by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.
NOTHING FOR BREAKFAST.
Under the shadow of the _algarobias_ the trackers sleep undisturbed.Ludwig, however, has troubled dreams, in which gymnoti play aconspicuous part. He imagines himself still floundering amidst thesemonsters, assailed from all sides by their galvanic batteries, and thatthey have dragged him down into the mud, where he is fast gettingasphyxiated. When in his last gasp, as it were, he is relieved, byawaking from his uneasy slumbers; which he does suddenly, and with aterrified cry.
Finding it has been all a dream, and glad to think it so, he saysnothing; and the others not having heard his half-stifled cry, soonagain falls asleep. This time his slumber is lighter, as also moreprofound; and, on the whole, he has a tolerable night's rest; in themorning feeling fairly refreshed, as likewise do Cypriano and Gaspar.
All three are astir a good half-hour before there is any sign of day;and their camp-fire is rekindled. This not for culinary purposes--sincethey have nothing to be cooked--but rather because the air is chillycold, as it often is in the tropics, and they need to warm themselvesbefore setting about aught else.
When warmed, however, they begin to think of breakfast, as also to talkabout it. What is it to be, or of what consist, are the questions whichinterest them without being easily answered. There are the _algarobia_beans; but their skillet has been lost along with the kettle, and thereis left them no utensil in which these legumes might be boiled. True,they can roast them in the ashes; but Gaspar still clings to the hopethat something more toothful may turn up. As the early dawn is the besttime to find wild animals abroad, both birds and quadrupeds--the bestalso for approaching them--the gaucho feels pretty confident either oneor other will stray within reach of their guns, bolas, or lazos.
In the end it proves that his confidence has not been misplaced. Justas the first red rays of the Aurora are reflected from the tops of thetrees around their camp, more faintly lighting up the lower level of thepampa beyond, Gaspar, peering through a break between the branches ofthe _algarobias_, sees a brace of large birds moving about over theplain. Not soldier-cranes, though creatures with necks and legs quiteas long; for they are _rheas_.
"_Gracios a Dios_!" is the gaucho's gratified exclamation at sight ofthem; continuing in low tone and speaking over his shoulder, "A coupleof _avestruz_!"
The others, gliding up to him, and looking through the leaves, alsobehold the birds, seeing them from head to foot. For they are out uponthe open ground, striding to and fro, now and then pausing to pick upsome morsel of food, or it may be but a pebble to aid in the digestionof what they have already eaten. While thus engaged, they are graduallydrawing nearer to the bank of the _riacho_, as also the edge of the_algarobia_ grove in which the trackers are encamped. Their proximityto the latter most interests those in the camp, and all three instantlylay hold of their guns, which luckily have been reloaded, two of themwith ball. Gaspar, foremost of the trio, has got his barrel through thebranches, and, seeing that the _rheas_ are now within bullet-range, isabout to blaze away at the one nearest, which chances to be the cockbird, when the latter, suddenly elevating its head, and uttering a loudhiss succeeded by a snort, as from a badly-blown trumpet, turns tail andmakes off over the plain; its mate turning simultaneously, and leggingit alongside. All this to the surprise of the gaucho; who knows that hehas not exposed his person and sees that neither have the others, noryet made any noise to account for the behaviour of the birds.
"What can have frightened them?" is the question he would ask, whencasting his eyes upward he perceives what has done it--their smoke oftheir camp-fire! The blue stream ascending over the tops of the trees,as if out of a chimney, had just then, for the first time, been caughtsight of by the ostriches, sending them off in quick scare. Nor strangeit should, being a spectacle to which the wild denizens of the Chaco arenot accustomed, or only familiar with as denoting an enemy near--theirgreatest enemy, man.
"_Maldita sea_!" exclaims the gaucho, as the birds show their backs tohim, an exclamation morally the reverse of that he uttered on seeingthem with heads turned the opposite way. "That confounded fire! what apity we kindled it! the thing's done us out of our breakfast. Stay!no."
The negative ejaculation comes from his perceiving that the ostriches,instead of rushing onwards in long rapid strides, as they had started,are gradually shortening step and slackening the pace. And while hecontinues looking after them, they again come to a stop, and standgazing back at the dark blue pillar of smoke rising spirally against thelighter blue background of sky. But now they appear to regard it lesswith alarm than curiosity; and even this after a time wearing off, theyonce more lower their beaks, and return to browsing, just as a couple ofcommon geese, or rather a goose and gander. For all, they do not yetseem quite tranquillised, every now and then their heads going up with asuddenness, which tells that their former feeling of security is notrestored; instead, replaced by uneasy suspicions that things are not asthey ought to be.
"Our guns will be of no use now," says Gaspar, laying his own aside. "Iknow the nature of _avestruz_ well enough to say for certain, that,after the scare they've had they'll stay shy for several hours, and'twill be impossible to approach them; that is, near enough for thelongest-range gun we've got. And to run them down with our horses wouldbe to lose a day's journey at least. We can't afford that, for the sakeof a bit of breakfast. No, 'twould never do. We'll have to go without,or else, after all, break our fast upon these beans."
Saying which, he glances up to the _algarobias_, from which the longsiliques droop down in profusion, more plentiful than tempting to him.
"_Caspita_!" he resumes, after a pause, once more bending his eyescovetously upon the birds, and as if an idea had suddenly occurred tohim, "I think I know of a way by which we may circumvent these two tallstalkers."
"How?" eagerly asks Cypriano.
"By going at them--_garzoneando_."
"_Garzoneando_!" exclaims Ludwig in echo. "Good Gaspar, whatever do youmean by that?"
"You'll see, young master, soon as I've made things ready for it. Andyour cousin here, he's the fittest for the part to be played. I'dundertake it myself, but I'm a bit too bulky to counterfeit a creatureof such slender proportions as the _garzon soldado_; while SenorCypriano's figure will just suit to a nicety."
Neither of the two youths has the slightest idea of what the gauchodesigns doing; but, accustomed to his quaint, queer ways, and knowingthat whatever he intends is pretty sure to be something of service tothem--as likely to have a successful issue--they await his action withpatience and in silence.