by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
BETWEEN TORRENT AND TIGER.
Having dragged the dead beast out of their ponchos, they are about tore-adjust these as before, when it strikes them there is no longer anyneed for closing the cave's mouth. The first blast of the _tormenta_having blown over, the dust borne upon it is now in less volume; whilethe wind, rushing direct down the ravine, carries everything along withit--only an occasional whiff seeking entrance into the cave.
"For the matter of our being blinded," remarks the gaucho in perceivingthis, "we needn't trouble about shutting the door again. Though if I'mnot greatly out in my reckoning, there's something else may need keepingout--a thing more dangerous than dust."
"What thing?" he is asked.
"Another _tigre_. I never knew one of these spotted beauties to beabout alone. They always hunt in couples; and where there's a female,the male is sure to be with her. As you see, it's the lady we've closedaccounts with, and for certain the gentleman isn't far-off. Out in thatstorm, he'll be in the same way making for this snug shelter. So we maylook for his worship to present himself at any moment."
Ludwig and Cypriano turn their eyes towards the entrance, as though theyexpected even then to behold the dreaded intruder.
"To keep him out," pursues Gaspar in a more serious vein, "'twill be nouse putting up the ponchos. We can't trust to the old Tom entanglinghimself, as did his _esposa_. That was all an accident. And yet we'renot safe if we leave the entrance open. As we've got to stay here allnight, and sleep here, we daren't close an eye so long as he's rangingabout. Instead, we'd have to lie awake, and on the alert."
"Why can't we wall it up with those stones?" Cypriano thusinterrogates, pointing to some scattered boulders lying about the cave--large blocks that have broken off from its roof, and fallen upon thefloor.
"Not a bad idea," rejoins Gaspar, "and one quite practicable," he adds,with his eye taking in the dimensions of the cavern's mouth, but littlelarger than an ordinary stable door. "You're right, Senor Cypriano; wecan do that."
Without further speech, they set about the work; first rolling thelarger masses of stalactite towards the entrance to form the foundationof the wall. But before having got half-a-dozen of them fixed in theirplaces, a sound reaches their ears which causes them suddenly to desist;for all three recognise it as coming from the throat of a jaguar! Not aloud roar, or scream, such as they heard when that lying dead first madeits presence known, but a sort of sniff or snort, as when it wasstruggling, half-choked by the ponchos. Soon, however, as they standlistening, the snorting changes into a long low growl, ending in a gruffbark; as of a watch-dog awakened by some slight noise, for which he isnot sure of its being worth his while to forsake his kennel, or springupon his feet.
Not thus doubtful are they. Instead, the sounds now heard excite andterrify them as much as any that preceded; for they can tell that tigerNumber 2 is, as themselves, _within the cave_!
"_Por Dios_!" exclaims Gaspar, in a low tone of voice, "it's the old Tomsure, and inside too! Ha! that accounts for our not being certain aboutthe she. Both were yelling at the same time, answering one another.Where can the brute be?"
They turn their eyes toward the back of the cavern, but in the dimglimmer can see nothing like a tiger. They only hear noises ofdifferent kinds, made by their horses, then freshly affrighted, oncemore sniffing the air and moving uneasily about.
"Your guns!" cries Gaspar in hurried accents; "get them loaded again!If the _tigre_ attack us, as it's almost sure to do, our knives will beof little use. _Viva, muschachos_!"
All together again lay hold of their guns; but where is the ammunition?Stowed in a pair of holsters on the pommel of Cypriano's saddle, as theywell know--powder, balls, percussion-caps, everything. And where is thehorse himself; for, left loose, he has moved off to another part of thecavern?
Cypriano taking the candle in hand, they go in search of him. Soon tosee that the frightened animal has taken refuge in an angular embaymentbetween two projecting buttresses of rock, where he stands cowering andtrembling.
They are about to approach him, going cautiously and with timid steps,when, lo! on a ledge between, they perceive a long yellow body withblack spots lying astretch at one end of it, a pair of eyes giving backthe light of their candle, with a light almost as brilliant, and atintervals flashing like fire. It is the jaguar.
The sight brings them suddenly to a stand, even causing them to retreata step or two. For the ledge on which the _tigre_ crouches is directlybetween them and Cypriano's horse, and to approach the latter they mustpass right under the former; since it is upon a sort of shelf, severalfeet above the level of the ground. They at once see there is no hopeof reaching the needed ammunition without tempting the attack of thetiger; which, by their movements, is becoming at every moment moreinfuriated, and already seems about to spring upon them. Instinctively,almost mechanically, they move further away, having abandoned the ideaof defending themselves with the guns, and fallen back on their onlyother weapons, the knives. Ludwig counsels retreating altogether out ofthe cave, and leaving their horses behind. Outside, the wind no longerrages, and the dust seems to have blown past. They but hear thepattering of rain, with peals of thunder, and the swish of the stream,now swollen. But nothing of these need they fear. To the coursecounselled Cypriano objects, as also Caspar; fearing for their horses,almost sure to be sacrificed to the fury of the enraged jaguar. Andwhere would they be then? Afoot in the midst of the Chaco, helpless asshipwrecked sailors on a raft in mid-ocean!
For a while they remain undecided; only a short while, when they aremade aware of that which speedily brings them to a decision, and withoutany will of their own. In putting space between themselves and thedangerous beast, they have retreated quite up to the cavern's entrance.There, looking out, they see that egress is debarred them. The stream,swollen by the rain, still pouring down as in a deluge, has lipped up tothe level of the cave's mouth, and rushes past in an impetuous torrent,crested, and carrying huge rocks, with the trunks and broken branches oftrees upon its seething current. Neither man nor horse might dare fordit now. They are caught between a torrent and a tiger!