CHAPTER XX
THE FIGHT AT THE OLD FORT
For the instant after the serpent appeared nobody spoke or moved.The waving motion of the reptile was fascinating to the lastdegree, as was also that beady stare from its glittering eyes.The stare was fixed upon poor Tom, and having retreated but a fewfeet, he now stood as though rooted to the spot. Slowly the formof the snake was lowered, until only the end of its tail kept itup on the tree branch. Then the head and neck began to swing backand forth, in a straight line with Tom's face.
The horrible fascination held the poor, boy as by a spell, and hecould do nothing but look at those eyes, which seemed to bumthemselves upon his very brain. Closer and closer, and stillcloser, they came to his face, until at last the reptile preparedto strike.
Crack! It was Sam's pistol that spoke up, at just the rightinstant, and those beady eyes were ruined forever, and the woundedhead twisted in every direction, while the body of the serpent,dropping from the tree, lashed and dashed hither and thither inits agony. Then the spell was broken, and Tom let out such a yellof terror as had never before issued from his lips.
Crack! came a second shot from Sam's pistol. But the serpent wasmoving around too rapidly for a good aim to be taken, and only thetip of the tail was struck. Then, in a mad, blind fashion, thesnake coiled itself upon Aleck's foot, and began, withlightning-like rapidity, to encircle the colored man's body.
"Help!" shrieked Aleck, trying to pull the snake off with hishands. "Help! or Ise a dead man, shuah!"
"Catch him by the neck, Aleck!" ejaculated Tom, and brought outhis own pistol. Watching his chance, he pulled the trigger twice,sending both bullets straight through the reptile's body. ThenSam fired again, and the mangled head fell to the ground.
But dead or alive the body still encircled Aleck, and thecontraction threatened to cave in the colored man's ribs.
"Pull him off somehow!" he gasped. "Pull him off!"
Crack! went Tom's pistol once more, and now the snake hadevidently had enough of it, for it uncoiled slowly and fell to theground in a heap, where it slowly shifted from one spot to anotheruntil life was extinct. But neither the boys nor the colored manwaited to see if it was really dead. Instead, they took to theirheels and kept on running until the locality was left aconsiderable distance behind.
"That was a close shave," said Tom, as he dropped on the groundand began to nurse his lame ankle once more. "Ugh! but that snakewas enough to give one the nightmare!"
"Don't say a word," groaned Aleck, who had actually turned pale."I vought shuah I was a goner, I did fo' a fac'! I don't want tomeet no mo' snakes!"
The two boys reloaded their pistols with all rapidity, and thiswas scarcely accomplished when they heard Cujo calling to them.Soon the native put in an appearance. When told of what hadhappened he would not believe the tale until he had gone back tolook at the dead snake.
"You werry lucky," he said. "Him big wonder um snake didn't killall of yo'!"
Cujo had made an important discovery. He had located CaptainVillaire's party at the old fort, and said that several Frenchbrigands were on guard, by the trail leading from the swamp and atthe cliff overlooking the river.
"I see white boy dare too," he added. "Same boy wot yo' givemoney to in Boma."
"Dan Baxter!" ejaculated Sam. "Can it be possible that he ismixed up in this affair?"
"I can't understand it at all," returned Tom. "But the questionis, now we have tracked the rascals, what is to be done next?"
After a long talk it was resolved to get as close to the old fortas possible. Cujo said they need not hurry, for it would be bestto wait until nightfall before making any demonstration againsttheir enemies. The African was very angry to think that the othernatives had deserted the party, but this anger availed themnothing.
Four o'clock in the afternoon found them on the edge of the swampand not far from the bank of the Congo. Beyond was the cliff,overgrown in every part with rank vegetation, and the ever-presentvines, which hung down like so many ropes of green.
"If we want to get up the wall we won't want any scaling ladders,"remarked Tom grimly. "Oh, if only we knew that Dick and UncleRandolph were safe!"
"I'm going to find out pretty soon," replied Sam. "I'll tell youwhat I think. I think they are being held for ransom."
"I was thinking of that, too. But I didn't dream of such a thingbeing done down here although, I know it is done further north inAfrica among the Moors and Algerians."
Cujo now went off on another scout and did not return until thesun was setting. Again he was full of smiles.
"I can show you a way up de rocks," he said. "We can get to thewalls of um fort, as you call um, without being seen."
Soon night was upon them, for in the tropics there is rarely anytwilight. Tom now declared himself able to walk once more, andthey moved off silently, like so many shadows, beside the swampand then over a fallen palm to where a series of rocks, led up tothe cliff proper.
"Sh-ah!" came presently from Cujo. "Man ahead!"
They came to a halt, and through the gloom saw a solitary figuresitting on a rock. The sentinel held a gun over his knees and wassmoking a cigarette.
"If he sees us he will give the alarm," whispered Tom. "Can't wecapture him without making a noise?"
"Dat's de talk," returned Aleck. "Cujo, let us dun try dattrick."
Cujo nodded. "Urn boys stay here," he said. "Cujo fix datfeller!"
And off he crawled through the wet grass, taking a circuitousroute which brought him up on the sentinel's left.
Presently the sentinel started to rise. As he did so Cujo leapedfrom the grass and threw him to the earth. Then a long knifeflashed in the air. "No speak, or um diet" came softly; but, theFrenchman realized that the African meant what he said.
"I will be silent!" he growled, in the language of the African."Don't--don't choke me."
Cujo let out a low whistle, which the others rightly guessed was asignal for them to come up. Finding himself surrounded, theFrenchman gave up his gun and other weapons without a struggle.He could talk no English, so what followed had to be translated byCujo.
"Yes, de man an' boy are dare," explained Cujo, pointing to thefort. "Da chained up, so dis rascal say. De captain ob de bandwant heap money to let um go."
"Ask him how many of the band there are," asked Sam.
But at this question the Frenchman shook his head. Either he didnot know or would not tell.
After a consultation the rascal was made to march back to saferground. Then he was strapped to a tree and gagged. The strapswere not fastened very tightly, so that the man was sure to gainhis liberty sooner or later. "If we didn't come back and he wastoo tight he might starve to death," said Tom.
"Not but wot he deserves to starve," said Aleck, with a scowl atthe crestfallen prisoner.
At the foot of the cliff all was as dark and silent as a tomb."We go slow now, or maybe take a big tumble," cautioned Cujo."Perhaps him better if me climb up first," and he began thedangerous ascent of the cliff by means of the numerous vinesalready mentioned.
He was halfway up when the others started after him, Sam first,Tom next, and Aleck bringing up in the rear.
Slowly they arose until the surface of the stream was a score ormore of feet below them. Then came the sounds of footsteps fromabove and suddenly a torch shone down into their upturned faces.
"Hullo, who's this?" came in English and the Rover boys recognizedDan Baxter.
"Silence, on your life!" cried Tom.
"Tom Rover!" gasped the bully. "How came you--"
"Silence, Baxter! I have a pistol and you know I am a good shot.Stand where you an and put both hands over your head."
"Will I stand? Not much!" yelled the bully, and flung his torchstraight at Tom. Then he turned and ran for the fort, giving thealarm at the top of his lungs.
The torch struck Tom on the neck, and for the moment the youth wasin danger of losing his hold on the vines and
tumbling to thejagged rocks below. But then the torch slipped away, past Sam andAleck, and went hissing into the dark waters of the Congo.
By this time Cujo had reached the top of the cliff and was makingafter Baxter. Both gained the end of the fort at the same time andone mighty blow from Cujo's club laid Baxter senseless near thedoorway.
"Help! help!" The cry came in Dick's voice, and was plainlyheard by Sam and Tom. Then Captain Villaire appeared, and a roughand tumble battle ensued, which the Rovers well remember to thisday.
But Tom was equal to the occasion, and after the first onslaughthe turned, as if summoning help from the cliff. "This way!" hecried. "Tell the company to come up here and the other companycan surround the swamp!"
Several pistol shots rang out, and the boys saw a Frenchman godown with a broken arm. Then Captain Villaire shouted: "We havebeen betrayed--we must flee!" The cry came in French, and as ifby magic the brigands disappeared into the woods behind the oldfort; and victory was upon the side of our friends.
The Rover Boys in the Jungle; Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa Page 20