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

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

  "OUT OF THE FRYING-PAN INTO THE FIRE."

  For all at once, as the jaguar reached the huge trunk, and rapidlyclawed its way to the fork, bleeding from both sides of its head, theserpent awoke to the presence of the intruder; its scaly folds glistenedand flashed in the morning light, as it quivered in every nerve andcoiled itself fold over fold, and the head rose up, the neck assumed agraceful, swan-like bend, and the jaws were distended, displaying itsmenacing sets of teeth, ready to be launched forward and fixed withdeadly tenacity in an enemy's throat.

  "I'm thinking that we're going to get rid of an unpleasant neighbour,"said Shaddy slowly, as the jaguar, reaching the fork of the trunk,seemed for a moment to be about to spring upon its fellow-prisoner inthe tree, and then bounded to a great bough and ran up three or fouryards. Here it was right above the serpent, with the large boughbetween them, round which it peered down at its enemy, as it crouched soclosely to the rugged bark that it looked like some huge excrescence.

  The serpent shrank back a little, lowering its head, but keeping itplaying about menacingly, as its eyes glittered in the sunlight.

  Then there was a pause, during which the puma crouched down above Rob'shead, uttering from time to time a low growl, as it watched the jaguar,which began passing its paws alternately over its wounded head andlicking them, exactly as a cat would have done on a rug before the fire.

  "Doesn't look like a fight now," whispered Rob.

  "Not just now, sir; he has hauled off to repair damages, and he wantsall his strength and lissomeness to tackle a great worm like that. Waita bit, and you'll see."

  As he waited, Rob climbed up to where he could reach the puma,hesitating a little before he attempted to touch it, for the animal'sfur was erect, and it was growling and lashing its tail angrily.

  But at the sound of the boy's voice it responded by giving a lowwhimpering cry, turned to him, and gave its head a roll, as if in answerto a friendly rub.

  "That's right," said Rob gently; "you're good friends with me, aren'tyou?" and he patted and rubbed the beautiful creature's head, while itlet it lie on the branch, and blinked and purred.

  All of a sudden, though, it raised its head excitedly, and Rob couldfeel the nerves and muscles quivering beneath its soft, loose skin.

  Just at the same moment, too, Brazier and Shaddy uttered warning criesto the lad to look out, for the war had recommenced in the next tree,the jaguar having ceased to pass its paws over its head, and assumed acrouching position, with its powerful hind legs drawn beneath it and itssinewy loins contracted, as if preparing to make a spring.

  The serpent had noticed the movement, and it too had prepared itself forthe fray by assuming as safe a position for defence and menace as thelimited space would allow.

  Then came another pause, with the jaguar crouching, its spine all in aquiver, and a peculiar fidgeting, scratching movement visible about itshind claws, while the serpent watched it with glittering eyes, itsdrawn-back head rising and falling slightly with the motion of itsundulating form.

  "Do you think the jaguar will attack it, Naylor?" whispered Brazier.

  "Yes, sir; they're nasty spiteful creatures, and can't bear to seeanything enjoying itself. There's room in the tree for both of them,and you'd think that with the flood underneath they'd be content to waitthere in peace till it was gone. But if the snake would the tiger won'tlet him: he's waiting for a chance to take him unawares, and so not getcaught in his coils, but I don't think he'll get that this time. Myword! Look!"

  For as he was speaking the jaguar seemed to be shot from the bough, tostrike the serpent on the side of the head, which it seized just at thethinnest part of the neck, and held on, tearing the while so fiercelywith its hind claws that the reptile's throat was in a few moments allin ribbons, which streamed with blood. The weight of the jaguar, too,bore down the serpent, in spite of its enormous strength, and itappeared as if victory was certain for the quadruped; but even as Robthought this, and rejoiced at the destruction of so repellent a monster,the serpent's folds moved rapidly, as if it were writhing its last inagony, and the next instant those who watched the struggle saw that thejaguar, in spite of its activity, was enveloped in the terrible embrace.There was a strange crushing sound, a yell that made Rob's fingers gotoward his ears, and then a rapid movement, and the water was splashedover where they sat.

  For the tree was vacant, and beneath it the flood was being churned upin a curious way, which indicated that the struggle was going on beneaththe surface. Then a fold of the serpent rose for a moment or two,disappeared, and was followed by the creature's tail. This latterdarted out for an instant, quivered in the air, and then was snatchedback, making the water hiss.

  During the next five minutes the little party in the tree sat watchingthe water where they had last seen it disturbed; but it had graduallysettled down again, and, for aught they could tell to the contrary,their two enemies had died in each other's embrace.

  But this was not so; for all at once Shaddy uttered an ejaculation, andpointed along the edge of the submerged trees, to where something wasmoving about in the bright morning's light.

  It was right where the beams of the freshly risen sun gilded therippling water, sending forth such flashes of light that it was hard todistinguish what it was. But directly after, there, before them,swimming slowly and laboriously, in undulatory motion, was the serpent,which they watched till it passed in among the branches of the submergedtrees and disappeared.

  "Then the tiger was killed?" cried Rob, excitedly.

  "Yes, sir; I thought it was all over with him when the snake made thosehalf hitches about his corpus and I heard his bones crack. Ah! it'swonderful what power those long sarpentiny creatures have. Why, I'veknown an eel at home, when I was a boy, twist itself up in a regularknot that was as hard and close as could be, and that strong it wasastonishing."

  "But surely that serpent can't live?" said Brazier.

  "It's sartain, sir, that the tiger can't," replied the old sailor. "Yousee, beside his having that nip, he was kept underneath long enough todrown him and all his relations. As to the sarpent--oh yes, he maylive. It's wonderful what a good doctor Nature is. I've seen animalsso torn about that you'd think they must die, get well by givingthemselves a good lick now and then, and twisting up and going to sleep.Savages, too, after being badly wounded, get well at a wonderful rateout here without a doctor. But now let's see what the river's doing."

  He bent down and examined the trunk of the tree, and came to theconclusion that the flood was about stationary; and as all danger of itsrising seemed to be at an end, Shaddy set to work with his knife,lopping off branches, and cutting boughs to act as poles to lay acrossand across in the fork of the tree, upon which he laid an abundance ofthe smaller stuff, and by degrees formed a fairly level platform, uponwhich he persuaded Brazier and Rob to lie down.

  "I'll keep watch," he said, "and as soon as you are rested I'll have myspell below."

  They were so utterly wearied out that they gladly fell in with the oldsailor's plan, and dropped off almost as soon as they had stretchedthemselves upon the boughs.