Chapter 24 The Secret Cave
|
|||||
THE
SUN had nearly reached the meridian, and his scorching rays fell full on
the rocks, which seemed themselves sensible of the heat. Thousands of
grasshoppers, hidden in the bushes, chirped with a monotonous and dull
note; the leaves of the myrtle and olive trees waved and rustled in the
wind. At every step that Edmond took he disturbed the lizards glittering
with the hues of the emerald; afar off he saw the wild goats bounding from
crag to crag. In a word, the island was inhabited, yet Edmond felt himself
alone, guided by the hand of God. He felt an indescribable sensation
somewhat akin to dread--that dread of the daylight which even in the
desert makes us fear we are watched and observed. This feeling was so
strong that at the moment when Edmond was about to begin his labor, he
stopped, laid down his pickaxe, seized his gun, mounted to the summit of
the highest rock, and from thence gazed round in every direction. But
it was not upon Corsica, the very houses of which he could distinguish; or
on Sardinia; or on the Island of Elba, with its historical associations;
or upon the almost imperceptible line that to the experienced eye of a
sailor alone revealed the coast of Genoa the proud, and Leghorn the
commercial, that he gazed. It was at the brigantine that had left in the
morning, and the tartan that had just set sail, that Edmond fixed his
eyes. The first was just disappearing in the straits of Bonifacio; the
other, following an opposite direction, was about to round the Island of
Corsica. This sight reassured him. He then looked at the objects near him.
He saw that he was on the highest point of the island,--a statue on this
vast pedestal of granite, nothing human appearing in sight, while the blue
ocean beat against the base of the island, and covered it with a fringe of
foam. Then he descended with cautious and slow step, for he dreaded lest
an accident similar to that he had so adroitly feigned should happen in
reality. Dantจจs, as we have said, had traced
the marks along the rocks, and he had noticed that they led to a small
creek. which was hidden like the bath of some ancient nymph. This creek
was sufficiently wide at its mouth, and deep in the centre, to admit of
the entrance of a small vessel of the lugger class, which would be
perfectly concealed from observation. Then
following the clew that, in the hands of the Abbจฆ Faria, had been so skilfully used to guide him
through the Daedalian labyrinth of probabilities, he thought that the
Cardinal Spada, anxious not to be watched, had entered the creek,
concealed his little barque, followed the line marked by the notches in
the rock, and at the end of it had buried his treasure. It was this idea
that had brought Dantจจs back to the circular rock. One
thing only perplexed Edmond, and destroyed his theory. How could this
rock, which weighed several tons, have been lifted to this spot, without
the aid of many men? Suddenly an idea flashed across his mind. Instead of
raising it, thought he, they have lowered it. And he sprang from the rock
in order to inspect the base on which it had formerly stood. He soon
perceived that a slope had been formed, and the rock had slid along this
until it stopped at the spot it now occupied. A large stone had served as
a wedge; flints and pebbles had been inserted around it, so as to conceal
the orifice; this species of masonry had been covered with earth, and
grass and weeds had grown there, moss had clung to the stones,
myrtle-bushes had taken root, and the old rock seemed fixed to the earth. Dantจจs dug away the earth carefully,
and detected, or fancied he detected, the ingenious artifice. He attacked
this wall, cemented by the hand of time, with his pickaxe. After ten
minutes' labor the wall gave way, and a hole large enough to insert the
arm was opened. Dantจจs went and cut the strongest
olive-tree he could find, stripped off its branches, inserted it in the
hole, and used it as a lever. But the rock was too heavy, and too firmly
wedged, to be moved by any one man, were he Hercules himself. Dantจจs saw that he must attack the
wedge. But how? He cast his eyes around, and saw the horn full of powder
which his friend Jacopo had left him. He smiled; the infernal invention
would serve him for this purpose. With the aid of his pickaxe, Dantจจs, after the manner of a
labor-saving pioneer, dug a mine between the upper rock and the one that
supported it, filled it with powder, then made a match by rolling his
handkerchief in saltpetre. He lighted it and retired. The explosion soon
followed; the upper rock was lifted from its base by the terrific force of
the powder; the lower one flew into pieces; thousands of insects escaped
from the aperture Dantจจs
had previously formed, and a huge snake, like the guardian demon of the
treasure, rolled himself along in darkening coils, and disappeared. Dantจจs approached the upper rock,
which now, without any support, leaned towards the sea. The intrepid
treasure-seeker walked round it, and, selecting the spot from whence it
appeared most susceptible to attack, placed his lever in one of the
crevices, and strained every nerve to move the mass. The rock, already
shaken by the explosion, tottered on its base. Dantจจs redoubled his efforts; he seemed like one of the
ancient Titans, who uprooted the mountains to hurl against the father of
the gods. The rock yielded, rolled over, bounded from point to point, and
finally disappeared in the ocean. On
the spot it had occupied was a circular space, exposing an iron ring let
into a square flag-stone. Dantจจs
uttered a cry of joy and surprise; never had a first attempt been crowned
with more perfect success. He would fain have continued, but his knees
trembled, and his heart beat so violently, and his sight became so dim,
that he was forced to pause. This feeling lasted but for a moment. Edmond
inserted his lever in the ring and exerted all his strength; the
flag-stone yielded, and disclosed steps that descended until they were
lost in the obscurity of a subterraneous grotto. Any one else would have
rushed on with a cry of joy. Dantจจs turned pale, hesitated, and
reflected. "Come," said he to himself, "be a man. I am
accustomed to adversity. I must not be cast down by the discovery that I
have been deceived. What, then, would be the use of all I have suffered?
The heart breaks when, after having been elated by flattering hopes, it
sees all its illusions destroyed. Faria has dreamed this; the Cardinal
Spada buried no treasure here; perhaps he never came here, or if he did,
C?sar Borgia, the intrepid adventurer, the stealthy and indefatigable
plunderer, has followed him, discovered his traces, pursued them as I have
done, raised the stone, and descending before me, has left me
nothing." He remained motionless and pensive, his eyes fixed on the
gloomy aperture that was open at his feet. "Now
that I expect nothing, now that I no longer entertain the slightest hopes,
the end of this adventure becomes simply a matter of curiosity." And
he remained again motionless and thoughtful. "Yes,
yes; this is an adventure worthy a place in the varied career of that
royal bandit. This fabulous event formed but a link in a long chain of
marvels. Yes, Borgia has been here, a torch in one band, a sword in the
other, and within twenty paces, at the foot of this rock, perhaps two
guards kept watch on land and sea, while their master descended, as I am
about to descend, dispelling the darkness before his awe-inspiring
progress." "But
what was the fate of the guards who thus possessed his secret?" asked
Dantจจs of himself. "The
fate," replied he, smiling, "of those who buried Alaric." "Yet,
had he come," thought Dantจจs,
"he would have found the treasure, and Borgia, he who compared Italy
to an artichoke, which he could devour leaf by leaf, knew too well the
value of time to waste it in replacing this rock. I will go down." Then
he descended, a smile on his lips, and murmuring that last word of human
philosophy, "Perhaps!" But instead of the darkness, and the
thick and mephitic atmosphere he had expected to find, Dantจจs saw a dim and bluish light, which, as well as the
air, entered, not merely by the aperture he had just formed, but by the
interstices and crevices of the rock which were visible from without, and
through which he could distinguish the blue sky and the waving branches of
the evergreen oaks, and the tendrils of the creepers that grew from the
rocks. After having stood a few minutes in the cavern, the atmosphere of
which was rather warm than damp, Dantจจs'
eye, habituated as it was to darkness, could pierce even to the remotest
angles of the cavern, which was of granite that sparkled like diamonds.
"Alas," said Edmond, smiling, "these are the treasures the
cardinal has left; and the good abbจฆ, seeing in a dream these glittering walls, has
indulged in fallacious hopes." But
he called to mind the words of the will, which he knew by heart. "In
the farthest angle of the second opening," said the cardinal's will.
He had only found the first grotto; he had now to seek the second. Dantจจs continued his search. He
reflected that this second grotto must penetrate deeper into the island;
he examined the stones, and sounded one part of the wall where he fancied
the opening existed, masked for precaution's sake. The pickaxe struck for
a moment with a dull sound that drew out of Dantจจs' forehead large drops of perspiration. At last it
seemed to him that one part of the wall gave forth a more hollow and
deeper echo; he eagerly advanced, and with the quickness of perception
that no one but a prisoner possesses, saw that there, in all probability,
the opening must be. However,
he, like C?sar Borgia, knew the value of time; and, in order to avoid
fruitless toil, he sounded all the other walls with his pickaxe, struck
the earth with the butt of his gun, and finding nothing that appeared
suspicious, returned to that part of the wall whence issued the consoling
sound he had before heard. He again struck it, and with greater force.
Then a singular thing occurred. As he struck the wall, pieces of stucco
similar to that used in the ground work of arabesques broke off, and fell
to the ground in flakes, exposing a large white stone. The aperture of the
rock had been closed with stones, then this stucco had been applied, and
painted to imitate granite. Dantจจs struck with the sharp end of
his pickaxe, which entered someway between the interstices. It was there
he must dig. But by some strange play of emotion, in proportion as the
proofs that Faria, had not been deceived became stronger, so did his heart
give way, and a feeling of discouragement stole over him. This last proof,
instead of giving him fresh strength, deprived him of it; the pickaxe
descended, or rather fell; he placed it on the ground, passed his hand
over his brow, and remounted the stairs, alleging to himself, as an
excuse, a desire to be assured that no one was watching him, but in
reality because he felt that he was about to faint. The island was
deserted, and the sun seemed to cover it with its fiery glance; afar off,
a few small fishing boats studded the bosom of the blue ocean. Dantจจs had tasted nothing, but he
thought not of hunger at such a moment; he hastily swallowed a few drops
of rum, and again entered the cavern. The pickaxe that had seemed so
heavy, was now like a feather in his grasp; he seized it, and attacked the
wall. After several blows he perceived that the stones were not cemented,
but had been merely placed one upon the other, and covered with stucco; he
inserted the point of his pickaxe, and using the handle as a lever, with
joy soon saw the stone turn as if on hinges, and fall at his feet. He had
nothing more to do now, but with the iron tooth of the pickaxe to draw the
stones towards him one by one. The aperture was already sufficiently large
for him to enter, but by waiting, he could still cling to hope, and retard
the certainty of deception. At last, after renewed hesitation, Dantจจs entered the second grotto. The second grotto was
lower and more gloomy than the first; the air that could only enter by the
newly formed opening had the mephitic smell Dantจจs was surprised not to find in the outer cavern. He
waited in order to allow pure air to displace the foul atmosphere, and
then went on. At the left of the opening was a dark and deep angle. But to
Dantจจs' eye there was no darkness. He
glanced around this second grotto; it was, like the first, empty. The
treasure, if it existed, was buried in this corner. The time had at length
arrived; two feet of earth removed, and Dantจจs' fate would be decided. He advanced towards the
angle, and summoning all his resolution, attacked the ground with the
pickaxe. At the fifth or sixth blow the pickaxe struck against an iron
substance. Never did funeral knell, never did alarm-bell, produce a
greater effect on the hearer. Had Dantจจs
found nothing he could not have become more ghastly pale. He again struck
his pickaxe into the earth, and encountered the same resistance, but not
the same sound. "It is a casket of wood bound with iron,"
thought he. At this moment a shadow passed rapidly before the opening;
Dantจจs seized his gun, sprang through
the opening, and mounted the stair. A wild goat had passed before the
mouth of the cave, and was feeding at a little distance. This would have
been a favorable occasion to secure his dinner; but Dantจจs feared lest the report of his gun should attract
attention. He
thought a moment, cut a branch of a resinous tree, lighted it at the fire
at which the smugglers had prepared their breakfast, and descended with
this torch. He wished to see everything. He approached the hole he had
dug. and now, with the aid of the torch, saw that his pickaxe had in
reality struck against iron and wood. He planted his torch in the ground
and resumed his labor. In an instant a space three feet long by two feet
broad was cleared, and Dantจจs could see an oaken coffer,
bound with cut steel; in the middle of the lid he saw engraved on a silver
plate, which was still untarnished, the arms of the Spada family--viz., a
sword, pale, on an oval shield, like all the Italian armorial bearings,
and surmounted by a cardinal's hat; Dantจจs easily recognized them, Faria had so often drawn
them for him. There was no longer any doubt: the treasure was there--no
one would have been at such pains to conceal an empty casket. In an
instant he had cleared every obstacle away, and he saw successively the
lock, placed between two padlocks, and the two handles at each end, all
carved as things were carved at that epoch, when art rendered the
commonest metals precious. Dantจจs seized the handles, and strove
to lift the coffer; it was impossible. He sought to open it; lock and
padlock were fastened; these faithful guardians seemed unwilling to
surrender their trust. Dantจจs
inserted the sharp end of the pickaxe between the coffer and the lid, and
pressing with all his force on the handle, burst open the fastenings. The
hinges yielded in their turn and fell, still holding in their grasp
fragments of the wood, and the chest was open. Edmond
was seized with vertigo; he cocked his gun and laid it beside him. He then
closed his eyes as children do in order that they may see in the
resplendent night of their own imagination more stars than are visible in
the firmament; then he re-opened them, and stood motionless with
amazement. Three compartments divided the coffer. In the first, blazed
piles of golden coin; in the second, were ranged bars of unpolished gold,
which possessed nothing attractive save their value; in the third, Edmond
grasped handfuls of diamonds, pearls, and rubies, which, as they fell on
one another, sounded like hail against glass. After having touched, felt,
examined these treasures, Edmond rushed through the caverns like a man
seized with frenzy; he leaped on a rock, from whence he could behold the
sea. He was alone--alone with these countless, these unheard-of treasures!
was he awake, or was it but a dream? He
would fain have gazed upon his gold, and yet he had not strength enough;
for an instant he leaned his head in his hands as if to prevent his senses
from leaving him, and then rushed madly about the rocks of Monte Cristo,
terrifying the wild goats and scaring the sea-fowls with his wild cries
and gestures; then he returned, and, still unable to believe the evidence
of his senses, rushed into the grotto, and found himself before this mine
of gold and jewels. This time he fell on his knees, and, clasping his
hands convulsively, uttered a prayer intelligible to God alone. He soon
became calmer and more happy, for only now did he begin to realize his
felicity. He then set himself to work to count his fortune. There were a
thousand ingots of gold, each weighing from two to three pounds; then he
piled up twenty-five thousand crowns, each worth about eighty francs of
our money, and bearing the effigies of Alexander VI. and his predecessors;
and he saw that the complement was not half empty. And he measured ten
double handfuls of pearls, diamonds, and other gems, many of which,
mounted by the most famous workmen, were valuable beyond their intrinsic
worth. Dantจจs
saw the light gradually disappear, and fearing to be surprised in the
cavern, left it, his gun in his hand. A piece of biscuit and a small
quantity of rum formed his supper, and he snatched a few hours' sleep,
lying over the mouth of the cave. It
was a night of joy and terror, such as this man of stupendous emotions had
already experienced twice or thrice in his lifetime. |
|||||
|
©2005 - 2010 XiuSha.Com . All Rights Reserved.