The Secret Mountain - - (читаем книги онлайн txt) 📗

But the guards did not think for one minute that anyone could be missing! After all, no one could escape down the trap-door for it was bolted underneath — and no one, so they thought, could escape down the golden stairway without being seen. So the little party lived peacefully for two days, with no excitements at all.

Then things began to happen. The golden cage once more came up through the trap-door in the centre of the vast courtyard! Mrs. Arnold happened to be standing nearby and she had a great surprise when she saw the trap-door suddenly rise up and the golden cage appear. She ran to tell the others. They came to watch who was coming.

The chief himself walked from the golden lift! He was very tall, and very thin. His beard flamed in the sun, and his clothes swung round him like shimmering water as he walked. His yellow skin was wrinkled and drawn. He was an old, old man, but powerful and with piercing, eagle-like eyes.

He gave a sharp order. Men stepped out from the cage and came behind him. He walked solemnly to the temple, where he chanted several prayers to the sun in a strong harsh voice. Then he turned to his servants rounded up the little company of prisoners, and brought them before the chief. He ran his strange eyes over them and then looked at his servants in surprise. It was quite plain that he thought someone was missing!

He asked a sharp question. The servants hurriedly counted the prisoners and then sent two of their number to search the summit of the mountain thoroughly.

“They’ve gone to find Ranni and Pilescu,” whispered Jack. “Well, they won’t find them here!”

And they didn’t, of course, though they hunted in every corner and cranny. Ranni and Pilescu had disappeared completely.

The chief was angry. His eyes flamed, and his mouth became hard and straight. He addressed his servants fiercely, and they flung themselves on their faces before him. No one but Mafumu could understand what he was saying, and even Mafumu could not understand everything!

The chief walked majestically over to the company of prisoners and looked into each one’s face. No one flinched except poor Mafumu, who was in a state of real terror, partly because he was afraid of the yellow-skinned chief and partly because he knew something that the others didn’t know!

The chief was choosing who was to be the servant of the sun! He glared into Jack’s face. He stared closely at poor Nora and Peggy. He took Paul’s chin in his hand and peered at him. Nobody liked it at all.

Mafumu was very sad. Whom would the chief choose? Somebody must be the sacrifice to the sun. And poor Mafumu would have to break the news, for no one else understood what the yellow-skinned chief was doing!

The Servant Of The Sun

The tall chief took hold of the little prince and called out some strange words to his followers. At once two men stepped forward and took the frightened boy. He did not know what they were going to do with him, but he was determined not to show that he was afraid.

So, rather white, he stood up proudly and looked the chief straight in the face. Mike and the others felt proud of him.

Paul was marched off alone. He was taken to the golden door, which slid back silently. Then he disappeared down the stairway, and the door once more shut like magic. Captain Arnold stepped forward angrily.

“What are you going to do to the boy?” he cried. “Bring him back!”

The chief laughed then turned on his heel. He went up to the tower of the temple and began what seemed like a long prayer to the sun.

It was left to poor trembling Mafumu to break the news to the others. In his few English words he tried to explain that little Paul was to be the servant of the sun. Everyone listened in amazement and horror. Captain and Mrs. Arnold who had feared that something like this could happen ever since they had been brought to the temple on top of the mountain, looked despairingly at one another.

“I can’t see how we can possibly save him,” said Captain Arnold at last. They all sat down in the shade, and Peggy and Nora began to cry. If even grown-up people couldn’t do anything, then things were indeed in a bad way!

Mike and Jack and Mafumu talked together. Jack would never give up hope. He was that kind of boy. But Mike was full of dismay, and as for Mafumu, he was simply shivering with worry and fright. He kept as close to Jack as he could, as if he thought that Jack would protect him from everything.

Jack was very edgy, though he didn’t show it. “I wish you’d do something instead of shivering all over me,” he said to Mafumu, pushing the boy away.

“Give him a pencil or a notebook to play with,” said Mike. “He’s only a little kid, and you can’t blame him for being a bit scared.”

Jack put his hand into his pocket and brought out a diary. He had been keeping the tale of their adventures there, day by day. He handed it to Mafumu.

“Here you are. Play with this over in the corner there,” he said. Mafumu took the notebook eagerly. He turned over each page one by one, rubbing his fingers over the pages in which Jack had written. He could not understand anything, of course, because he could not write or read.

He came to where Jack had written the day before. After that the pages were blank. Mafumu was puzzled. Why was nothing written in one half of the book? He rolled himself over beside Jack and pointed to the blank pages.

Jack tried to explain to Mafumu. “Today I write, tomorrow I write, but not till the day has gone,” he said.

“Jack, what’s the date today?” asked Mike idly. “I’ve really lost count of the days, you know! I don’t know if it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or what — or if it’s the tenth, eleventh, twenty-first, or thirtieth of the month!”

“Well, I can tell you, because I’ve written down our adventures every day,” said Jack. “It’s Wednesday — and it’s the sixteenth. Look.”

Mike took the diary. He glanced at the next day, and gave an exclamation.

“Oh, Jack! Look what it says for tomorrow!”

“What?” asked Jack, surprised.

“It says there will be an eclipse of the sun,” said Mike. “I do wonder if we’ll see it here?”

“Let’s ask your father,” said Jack. So the two boys went across to Captain Arnold, with the faithful Mafumu following at their heels.

“Dad! It says in Jack’s diary that there is an eclipse of the sun tomorrow!” said Mike. “Do you think there is any chance at all of seeing it here?”

“What’s an eclipse of the sun?” asked Peggy. “I know we’ve learnt about it in school, but I’ve quite forgotten what happens.”

“It’s quite simple,” said Mike. “All that happens is that the moon on its way through the sky passes in front of the sun, and blocks out the sun’s light for a little while. It eclipses the sun’s light, and for a time the world looks queer and strange because there is no sunlight in the daytime!”

Captain Arnold sprang to his feet. To Mike’s enormous surprise he snatched Jack’s diary from him and looked at what was printed there in the space for the next day.

“Eclipse of the sun, 11.43 a.m.,” he read. “Is this this year’s diary? Yes! My word! Eclipse of the sun tomorrow! It’s unbelievable!”

He spoke in such an excited voice that everyone came round him at once.

“What’s the matter? Why are you so excited?” cried Mike. Only Mrs. Arnold guessed. Her eyes were bright and hopeful.

“I’ll tell you. Listen carefully,” said Captain Arnold. He lowered his voice, for although he did not think that any of the Mountain Folk were listening anywhere, or could understand a word he said, he was not taking any chances.

“Mike has told you what an eclipse of the sun means. It means that the moon passes exactly in front of the sun, and it only happens rarely. If we were in England the sun would not be completely hidden by the moon — but here in Africa it will, and the whole countryside will become as dark as night!”