Part 13 (2/2)
The double concussion resounded like a thunderbolt and died away into cries of rage and pain, and in a moment the whole horde had disappeared
But, in the e, unexpected-nay what seemed an impossible-cry had been heard! A hue- ”Help! help!”
Kennedy and Joe, duained the car immediately
”Did you hear that?” the doctor asked them
”Undoubtedly, that supernatural cry, 'A moi! a moi!' comes from a Frenchman in the hands of these barbarians!”
”A traveller”
”A missionary, perhaps”
”Poor wretch!” said Kennedy, ”they're assassinating hi a martyr of him!”
The doctor then spoke, and it was impossible for him to conceal his emotions
”There can be no doubt of it,” he said; ”some unfortunate Frenches Weall in our power to save hinized an unhoped-for assistance, a providential interposition We shall not disappoint his last hope Are such your views?”
”They are, doctor, and we are ready to obey you”
”Let us, then, lay our heads together to devise so we'll try to rescue him”
”But how shall we drive off those abominable blacks?” asked Kennedy
”It's quite clear to me, from the way in which they made off, that they are unacquainted with fire-arms We must, therefore, profit by their fears; but we shall await daylight before acting, and then we can for to circumstances”
”The poor captive cannot be far off,” said Joe, ”because-”
”Help! help!” repeated the voice, but e wretches!” exclaination ”Suppose they should kill hiht!”
”Do you hear, doctor,” resu the doctor's hand ”Suppose they should kill hiht!”
”It is not at all likely, e tribes kill their captives in broad daylight; they must have the sunshi+ne”
”Now, if I were to take advantage of the darkness to slip down to the poor fellow?” said Kennedy
”And I'll go with you,” said Joe, warestion does honor to your hearts and to your courage; but you would expose us all to great peril, and do still greater harm to the unfortunate man whom you wish to aid”
”Why so?” asked Kennedy ”These savages are frightened and dispersed: they will not return”
”dick, I iood; and if by any accident you should be taken by surprise, all would be lost”
”But, think of that poor wretch, hoping for aid, waiting there, praying, calling aloud Is no one to go to his assistance? He !”
”We can reassure hi erect, -trumpet of his hands, he shouted at the top of his voice, in French: ”Whoever you are, be of good cheer! Three friends are watching over you”
A terrific howl fro the prisoner's reply
”They arehim!” exclaimed Kennedy ”Our interference will have served no other purpose than to hasten the hour of his doom We must act!”
”But how, dick? What do you expect to do in the ht!” sighed Joe
”Well, and suppose it were daylight?” said the doctor, in a singular tone
”Nothing o down and scatter all these savage villains with powder and ball!”
”And you, Joe, ould you do?”
”I,the prisoner to ree upon”
”And hoould you get hiht flying the other day I'd tie a note to it, or I'd just call out to him in a loud voice what you want hiuage that you'd speak in!”
”Your plans are ireatest difficulty would be for this poor fellow to escape at all-even adilance of his captors As for you,by their alarht possibly succeed; but, were it to fail, you would be lost, and we should have two persons to save instead of one No! we o to work differently”
”But let us act at once!” said the hunter
”Perhaps weconsiderable stress upon the words
”Why, doctor, can you light up such darkness as this?”
”Who knows, Joe?”
”Ah! if you can do that, you're the greatest learned man in the world!”
The doctor kept silent for a fewHis two coreatly excited by the strangeness of the situation Ferguson at last resumed: ”Here is my plan: We have two hundred pounds of ballast left, since the bags we brought with us are still untouched I'll suppose that this prisoner, who is evidently exhausted by suffering, weighs as much as one of us; there will still remain sixty pounds of ballast to throw out, in case we should want to ascend suddenly”
”How do you expect to e the balloon?” asked Kennedy