ixtael duly arrived in a scarlet-painted barge, manned by rowers. He intimated that the King of Isk was anxious to see us, and again invited Flick to enter the port in the Carmen. Again the astute Flick refused, but accepted the royal invitation on behalf of himself and me. With half a dozen men we entered the barge, first taking leave of Harry, who was much moved at the parting; as indeed he might be, for it was impossible to say what was intended by the negroes.

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“Good-bye, lad,” said Flick, as he left the yacht; “remember, if we're not back in twenty-four hours, you are to steam to the other side of the isle and wait our arrival.”

Harry promised, and waved his hand as the barge shot towards the chasm. Our party were all well armed, and Flick and myself were on our guard against treachery. We had made all as safe as was possible under the circumstances; but there was no denying that the future was uncertain, and that we were committing ourselves to an adventure, the terminatin of which not one of us could foresee. It was only the thought of Bertha, and her peril, that nerved me to the task; and I confess to an odd feeling of alarm when the barge entered the dusk of that mighty chasm. I am afraid my readers will set me down as a coward, but it is not so. In the presence of actual danger I am as brave as any man; it was the uncertainty and suspense which made me anxious.

The entrance to Isk was certainly worthy of Dante's Inferno. Through a narrow passage, the black walls of which soared aloft some hundreds of feet, streamed a grass-green body of water, making strange noises in the hollows of the rocks. Overhead, I could see the vivid blue of the sky as through a narrow crack, and here in these tremendous depths all was page 174 chilly and gloomy. The passage wound to right and left for some hundreds of yards, then came two brazen gates, which were now swung open and secured on either side. Through these we passed, and the chasm grew wider, the cliffs became lower, till at length we emerged, between fertile shores covered with trees, into an immense pool, whose sun-smitten waters were dazzling after the gloom of that sombre abyss.

Directly in front of us rose the volcano out of its green forests, while on either side the lands fell away into smilling fields carefully cultivated. The pool was encircled by quays of black lava, fitted together with marvellous precision, and these quays fronted the town itself, which nearly enclasped the port in its clusters of houses. The dwellings were also built of black stone, with streets running at right angles; but on the side of the mountain appeared a lofty building of dazzling white marble, built after the fashion of the Parthenon. This was elevated on a broad terrace, whence steps, long and shallow, also of white marble, descended until they were lost in the belt of green which divided the building from the quay itself. It needed no one to tell us that in this white marvel we beheld the Temple of the Star, wherein was enshrined the statue of Venus; wherein was held prisoner my dear Bertha.

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It was a curious scene, and one which impressed itself vividly on my memory. Even now I can close my eyes and recall its every feature; the circular cup of green, the sombre assemblage of low-built houses, the white peak of the smoking mountain, the white temple of the goddess, and, amid all, our scarlet barge moving across the still pool, which flashed like a mirror in the rays of the sun. Flick was likewise impressed with the scene, as he stood beside me.

“It's a queer place, this Awazil,” said he, looking around. “What dismal-looking houses of black stone. Yonder is the temple. Aha! The statue is there, I expect.”

“And Bertha also,” I retorted. “She is of more moment than your statue.”

Before he could answer, the barge came 'longside the quay, and we disembarked.