It was evident that I must make my exit as hurriedly
as possible. Taking my gun by the stock, I sounded the water. It was a little under
knee-deep. The noise it made, plunging down into the Pit, was deafening. Then, with a call to Pepper, I stepped out into the flood, using the gun
as a staff. Instantly, the water boiled up over my knees, and nearly to
the tops of my thighs, with the speed at which it was racing. For one
short moment, I nearly lost my footing; but the thought of what lay
behind, stimulated me to a fierce endeavor, and, step-by-step, I
made headway. Of Pepper, I knew nothing at first. I had all I could do to keep on my
legs; and was overjoyed, when he appeared beside me. He was wading
manfully along. He is a big dog, with longish thin legs, and I suppose
the water had less grasp on them, than upon mine. Anyway, he managed a
great deal better than I did; going ahead of me, like a guide, and
wittingly--or otherwise--helping, somewhat, to break the force of the
water. On we went, step by step, struggling and gasping, until somewhere
about a hundred yards had been safely traversed. Then, whether it was
because I was taking less care, or that there was a slippery place on
the rocky floor, I cannot say; but, suddenly, I slipped, and fell on my
face. Instantly, the water leapt over me in a cataract, hurling me down,
toward that bottomless hole, at a frightful speed. Frantically I
struggled; but it was impossible to get a footing. I was helpless,
gasping and drowning. All at once, something gripped my coat, and
brought me to a standstill. It was Pepper. Missing me, he must have
raced back, through the dark turmoil, to find me, and then caught, and
held me, until I was able to get to my feet. I have a dim recollection of having seen, momentarily, the gleams of
several lights; but, of this, I have never been quite sure. If my
impressions are correct, I must have been washed down to the very brink
of that awful chasm, before Pepper managed to bring me to a standstill. And the lights, of course, could only have been the distant flames of
the candles, I had left burning. But, as I have said, I am not by any
means sure. My eyes were full of water, and I had been badly shaken. And there was I, without my helpful gun, without light, and sadly
confused, with the water deepening; depending solely upon my old friend
Pepper, to help me out of that hellish place. I was facing the torrent. Naturally, it was the only way in which I
could have sustained my position a moment; for even old Pepper could not
have held me long against that terrific strain, without assistance,
however blind, from me. Perhaps a minute passed, during which it was touch and go with me;
then, gradually I re-commenced my tortuous way up the passage. And so
began the grimmest fight with death, from which ever I hope to emerge
victorious. Slowly, furiously, almost hopelessly, I strove; and that
faithful Pepper led me, dragged me, upward and onward, until, at last,
ahead I saw a gleam of blessed light. It was the entrance. Only a few
yards further, and I reached the opening, with the water surging and
boiling hungrily around my loins. And now I understood the cause of the catastrophe. It was raining
heavily, literally in torrents. The surface of the lake was level with
the bottom of the opening--nay! more than level, it was above it. Evidently, the rain had swollen the lake, and caused this premature
rise; for, at the rate the ravine had been filling, it would not have
reached the entrance for a couple more days. Luckily, the rope by which I had descended, was streaming into the
opening, upon the inrushing waters. Seizing the end, I knotted it
securely 'round Pepper's body, then, summoning up the last remnant of my
strength, I commenced to swarm up the side of the cliff. I reached the
Pit edge, in the last stage of exhaustion. Yet, I had to make one more
effort, and haul Pepper into safety. Slowly and wearily, I hauled on the rope. Once or twice, it seemed that
I should have to give up; for Pepper is a weighty dog, and I was utterly
done. Yet, to let go, would have meant certain death to the old fellow,
and the thought spurred me to greater exertions. I have but a very hazy
remembrance of the end. I recall pulling, through moments that lagged
strangely. I have also some recollection of seeing Pepper's muzzle,
appearing over the Pit edge, after what seemed an indefinite period of
time. Then, all grew suddenly dark. _XIII_

THE TRAP IN THE GREAT CELLAR

I suppose I must have swooned; for, the next thing I remember, I opened
my eyes, and all was dusk. I was lying on my back, with one leg doubled
under the other, and Pepper was licking my ears. I felt horribly stiff,
and my leg was numb, from the knee, downward. For a few minutes, I lay
thus, in a dazed condition; then, slowly, I struggled to a sitting
position, and looked about me. It had stopped raining, but the trees still dripped, dismally. From the
Pit, came a continuous murmur of running water. I felt cold and shivery. My clothes were sodden, and I ached all over. Very slowly, the life came
back into my numbed leg, and, after a little, I essayed to stand up. This, I managed, at the second attempt; but I was very tottery, and
peculiarly weak. It seemed to me, that I was going to be ill, and I made
shift to stumble my way toward the house. My steps were erratic, and my
head confused. At each step that I took, sharp pains shot through
my limbs. I had gone, perhaps, some thirty paces, when a cry from Pepper, drew
my attention, and I turned, stiffly, toward him. The old dog was trying
to follow me; but could come no further, owing to the rope, with which I
had hauled him up, being still tied 'round his body, the other end not
having been unfastened from the tree. For a moment, I fumbled with the
knots, weakly; but they were wet and hard, and I could do nothing. Then,
I remembered my knife, and, in a minute, the rope was cut. How I reached the house, I scarcely know, and, of the days that
followed, I remember still less. Of one thing, I am certain, that, had
it not been for my sister's untiring love and nursing, I had not been
writing at this moment. When I recovered my senses, it was to find that I had been in bed for
nearly two weeks. Yet another week passed, before I was strong enough to
totter out into the gardens. Even then, I was not able to walk so far as
the Pit. I would have liked to ask my sister, how high the water had
risen; but felt it was wiser not to mention the subject to her. Indeed,
since then, I have made a rule never to speak to her about the strange
things, that happen in this great, old house. It was not until a couple of days later, that I managed to get across
to the Pit. There, I found that, in my few weeks' absence, there had
been wrought a wondrous change. Instead of the three-parts filled
ravine, I looked out upon a great lake, whose placid surface, reflected
the light, coldly.