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

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

  "WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY."

  A glorious, a delicious morning, with the mists passing away in wisps ofvapour before the bright sunshine, the leaves dripping with dew, andbird and insect life in full activity.

  But it was everything for the eye and nothing for the inner man. Wakingfrom a most restful sleep meant also the awakening to a sensation ofravenous hunger, and directly after to the terrible depression caused bythe loss sustained on the previous day and their position--alone, andwithout the means of obtaining food.

  When Rob started up he found Brazier in earnest conversation withShaddy, and in a few minutes the boy learned that their guide had beenabout from the moment he could see to make up the fire, and then he hadbeen searching in all directions for traces of their companions.

  "And you feel sure that they have gone?" Brazier was saying when Robjoined them.

  "Certain sure, sir."

  "But I still cling to the belief that we have blundered into the wrongplace in our weariness and the darkness last night. Why, Naylor, theremust be hundreds of similar spots to this along the banks of the river."

  "Might say thousands, sir; but you needn't cling no more to no hopes,for this is the right spot, sure enough."

  "How do you know?" cried Rob.

  "'Cause there's the mark where the boat's head touched ground, where welanded, and our footmarks in the mud."

  "And those of the men?" cried Brazier hastily.

  "No, sir; they none of them landed. There's your footmarks, Mr Rob's,and mine as plain as can be, and the water has shrunk a bit away sincewe made 'em yesterday. No, sir, there's no hope that way."

  "Then what ever are we to do, man?" cried Brazier.

  "Like me to tell you the worst, sir?"

  "Yes, speak out; we may as well know."

  Shaddy was silent for a few moments, and then said,--

  "Well, gen'lemen, those fellows have gone off with the boat and all init. The guns and things was too much for 'em, and they've gone to feastfor a bit and then die off like flies. They'll never work enough bythemselves to row that boat back to Paraguay river, for one won't obeythe other. They'll be like a watch without a key."

  "Then they have gone down the river?" said Rob.

  "Yes, sir, wherever it takes them, and they'll shoot a bit and fish abit till they've used all the powder and lost their lines. So much forthem. Let's talk about ourselves. Well, gentlemen, we might make asort of raft thing of wood and bundles of rushes,--can't make a boat forwant of an axe,--and we might float down the stream, but I'm afraid itwould only be to drown ourselves, or be pulled off by the critters inthe water."

  "But the land, Shaddy!" cried Rob. "Can't we really walk along the bankback to where we started?"

  "You saw yesterday, sir," said Shaddy grimly.

  "But couldn't we find a way across the forest to some point on the greatriver, Naylor?" said Brazier.

  "No, sir, and we've got to face what's before us. No man can getthrough that great forest without chopping his way with an axe, and he'dwant two or three lifetimes to do it in, if he could find food as hewent. I'm talking as one who has tried all this sort o' thing for manyyears, and I'm telling you the simple truth when I say that, situated aswe are, we've either got to stop here till help comes, or go down theriver on some kind of raft."

  "Then why not do that and risk the dangers?" cried Rob.

  "Yes," said Brazier. "Why not do that? No help can possibly come hereunless Indians pass by in a canoe."

  "Which they won't, sir, and if they did they'd kill us as they wouldwild beasts. I don't believe there's an Indian for a hundred miles."

  "Then what do you propose doing first?" asked Brazier.

  "Trying to kill the wolf, sir."

  "What! hunger?"

  "Yes, sir. He's a-gnawing away at me awful. Let's see what berries andfruit we can find, and then try whether we can't get hold of a fish."

  "But we are forgetting all about poor Joe," said Rob in agonised tones.

  "That we ain't, sir. I know you're not, and if you'll show me what Ican do more than I did last evening and afternoon to find the poor boy,here's Shadrach Naylor ready to risk his life any way to save him. Butset me to do it, for I can't see no way myself. Can you?"

  Rob was silent, and Brazier shook his head.

  "You see, it's like this, sir," continued Shaddy: "people as have neverbeen in these woods can't understand what it means, when it's just this:Shut your eyes and go a dozen yards, turn round, and you're lost.There's nothing to guide you but your own footsteps, and you can't seethem. You may live for a few days by chewing leaves, and then it's liedown and die, wishing you were a monkey or a bird. That's the truth,gentlemen."

  "Then you give up in despair, Naylor?" said Brazier angrily.

  "Not I, sir--not the sort o' man. What I say is, we can't do no good bywasting our strength in looking for Mr Joe. We've got to try and saveour own lives by stopping where we are."

  "And what shall we do first?"

  "Use our brains, sir, and find something to eat, as I said afore.There's fruit to find, fish, birds, and monkeys to catch. Snakes ain'tbad eating. There's plenty of water, and--Oh, we're not going to dieyet. Two big men and a small one, and all got knives; so come along,and let's see what we can do."

  Shaddy turned to the fire, taking out his knife and trying the edge.

  "First thing I want, Mr Rob, is a bit of hard half-burnt wood--forkedbit, out of which I can make a big fish-hook, a long shank and a shortone. It must be hard and tough, and--Why, hullo! I didn't see thesehere before."

  "What?" asked Rob and Brazier in a breath, and their companion pointeddown at the earth.

  "Fresh footmarks, gen'lemen," said Shaddy.

  "Joe's?" cried Rob.

  "Nay, my lad; it's a lion's, and he has been prowling round about ourfire in the night."

  Rob started, and thought of his realistic dream, but he was faint,confused in intellect, and could not fit the puzzle together then.

  "Well, he hasn't eaten either of us," said Shaddy, with a grim smile,"and he'd better mind what he's about, or we'll eat him. Ah, here weare!" he exclaimed, pouncing upon a piece of burning wood. "Now youtake your cap, Mr Rob, and hunt all round for any fruit you can find.Don't be wasteful and pick any that ain't ripe. Leave that for anotherday. We shall want it. And don't go in the forest. There's more to befound at the edge than inside, because you can't get to the tops of thetrees; and don't eat a thing till I've seen it, because there's plentypoisonous as can be."

  "All right!" said Rob, and he turned to go.

  "And cheer up, both of you," said their companion. "We won't starvewhile there's traps to be made, and bows and arrows, and fishing tackle.Now, Mr Brazier, please, you'll sit down on that dead tree, take offthat silk handkercher from your neck, and pull out threads from it oneby one, tie 'em together, and wind 'em up round a bit of stick. Soon asI've made this big rough wooden hook, I'll lay the silk up into a line."

  "But you've no bait," said Brazier, who was already taking off hisnecktie.

  "No bait, sir? Mr Rob's going to find some wild oranges or sour sops,or something, and if he don't I still mean to have a fish. Why, if Ican't find nothing else I'll have a bait if I come down to cutting offone of my toes--perhaps one o' Mr Rob's would be tenderer or moretempting--or my tongue p'r'aps, for I do talk too much. Work, both ofyou; I'll soon have a bait, for I want my breakfast like mad."

  Rob hurried off, but did not reach the great trees which surrounded theopen spot, for at the third clump of bushes he came upon anorange-coloured fruit growing upon a vine-like plant in abundance. Itseemed to be some kind of passion-flower, and, in spite of Shaddy'swarning, he tasted one, to find it of a pleasant, sweetish, acidflavour.

  Gathering a capful, he returned at once to where his companions inmisfortune were hard at work.

  "Hullo!" growled Shaddy. "Soon back! What have you got, my lad? Kindo'
granadillas, eh? Well, they're good to eat, but not much to make abreakfast of. Better wait till I've done a bit o' conjuring and turnedsome of 'em into a fish. There, what do you say to that for a hook?"

  He held up his piece of wood carving, which was about four inches longand two across, something in this shape:--

  "Not much of a hook, Mr Rob, sir, but tough enough to hold a fish if wecan coax him to swallow it by covering it with the fruit. We can getthree of them juicy things on the shank and point. So now for the line!How are you getting on, Mr Brazier, sir?"

  "Very slowly, Naylor," said Brazier, with a sigh.

  "All the more surer, sir. You help, Mr Rob, sir, and I'll lay up someof my cotton handkercher for the snood. No; second thoughts is best.I'll make a loose hank of it, so that the fish's teeth may go through ifhe tries to bite the line, which of course he will."

  The result was that in an hour or so a silk line of about twenty yardsin length was twisted up and attached to the loose cotton bottom securedto the hook. This was baited, and, after selecting a suitable spot,Shaddy climbed out upon a half-fallen tree whose trunk projected overthe river, and dropped his line into a deep eddying pool, where thewater ran round and round in a way which made Rob feel giddy.

  There was a steep slope just here, so that the bank was not flooded, andhence the angler was able to drop his line at once into deep water,where the action of the whirling current sufficed to suck the bait rightdown, while Brazier and Rob looked on with the interest of those whodepended upon success to give them the food from the want of which theywere suffering keenly.

  "Now then," said Shaddy cheerfully, "if the bait don't come off, if afish takes it, if there are any here, if the hook don't break and theline give way, I may catch our breakfast. Plenty of ifs, Mr Rob, sir!Remember the big doradoes we caught up yonder?"

  "Oh, if you could catch one now!" replied the lad.

  "Ah, if I could, sir! Perhaps I shall, but I don't want a big one. Nowfor it!"

  A quarter of an hour passed away, during which time Shaddy pulled up andexamined his bait twice, to see if it was safe, but there was no sign offish there, though out in mid-stream and toward the farther shore therewas evidently abundance, the water being disturbed and some big fellowspringing out every now and then, to come down with a mighty splash,scattering the sparkling drops in all directions.

  "I shall have to come down to a toe, Mr Rob, sir," said Shaddy grimly."The fish don't seem to care for fruit so early in the morning. It'sall very well for dessert, but they like a substantial meal first. Nowthen, get your knife ready. Whose is it to be? Shall we pull strawsfor the lot?"

  "Try a little farther this way, Shaddy," said Rob, ignoring the remark.

  "Right, sir! I will," said Shaddy, shifting the position of his bait,"but it strikes me we've got into a 'gator hole, and consequentlythere's no fish."

  "Do you think they can see you?"

  "No, sir. Water's too thick. Look yonder."

  "What at?"

  "Monkeys in that tree watching us. Now if you'd got a bow and arrowsyou might bring one or two down."

  "What for?"

  "What for, my lad?" cried the guide in astonishment. "And he asks whatfor, when we're all starving. Why, to eat, of course."

  "Ugh! I'm not so hungry as that!" cried Rob, with a shudder.

  "You ain't? Well, my lad, I am, and so I tell you. They're capitaleating. Why, I remember once when I was up the river with a party weall had--A fish! a fish!" he cried as upon raising his line, to see ifthe bait were all right, he suddenly felt a fierce tug; and the nextminute the pool began to be agitated in a peculiar way.

  "Here, Mr Rob, I'm going to hand you the line, and you've got to runhim out at once upon the bank. If I try to play him he's sure to go.There, I'll ease him down, and he'll think it's all right and be quiet.Then you draw in gently, and as soon as he feels the hook run him rightout, and you, Mr Brazier, sir, stand ready at the water's edge to mindhe don't get back. Mind, I don't say it ain't a small 'gator all thesame."

  He passed the end of the line to Rob as the captive, whatever it was,now lay quiet, but as soon as the lad began to draw the line ashorethere was another heavy tug.

  "Run him out, sir, not hand over hand; run and turn your back," shoutedShaddy, and as fast as he could get over the tangled growth amongst thetrees Rob obeyed, with the result that he drew a large golden-scaledfish right out of the river and up the bank a couple of yards, whensomething parted, and Shaddy uttered a yell as he saw the captiveflapping back toward the pool.

  "Gone! gone!" cried Rob in dismay. "I knew--"

  He said no more for the moment, and then uttered a shout of delight ashe saw the efficacy of their guide's arrangements, for before the fishreached the edge Brazier had thrown himself upon it, and paying no heedto slime, spines, or sharp teeth, he thrust his hands beneath, and flungit far up toward where Rob in turn carried on the attack.

  The next minute Shaddy was beside them, knife in hand, with which herapidly killed, cleaned, and scaled the fish, finding the tough hookbroken in two before chopping off a couple of great palm-like leaves, inwhich he wrapped his prize as he trotted toward the fire. Then with ahalf-burned branch, he raked a hole in the glowing embers, laid down thefish, raked the embers over again, and said,--

  "Not to be touched for half an hour. Who'll come and try for more solidfruit?"

  If Rob's spirits had not been so low he would have been amused by theboyish manner of their companion as he led them here and there. At theedge of the forest he mounted and climbed about a tree till he was wellout on a great branch, from which he shook down a shower of great fruitthat looked like cricket-balls, but which on examination proved to bethe hard husks of some kind of nut.

  "What are these?" cried Rob.

  "Don't you know 'em?" said Shaddy as soon as he had descended.

  "No."

  "Yes, you do, my lad. You've seen 'em in London lots of times," andhammering a couple together, he broke open one and showed the contents:to wit, so many Brazil nuts packed together in a round form like thecarpels of an orange.

  "I never knew they grew like that," cried Rob eagerly.

  "And I must confess my ignorance, too," said Brazier.

  "Ah, there's lots to learn in this world, gen'lemen," said Shaddyquietly. "Not a very good kind o' nut, but better than nothing. Bittoo oily for me, but they'll serve as bread for our fish if we get acouple of big stones for nutcrackers. They're precious hard."

  "Then we shan't starve yet," cried Rob as he loaded himself with thecannon-ball-like fruit--pockets, cap, and as many as he could hold inhis arms.

  "Starve? I should think not," cried Shaddy, "and these here outsides'llhave to serve for teacups."

  "Without tea, Shaddy?"

  "Who says so, my lad? You wait, and we'll find cocoa and mate, and whoknows but what we may hit upon coffee and chocolate? Why, I won't swearas we don't find sugar-cane. 'T all events, we're going to try."

  "Well, Naylor, you are putting a different complexion on our prospects,"said Brazier, who had joined them.

  "Yes, sir, white one instead of a black one. Next thing is to get aroof over our heads ready for the heavy rains, and then we've got tosave all the feathers of the birds we catch or shoot for feather beds.We shall have a splendid place before we've done, and you can mark outas big an estate as you like. But come along; I'm thinking that fishmust be done."

  Upon Shaddy sweeping its envelope clean of the embers, he found it wasquite done, and soon served it out brown and juicy upon a greatbanana-like leaf.

  "Now, gentlemen, grace! and fall to," said their cook merrily. "Nutsafterwards when I've found two big stones."

  There was not much of the delicious fish left when a quarter of an hourhad passed, and then Rob uttered a grumble.

  It was very good, he said, only they had no salt.

  "If you'd only spoken a bit sooner, Master Rob, I could have got yousome pepper," said Shaddy, "but salt? Ah, th
ere you beat me altogether.It's too far to send down to the sea."