THIRD ADVENTURE
THE HERMIT OF GANASSI PEAK
The silence was oppressive. Piang stumbled along through the tangle ofvines and weeds, tired and foot-sore. Would he never find the path tothe peak? And was there really a mysterious old man who had lived upthere for over a hundred years? Sicto was somewhere on that mountain,striving to reach the summit too, and the pandita had said that theboy who arrived first, was the real charm boy. They had both startedfrom the _barrio_ (village) the same day; Sicto had plunged into thejungle, while Piang had chosen the river and lake. He shuddered atthe recollection of his many narrow escapes during the journey. Wherewas his enemy, Sicto, now? Had he found an easier route, and was healready with old Ganassi, receiving the rites of charm boy?
Unfamiliar with the vegetation on the mountain, Piang was afraidto touch the many strange fruits, so he contented himself withbananas and cocoanuts, and for water he drank dew from the enormouspitcher-plants. The jungle was thick, and it was difficult to decidein what direction to go, so Piang had to climb trees to get hisbearings. One day just as he was starting up a tall tree, he wasstartled by a sound. Something was crashing through the bushes belowhim. Visions of terrible mountain animals flashed through his head,and he hastily scrambled up the tree. On came the creature, now pausinga moment, now plunging into the mesh of vines, tearing them asunder,always following the path Piang had made. Preparing himself for somestrange beast, the boy drew bow and waited. Suddenly he started. A coldchill gripped him. That sound! It was a voice--Sicto's! Crouchingagainst the tree, Piang hoped to escape detection, but just asSicto passed beneath the tree, Piang's bow slipped and fell to theground. Sicto jumped aside and looked up:
"Oh, ho, my pretty Piang! So I've got you, have I?" The bully startedup the tree.
Like a flash Piang was away. As easily as any monkey he swung himselfinto the next tree, and before Sicto realized it, Piang was tauntinghim from the very top of a far-off tree. More agile and much smallerthan Sicto, Piang could easily travel in this way, and after a fewunsuccessful attempts to follow, Sicto jumped to the ground. Slylymaking his way along on foot, Sicto watched his rival. When Piangthought he had outdistanced his pursuer, he slipped to the groundand started off.
"Leeeeee lelelele ouiiiit!" The war-cry rang through the jungle,and Piang knew that his life depended on his fleet-footedness. Overfallen tree trunks, through dense cogon grass, Piang fled. His feetwere pierced by wicked thorns, and everything he touched seemed tothrow out a defense against him. Bamboo caught at his clothing andheld him prisoner; _bajuca_ vines clutched his weapons, hurling himto the ground. Sicto was gaining on him. After poor Piang had madethe path through the jungle, it was easy enough for Sicto to follow.
On, up, fled the boy. He came to a clearing through which a mountainstream was bubbling. The sun beat down; the stifling heat risingfrom rotting vegetation took his breath away, but Piang ran on. Whatwas that black hole yawning in the mountain side? With a gasp, Piangrealized he was at the mouth of the haunted cave.
The brook, flowing swiftly down the mountain, plunged into the caveand disappeared, to come to the surface about two miles away. It wasthe home of the most terrible reptiles and animals, and the souls ofwicked people waited there for Judgment Day.
Piang scanned the precipitous cliffs, the impenetrable jungle, insearch of an avenue of escape. He was trapped. A gloating cry fromSicto decided him. Sicto was a coward and would be afraid to followhim, so Piang ran toward the cave. Had not the pandita said thatGanassi would be with the real charm boy, and was not Piang sure ofthat protection? Who but Piang was the charm boy?
Piang's courage began to flag, however, as he caught the cold, dampodor from the cave, but he bravely plunged into the forbidding-lookingcavern. Man had probably never set foot in that place before. Creepingalong, he peered into the increasing darkness, but could see nothing. Ashriek startled him, and the sight that met his eyes made his bloodrun cold. Sicto had started to follow Piang, but just as he cameto the opening, a huge python slipped across the mouth of the cave,waving its enormous head from side to side. Sicto, trembling with fear,retreated into the jungle, and as Piang saw him disappear, he longedto be out again, fighting Sicto, anything, rather than penned up inthe cave with that frightful snake and the unknown horrors. Therewas no turning back, however, for that sentinel continued to slip andslide across the opening, and Piang bravely faced the two miles thatlay between him and the other end of the underground passage.
The air was heavy and moldy; the sides of the cave wet andslippery. Once his hand touched something that moved, and he almostfainted.
"I am the real charm boy," he whispered, "and nothing will hurtme. Ganassi, the wonder man, is with me. Forward!"
Courageous and determined, the boy pressed on. A muffled cry resoundedthrough the passage. Flattening himself against the slimy wall,Piang listened. He could not imagine what had made the sound, and heunsheathed his knife. At times he followed the bed of the stream,wading ankle-deep in the water, but the slippery stones turned ortripped him, and when he stepped on something that moved, he groanedand jumped to the narrow shelf-like ledge that overhung the water.
A faint light stole through the gloom. Was it the end? But surelynot, he had not gone more than a few hundred yards. He hurriedforward. Brighter, clearer, it grew. Suddenly the brook made a sharpturn, and he found himself in a high, vaulted chamber, sparkling andshimmering in the light from above. Piang was so glad to see daylightagain, faint as it was, that he did not stop to consider new dangers,and eagerly ran forward. He searched the sides for support on whichto climb to the crevices, but the rotting vines and moss that linedthe walls gave at his touch, and he fell back discouraged. Somethingcrumbled under his body, and he discovered to his horror that he hadfallen on a skeleton. A man had been here before him, then? But closerexamination proved the bones to be those of a _packda_ (ape). Snakesand worms wriggled out of the skeleton, and Piang shrank back infear. The dread hamadryad leered at him; poisonous toads and lizardsscurried for cover. How many more of these creatures would he encounterbefore escaping from this dungeon? Would Ganassi protect him and leadhim safely through? Something seemed to tell the boy that he was safeand with renewed faith, he prepared to continue the journey.
Everywhere the beauty of nature asserted itself. Pale green fernsseemed to hold out beseeching arms toward the light; moss crept upwardhopefully, softening the rough ledges with its velvet touch. Greatstalagmites and stalactites, smothered in the embrace of lichen andcreepers, accepted the homage of the plant life indifferently. Piangwas blind to the sublimity of his surroundings, as he hurriedon. Carefully he stepped on the ledge; warily he held out his boloto ward off surprises. A sudden hiss made him leap into the stream,and shuddering, he plunged on, down the black path. Would the streamlead him to the sunlight again? Or was he burrowing into the depthsof the earth, never again to breathe the air of life?
Finally, after almost giving up hope, he heard the distant call ofa mina-bird. The jungle! Frantically he worked his way forward,wondering if the mate to the sentinel at the other opening wouldbar his passage. Daylight! Faintly, at the end of the long tunnel,he could see the blessed green of the forest, but his cry of joy wasstilled; his hope of safety vanished. Again that mournful cry echoedthrough the cavern, and he gave himself up for lost. The souls ofthe wicked were pursuing him, would capture him, and make him payfor intruding upon them! Piang reeled as he heard a splash in thewater behind him; he caught at something for support; it writhed outof his hand. Paralyzed with fear, the boy scarcely breathed. On camethe pursuer, stealthily, warily. Reaching the end of his endurance,Piang wheeled, and faced the cave. Something paused, whined, and astreak flew past him. The fetid odor of a living creature broughthim to his senses, and his anxious eyes discerned the outline of acivet-cat making its way to the opening.
As he struggled through those last few rods, Piang thought he hadnever worked so hard in his life, but finally he lay in the sunshine,safe, free, and unafraid.
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Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy Page 6