CHAPTER XIX.
FIREBRANDS AND JAGUARS.
"Bang!"
"Wow! are they coming in on us?" shouted Andy, suddenly aroused by thesharp report of the repeating rifle.
He bounded to his feet, and from his manner of action it was plain to beseen that he remembered exactly the condition of affairs at the time ofhis taking passage for the Land of Dreams.
Frank had aimed straight between those glowing eyes at the time hefired. And as he was perfectly calm at the time, it stood to reason thathis bullet went direct to the mark he meant it should.
He saw a yellow object threshing about under the dense growth, andrealized that he had given the adventurous jaguar something that was aptto wind up his career as a terror to the monkey hosts of the forest.
But this was not all Frank saw. Another figure had appeared just tenpaces farther along, and he realized that a second jaguar had crept outof the copse, evidently bent on charging the camp.
"There's two more, Frank! Oh! my, it's a dozen I guess!" whooped Andy,who had found a better opportunity to see in other quarters.
"Grab a firebrand, quick!" shouted Frank, trying to get a bead on thesecond slinking figure; and yet hesitating about firing, because of thegreat risk that must ensue should he only wound the fierce monster.
He saw out of the corner of his eye that Andy made a plunge toward thefire and was snatching a brand out in each hand.
"Wave them around your head, and shout like thunder!" he cried, at thesame time starting in to do this latter himself.
Perhaps it was a comical thing in some respects. Andy often laughed overit afterwards; but just then it seemed serious enough. The way both ofthem let loose with their strong young voices would have made a footballcheer captain turn green with envy. They fairly awoke the echoesslumbering in the depths of the forest.
And Andy waved those two torches like a good fellow, back and forth, inand out, weaving them as an expert Indian club athlete might do with hisheavy weights, until the rushing flames roared again and again becauseof their rapid passage through the air.
"They're licked already, Frank!" whooped Andy, as he daringly began toadvance with his flaming beacons swinging around and around. "Look atthe coward moving back, would you? Talk to me about your guns, theyain't in it with these things, when it comes to scaring off a pack ofwild beasts. Scat! you terror, or I'll just swat you one alongside yourjaw. Growl at me, will you? There, take that, hang you!"
To the astonishment of Frank, Andy, who had rushed straight at one ofthe retreating animals, suddenly hurled a blazing brand straight at thejaguar. In his palmy baseball days Andy had never amounted to a greatdeal as a pitcher; but all the same he made a beautiful throw right thenand there.
The whirling, blazing fagot of wood struck the slinking beast full inthe side. Frank threw up his gun, ready to shoot should the jaguar, ashe feared might be the case, leap at his chum. But there proved to be noneed. Instead, the brute was evidently alarmed at this novel weapon,something entirely beyond his ken.
Frank heard him give a snarl that told of mingled rage and fright. Thenhe made a spring, but _away_ from the fire, and into the denseundergrowth from whence he had just issued so bravely.
Looking around Frank saw that the glade was deserted of four-footedfoes. The whirling torches had done the work.
"Bully for us!" shouted the excited Andy, ready to dance in his delightover the success of his labors. "Didn't we send 'em a flying, though?Perhaps they just dare to come snoopin' around here again, when they'renot asked! Frank, I guess you nailed that critter, all right. Dast welook and see?"
"Sure we will," returned Frank, instantly. "Pick up another bit ofburning wood. Then let me go just ahead of you, so that I can shoot if Ihave to."
They thus boldly advanced toward the spot where Frank had first sightedthe blazing yellow orbs.
"I can see something there!" declared Andy, who possessed sharp eyes.
"Yes, it's the beast, all right. But I can't say for sure whether he'sdown on his back, or crouching for a spring. Careful, not so fast,Andy." And Frank kept covering the object with his rifle as foot by footthey kept on.
"He's lying on his side! He's a dead duck, all right!" sang out Andy,waving his fire vigorously to and fro.
"You're right, he's stone dead!" observed the other, a touch of naturalpride in his voice; for it was no mean feat to kill so ferocious a beastas a jaguar, after seeing only his two eyes shining in the darknessbeyond the fire-light.
Frank stooped down, and catching hold of one of the dead animal's hindlegs, started dragging it toward the fire.
"Hold on there," said Andy; "don't tell me we're going to have a steakoff that old cat? I can stand for a good deal, but I'd go hungry a longtime before I'd eat any of _him_!"
"Don't worry about that," laughed Frank. "But think what a bully oldrug his hide will make some day. I'm going to try and take it off, if Ican, while you're getting breakfast in the morning. It's worth while."
Andy looked as though he doubted the ability of his chum to accomplishthe feat; but then he was counting without his host; for when the chancecame Frank deftly removed the pelt, and kept it for a reminder of hishazardous shot.
Andy insisted on taking his turn at playing guard, when he found outwhat time it was. First of all Frank saw that the fire was revived,with plenty of fuel handy. Then, after giving his chum a few lastinstructions, he consented to lie down. But his sleep could not havebeen very sound, for frequently he would raise his head, and take a lookaround; seeing nothing suspicious he would again lie down.
So the night passed away.
Frank was on deck an hour and more before the dawn came. He felt tooanxious concerning the possibilities of the coming day to sleep much.
So Andy started to get breakfast, such as it was, before the night hadreally gone. He excused himself by saying that while he was not at allhungry, the operation had to be gone through with, and the sooner he wasat it the quicker they might be free to mount upward.
Frank knew what a terrific load was on his chum's mind, and how hethrilled with suspense, now that they were so near the realization ofhis highest hopes or worst fears.
And so he too set to work to remove the jaguar skin, for it would make apretty decent rug, if it could be properly preserved.
Morning was just breaking as they sat down to partake of the simplemeal. Neither of them seemed to care for much. It was indeed no time forfeasting, or making merry, when the day had probably dawned that was tosettle their mission, one way or the other.
"One thing good," remarked Andy, hopefully, "there doesn't seem to beany strong wind blowing this morning."
Frank had been studying the lay of the land in the glade.
"I tell you we're going to have all we can do to squeeze up out of herewithout scraping against any tree before we can rise above them," heobserved, presently.
"But don't you think we can do it?" demanded his chum, anxiouslywatching his expressive face.
"I think it is possible," came the slow reply; which after all gave Andynew cause for distrust; since his cousin was so cautious a fellow thathe seldom if ever gushed over anything; at the same time he neverexpressed doubts when he felt positive.
"But!" cried Andy, "there's no other way to fly; we couldn't take theaeroplane to another place; and I reckon there isn't a cleared fieldwithin ten miles of here."
"No, it must be done right where we are. Now, I'm going to measure theopening to find out its widest dimensions. Then we will take themonoplane as far back as we can, and make all arrangements for a rapidstart. But to rise above those trees, even the shortest of them, isgoing to call for considerable management, and some great good luck inthe bargain."
"But, Frank, you've done it before," declared Andy. "You know you madelots of short starts that beat all the records. That's your besthold. And, Frank, we've just got to get out of here. Everything dependson it."
"Sure," responded Frank, cheerily enough; "and we'll manage some
how,never fear. Now to foot off the space. Count to yourself, and we'llcompare notes when I get to the other side. This looks the widest range,according to my eye."
So they both started off, Frank placing one foot close in front of theother, and Andy keeping alongside in order to do his own counting. Inthis way they passed from one side of the glade to the other; and Frankwas secretly pleased to find that the distance was considerably morethan he had judged possible.
Besides, the trees happened to be much lower on this side, which factwould be of considerable benefit to them when they started to make therun, and rise.
Frank was still muttering the number of feet to himself, and had arrivedwithin something like five yards of the nearest trees, when, without theslightest warning, he heard Andy let out a screech that could have butone meaning.
He had surely sighted something that spelled peril to one or both of theBird boys. Frank had wisely kept the rifle in his hand, and instinctcaused him to throw this up to his shoulder, though as yet he had notthe slightest suspicion as to what the nature of the danger might be,nor the quarter in which it lay.
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