The Forest Exiles: The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

  THE BARK-HUNTERS.

  In a few minutes the work began--that work which was to occupy them,perhaps, for several years. The first blow of Guapo's axe was thesignal to begin the making of a fortune. It was followed by manyothers, until one of the cinchonas lay along the sward. Then Guapoattacked another, as near the root as was convenient for chopping.

  Don Pablo's part of the work now began. Armed with a sharp knife, hemade circular incisions round the trunk, at the distance of several feetfrom each other, and a single longitudinal one intersecting all theothers. The branches were also served in a similar way, and then thetree was left as it lay. In three or four days they would return tostrip off the bark both from trunk and branches, and this would bespread out under the sun to dry. When light and dry it would be carriedto the store-house. So the work went merrily on. The trees were takenas they stood--the very young ones alone being left, as the bark ofthese is useless for commerce.

  The Dona Isidora sat upon a fallen trunk, and, conversing with herhusband, watched the proceedings with interest. A new and happy futureseemed at no great distance off. Little Leona stood beside Guapo,watching the yellow chips as they flew, and listening to some very finestories with which Guapo was regaling her. Guapo loved little Leona.He would have risked his life for her, would Guapo, and Leona knew it.

  Leon was not particularly engaged on that day. When the bark was readyfor peeling he intended to take a hand with the rest. He could thenemploy himself in spreading it, or could lead the mule in carrying it tothe storehouse. Leon did not intend to be idle, but there happened tobe no work for him just then; and after watching the bark-cutters forawhile, he sauntered back along the path, in order to have a little funwith the ais. Leon had no very great confidence that he would find themin the place where they had been left, and yet he believed in Guapo.But it was hard to understand that two animals, each endowed with a fullset of legs and feet, should not be able to make their way for adistance of twenty paces, and escape! After the rough handling they hadhad, too! He would have a peep at them, anyhow, to see how they werecoming on. So back he went.

  On getting near the glade their voices reached him. They were there,after all! He could hear them utter their pitiful "ay-ee--ay-ee!" and,as he thought, in a louder and more distressing tone than ever. Whatcould be the matter? They had been silent for some time, he was sure,for such cries as they now uttered could have been heard easily wherethe rest were. What could be the meaning of this fresh outburst? Hadsome new enemy attacked them? It seemed like enough.

  Leon stole forward, and peeped into the glade. No--there was nothingnear them! But what was the matter with the creatures? Instead oflying quietly, as they had done when left behind, they were now rollingand tumbling backward and forward, and pitching about, and dancing firston their feet and then on their heads, and cutting all sorts of strangecapers! Could it be for their own amusement? No; their lamentablecries precluded that supposition; besides, their odd attitudes andcontortions bespoke terror and pain!

  "Carrambo!" muttered Leon. "What's the matter with them?"

  They seemed inclined to escape towards the trees; but, after making afew lengths, they would fall to the ground, tumble about, and then,getting up again, head in the opposite direction!

  Leon was puzzled,--no wonder. He looked around for a solution of thisqueer conduct on the part of the ais. No explanation appeared. Atlength he bethought himself of going up to them. Perhaps, when nearer,he might learn what set them a-dancing.

  "Ha!" he ejaculated, struck with some sudden thought. "I know now;there's a snake at them."

  This conjecture--for it was only a conjecture--caused him to stop short.It might be some venomous snake, thought he. The grass was not long,and he could have seen a very large snake; but still a small coralsnake, or the little poisonous viper, might have been there. He fanciedhe saw something moving; but to get a better view he passed slowlyaround the edge of the glade, until he was nearly on the opposite sideto that where he had entered. He still kept at a good distance from theais, but as yet discovered no snake.

  To his great surprise, the ais now lay stretched along the grass, theirstruggles appeared each moment to grow less violent, and theirmelancholy cries became weaker and weaker. Their contortions at lengthcame to an end. A feeble effort to raise themselves alone could beperceived,--then a spasmodic motion of their long crooked limbs,--theircries became indistinct; and, after a while, both lay motionless andsilent! Were they dead? Surely so, thought Leon.

  He stood gazing at them for some minutes. Not a motion of their bodiescould be perceived. Surely they no longer lived! But, then, what couldhave killed them? There was no snake to be seen; no animal of any kindexcept themselves! Had they been taken with some sudden disease,--somekind of convulsions that had ended fatally? This seemed the mostprobable thing, judging from the odd manner in which they had acted.Maybe they had eaten some sort of plant that had poisoned them!

  These conjectures passed rapidly through the mind of Leon. Of course,he resolved to satisfy himself as to the cause of their death, if deadthey actually were. He began to draw nearer, making his advances withstealth and caution--as he was still apprehensive about the snake.

  After he had made a few paces in a forward direction, he began toperceive something moving around the bodies of the animals. Snakes?No. What then? A few paces nearer. See! the whole ground is inmotion. The bodies of the ais, though dead, are covered with living,moving objects! Ha! _it is a "chacu" of the white ants_.

  Leon now comprehended the whole affair. The ground was literally alivewith the terrible _termites_. They had made their foray, or "chacu," asit is called, from the neighbouring cones; they had attacked thehelpless ais, and put them to death, with their poisonous stings!Already they were tearing them to pieces, and bearing them off to theirdark caves! So thick were they on the bodies of the animals, that thelatter had suddenly changed their colour, and now appeared to be nothingmore than living heaps of crawling insects!

  It was a hideous sight to behold, and Leon felt his flesh creep as helooked upon it. Still he felt a curiosity to witness the result, and hestood watching the busy crowd that had gathered about the ais. He hadheard strange accounts of these white ants; how that, in a few minutes,they will tear the carcasses of large animals to pieces, and carry themaway to their dens; and he was determined to prove the truth of this byobservation. He did not go any nearer, for he was not without somedread of these ugly creatures; but, happening to find himself beside asmall tree, with low horizontal branches, he climbed up, and sat downupon one of the branches, resting his feet upon another. He wasinclined to take the thing as easily as possible. His perch commanded afull view of the operations of the termites, and for a long time he satwatching them with interest. He could see that it was not the same setthat were always on the carcasses of the ais. On the contrary, one hostwere always leaving the spot, while another took their places, and fromthe great conical houses fresh bands appeared to issue. In fact, twogreat parallel belts of them, like army columns, stretched from the"hills" to the ais, going in opposite directions. Those which travelledtowards the cells presented a very different appearance to the others.These were loaded with pieces of torn flesh, or skin with tufts of hairadhering to it; and each ant carried a piece by far larger than its ownbody. Their bodies, in fact, were quite hidden under theirdisproportionate burdens. The others--those which were coming from theconical hills--were empty-handed, and presented the appearance of awhitish stream flowing along the surface of the ground!

  It was a most singular sight; and Leon sat watching the creatures untilhis head was giddy, and he felt as though the ground itself was inmotion.