CHAPTER V. THE DANCE OF DEATH.

“God help us!” exclaimed Prof. Easy, as he saw the strange inhabitants of the underground place rushing for them from both front and rear.

But “God helps those who help themselves,” and both Leo Malvern and Dick Vincey were fully aware of this. They made up their minds that they would not be killed or captured until they had used every effort to drive away their enemies.

Brave, young fellows! But what could they hope to accomplish against such fearful odds?

Martin Haypole was the only man they had to stick to them now, as both the professor and Lucky at once threw down their weapons when they observed the horde approaching through the passage.

“Keep on firing!” shouted Leo, “and when they close on us use your revolvers.”

“No--no!” replied the professor; “let us surrender. It is the best thing to do, I think.”

“Never!” exclaimed Dick, and his reply was echoed by his cousin and the intrepid Yankee.

Nearer approached the swarming savages, and presently our friends were hemmed in from all possible means of escape.

It seemed that every man that fell had two or three to take his place.

At length there was a combined rush from all quarters, and the swamp explorers were forced to the ground and made prisoners.

This caused their hopes to rise a trifle.

They were not to be killed at present, and that was one consoling thought.

Their captors seemed to be very gleeful over the fact of having made them prisoners, and at once proceeded to bind their arms behind them, after having first divested them of their weapons.

Then the five swamp explorers were lifted to their feet in their deplorable condition.

“I wonder what in thunderation the scamps are a-goin’ ter do with us,” observed the Yankee.

“The Lord only knows,” groaned Prof. Easy, who now was thoroughly frightened.

“We will have to trust to luck,” said Leo.

“We is done gwine ter be killed--’deed we is!” exclaimed Lucky, in a despondent tone.

“Wait until you are sure of that before you say it again,” replied Dick.

Then turning to the crowd surrounding them, he continued:

“Come! what are you standing there for? Why don’t you take us to the place you intend to, and have done with it?”

It seemed that he was understood, for without any further ado two men seized each of the captives, and the whole crowd started off down the passage.

It was rather dark in the tunnel-like place, and when they had traversed about three hundred yards, our friends were unable to see any of their surroundings.

But in a very few minutes they saw light ahead of them, and objects again became distinguishable.

A cry of wonder broke from the lips of the five as they were marched out into the light. If they had been surprised when they first entered the underground place, they were even more than surprised now.

They found themselves in a natural cave of many acres in extent, in which was a small village of stone huts.

The queerest thing about the place was that the top of the cave--if cave it could really be called--was entirely open in a circle of six or seven hundred yards in diameter. This admitted both light and rain, and hence it was that an unlimited supply of vegetation could be seen about.

The opening above was many feet from the ground upon which the stone huts were built, and there was no possible means of getting to the level ground above without the aid of an immense ladder.

“Well, this jist beats the Jews!” ejaculated Haypole. “This place looks like a big watermelon hollered out and one of ther ends cut off. I think if I knowed that song called ‘Down in a Coal Mine,’ I’d sing it.”

The prisoners were led along until they came to the largest building visible to them, and there a halt was called.

There were no doors to any of the huts, which showed that the inhabitants were not afraid of being robbed by their neighbors. The crowd who had charge of our friends faced the main doorway of the building they had halted in front of, and then clapped their hands.

Almost immediately a rustle was heard, and the figure of a female came out.

As soon as she appeared every person in sight, save the five captives, dropped to their knees and turned their faces to the ground.

With a look of wonderment upon their faces the swamp explorers eyed the girl--for she did not look to be over eighteen at the most--and marveled at her rare beauty.

She was attired in a trailing, white gown of some gauzy material, and her face was partly concealed by a fold of the same, which was thrown around her shoulders and across her mouth.

The look from her dazzling bright eyes showed that she was surprised at seeing the strangers.

But only for an instant did her gaze rest upon them.

Turning quickly to those who had brought them there, she clapped her hands three times.

All arose to their feet and saluted her.

Then, to the surprise of Prof. Easy, one of the men stepped forward and began addressing the girl in Spanish.

“Oh, queen,” said he, “here are five more people who have dared find their way into the land of Hez. What shall be their doom? Shall they be confined in the magic chamber with the other prisoner to witness the dance of death, or shall they be slaughtered at once?”

“Conduct them to the magic chamber,” said the queen, with an imperious wave of her hand.

She turned to enter the building, when the professor, who could speak Spanish fluently, exclaimed:

“Most gracious queen, listen a moment, please!”

At this the girl turned as if she had been stung, and the fold of her garment, becoming loosened, fell from her face, revealing the most beautiful countenance our friends had ever looked upon, or even dreamed of.

“Heavens!” thought Dick Vincey, “what a beautiful creature.”

The queen had fixed her eyes upon the face of the professor.

“Were you addressing me, sir?” she demanded.

“I was, oh, queen,” he returned. “I would like to say, in behalf of my companions and myself, that if we did wrong in coming to this place, we were not aware of it. Surely you will not condemn us to death for making such a mistake.”

“Enough! Away with them to the magic chamber, and let them witness the dance of death.”

With these words she swept gracefully into the house, and the Hezzians, as we shall now call the natives, seized the prisoners and led them from the spot.

None of the party, save Prof. Easy, could understand any other language than their own, and they were all very curious as to what was going to be done with them.

“What did she say when you spoke to her, professor?” asked Leo.

“She has sentenced us to be shut up in a place called the magic chamber, where there is now a captive already, and witness the dance of death. What will follow I am not prepared to say. That beautiful but hard-hearted creature is the queen of this strange country, and what she says seems to be law.”

“She don’t look as though she would have us killed,” observed Haypole. “I seen her castin’ sheep’s-eyes at Dick while we was a-standin’ there. Ther only thing that’ll save us is for him ter make love to her.”

“I’d do that willingly enough, if I thought it would save our lives,” said Dick.

Leo and the Yankee laughed in spite of their situation.

It struck them that Dick would be glad to pay his attentions to the beautiful queen, even if it would not benefit them.

But there was no time for further conversation now. The Hezzians had halted at what appeared to be the extreme end of the cave.

Half a dozen of them used their combined efforts to roll a rock aside, which revealed a small opening.

Into this they filed, taking our friends with them.

It was dark as pitch inside, but at a word from one of the men a light suddenly appeared.

How it came so quickly our friends were at first at a loss to understand, but in a few seconds it was made plain to them.

As their eyes became accustomed to the ghostly glare the light made, they began looking around them.

They found that the place into which they had been conducted was a cave of about one hundred feet square.

In the center, upon the floor, a man attired in the habiliments of civilization sat, with his arms bound behind him.

A single glance sufficed to show the swamp explorers that it was the man who had left the balloon and started down the stairs in quest of the one with the dog.

He looked up when he saw men of his own appearance approaching, and a smile lit up his countenance.

The five prisoners were at once placed at the side of this man, and then those who had brought them thither immediately left the cave.

Then it was that they first saw what caused the light.

A girl, who was almost as beautiful as the queen herself, had entered through a passage at the other side of the cave at about the same time they had.

She carried a blazing torch, which she waved to and fro in a weird sort of fashion.

A heavy band of metal was about her neck, and upon her wrists bracelets glittered and flashed in the rays of light.

She began walking in a circle about the six prisoners.

When she had made the circuit five times, a low, grinding music struck up from some unseen place near by.

Almost instantly a slight commotion was heard, and fully forty girls, attired the same as the first, entered the cave.

Each one carried a lighted torch, and the flame of each shed forth a light of different hue.

As soon as they had placed themselves in position, the hidden music changed to a quick air, and they began to dance in a wild, graceful sort of way.

For five minutes the girls kept up the dance, and then a change occurred.

An ominous, rattling sound was heard, and a score of human skeletons dropped from above and stood upright upon the ground.

Then the dance began in earnest, the skeletons joining in, it seemed.

The girls struck up a chant in time with the music, which had again changed, and began gliding about, right and left, with their grewsome partners.

Lucky, the darky, whose nerves were not overstrong, fainted away, while the rest of the party felt an icy chill gliding down their backs.

Probably the least interested one in the party was the man who had been in the cave when our friends entered.

He gazed at the scene with a look of indifference on his face, and even smiled when the girls grasped the hideous relics of humanity about their fleshless waists and whirled them around.

Round and round spun the dancers, oftentimes nearly stumbling over the captives upon the floor.

Suddenly one of the fair dancers got tangled up with her “partner,” and stumbled headlong over Leo.

As she did so, the boy heard a metallic ring close beside him.

As soon as she arose to her feet and glided away, he saw a knife lying upon the ground.

Moving slightly, he kicked Dick gently.

“What’s up?” asked his cousin, taking his eyes from the curious scene for a moment.

“I have found a knife,” was the whispered reply. “I am going to get hold of it with my teeth and cut your hands loose.”

Rolling over on his stomach, he seized the knife by the handle in a strong grip between his teeth.

Dick turned so his back was toward Leo, and then the boy began sawing away at the bonds which held his hands together.

It was a difficult job, but Leo was plucky, and presently he was rewarded by seeing his cousin’s hands free.

Then it was but the work of a moment for Dick to liberate him.

“Now,” said Leo, “cut the rest free.”

Just as he was about to do so, a crowd of hideous-appearing men, attired in the skins of various animals, rushed in the cave, and seizing about half of the dancing girls, carried them screaming from the spot.

Then the dance ceased as if by magic.

There was now but one girl left to each skeleton, and these placed their fair, white arms about the necks of the horrible objects.

The music now clashed into a sound like the shriek of a doomed soul, and then both girls and skeletons began to rise slowly in the air.

“By heavens!” exclaimed Leo, springing to his feet; “I am going to know the cause of some of this humbug.”

Springing forward, he seized one of the girls about the waist and gave a tug downward.

Then something snapped above them, and down came the girl, bringing the skeleton with her, knocking the daring boy flat upon his back.