Martin Rattler

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER XVI

  AN ALLIGATOR HUNT--REMARKABLE EXPLOSIONS--THE RAINY SEASON USHERED IN BYAN AWFUL RESURRECTION

  At sunrise an expressive shout in Portuguese set the black slaves ontheir feet; and, after a hasty breakfast of alligator-tail and farina,they commenced operations. Alligator-tail is by no means bad food, andafter the first mouthful,--taken with hesitation and swallowed withdifficulty,--Martin and Barney both pronounced it "capital." Sambo, whohad cooked the delicate morsel, and stood watching them, smacked his lipsand added, "Fuss rate."

  All being now ready for the hunt, a number of Negroes entered thewater, which was nowhere very deep, with long poles in their hands.This appeared to Martin and Barney a very reckless and dangerous thingto do, as no doubt it was. Nevertheless accidents, they were told, veryrarely happened.

  Sambo, who was the overseer of the party, was the first to dash up to themiddle in the water. "Hi," exclaimed that dingy individual, making atorrent of remarks in Portuguese, while he darted his long pole hitherand thither; then, observing that Martin and Barney were gazing at himopen mouthed, he shouted, "Look out, boys! here Jim comes! Take care, olefeller, or he jump right down you' throat! hi-i-i!"

  As he spoke, a large alligator, having been rudely stirred up from hismuddy bed, floundered on the surface of the lake and Sambo instantlygave it a thump over the back and a blow under the ribs; which had theeffect of driving it in the direction of the shore. Here a number ofNegroes were ready for him; and the moment he came within reach, a coilof rope with a noose on the end of it, called a lasso, was adroitlythrown over the reptile's head: ten or twelve men then hauled the lassoand dragged it ashore amid shouts of triumph. This alligator was twentyfeet long, with an enormous misshapen head and fearful rows of teeththat were terrible to behold. The monster did not submit to be captured,however, without a struggle; and the Negroes grew wild with excitementas they yelled and leaped madly about seeking to avoid its dangerousjaws and the blows of its powerful tail. After some trouble, a secondlasso was thrown over the tail, which was thus somewhat restrained inits movements; and Sambo, approaching cautiously with an axe, cut a deepgash just at the root of that formidable appendage, which rendered itharmless. "Hi-i," shouted Sambo in triumph, as he sprang towards theanimal's head, and inflicted a similar gash in the neck; "dare, youquite finish, ole feller."

  "Musha but that's thrue!" ejaculated Barney, who stood staring at thewhole proceeding like one in a trance. "Did ye iver git a bite, Sambo?"

  Barney received no answer, for his sable friend was already up to hiswaist in the water with five or six of his brethren, who were flourishingtheir long poles and driving the snorting alligators towards the shore,where their comrades, with lassos and harpoons, awaited them. Sometimesthey harpooned the alligators, and then, fastening lassos to their headsand tails, or to a hind leg, dragged them ashore; at other times theythrew the lasso over their heads at once, without taking the trouble toharpoon them. It was a terrible and a wonderful sight to witness theNegroes in the very midst of a shoal of these creatures, any one of whichcould have taken a man into his jaws quite easily,--whence, once betweenthese long saw-like rows of teeth, no man could have escaped to tell howsharp they were. The creatures were so numerous that it was impossible tothrust a pole into the mud without stirring up one of them; but they wereso terrified at the sudden attack and the shouts of the Negroes, thatthey thought only of escape.

  Suddenly there arose a great cry. One of the lassos had snapt, and thealligator was floundering back into the water, when Sambo rushed in up tothe arm-pits, and caught the end of the rope. At the same moment twoalligators made at the Negro with open jaws. It is probable that theanimals went in his direction by mere accident, and would have brushedpast him in blind haste; but to Martin and Barney it seemed as if thepoor man's fate were sealed, and they uttered a loud shout of horror asthey bounded simultaneously into the water, not knowing what to do, butbeing unable to restrain the impulse to spring to Sambo's aid.Fortunately, however, one of the other Negroes was near Sambo. He sprangforward, and dealt the alligators two tremendous blows with his pole ontheir snouts, right and left, which turned them off. Then other Negroescame up, laid hold of Sambo, who would not let go his hold and was beingdragged into deep water, caught the end of the rope, and in ten minuteshauled their victim to the shore, when it was quickly despatched in theusual manner.

  By this time about a dozen alligators, varying from ten to twenty feet inlength, had been captured; and Barney at length became so bold that herequested to be allowed to try his hand at throwing the lasso, thedexterous use of which by the Negroes had filled him with admiration. Aloud burst of laughter greeted this proposal, and Sambo showed a set ofteeth that might have made even the alligators envious, as he handed theIrishman a coil of line.

  "Now don't miss, Barney," cried Martin, laughing heartily, as his comradeadvanced to the edge of the lake and watched his opportunity. "Mind, yourcredit as an expert hunter is at stake."

  The Senhor Antonio stood close behind the Irishman, with his arms foldedand a sarcastic smile on his countenance.

  "Don't send it down him's throat," yelled Sambo. "Hi-i; dat's de vay toswing urn round. Stir um up, boys!--poke um up, villains, hi!"

  The Negroes in the water obeyed with frantic glee, and the terrifiedmonsters surged about in all directions, so that Barney found it almostimpossible to fix his attention on any particular individual. At lengthhe made up his mind, whirled the coil round his head, discharged thenoose, caught the Senhor Antonio round the neck, and jerked him violentlyto the ground!

  There was a simultaneous pause of horror among the slaves; but it was toomuch for their risible faculties to withstand; with one accord theyrushed howling into the water to conceal their laughter, and began tostir up and belabour the alligators with their poles, until the surfaceof the lake was a sheet of foam.

  Meanwhile the Senhor Antonio sprang to his feet and began to blusterconsiderably in Portuguese; but poor Barney seemed awfully crest-fallen,arid the deep concern which wrinkled his face, and the genuine regretthat sounded in the tones of his voice, at length soothed the indignantBrazilian, who frowned gravely, and waving his hand, as if to signifythat Barney had his forgiveness, he stalked up to the shed, lighted acigarito, and lay down in his hammock.

  "Well!" said Martin, in an under-tone, "you did it that time, Barney.I verily thought the old fellow was hanged. He became quite livid inthe face."

  "Och! bad luck to the lasso, say I. May I niver more see the swate groveso' Killarney if iver I meddle with wan again."

  "Hi-i; you is fuss rate," said Sambo, as he and his comrades returned andbusied themselves in cutting up the dead alligators. "You beat de Niggersall to not'ing. Not any of dis yere chiles eber lasso Sen'or Antonio yet;no, neber!"

  It was some time before the Negroes could effectually subdue theirmerriment, but at length they succeeded, and applied themselvesvigorously to the work of cutting out the fat. The alligators were allcut open,--a work of no small difficulty, owing to the hard scaleswhich covered them as with coats of mail; then the fat, whichaccumulates in large quantities about the intestines, was cut out andmade up into packets in the skins of the smaller ones, which were takenoff for this purpose.

  These packets were afterwards carried to the Senhor's dwelling, and thefat melted down into oil, which served for burning in lamps quite as wellas train oil. The flesh of a smaller species of alligator, some of whichwere also taken, is considered excellent food; and, while the Negroeswere engaged in their work, Barney made himself useful by kindling alarge fire and preparing a savoury dish for "all hands," plentifullyseasoned with salt and pepper, with which condiments the country is wellsupplied, and of which the people are exceedingly fond.

  There was also caught in this lake a large species of fish calledpirarucu, which, strangely enough, found it possible to exist in spite ofalligators. They were splendid creatures, from five to six feet long, andcovered with large scales more than an inch in diameter, which we
rebeautifully marked and spotted with red. These fish were most delicatelyflavoured, and Barney exerted his talents to the utmost in order to dothem justice. Martin also did his best to prove himself a willing andefficient assistant, and cleaned and washed the pirarucu steaks and thejunks of alligator-tail to admiration. In short, the exertions of the twostrangers in this way quite won the hearts of the Negroes, and afterdinner the Senhor Antonio had quite recovered his good humour.

  While staying at this place Martin had an opportunity of seeing a greatvariety of the curious fish with which the Amazon is stocked. These areso numerous that sometimes, when sailing up stream with a fair wind, theywere seen leaping all round the canoe in shoals, so that it was onlynecessary to strike the water with the paddles in order to kill a few.

  The peixe boi, or cow-fish, is one of the most curious of the inhabitantsof the Amazon. It is about six feet long, and no less than five feet incircumference at its thickest part. It is a perfectly smooth, and what wemay call _dumpy_ fish, of a leaden colour, with a semi-circular flattail, and a large mouth with thick fleshy lips resembling those of a cow.There are stiff bristles on the lips, and a few scattered hairs over thebody. It has two fins just behind the head; and below these, in thefemales, there are two breasts, from which good white milk flows whenpressure is applied. The cow-fish feeds on grass at the borders of riversand lakes; and when suckling its young it carries it in its fins orflippers, and clasps the little one to its breast, just as a motherclasps her baby! It is harpooned and taken for the sake of its fat, fromwhich oil is made. The flesh is also very good, resembling beef inquality, and it was much relished by Martin and Barney, who frequentlydined on beef-steaks cut from this remarkable cow-fish.

  There was also another fish which surprised our adventurers not a littlethe first time they met with it. One evening Senhor Antonio had ordereda net to be thrown into the river, being desirous of procuring a fewfresh fish for the use of his establishment. The Indians and Negroessoon after commenced dragging, and in a few minutes afterwards the sandybank of the river was strewn with an immense variety of small fish,among which were a few of a larger kind. Martin and Barney becameexcited as they saw them leaping and spluttering about, and ran inamongst them to assist in gathering them into baskets. But scarcely hadthe latter advanced a few steps when there was a loud report, as if apistol had gone off under his feet.

  "Hallo!" exclaimed the Irishman, leaping two feet into the air. On hisreaching the ground again, a similar explosion occurred, and Barneydashed aside, overturning Martin in his haste. Martin's heel caught on astone, and he fell flat on the ground, when instantly there was a reportas if he had fallen upon and burst an inflated paper bag. The nativeslaughed loud and long, while the unfortunate couple sprang up the bank,half inclined to think that an earthquake was about to take place. Thecause of their fright was then pointed out. It was a species of smallfish which has the power of inflating the fore part of its body into acomplete ball, and which, when stamped upon, explodes with a loud noise.There were great numbers of these scattered among the other fish, andalso large quantities of a little fish armed with long spines, whichinflict a serious wound when trodden upon.

  At this place adventures on a small scale crowded upon our travellersso thickly that Martin began to look upon sudden surprises as anecessary of life, and Barney said that "if it wint on any longer hefeared his eye-brows would get fixed near the top of his head, andniver more come down,"

  One evening, soon after their departure from the residence of SenhorAntonio, the old trader was sitting steering in the stern of his canoe,which was running up before a pretty stiff breeze. Martin was lying onhis back, as was his wont in such easy circumstances, amusing himselfwith Marmoset; and Barney was reclining in the bow talking solemnly toGrampus; when suddenly the wind ceased, and it became a dead calm. Thecurrent was so strong that they could scarcely paddle against it, so theyresolved to go no further that night, and ran the canoe ashore on a lowpoint of mud, intending to encamp under the trees, no human habitationbeing near them. The mud bank was hard and dry, and cracked with theheat; for it was now the end of the dry season, and the river had longsince retired from it.

  "Not a very comfortable place, Barney," said Martin, looking round, as hethrew down one of the bales which he had just carried up from the canoe."Hallo! there's a hut, I declare. Come, that's a comfort anyhow."

  As he spoke Martin pointed to one of the solitary and rudely constructedhuts or sheds which the natives of the banks of the Amazon sometimeserect during the dry season, and forsake when the river overflows itsbanks. The hut was a very old one, and had evidently been inundated, forthe floor was a mass of dry, solid mud, and the palm-leaf roof was muchdamaged. However, it was better than nothing, so they slung theirhammocks under it, kindled a fire, and prepared supper. While they werebusy discussing this meal, a few dark and ominous clouds gathered in thesky, and the old trader, glancing uneasily about him, gave them tounderstand that he feared the rainy season was going to begin.

  "Well then," said Barney, lighting his pipe and stretching himself atfull length in his hammock, with a leg swinging to and fro over one sideand his head leaning over the other, as was his wont when he feltparticularly comfortable in mind and body; "Well then, avic, let itbegin. If we're sure to have it anyhow, the sooner it begins the better,to my thinkin'."

  "I don't know that," said Martin, who was seated on a large stone besidethe fire sipping a can of coffee, which he shared equally with Marmoset.The monkey sat on his shoulder gazing anxiously into his face, with anexpression that seemed as if the creature were mentally exclaiming, "Nowme, now you; now me, now you," during the whole process. "It would bebetter, I think, if we were in a more sheltered position before itbegins. Ha! there it comes though, in earnest."

  A smart shower began to fall as he spoke, and, percolating through theold roof, descended rather copiously on the mud floor. In a few minutesthere was a heaving of the ground under their feet!

  "Ochone!" cried Barney, taking his pipe out of his mouth and looking downwith a disturbed expression, "there's an arthquake, I do belave."

  For a few seconds there was a dead silence.

  "Nonsense," whispered Martin uneasily.

  "It's dramin' I must have been," sighed Barney, resuming his pipe.

  Again the ground heaved and cracked, and Martin and the old trader hadjust time to spring to their feet when the mud floor of the hut burstupwards and a huge dried-up-looking alligator crawled forth, as if fromthe bowels of the earth! It glanced up at Barney; opened its tremendousjaws, and made as if it would run at the terrified old trader; then,observing the doorway, it waddled out, and, trundling down the bank,plunged into the river and disappeared.

  Barney could find no words to express his feelings, but continued to gazewith an unbelieving expression down into the hole out of which themonster had come, and in which it had buried itself many weeks before,when the whole country was covered with soft mud. At that time it hadprobably regarded the shelter of the inundated hut as of some advantage,and had lain down to repose. The water retiring had left it there buried,and--as we have already mentioned in reference to alligators--when thefirst shower of the rainy season fell it was led by instinct to burst itsearthy prison, and seek its native element.

  Before Barney or his companions could recover from their surprise, theyhad other and more urgent matters to think about. The dark clouds burstoverhead, and the rain descended like a continued water-spout,--not indrops but in heavy sheets and masses; the roof of the hut gave way inseveral places, driving them into a corner for shelter; the river beganto rise rapidly, soon flooding the hut; and, when darkness overspread theland, they found themselves drenched to the skin and suspended in theirhammocks over a running stream of water!

  This event brought about an entire change in the aspect of nature, andwas the cause of a sad and momentous era in the adventures of MartinRattler and his companion.