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

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TEN.

  THE WONDERS OF THE WILDS.

  It was a weird hour that next which was passed with the fire sending upvolumes of smoke, followed by glittering sparks which rose rapidly andlooked like specks of gold-leaf floating away over the river, red now asblood, now orange and gold, as the fire blazed higher and cast itsreflections on the rapid stream.

  The bright light had a singular attraction for the birds, which cameskimming round and swooping through the dark smoke, small birds withbright wings, and large-headed owls with soft silent pinions; theselatter every now and then adding their mournful cries to the harshscreeching, whirring, drumming, throbbing, and piping of bird, insect,and reptile which mingled with the fine, thin, humming _ping_ of themosquitoes and the mournful fluting of the frogs.

  No one spoke for a time, the attention of three of the party being takenup by the novelty of their position and the noises of the forest, forthough they had passed many nights on the river and listened to thecries on the farther shore, this was their first experience of beingright in among these musicians of the night as they kept up theirincessant din.

  "Can you tell what every sound is that we hear, Shaddy?" whispered Robat last.

  "Nay, hardly; some on 'em of course," said their guide. "You know manyof them too already, though they get so mixed up it's hard to pick outone from the other."

  "But that?" whispered Rob, as if he dared not raise his voice, and hestarted violently, for there was a splash close at hand.

  "Didn't mean that fish, did you, sir? That won't hurt you here so longas you don't walk overboard in your sleep."

  "No, no, I didn't mean that; I meant that bellowing noise. You heardit, didn't you, Mr Brazier?"

  There was no reply.

  "Sleep," said Shaddy gruffly.

  "Joe, you heard that bellowing down the river there?" whispered Rob.

  Again there was no reply.

  "Sleep too," growled Shaddy. "Well, don't you know what that was?"

  "No."

  "'Gator. Don't suppose he thinks it's bellowing. Dessay he'd call it asong. There it goes again. Comes along the river as if it was close tous. But there, don't you think you've done enough for one day, and hadbetter do as the rest are doing? We're the only two awake."

  "But what about keeping watch?" said Rob, rather excitedly.

  "Oh, I don't know as there's any need to keep watch here, my lad," saidShaddy coolly.

  "What, not with all kinds of wild and savage beasts about us, andmonstrous reptiles and fishes in the very water where we float! Why, itseems madness to go to sleep among such dangers."

  "Nay, not it, my lad. Why, if you come to that, the world's full ofdangers wherever you are. No more danger here than on board a big shipsailing or steaming over water miles deep."

  "But the wild beasts--lions and tigers, as you call them?"

  "Lions won't hurt you so long as you don't meddle with them, and thetigers won't pass that fire."

  "Then the Indians?"

  "No Indians about here, my lad, or I should have that fire out prettysoon and be on the watch. You leave all that to me, and don't you getworrying yourself about danger because you hear a noise in the forest!Noise is a noosance, but it don't hurt. There was five thousand timesas much danger in the fangs of that little sarpint I chopped to-day asin all the noise you're listening to now."

  Rob was silent.

  "So just you take my advice, my lad: when night comes you say your bito' prayers and tuck your head under your wing till it's near daylight.That's the way to get a good night's rest and be ready for the morning."

  Rob started again, for a great, soft-winged thing swept silently by, sonear that he felt the wind of its pinion as it glided on, its outlinenearly invisible, but magnified by the darkness into a marvellous size.

  "On'y a bat, my lad!" said Shaddy, yawning.

  "Is that one of the blood-sucking ones?"

  "Very likely."

  "And you talk about there being no danger out here!"

  "Nay, not I. There's plenty of dangers, my lad, but we're not going tobe afraid of a thing that you could knock down with one of your hands sothat it would never fly again. It ought to feel scared, not you."

  "Is that a firefly?" said Rob, after a few minutes' silence, and hepointed to a soft, golden glow coming up the river five or six feetabove the stream, and larger and more powerful than the twinkling lightsappearing and disappearing among the foliage at the river's edge.

  "Yes, that's a firefly; come to light you to bed, if you like. There,my lad, it's sleep-time. Get under shelter out of the night damp.You'll soon be used to all the buzzing and howling and--"

  "That was a tiger, wasn't it?" said Rob excitedly, as a shrill cry rangout somewhere in the forest and sent a thrill through him.

  "No. Once more, that's a lion, and he's after monkeys, not after you,so good-night."

  Shaddy drew the sail over him as he stretched himself in the bottom ofthe roomy boat, and Rob crept in under the awning. The heavy breathingenabled him to make out exactly where his companions lay asleep, andsettling himself down forward, he rested his head on his hand, convincedthat sleep would be impossible, and preparing to listen to the faintrustling noise of the mooring rope on the gunwale of the boat, a soundwhich often suggested something coming on board.

  Then he made sure what it was, and watched the faint glow thrown by thefire on the canvas till it seemed to grow dull--seemed, for the boatmenhad arranged the wood so that from time to time it fell in, and hence itkept on burning up more brightly. But it looked dull to Rob and thenblack, for in spite of yells and screams and bellowings, the piping andfluting of frogs, the fiddling of crickets, and the drumming of somegreat toad, which apparently had a big tom-tom all to itself, Rob's eyeshad closed, and fatigue made him sleep as soundly as if he had been athome.

  The sun was up when he awoke with a start to find Joe having his wash ina freshly dipped bucket of clean water, and upon joining him and lookingashore, it was to see Brazier bringing his botanic treasures on board tohang up against the awning to dry; while Shaddy had taken the skin ofthe jaguar, pegs and all, rolling it up and throwing it forward. Theboatmen kept the kettle boiling and some cake-bread baking in the hotashes. At the same time a pleasant odour of frizzling bacon told thatbreakfast would not be long.

  "You are going to stay here for a day or two?" said Rob to Mr Brazieras he rubbed his face dry in the warm sunshine.

  "No. Naylor says we shall do better farther on, and keep on collectingas we go, beside getting a supply of ducks or other fowl for our wants.The farther we are from the big river the easier it will be to keep ourwants supplied."

  "Gun, sir!" said Shaddy just then; "big ducks coming up the river. Takeit coolly, sir, and don't shoot till you can get two or three."

  Brazier waited and waited, but the birds, which were feeding, came nofarther.

  "Hadn't Mr Rob better try too, sir?" whispered Shaddy; "he wants tolearn to shoot."

  Rob glanced at Brazier, who did not take his eyes from the ducks he waswatching, and the boy hurriedly fetched his gun.

  "What yer got in?" whispered Shaddy.

  "Shot in one barrel, bullet in the other."

  "Bah!" growled the guide. "You don't want bullet now. Yes, you do," hecontinued. "Look straight across the water in between the trees, andtell me if you see anything."

  "No. Whereabouts?"

  "Just opposite us. Now look again close to the water's edge, wherethere's that bit of an opening. Come, lad, where's your eyes?"

  "I don't see anything but flowers and drooping boughs."

  "And a deer just come down for a drink of fresh-water, ready to be shotand keep us in food for days."

  "Yes, I can see it now," said Rob eagerly. "What a beautiful creature!"

  "Yes, beautiful meat that we can cut up in strips and dry in the sun, soas to have a little supply in hand."

  "But it seems--" began Rob.

  "It's neces
sary, lad, and it's a chance. Sit down, rest your piece onthe gunwale, and aim straight with your left barrel at the centre of itshead. If you miss that you're sure to send the bullet through itsshoulder and bring it down."

  Feeling a great deal of compunction, Rob sank into the position advised,cocked his piece, and took careful aim.

  "Make sure of him, my lad," whispered Shaddy. "It's a fine bit o'practice for you. Now then, hold the butt tight to your shoulder andpull the trigger gently; squeeze it more than pull. Covered him?"

  "Yes."

  "Then fire."

  _Bang! bang_! Two shots in rapid succession, and the deer was gone, buta monkey unseen till then dropped head over heels into the water fromone of the trees over the trembling deer, scared from its hold by theloud reports, and after a few moments' splashing succeeded in reaching abranch which dipped in the stream. In another moment or two it was insafety, chattering away fiercely as an ugly snout was protruded from thewater where it fell.

  "Got them this time!" said Brazier in a tone of satisfaction, as fiveducks lay on the water waiting to be picked up. "You should have firedtoo, Rob. We want fresh provisions."

  "What I told him, sir, but he took such a long aim that the deer said,`Good-morning; come and be shot another time.'"

  "Deer? What deer?"

  "One t'other side, sir," said Shaddy, who had got out to unmoor theboat.

  "I wish I had seen it; the meat would have been so valuable to-day."

  "What I telled him, sir."

  "And you didn't shoot!"

  "I was just going to when you fired, and the deer darted away."

  "Naturally," said Brazier, smiling; and by this time the boat wasgliding down the river in the wake of the ducks. These were secured,all but one, which, being wounded, flapped and swam toward the shore,where it was suddenly sucked down by a reptile or fish. Those theysecured dropped silvery little arrows, apparently, back into the waterin the shape of the tiny voracious fish that had forced their wayalready between their feathers to reach the skin.

  The birds secured, Rob sat gazing with delight at the fresh beauties ofthe river where it wound off to the right. Birds innumerable wereflitting about, chirping and singing; noisy parrots were climbing andhanging head downwards as they hunted out a berry-like fruit from a talltree; and toucans, with orange-and-scarlet breasts and huge bills,hopped about, uttering their discordant cries. Everything looked sobeautiful and peaceful that for the moment he forgot the dangerousoccupants of the river, and his eyes grew dim with the strange sense ofjoy that came over him that glorious morning. But the next moment hebecame aware of the fact that to all this beauty and brightness therewas a terrible reverse side. For suddenly a great falcon dashed withswift wing high up along the course of the river, and cries of fear,warning, and alarm rang out from the small birds, the minute beforehappy and contentedly seeking their food.

  The change was magical. At the first cry, all dropped downhelter-skelter beneath the boughs and leaves, seeking shelter; and asthe falcon gave a harsh scream it was over groves that had suddenlybecome deserted, not a tenant being visible, except some half-dozenhumming-birds, whose safety lay in their tiny size and wonderful powersof flight. Three of these, instead of showing fear, became immediatelyaggressive, and, darting like great flies at the falcon, flashed aboutit in different directions, apparently acting in concert and pesteringthe great bird, so that it winged its way over the great wall of treesand was gone.

  But almost at the same moment a vulture appeared, with its hideous nakedhead and neck outstretched, making the humming-birds ruffle up again andresume their attack till they literally drove the great intruder away.

  "What daring little things they are!" said Rob, who was watching thetiny bird gems with keen delight, while Brazier's admiration was as muchtaken up by the clusters of blossoms hanging from a branch over thewater.

  "I shall be obliged to have those, Rob," he said, pointing to theorchids. "Do you think you could get out along that bough if the boatwere run in to the bank?"

  "Yes," said the boy; "but suppose I drop into the river! What then?"

  "We would keep the boat under you."

  "Can't be done," growled Shaddy, who had been trying to force the boatback to their little camp by paddling with one oar over the stern."'Bliged to ask you, gentlemen, to take an oar apiece. Stream runsmighty fast here."

  Rob seized an oar, and Brazier followed suit, at the same time glancingtoward their last night's halting-place to see if their men were withinreach to come and row and enable him to make an effort to obtain some ofthe green, bulbous-looking stems and flowers of the lovely parasitewhich had taken his attention. But they were as unobtainable as if theywere a hundred miles away, for it would have taken them days to cut away to opposite where the boat was now being held against the swiftstream, and even when they had reached the spot it would have beenimpossible to force her in through the tangled growth to the shore.

  "Now together, gentlemen!" growled Shaddy. "Keep stroke, please. Pullhard."

  They were already tugging so hard that the perspiration was starting outupon Rob's brow, and in that short row, with Shaddy supplementing theirefforts by paddling with all his might, they had a fair sample of thetremendous power of the stream.

  "At last!" said Shaddy as they regained their old quarters, where Joeand the four men had stood watching them. "It will give my chaps apretty good warming if we come back this way. Strikes me that we fourhad better practise pulling together, so as to be able to give them arest now and then when the stream's very much against us."

  "By all means," said Brazier.

  "You see, men ain't steam-engines, sir, and we might be where there wasno place for landing. O' course we could always hitch on to the trees,but that makes poor mooring, and we should be better able to make ourway. There's hardly a chance of getting into slack water in a riverlike this: it all goes along with a rush."

  "But I must get that plant, Naylor," said Brazier. "If you'll believeme, sir," was the reply, "you needn't worry about that one. I'm goingto take you where you'll find thousands."

  "Like that?"

  "Ay, and other sorts too. Seems to me, sir, we want to catch a monkeyand teach him how to use a knife. He'd be the sort of chap to run upthe trees." Rob laughed at the idea, and said it was not possible."Well, sir," said Shaddy, "you may believe it or no, but an old friendof mine 'sured me that the Malay chaps do teach a big monkey they've gotout there to slip up the cocoa-nut trees and twist the big nuts roundand round till they drop off. He said it was a fact, and I don't seewhy not."

  "We'll try and dispense with the monkey," said Brazier; and trusting tofinding more easily accessible specimens of the orchid, he gave that up,and a couple of hours after they were gliding swiftly along the stream,rapt in contemplation of the wonders on either hand, Shaddy being calledupon from time to time to seize hold of some overhanging bough and checkthe progress of the boat, so that its occupants might watch the gambolsof the inquisitive monkeys which kept pace with them along the bank bybounding and swinging from branch to branch.

  The birds, too, appeared to be infinite in variety; and Rob was neverweary of watching the tiny humming-birds as they poised themselvesbefore the trumpet blossoms of some of the pendent vines to probe theirdepths for honey, or capture tiny insects with their beaks.

  Their journey was prolonged from their inability to find a suitableplace for a halt, and it was easy work for the boatmen, who smiled withcontent as they found that only one was required to handle the oars, soas to keep the boat's head straight.

  It was nearly night, when a narrow place was found where by the fall ofa huge tree several others had been torn up by their roots, and lay withtheir water-worn branches in the river.

  The place offered just room to run the boat between two of the trees,but it could be easily moored, and there was the clear sky overhead.Moreover, they had an ample supply of dead wood to make a fire, and bythe time this was blazing merrily and
lighting up the wall of trees andthe river night had fallen intensely dark.

  The lads were for leaping out directly and climbing about amongst thefallen trunks which nearly filled the opening, but Shaddy checked them.

  "Wait a while, my lads, till the fire's been burning a bit. I don'tquite like our quarters."

  "But that fire will scare away any wild beasts that may be near," saidRob.

  "Yes, but the place looks snaky, Mr Rob; and I daresay there's lots o'them big spiders about."

  "What big spiders?"

  "Them as bites so bad that you remember it for months. Why, there's onesort out in these parts as'll run after you and attack you--fierce."

  "No, no, Shaddy, not spiders," said Rob, laughing.

  "Look ye here, Mr Rob, sir," said Shaddy solemnly, "when I tell you astory of the good old traveller sort--I mean a bouncer--you'll see thecorners of my lips screwed up. When I'm telling you what's true astrue, you'll see I look solid as mahogany; and that's how I'm lookingnow."

  "Yes, it's true, Rob," said Joe. "There are plenty of spiders out onthe pampas--great fellows that will come at you and bite horribly."

  "I should like to see one," said Rob.

  "Wait a bit, my lad, and you shall," said Shaddy.--"Humph! don't likethis place at all," he growled. "Look there!" he continued, pointing atwhere three big trees lay close together, with their branches worn sharpby the action of the water. "If there ain't 'gators under all themsharp snags my name ain't Shadrach Naylor! Water's quite still, too,there. I hope there ain't anything worse."

  "Do you think we had better go on?" said Brazier.

  "Nay, we'll risk it, sir. Let's wait till the fire burns up big andstrong. We'll have a roarer to-night, and that'll scare away most ofthe trash. Worst of it is, I'm 'fraid it 'tracts the 'gators and fish."