CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
THE WOODLAND FOES.
They took the same path without much difficulty, Shaddy tracing itcarefully step by step; and for a time Rob eagerly joined in thetracing, every now and then pointing out a place where they had broken atwig or displaced a bough; but after a time the gloom of the forestbegan to oppress him, and a strange sensation of shrinking frompenetrating farther forced him to make a call upon himself and think ofthe words uttered before they recommenced their search.
For there was always the feeling upon him that at any moment dangermight be lurking thus in their way, and that the next moment they mightbe face to face with death.
"But that's all selfishness," he forced himself to think. "We have tofind Mr Brazier."
This fresh loss to a certain extent obliterated the other trouble, andthere were times when poor Giovanni was completely forgotten, though atothers Rob found himself muttering,--
"Poor Joe! and now poor Mr Brazier! Whose turn will it be next? Andthose at home will never know of our fate."
But it generally happened that at these most depressing times somethinghappened to make a fresh call upon his energies. Now it would be afault in the tracking, their way seeming to be quite obliterated. NowShaddy would point out marks certainly not made by them; for flowers ofthe dull colourless kind, which flourished so sickly here in theseshades, had been broken-off, as if they had been examined, and then beenthrown aside: convincing proofs that Brazier had been botanising there,collecting, and casting away objects unworthy of his care.
At one spot, unnoticed on their return, quite a bunch of curious growthslay at the foot of a huge buttressed tree, where there were indicationsof some one having lain down for a time as if to rest. Farther on, atthe side of a tree, also unnoticed before, a great liana had been tornaway from a tree trunk, so that it looked as if it had been done by onewho climbed; and Shaddy said, with a satisfied smile,--
"He's been along here, Mr Rob, sure enough. Keep a good heart, sir;we're getting cleverer at tracking."
On they went in silence, forcing their way between the trees, with theforest appearing darker than ever, save here and there, where, so sureas a little light penetrated, with it came sound. Now it was the hum ofinsect life in the sunshine far above their heads; now it was theshrieking or twittering of birds busy feasting on fruit, and twice overan angry chattering told them that they had monkeys for their companionshigh overhead; but insect, bird, and the strangely agile creatures whichleaped and swung among the boughs, were for the most part invisible, andthey toiled on.
All at once Rob raised the bow he carried, and touched Shaddy sharply onthe shoulder.
"Eh? what's the matter, my lad?" cried the man, turning quickly.
"Look! Don't you see?" whispered Rob. "There, by that patch of greenlight? Some one must have climbed up that green liana which hangs fromthe bough. It is swinging still. Do you think a monkey has just beenup it, or is it some kind of wild cat?"
Shaddy uttered his low chuckling laugh as he stood still leaning uponhis bamboo staves.
"If it had been a cat we should have seen a desperate fight, my lad," hereplied. "If it was a monkey I'm sorry for him. He must have gone upoutside and come down in. Why, can't you see what it is?"
"A great liana, one of those tough creeper things. Look how curiouslyit moves still! Some one's dragging at the end. No, it isn't. Oh,Shaddy, it's a great serpent hanging from the bough!"
"That's more like it, my lad. Look! You can see its head now."
In effect the long, hideous-looking creature raised its head from whereit had been hidden by the growth below, twisted and undulated about fora few moments, and then lifted it more and more till it could reach thelower part of the bough from which it hung, and then, graduallycontracting its body into curves and loops, gathered itself togethertill it hung in a mass from the branch.
"Not nice-looking things, Mr Rob, sir. Puts me in mind of those we sawdown by the water, but this looks like a different kind to them."
"Will--will it attack us?" said Rob in a hoarse whisper.
"Nay, not it. More likely to hurry away and hide, unless it is veryhungry or can't get out of the road. Then it might."
"But we can't pass under that."
"Well, no, Mr Rob, sir; it don't look like a sensible sort of thing todo, though it seems cowardly to sneak away from a big land-eel sort of athing. What do you say? Shall we risk it and let go at my gentlemanwith our sticks if he takes any notice of us, or go round like cowards?"
"Go round like cowards," said Rob decisively.
"Right!" said Shaddy, who carefully took his bearings again, and, inorder to have something at which he could gaze back so as to start againin the direction by which they had come, he broke a bough short off witha loud crack.
The effect was instantaneous on the serpent.
The moment before the whole body had hung in heavy loops from the bough,but at the first snap every part of it appeared to be in motion, and, asdimly seen, one fold glided slowly over another, with a curious rustlingsound.
Rob made a start as if to dash off, but checked himself, and glanced atShaddy, who was watching him; and the boy felt the colour flush into hischeeks, and a curious sense of annoyance came over him at the thoughtthat his companion was looking upon him as a coward.
"It's all right, my lad," said the guide quietly; "you needn't mind me.You're a bit scared, and nat'rally. Who wouldn't be if he wasn't usedto these things? I was horribly afraid of the one I first saw, and, forthe matter of that, so I was about the next; but I've seen so many bigsnakes that, so long as I can keep at a little distance, they don'ttrouble me much. You see, they're not very dangerous to man, and alwaysget out of his way if they have a chance. There's been a lot said abouttheir 'tacking folk; and if you were to rouse that gentleman I daresayhe'd seize you, and, if he got a hold for his tail, twist round andsqueeze you to death; but you leave him alone and give him anything of achance, he'll show you the tip of his tail much sooner than he'll showyou his head. Look here!"
Shaddy looked round and picked up a short piece of a branch, which hewas about to throw, but the boy caught his arm.
"Don't make it angry," he said in a whisper. "The horrible thing maycome at us."
"I'm not going to make it angry," said Shaddy; "I'm going to make itafraid," and he hurled the piece of mouldering wood with so good an aimthat it struck the branch near where the serpent was coiling itself moreclosely and flew to pieces.
The serpent threw itself down with a crashing sound amongst the denseundergrowth beneath, and disappeared from their sight.
"There," said Shaddy, "that's the way, you see. Gone?"
"No, no. Look out, Shaddy; it's coming this way," cried Rob excitedly,as a rustling was heard, and directly after there was a low hiss; andthe movement among the twigs and dried leaves told that the creature wascoming toward them.
Whether it was coming straight for where they stood neither of themstopped to see, but hurried off onward in the direction of the spotwhere they had seen the marks upon the leaf, and in a very short timethe forest was silent again.
"Was not that a very narrow escape, Shaddy?" said Rob at last.
"No, my lad, I think not. Some people would say it was, and be ready totell no end of cock-and-bull stories about what that serpent was goingto do; but I've never known them play any games except once, and thenthe creature only acted according to its nature. It was in a sort oflake place, half pool, half river, and pretty close to the sea. It wasnear a gentleman's plantation, and the black folk used to go down everyday to bathe. This they did pretty regularly till one day while theywere romping about in the shallow water, which only came up to theirmiddles, one of them shouted for help, saying that a 'gator had got holdof her, and then laughed. The others took no notice, because it was a'sterical sort of laugh, as they call it, and thought she was playingtricks; but all at once they saw that she was struggling hard and beingdrawn backwards.
That was enough. They all made a rush and caught holdof her arms just as she was being slowly drawn down lower, and when theydragged her nearer the shore, whatever it was that held her yielded alittle, though it still hung on to the poor girl; while as they got hernearer a shriek rose, and every one nearly let go, for the head of a bigsnake was drawn right out of the water, but at the next snatch it loosedits hold and dropped back with a splash."
They were by this time approaching the spot where they had seen themarks, and Shaddy advanced more cautiously, scanning every leaf and twigbefore he stepped forward for signs of him they sought. Here and therehe was able to point out marks such as Mr Brazier might have made--marks that had been passed over during their journey in the otherdirection. For there were places where he had evidently torn downleaves, mosses, and curious shade-loving growths, some of which he hadcarelessly tossed aside, and in one case the fragment thrown down wasabout half of the bulb of an orchid, whose home had been upon the mossylimb of a great tree overhead.
"He has been by here, sure enough, Mr Rob," said Shaddy in a subduedvoice; "and, between ourselves, it was quite a bit of madness for him tocome right out here alone. Now then, sir, keep a sharp look-out, andlet's see if we can't find the spots straight off. They were prettynigh, I think."
"Just there, I think," said Rob, looking excitedly round and pointing toa darker patch of the great forest where they were.
"Nay, it wasn't dark like that, my lad," replied Shaddy. "It was morehereabouts."
"Are you sure, Shaddy?"
"Pretty tidy, sir. No, I'm not. Seems to me that you are right, andyet it was this side of that great tree. I remember it now, the onewith the great branch hanging right to the ground."
"I don't remember it, Shaddy," said Rob. "But I do, sir. It had abunch of those greeny-white, sickly-looking plants growing underneathit, and we shall know it by them."
"Then it isn't the right one, Shaddy; we must try again."
"But it is the right one, my lad. It's bad enough work to find a treein this great dark place. Don't say it isn't right when I've found it.Come now, look. Ain't I right?"
"Yes, Shaddy, right," said Rob as he looked up and saw the faded orchidshanging beneath the branch. "Then the place is close here somewhere."
"You're almost standing upon it, Mr Rob," said Shaddy. "You see, Ihave hit the spot," he continued, with a look of triumph. "There, Iwill not be proud of it, for it comes very easy to find your way likethis after a bit of practice. There you are, you see; so now where togo next?"
"I don't know," cried Rob despondently. "Can't you see any fresh tracesfor us to follow?"
Shaddy set off, with his face as near to the ground as he could manage,and searched all round the spot where the stained leaf lay, but withouteffect; and after a few moments' examination he started off again,making a wider circle, but with no better result.
"Can't have been anything to do with a wild beast, my lad," he said in alow, awe-stricken voice, "or some signs must have been left. It's apuzzler. He was here--there's no doubt about that--and we've got tofind him. I'll make a bigger cast round, and see what that will do."
"Can you find your way back here?" asked Rob anxiously.
"I must," replied Shaddy, with quiet confidence in his tones. "It won'tdo to lose you as well."
He started again, walking straight on for a couple of hundred yardsthrough the trees and then striking off to his left to form a freshcircle right outside the first, and at the end of five minutes Rob, whostood by the great tree listening for every sound and wondering whetherhis companion would find his way back, and if he did not what he woulddo, heard a cry.
For the moment he thought it was for help, but it was repeated, andrealising that it was an animal's, he started forward in the directionof the sound, though only to halt the moment after in alarm and lookback. At the end of a few seconds he set it down to fancy and went onagain, but only to stop once more, for there was a rustling sound behindhim; and he awoke at once to the fact that the noise could only havebeen made by some wild beast stealing softly after him, stalking him, infact, and preparing to make a spring and bring him down.
Rob felt the perspiration ooze out of every pore as he stood lookingback in the direction of the sound, which ceased as soon as he halted.He would have given anything to have held a gun in his hands and beenable to discharge it amongst the low growth where the animal was hidden,but he was as good as helpless with only the bow and an arrow or two;and he stood waiting till he started, for he heard Shaddy's cry again,and in a fit of desperation he shouted aloud in answer, and sprangforward to try and reach his side.
But as he made his way onward there again was the soft stealing along ofhis pursuer, whatever it was, for though he tried hard to pierce the lowgrowth, the gloom was so deep that he never once obtained a glimpse ofthe animal.
Again Shaddy shouted, and he answered, the cry sounding not a hundredyards away; and in the hope that their voices might have the power ofscaring the enemy, he shouted again, and was answered loudly and farnearer, making him give a rush forward in his desperation, and followingit up with a gasp of agony, for there was a fierce roar through theforest on his left.
It seemed as if the animal, in dread of losing him by his forming ajunction with his friend, had bounded on to get between them and crouchready to spring upon him; but Rob could not hold back now, and pressedforward.
"Shaddy," he shouted--"Shaddy, there is some wild beast close here."
"Wait a bit, my lad," was shouted back; and the crushing and rustling ofboughs told of Shaddy's coming, while Rob faced round now, staringwildly at a dark part among the trees where he thought he saw theundergrowth move but not daring to stir, from the feeling that if he didturn his back the beast would spring upon him and bring him down.
Thought after thought flashed like lightning through his brain, and inimagination he saw himself seized and bleeding, just as Mr Brazier musthave been, for he felt sure now that this had been his fate.
It was a nightmare-like sensation which paralysed him, so that, thoughhe heard Shaddy approaching and then calling to him, he could neithermove nor answer, only stand crouching there by a huge tree, with the bowheld before him and an arrow fitted ready to fly, fascinated by thedanger in front.
He could not see it, but there was no doubt of its presence, and that itwas hiding, crouched, ready to bound out, every movement suggesting thatit was some huge cat-like creature, in all probability a jaguar, nearlyas fierce and strong as a tiger. For at every rustle and crash throughthe wood made by Shaddy there was a low muttering growl and a sound asif the creature's legs were scratching and being gathered together for aspring.
Rob felt this, and stood motionless, thinking that his only chance ofsafety lay in gazing straight at the creature's hiding-place andbelieving that as long as he remained motionless the animal would notspring.
"Hi! where are you, my lad?" said Shaddy, from close at hand; but Rob'slips uttered no sound. He felt a slight exhilaration at the proximityof his companion, but he could not say, "Here!" and the next minuteShaddy spoke again, depressing the lad's spirits now, for the voice camefrom farther away. Again he shouted, "Hi! why don't you answer? Whereare you, lad?" but Rob heard the earth being torn up by the fierceanimal's claws, and now even heard its breathing, and his voice diedaway again as a choking sensation attacked his throat.
And there he crouched, hearing the help for which he had called comeclose to him, pass him, and go right away till Shaddy's anxious criesdied out in the solemn distance of the forest, leaving him alone to facedeath in one of its most terrible forms.
He knew he could launch the arrow at the beast, and that at such closequarters he ought to, and probably would hit it, but a frail reed arrowwas not likely to do more than spur the creature into fierce anger.
He could see it all in advance. A jaguar was only a huge cat, and hewould be like a rat in its claws, quite as helpless; and he shudderedand felt faint for a few moments. But now
that he was entirely alone,far from help, and self-dependent, a change came over him. He knew thathe must fight for life; he felt as if he could defend himself; and, withhis nerve returning, his lips parted to utter a shout.
But he did not cry, for he knew that Shaddy was too far off to hear him,and with a feeling of desperation now as he recalled that he had hiskeen knife in his pocket, he loosened his hold of his arrow and thrustin his hand to withdraw the weapon, seized the blade in his teeth, anddragged it open.
"He shall not kill me for nothing," he thought, and he stood on hisguard, for his movements excited the animal to action, and with a roarand a rush it sprang right out from the undergrowth to within threeyards of him, but, instead of crouching and springing again, it stood upbefore him, with its back slightly arched, lashing its sides gently withits long tail.
It was no spotted jaguar, with teeth bared, but, as dimly seen there inthe semi-darkness of the forest, a noble-looking specimen of the pumafamily, and, to Rob's astonishment, it made no sign of menace, butremained in the spot to which it had sprung, watching him.
And here for quite a minute they stood face to face, till, with a faintcry of wonder, the lad exclaimed,--
"Why, it must be my puma! And it has followed us all along by the banksto here."
Then came thought after thought, suggesting that it must have been thefootprints of this beast which they had seen over and over again by theside of their fire; that it was this animal which had crept to him whenhe was asleep; that it kept in hiding when he was with his companions,but that it had been tracking him till he was alone, and that after allhe had nothing to fear.
But still he was afraid and uncertain, so that some time elapsed duringwhich the puma stood writhing its tail, watching him before he couldsummon up courage enough to take a step forward.
He made that step at last, knowing that if he were mistaken the animalwould at once draw back and make for a spring; but, instead of moving,the puma raised its tail erect, making the three or four inches at theend twine a little, and the next minute Rob was talking to it softly,with his hand upon its head, when the animal began to give forth acurious sound somewhat resembling a purr and pressed up against him.
"Poor old chap, then!" cried Rob; "and I was frightened of you, when allyou wanted to do was to make friends. Why, you are a fine fellow,then."
His words were accompanied by caresses, and these were evidentlyapproved of, the puma crouching down and finally lying on its side,while Rob knelt beside it and found that he might make free with it toany extent.
Then, suddenly recollecting how Shaddy was hunting for him and theirobject, he sprang to his feet, and placing his hands to his mouth, sentforth as loud a shout as he could give.
As he sprang up the puma also leaped to its feet, watching him in astartled way.
Rob shouted again, and as a reply came from not far distant a low growlarose from the animal by his side.
But he shouted again, and an answer came from much nearer, when with onebound the animal sprang out of sight amongst the trees, and though Robcalled to it again and again in the intervals of answering Shaddy'scries, there was not a sound to suggest the creature's presence.
"It's afraid of Shaddy," Rob concluded, and feeling bound to continuehis signals, he kept on till his companion joined him.
"Why, my lad," cried the latter, "I thought I'd lost you too," and assoon as Rob had explained the reason for his silence, "Enough to makeyou, lad. But that's right enough. He's took a fancy to you. Onlyhope he won't show fight at me, because if he does I shall have to hithard for the sake of Shadrach Naylor; but if he's for giving thefriendly hand, why so am I. But come along; we mustn't be belated here.I've found fresh signs of Mr Brazier while I was hunting you."
"You have?" cried Rob joyfully.
"Yes, my lad, not much; but I came upon a spot where he had beenbreaking down green-stuff."
"Since he--met with that accident?" said Rob hesitatingly.
"Ah, that's what I can't say, Mr Rob, sir. Let's get to it, and tryand follow up his trail. No; we can't do it to-day. We must get backto the hut to-night, and all we can do is to take the spot I came to onthe way. We shall only get there before dark as it is."
"Oh, but we can't leave him alone in the forest--perhaps wounded andunable to find his way out."
"But we must, my lad," said the guide firmly. "We can do him no moregood by sleeping here than by sleeping there under cover."
"Who can think of sleeping, Shaddy, at a time like this?"
"Natur' says we must sleep, Mr Rob, and eat too, or we shall soon breakdown. Come along, my lad; there's always the hope that we may find himback at camp after all."
"But he must be wanting our help, Shaddy," said Rob sadly.
"Yes, my lad, and if he can, camp's the place where he'll go to look forit, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then we ought to be there to-night in case he comes to it. So now thenlet's start at once. Sun goes down pretty soon, and I've got to takeyou by a round to where he broke down those flowers. Ready?"
"Yes," said Rob sadly; and they made a fresh start.
Rob Harlow's Adventures: A Story of the Grand Chaco Page 25