by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
A CHAT ABOUT ELECTRIC EELS.
The silence of the camp is not of long continuance; Gaspar being thefirst to break it. For the gaucho, having a stronger stomach, andconsequently a quicker digestion than the others, feels some incipientsensations of hunger.
"I only wish," he says, "we could get hold of one of the brutes thatbattered us so in the stream. If we could, it would furnish us with asupper fit for a king."
"What!" exclaims Ludwig, raising his head in surprise, "one of theelectric eels? Is it that you're speaking of, Gaspar?"
"Ay, _senorito_; just that."
"Surely you wouldn't eat _it_, would you?"
"Wouldn't I? If I had one here now, you'd soon see."
"But are they really good to eat?"
"Good to eat! I should think they are; and if you could but taste themyourself, _senorito_, you'd say so. A lightning eel's about thedaintiest morsel I ever stuck teeth into; though they do have theirdwelling-place in mud, and as some say, feed upon it. Before cookingthem, however, something needs being done. You must cut away a portionof their flesh; the spongy part, which it's said gives them power tomake their lightning play. In that lies the dangerous stuff, whateversort of thing it is."
"But what are they like, Gaspar? I've never seen one."
It is Ludwig who still interrogates; but to his last question Cypriano,not Gaspar, gives the answer, saying:
"Oh, cousin! Do you mean to say you've never seen an electric eel?"
"Indeed do I. I've heard father speak of them often, and I know them bytheir scientific name, _gymnotus_. I believe there are plenty of themin the rivers of Paraguay; but, as it chances, I never came across one,either dead or alive."
"I have," says Cypriano, "come across more than one, and many times.But once I well remember; for an awkward circumstance it was to myself."
"How so, _sobrino_?"
"Ah! that's a tale I never told you, Ludwig; but I'll tell it now, ifyou wish."
"Oh I do wish it."
"Well, near the little village where, as you know, I was born, and wentto school before coming to live with uncle at Assuncion, there was apond full of these fish. We boys used to amuse ourselves with them;sending in dogs and pigs, whenever we had the chance, to see the scarethey would get, and how they scampered out soon as they found what queercompany they'd got into. Cruel sport it was, I admit. But one day wedid what was even worse than frightening either dogs or pigs; we drovean old cow in, with a long rope round her horns, the two ends of whichwe fastened to trees on the opposite sides of the pond, so that she hadonly a little bit of slack to dance about upon. And dance about shedid, as the eels electrified her on every side; till at last she droppeddown exhausted, and, I suppose, dead; since she went right under thewater, and didn't come up again. I shall never forget her pitiful, ay,reproachful look, as she stood up to the neck, with her head craned out,as if making an appeal to us to save her, while we only laughed thelouder. Poor thing! I can now better understand the torture she musthave endured."
"But is that the awkward circumstance you've spoken of?"
"Oh, no. _It_ was altogether another affair; and for me, as all theothers, a more serious one. I hadn't come to the end of the adventure--the unpleasant part of it--which was the chastisement we all got, by wayof reward for our wickedness."
"Chastisement! Who gave it to you?"
"Our worthy schoolmaster. It so chanced the old cow was his; the onlyone he had at the time giving milk. And he gave us such a thrashing!Ah! I may well say, I've a lively recollection of it; so lively, Imight truly think the punishment then received was enough, without theadditional retribution the eels have this day inflicted on me."
Cypriano's narration ended, his cousin, after a pause, again appeals toGaspar to give him a description of the creatures forming the topic oftheir conversation. To which the gaucho responds, saying:--
"Well, Senor Ludwig, if you want to know what a lightning eel is like,take one of the common kind--which of course you've seen--a full-sizedone; make that about ten times as thick as it is, without adding much toits length, and you'll have the thing, near as I can think it. So muchfor the reptile's bulk; though there are some both bigger round, andlonger from head to tail. As for its colour, over the back it's a sortof olive green--just like _yerba_ leaves when they've been let stand aday or two after plucking. On the throat, and under the belly, it'spaler, with here and there some blotches of red. I may tell you,however, that the lightning-eels change colour same as some of thelizards; partly according to their age, but as much from the sort ofwater they're found in--whether it be a clear running stream, or a muddystagnant pond, such as the one Senor Cypriano has spoken of. Besides,there are several kinds of them, as we gauchos know; though, I believe,the _naturalutas_ are not aware of the fact. The most dangerous sort,and no doubt the same that's just attacked us, have broad heads, andwide gaping mouths full of sharp teeth, with flat tails and a pair offins close to the nape of the neck. _Carramba_! they're ugly devils tolook at, and still uglier to have dealings with; that is, when one's inthe water alongside them--as we ourselves know. Still they don't alwaysbehave so bad, as these did to-day. When I crossed this stream before,with the _dueno_, neither he nor I felt the slightest shock to tell ofeels being in it. I suppose it's the _tormenta_ that's set them astirring. Like enough, there's some connection between their lightningand that of the sky. If so, that's what has quickened the brutes, andmade them so mad. Well," he adds, as if drawing his account to aconclusion, "mad as they are, I'd like to have one frizzling over thisfire."
"But who eats them, Gaspar?" interrogates Ludwig, still incredulous onthe question of their being a fit article of diet. "I've never heard oftheir being eaten, nor brought to market like other fish."
"Hundreds, thousands of people eat them, _hijo mio_. They're in greatrequest in some places; ay, all over the country. Both whites andIndians relish them; but more especially the redskins. Some tribesprefer them to any other food, be it fish, flesh, or fowl; and make aregular business of catching them."
"Ah! how are they caught?"
"There are various ways; but the usual one is by spearing them.Sometimes the slippery fellows glide out of their mud beds and come tothe surface of the water, as it were to amuse themselves by having alook round. Then the fisherman gets a chance at them, without anysearching, or trouble. He is armed with a long pole of _cana brava_,one end having an iron point barbed like a spear. This, he launches atthem, just as I've heard say whalers do their harpoons. For, if he keptthe shaft in his hands, he'd catch it from their lightning, and getstrokes that would stagger him. Still, he doesn't let go altogether; asthere's a cord attached to the spear, and with that he can haul in thefish, if he has struck it. But he must have a care to keep his cord outof the water; if it gets wetted he'll have a fit of the trembles uponhim, sure. For it's a fact--and a curious one you'll say, _senoritos_--that a dry cord won't conduct the eel's lightning, while a wet onewill."
"It _is_ a fact," says Ludwig, endorsing the statement. "I've heardfather speak of it."
"Very singular," observes Cypriano.
"And I can tell you of another fact," pursues the gaucho, "that you'llsay is still more singular. Would you believe, that from one of thesefish a man may strike sparks, just as by a flint and steel--ay, andkindle a fire with them? I know it's an old story, about fish havingwhat's called phosphorus in them; but it isn't everybody who knows thatreal fire can be got out of the lightning-eels."
"But can that be done, Gaspar?" asks Ludwig.
"Certainly it can. I've seen it done. And he who did it was your owndear father, Senor Ludwig. It was one day when we were out on a ramble,and caught one of the eels in a pool, where it had got penned up by thewater having dried around it. The _dueno_ took out a piece of wire, andwith one end tickled the eel; the other end being stuck into somegunpowder, which was wrapped loosely in a piece of paper. The powderflashed and
set the paper ablaze, as also some leaves and dry stickswe'd laid around it. Soon we had a fire; and on that same fire webroiled the eel itself, and ate it. _Por dios_! I only wish we had onebroiling over this fire. I'd want no better thing for supper."
So ended the chat about electric eels, the subject seeming exhausted.Then the conversation changing to other and less interesting topics, wassoon after brought to a close. For the darkness was now down, and astheir ponchos, and other softer goods had become thoroughly dry, therewas no reason why they should not go to rest for the night. But sincethe soldier-cranes had declined coming back--by this time no doubtroosted in some far-off "cranery"--and no other source of food supplyoffering, they must needs go to bed supperless, as they did. Theirappetites were not yet sufficiently sharp, to have an inordinate cravingfor meat.