Rob Harlow's Adventures: A Story of the Grand Chaco

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  HIDDEN DANGERS.

  It did not take the lads long to finish the interrupted meal, seated inthe shade of a magnificent tree, one side of which sent out branches andpensile boughs laden with leaf and flower from the summit almost to theground, while the other side was comparatively bare, so closely was itplaced to the dense crowd of its fellows whose limbs were mattedtogether and enlaced with creepers of endless variety, out from whichthe sheltering tree stood like a huge, green, smoothly rounded buttress,formed by nature to support the green wall which surrounded her forestfastness.

  As soon as they had eaten their meal the two lads hurried off to wherethe boatmen were deftly skinning the great cat-like creature,--rather adisgusting operation, but one full of interest, as limb after limb wascut down right to the toes and the skin stripped away, to show thetremendous muscles and sinews which enabled the animal to bound likelightning upon its prey.

  "Seems a pity to waste so much good, fresh meat when a bit would bewelcome, eh?" said Shaddy, with a grim smile.

  "Would you like to eat some of it?" asked Joe.

  Shaddy shook his head.

  "No," he said, "I should as soon think of roasting a tom-cat at home andcalling it hare. Rum thing it seems, though, that those creatures whichlive upon one another should be rank and nasty, while those which eatfruit and green-stuff should be good. Keep your guns ready, my lads.It's very quiet here, and you may get a shot at something good for thesupper to-night: some big pigeons, or a turkey, or--I'll tell you,though; I can hear 'em rustling about in the trees now. They'll beeasy, too, for a shot."

  "What? Parrots?"

  "Nay, better than them. A nice, plump young monkey or two."

  "What?" roared Rob.

  "A nice young monkey or two; and don't shout, my lad. If you make thatnoise, we shan't be able to hear anything coming."

  "Bah!" cried Joe. "I should feel like a cannibal if I even thought ofit. I say, look at Mr Brazier!"

  Rob turned and smiled as he saw his leader eagerly making up for losttime, and, after climbing about twenty feet up a tree with a hatchet inhis belt, holding on with one hand while he cut off a great bunch offlowers hanging from the bough upon which, like so much large mistletoe,it had taken root.

  Shaddy saw him almost at the same moment, and turned to the tree,followed by the lads.

  "I say, sir, don't do that!" he said, respectfully.

  "Why not, my man? We are not trespassing, and damaging anybody'sproperty here."

  Shaddy laughed.

  "No, sir, you won't do much trespassing here," he said.

  "Then why do you interfere? This is a magnificent orchid, differentfrom any that I have ever seen. I thought you understood that I havecome on purpose to collect these."

  "Oh yes, I understand, sir; but you're captain, and have got to order.We'll get 'em for you. My four chaps'll climb the trees better, and behandier with the axe; and as they'll have scarcely anything to do, we'llset 'em to work at that sort of thing."

  "They will have the rowing to do."

  "Precious little, sir, now. The rowing's done. All we've got to do isto float along the stream."

  "Ah, well, I'll finish this time, and they shall do it another."

  "Better come down now, sir," whispered Shaddy. "You see they're a dull,stupid lot, who look up to white people as their natural masters; and,without being a brute to 'em, the more you stands off and treats 'em asif they were servants the more they look up to you. If you don't, andthey see you doing work that they're paid to do, they'll look down onyou, think you're afraid of 'em, and grow saucy."

  "Ah!" ejaculated Brazier, giving a start, and nearly losing his hold ofthe branch.

  "What's the matter, sir?"

  For answer Brazier cut frantically with his axe at something invisibleto those below, but evidently without avail, till he struck a smallbough so violently that they saw the object dropping down, and Rob hadonly time to leap aside to avoid a small snake, of a vivid green withred markings, which fell just where he had been standing, and then beganto twine in and out rapidly, and quite unhurt, ending by making itsescape into the dense forest, where it was impossible to follow.

  "Did you kill it?" cried Brazier from up in the tree.

  "No," said Rob; "it's gone!"

  "Ah," said Shaddy, thoughtfully, "I never thought to warn you againstthem. That's a poisonous one, I think, and they climb up the trees andamong the flowers to get the young birds and eggs and beetles andthings. Better always rattle a stick in amongst the leaves, sir, beforeyou get handling them. Try again, now, with the handle of the hatchet."

  Brazier obeyed, and snatched his hand back directly, as he held on withhis left, after violently striking the branch close to the plant hetried to secure.

  "There's another here," he said.

  "Better come away, sir!" cried Rob.

  "No; I must have this bunch. I have nearly cut the boughs clear fromit, and a stroke or two then will divide the stem, and it will dropclear on to those bushes."

  "Shall I come, sir?"

  "No; I'll keep away from where the thing lies. It is coiled-up, and Ionly saw its head."

  "Better mind, sir: they're rum things. Only got one inch o' neck onemoment, and the next they're holding on by their tails, and seem to havethree foot."

  "I'll take care," said Brazier. "Stand from below; I shall cut the stemat once."

  There was the sharp sound of the hatchet, as he gave a well-directedcut, and then a rustling, and the gorgeous bunch of flowers dropped,with all its bulbous stems and curious fleshy elongated leaves, right onthe top of the clump of bushes beneath the great bough.

  "All right!" cried Rob: "not hurt a bit. Oh, how beautiful!"

  "Mind, will you!" cried Shaddy, savagely: "do you hear?"

  He whipped out his knife as he stepped forward, and made a rapid cuthorizontally above the bunch of orchids. For as Rob approached, withoutstretched hand, to lift off this, the first-fruits of theirexploration, a little spade-shaped head suddenly shot up with twobrilliant eyes sparkling in the sun, was drawn back to strike, anddarted forward.

  But not to strike Rob's defenceless hand, for Shaddy's keen knife-blademet it a couple of inches below the gaping jaws, cut clean through itsscale-armed skin, and the head dropped among the lovely petals of theorchis, while the body, twisting and twining upon itself in a knot, wentdown through the bush and could be heard rustling and beating the leavesout of sight.

  There was a peculiar grey look on Rob's face as he looked at Shaddy.

  "Only just in time, master," said the latter. "It'll be a lesson to youboth in taking care."

  Rob shuddered; but, making an effort, he said, laughing dismally, "Idon't suppose it was a venomous snake, after all."

  "Praps not," said Shaddy drily. "There, lift the bunch down with thebar'l of your gun. Shove the muzzle right in."

  "You do it, Joe," whispered Rob; "I feel a bit sick. It's the sun, Ithink."

  Just then Mr Brazier, who had been scrambling down the trunk of thehuge tree by means of the parasites, which gave endless places for hold,dropped to the ground, and stood beating and shaking himself, to get ridof the ants and other insects he had gathered in his trip up to thebranch.

  "Ah! that's right, Giovanni," he said; "no, I must call you Joe, as Robdoes."

  "Do, please, sir; it's ever so much shorter. Here it is," he continued,as he lifted the bunch of lovely blossoms off the bush on to the clearspace where they stood.

  "Oh, if I could only show that in London, just as it is!" cried Brazier."Why, that bunch alone almost repays me for my journey: it is sobeautiful and new."

  "Give it a shake, Mr Joe, sir!" said Shaddy.

  "Ah, yes, let's make sure."

  "Can't be anything else in it," said Rob boisterously, in his desire tohide the fact that he had been terribly frightened.

  "Never you mind whether there is or whether there ain't, sir," saidShaddy; "I want that there bunch sh
ook."

  Joe gave a few jerks, and at the last something fell with a light _plip_in amongst the leaves at their feet.

  "Ah!" ejaculated their guide; and, bending down, he pressed the leavesaside with the point of his knife till he saw the object which hadfallen, and carefully took it up with his left finger and thumb to holdout before the others the head and about an inch or so of the littlesnake--one much thinner, but otherwise about the size of an Englishadder.

  "Horrid-looking little thing," said Rob carelessly; "but I don't thinkit's poisonous."

  Shaddy gave a grunt, and holding the neck tightly, he thrust the pointof his knife in between the reptile's jaws, opened them, and thenshifting his fingers to the angle, he held the snake's head upside down,and with the point of the blade raised from where they lay back on theroof of the mouth, close to the nose, two tiny glass-like teeth, thecreature's fangs, which could be held back or erected at its pleasure.

  "Not much doubt about them, sir," said Shaddy.

  "Not the slightest," replied Brazier, frowning. "We've both had narrowescapes, Rob."

  "You have, sir, and all for want of knowing better, if you'll excuse me.What you've got to do is to look upon everything as dangerous tillyou've found out as it's safe. And that you must do, please, for Ican't help you here. If it's a clawing from a lion or tiger, or a digfrom a deer's horn, or a bite of 'gator, or a broken limb, or spearwound, or even a bullet-hole, I'm all there. I'll undertake to pull youthrough a bit of fever too, or any or'nary complaint, and all withoutpretending to be a doctor. But as to fighting against snake poison, I'mjust like a baby. I couldn't help you a bit, so don't get running yourhands among the things anywhere. They'll get out of your way fastenough if you give them a chance; so just help me by minding that."

  One of the boatmen came up and said something in a sour way to thespeaker, who added,--

  "They've skinned the tiger, and want to know what to do with thecarkidge, sir. Come along with me, and I'll show you something else."

  "No, no: stop a moment. Look here!" cried Joe.

  They all turned to where he stood holding the bunch on his gun-barrel,and saw his eyes fixed upon something playing about--a great humble-beeapparently--which paused before one of the orchid blossoms.

  The little thing was dull-looking, and they saw directly after that itwas probing the flowers with a long curved beak.

  "Humming bird," cried Rob; "but I thought that they werebright-coloured."

  In an instant, as if it had heard his words, the tiny creature changedits position to such an angle with the sun that for a few seconds itsbreast glowed with gorgeous green and flame-coloured scales, whichlooked as if they had been cut out of some wonderful metal to protectthe bird's breast. Its wings moved so rapidly that they were invisible,and the beautiful little object seemed to be surrounded by a filmy hazeof a little more than the diameter of a cricket-ball.

  Again there was a sharp motion, such as is noted in one kind of fly inan English summer, when it can be seen poised for a few momentsapparently immovable, but with its wings beating at lightning speed.And as the humming bird changed its position the breast feathers lookeddark and dull, while its head displayed a crest of dazzling goldengreen.

  It appeared to have no dread of the group of human beings close to it,but probed blossom after blossom as calmly as a bee would at home; andit was from no movement they made that it suddenly made a dart and wasgone.

  "Pretty creatures!" said Shaddy, smiling, and looking the last man inthe world likely to admire a bird; "you've come to the right place forthem, gentlemen. Those lads of mine would soon make blowpipes andarrows, and knock you a few down, or I could if you wanted 'em, with oneof your guns."

  "The shots would cut them to pieces," said Brazier.

  "To be sure they would, sir, and I shouldn't use none. I've knocked onedown with a charge of powder, shot off pretty close, and other timeswith half a teaspoonful of sand in the gun. But I tell you what actsbest, only you can't do it with a breechloader. It must be an oldmuzzle gun, and after you've rammed down your powder very tight with astrong wad, you pour in a little water, and fire soon as you can. Youget a shower then as brings 'em down without damaging your bird."

  "Let's look at the jaguar skin," said Rob; and stepping aside to wherethe boatmen stood in the broad sunshine, instead of gazing upon thetawny fur, with its rich spots of dark brown along back and flanks,shading off into soft white, he found, stretched out tightly by pegs, asheet of unpleasant-looking fleshy skin, hardening in the ardentsunshine, which drove out its moisture at a rapid rate.

  "Do it no end of good to stop like that till to-morrow," said Shaddy."It would be pretty nigh stiff and hard by then."

  "But I don't want it stiff and hard," cried Rob. "I want it soft, likea leather rug."

  "Yes, sir, I know," replied the guide. "Let's get it dry first; I cansoon make it soft afterwards."

  Brazier was looking round the open patch of slightly sloping ground,about half an acre in extent, forming quite a nook in the forest throughwhich the river ran.

  "There is plenty of work here for a day or two," he said; "and it is asuitable place for our halt."

  "Couldn't be better, sir. We shan't find another so good."

  "Then we'll stop for one day, certain."

  "'Cording to that, then," said Shaddy thoughtfully, "we'd better takethe carkidge somewhere else."

  "Of course--get rid of it or bury it. Before long in this sun it willbe offensive. Why not throw it in the river?"

  "That's what I meant to do, sir; but I was a bit scared about drawingthe 'gators about us. Don't want their company. If they see that camefrom here they'll be waiting about for more. I dunno, though; perhapsthe stream'll carry it down half a mile before they pull it under or itsinks."

  He made a sign to the boatmen, who seized the carcass of the jaguar,bore it just below where the boat was moored, and the two lads followedto see it consigned to the swift river.

  Here the men stood close to the edge, and acting in concert underShaddy's direction, they swung the carcass to and fro two or threetimes, gathering impetus at every sway, and then with one tremendouseffort and a loud expiration of the breath they sent it flying severalyards, for it to fall with a tremendous splash and sink slowly, thelighter-coloured portions being quite plain in the clear water as itsettled down, sending great rings to each shore. Then the carcass roseslowly to the surface and began to float down-stream.

  "Look," cried Rob the next instant, as the smooth water suddenly becameagitated, and dark shadows appeared to be moving beneath the surface.Then the jaguar moved suddenly to one side, as if it were alive, thenback, to alter its course directly straight away from them, and again tobegin travelling up stream; while the water boiled all round about it,and several silvery fish flashed out of the water and fell back; thenheads and tails appeared as the fierce occupants of the river fought formorsels which they bit out of the flanks and limbs of the dead animal.

  "Makes 'em mad to get at it," said Shaddy, as the water grew moredisturbed; "they're coming up the river in shoals. You see there's noskin to get through and fill their teeth with hair. Say, youngsters,talk about ground bait, don't you wish you'd got your tackle ready?Might catch some good ones for supper."

  "And eat them after they've been feeding on that animal?"

  "Better have them after feeding on that, Rob," said Brazier, "than aftera feast of I don't know what. Why not try, Naylor?"

  "No meat for a bait, sir. Let's wait till they've done, and then I'llfish for a dorado. We've got some oranges left."

  He ceased speaking, and they stood watching the carcass, which stillfloated, from the simple fact that a shoal of fish were attacking itfrom below, while so many came swarming, up from lower down the stream,attracted by the odour of the pieces of the jaguar, and the manyfragments which ascended and floated away, that the carcass not onlycould not sink but was driven higher and higher toward the main river.

  "Hah!" ejacula
ted Shaddy suddenly, "I thought that was coming."

  For suddenly there were dozens of silvery fish leaping in the air tofall back into the water, which ceased to boil, and a wave formed by theshoal swept down-stream.

  "What's that mean?" cried Rob. "Why, they've left it."

  "Yes, sir, _they_ have," said Shaddy, emphasising the personal pronoun."Look!"

  A fresh splash about twenty yards from them had already taken Rob'sattention, and then there was another caused by a peculiar dark-lookingobject, which rose above the surface.

  "'Gator's tail," said Shaddy, grimly. "It's their turn now, and thehungry fishes have to make room."

  Just then a long black, muddy-looking snout glided out of the water,followed by the head, shoulders and back of a hideous lizard-likecreature, which glided over the carcass of the jaguar and disappeared,followed directly by a head twice as large, and as it rose clear of thewater the jaws opened wide and closed with a loud snap. Directly afterthis head sank down out of sight there was a tremendous swirl in thewater, and then it began to settle down, but only to be disturbed oncemore about opposite to where the party stood, and again some twentyyards lower down, after which the river ran swiftly and smoothly oncemore.

  "That was an old bull 'gator," said Shaddy. "The small ones, three orfour, came first and scared off all the fish that didn't want to beeaten, and then the old chap came and soon sent them to the right-about,and he has carried off the carkidge to enjoy all to himself down in somehole under the bank."

  "Plenty of natural history for you here, boys," said Brazier, "eh?"

  "Yes; but how horrid!" cried Rob. "And yet how beautiful it all is tocompensate!" said Brazier, thoughtfully. "But what about somethingfresh to eat, Naylor? We must shoot something, or you must fish.There, Rob, you said how horrid just now; and yet we are as bad. Thealligators and fish only sought for their daily food. We are going todo worse than they did with our guns and tackle. Well, Naylor, what arewe to do?"

  "I'm thinking, sir, that if the young gents here, or one of them, willtry a fishing-line with an orange or half an orange bait, you might sitquiet at your corner and watch for something--bush turkey, or parrotseven, for they're good eating."

  "But suppose I shoot a bird, and it falls in the river, what then?"

  "Why, we must go after it with the boat; but I expect that something oranother would take it down before we could get to it. This riverswarms, sir, with big fish and 'gators."

  "Why not go a few hundred yards into the forest? We might put up adeer."

  "Dessay you would, sir, if you could get in. Why, you couldn't get in adozen yards without men to hack a way for you; and if you went in alone,even so far, it's a chance if you could find your way out again. You'llhave to be careful about that."

  "Why?" said Rob, eagerly. "The wild beasts?"

  "They're the least trouble, sir," replied Shaddy. "It's the gettinglost. A man who is lost in these forests may almost as well lie downand die at once out of his misery, for there's no chance of his gettingback again."

  "I'm afraid you try to make the worst of things, Naylor," said Brazier,smiling. "Well, I'll take my position at the corner yonder while youlads fish."

  Rob felt as if he would far rather try his luck with a gun, for hewanted to practise shooting; and Shaddy read the disappointment in hisface.

  "It'll be all right, my lad," he said, as Brazier went to the boat toget some different cartridges; "you'll have plenty of chances ofshooting for the pot by-and-by. Why, you haven't done so very badto-day--bagging a whole tiger. Here, I'll help you rig up a line."

  "And suppose I hook one of those alligators?"

  "Hardly likely, my lad; but if you do it will be bad for the 'gator orbad for your line. One'll have to come, or the other'll have to go."

  Just then Brazier returned from the boat with the cartridge-pouch andexamining the breech of his gun, after which he walked slowly to thecorner of the green opening and took his place close to the edge of theriver, where he was partly hidden by some pendent boughs, while Rob,Joe, and Shaddy got on board the boat again, and were soon fitting up aline with an orange bait.

  "May as well fish from the boat, my lads," said Shaddy; "it's peaceablerand comfortabler. What do you say?"

  "No," said Joe, "but one from the boat, and one from the other cornerthere. If we fish together we shall get our lines tangled."

  "Right, my Hightalian man o' wisdom," said Shaddy. "There you are,then," he continued, as he fixed the half of an orange as securely as hecould; "you begin there, and Mr Rob will try up yonder, while I'll goto and fro with the gaff hook ready to help whichever of you wants ahand."

  "Hi! you chaps," he shouted to the men in their own tongue, as they weresettling themselves down for a long sleep, "make that fire up again;we're going to stop here to-night."

  "I wish I could speak their language, Shaddy," said Rob, as the mendeliberately began to pile some of the wood they had collected on theembers.

  "You'll soon pick it up, my lad. It's soft and easy enough. Not as Ispeak it, you know, because I'm so rough and keep chopping in brokenEnglish. They're not bad fellows. But now look here," he continued, asthey reached their corner where the stream flowed very deep and madequite an eddy; "it strikes me that the best thing we can do is to try adifferent bait, one as will tempt the fish that don't care so much forflesh. What do you say to a quarter of a biscuit?"

  "Too hard, and will not stick on."

  "Get soft in the water; and it will stick on, for I shall tie it withsome thin string, making quite a net round it."

  "That will do then," said Rob, who felt some compunction at trying forfish which had been lunching off a large cat; and in due time the baitwas carefully bound on.

  "This place will suit," said Shaddy, "because the water will carry thehook out softly right toward the middle in this eddy, and we shan't haveto throw and knock off our bait. Ready?"

  _Bang_!