Adventure Unlimited

by Captain W E Johns

Digger's a blooming walking dictionary,' declared Pompey admiringly.

  I merely keep my ears and eyes open as I get around,' returned Digger.

  After all, as speech is something we must use every day of our lives, surely we should know a little about the words we trot out.'

  We seem to have taken a lot from America,' put in Tommy.

  'No more than from other places. It happens that being here you've come in contact with those originally used here. Had we been in India, you might have spotted native words like dinghy, khaki and pyjama, which we've borrowed. In Persia it would have been shawl, chess and caravan, which, instead of being a line of camels, means for us a house on wheels—

  an example of how words change their meanings. These are words travellers have brought home. On the other hand wars have brought words to us. The Danes gave us a lot—egg, dairy, skin, and sky, for example. The Normans brought their own names for meats—beef, pork, mutton, and veal. The Dutch, being a seafaring nation, gave us most of our nautical terms—

  skipper, yacht, cruise, keel, buoy, and so on.'

  Strewth ! ' exclaimed Batty. Haven't we any words of our own ? '

  Digger laughed softly. A few. That tool you've got in your hand in good old English was a thwitel. You call the thing a knife, but you still whittle a stick. Mind you, we've presented other people with quite a few words. The first man to smear liquid rubber on fabric to make a waterproof garment was a Scot named Macintosh. Another Scot to put his name in the language was Macadam, who thought of using tar to give us dustless roads. Many of the words we use were originally names : sandwich, blanket, and shrapnel, for instance. There are dozens of them.'

  CHAPTER 3

  AN UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER

  FOR five days the Sprite chugged her way up the river, slowly, for time was not of vital importance. In any case, the stream was running high, although it could be expected to fall quickly as the dry season advanced.

  The only other travellers so far encountered were chicleros on their way to the coast, for, as Digger told the others, the work of collecting was over for the time being, as the sap flows only in wet weather. The river, of course, had narrowed, and was now less than a hundred yards from bank to bank.

  There had been no event of importance although there had been plenty of minor incidents to prevent interest from flagging, and those to whom the life was new had learned much, Digger making a point of passing on any information likely to prove useful. Sunny, who had spent most of his life on the river, was another source of jungle-lore. Spending most of the day in the bows watching for floating logs and other obstructions, he turned out to be a cheerful fellow who knew his job, and under took willingly the chores which, in the steamy heat, might have become tiresome.

  His eyes missed nothing. It was he who had spotted a tapir swimming across the river, and this had led to a graphic if dreadful demonstration of what a shoal of ferocious fish named piranhas could do. Digger, thinking of fresh meat, had snatched up his rifle and with a well-aimed shot killed the beast. The distance from the canoe to the tapir could not

  have been a hundred yards, and, moreover, the carcass was floating downstream. Yet before the canoe could reach it there was practically nothing left of the animal and, even as they watched, all that remained, the skeleton, had sunk out of sight. Tommy could not have imagined anything like it. He could see the fish tearing at the food like creatures demented.

  It may have been the small size of the fish which, had it not been for swift action on the part of Sunny, would have tempted him into folly. He was reaching for a piece of the carcass, hoping to save it, when Sunny knocked him away.

  Digger was angry. 'What are you trying to do —lose your hand ? ' he shouted, and went on to explain. 'When those little brutes sink their razor-sharp triangular teeth into a thing they cut the whole piece away.

  The smell of blood seems to madden them. I've heard it said that you can swim across a river without being touched, although I wouldn't care to try it ; but should you have a wound, even the scratch of a thorn, they're on you like a pack of wolves. For goodness sake be more careful in future, and think what you're doing.'

  'I will,' answered Tommy, with such vehemence that Batty laughed. But Sunny didn't smile. Earning his living on the river he saw nothing funny in these little horrors, silver on top and orange underneath, with protruding lower jaws.

  It was Sunny, too, who located the anaconda one evening as they were making camp. He suddenly stopped, sniffing the air like a spaniel.

  I smell snake,' he said, picking up a light axe used for chopping firewood. With this in his hand he advanced, while the others watched, towards a small area of reeds. But the reptile must have seen him approaching, for with a loud hiss it slithered out of its lair and disappeared into the river before Sunny could catch up with it.

  It was the size of the creature that shook Tommy.

  It must have been forty feet long,' he declared.

  It was a big feller, but let's say twenty,' corrected Digger, grinning. I wouldn't call them dangerous. As you saw, that one was more afraid of Sunny than Sunny was of him.'

  They often saw alligators, both large and small.

  Tommy found that Digger had not exaggerated when he had said that the country was littered with relics of the past, for more than once camp had been made within sight of ancient burial mounds, some of which, Digger thought, had been excavated. There were so many, he averred, that it would take years to investigate all the ruins.

  One evening they pitched the tent near some old walls of hand-worked stone, not so much from curiosity as because the site happened to be reasonably open ground. All too often the banks presented dense bush that was literally impenetrable. Wandering about the ruins while Sunny made camp, they came upon a round underground chamber which, from the heap of detritus near it, had recently been dug out. It was enough to start Tommy off again on the subject of buried treasure.

  Digger shook his head. There's nothing to get excited about,' he said.

  You'll find plenty of these places. They're called " chultans ".

  Sometimes they're round, sometimes oval.

  Nobody knows what they were for. The experts are still arguing about it.

  Some say they were tombs of important people, although one seldom finds bones in them. Some say they were for storing water, others say for grain. No-one really knows, and probably never will know. It's a queer thought, isn't it, that a thousand years ago this must have been a flourishing town, with roads running in all directions for carrying on commerce with neighbouring peoples. How little could those who lived here have imagined that all their labour would come to this.'

  Pottering about on the loose soil Tommy picked up his first find. It was a flat piece of material, sharply pointed, which had obviously been fashioned by hand. 'What's this ? '

  he asked.

  Digger took it. 'The blade of an obsidian knife. The Mayas used obsidian a lot for knives, weapons, tools, and so on. As you see, it's volcanic rock, rather like bottle glass. Break it and you get a sharp edge. You find it in different colours—black, grey, and green mostly; sometimes a mixture of colours. It's of no value, but at least you have a genuine souvenir.' Digger handed back the knife.

  'How could it be anything but genuine ? 'asked Batty curiously.

  'All over Central America you'll find these things offered for sale, but like many antiques at home, most of them are fakes, made for the tourist trade. There was a time when digging the ruins for curios, obsidian, jade, and pottery was quite a business ; but now it's easier to mass-produce them at home. An Indian, finding a nice jade amulet, or some other ornament, instead of selling

  It sits down and makes copies of it. That's easier, and more certain of results, than sweating in the jungle. Really good genuine relics are not as common as they were. I've wasted a lot of time digging out chultans, but I've never found anything worth while.'

  No gold ? '

  'No. Gold is found, of course ; and
there must be a lot more ; but you might spend your life digging in a place this size without ever finding anything more interesting than bits of broken pots. Actually, now I come to think of it, there's a well-known rumour of a treasure somewhere in this region. The story is that in 1860 an explorer named Carmichael saved the lives of two Indians. They, in return, said they'd show him the temple where Montezuma, one time king of the Aztecs of Mexico, had buried his treasure before he was murdered by the invading Spaniards. They went off into the jungle and Carmichael was shown a temple. Having no supplies he cut a cross in the stone and went to the coast to get some. When he returned he couldn't find the place. No-one has ever found it although plenty of people have tried. It doesn't sound a very likely story to me, but there it is.'

  Are we going to look for it ? ' asked Tommy. We are not,' returned Digger definitely.

  They walked back to the tent and stood in the smoke of the fire, for the insects were busy.

  In the matter of insects Tommy had discovered why fire-ants were so named. Walking past a bush, one of these minute red creatures had dropped on the back of his hand. He watched it with mild curiosity, admiring its brilliant colouring, until suddenly—as he put it—it gave him the works.

  It was as if a red-hot needle had been thrust through his skin.

  It seemed to him incredible that a thing so small could inflict so much pain. His yell brought the others along.

  That was just one,' said Digger soberly.

  Now you can imagine what it's like to have them all over you. They move about in armies. A few stings are enough to bring on a fever. The little devils have a habit of swarming on a liana. Touch it and they drop on you. There's a blue wasp that does the same thing. The moral is, don't touch a bough or a liana unless you have to—then have a good look at it first, as even Sunny does. He knows.'

  Another unpleasant little beast to which he had been introduced was the chigoe, an insect rather like, but smaller than, a flea. One morning, as they were dressing, Digger saw him scratching a toe.

  'Never scratch,' warned Digger. 'You'll make a sore place which in this climate may take some time to heal. I'll bet you've collected a chigoe.

  Their favourite sport is to burrow between your toes or under a toe-nail.

  Sunny will get it out for you. He's an expert.'

  Tommy exposed his foot to the Negro who produced a sharp thorn. With this, using great care, he removed intact from between Tommy's toes, a round blue object the size of a small pea.

  That's the egg sac,' stated Digger, who had fetched a bottle of antiseptic, a spot of which he presently applied. 'If you break it you're certain to leave some eggs behind, in which case, instead of having one chigoe to deal with, you soon have a score. I should have told you to examine your feet every night.'

  After that experience Tommy did.

  Pompey appeared, looking ridiculous with an enormous orchid in a buttonhole. What about this, chief,' he asked. Have I found something ? '

  No,' returned Digger briefly.

  But you said you collected orchids.'

  So I do, but not that sort. It's too big and clumsy for commercial use, by which I mean for bouquets and buttonholes. There's a big market for the right sort in the United States, where thousands are sold every day in the florists' shops.'

  What's wrong with growing 'em in hot-houses,' Batty wanted to know. 'Why lug them home from here ? '

  'They are grown in hothouses—millions of them,' Digger informed him.

  'Luckily for some of us orchids grown commercially in hothouses slowly lose their vitality and their perfume, and from time to time must have fresh blood introduced into them from the wilds. It's unlikely that you'll see the best sorts unless I point them out to you. They don't grow on the ground like the one Pompey is sporting ; they're well up in the trees, being parasites, like mistletoe—except that orchids hang their roots in the air. They fetch good money, but it's quite a business picking the bulbs or tubers off the trees and packing them for export.

  They can't be sent straight to market anyway ; they have to be cleaned and fumigated to get rid of the bugs and things. I'll tell you more about that if we collect any.'

  By such conversations as these, as the launch had made its way up the river, Tommy had learned many things. Every day brought something new.

  Alligators were common, mostly small, but sometimes large. They did not interfere with them, nor were they interfered with by them ; but before having a sponge down every evening, at a place chosen with care, Sunny made sure that the water was clear of the dangerous creatures that lived in it.

  The birds and butterflies, with their brilliant plumage, were a never-ending source of joy to those who had not seen them before, the birds ranging from minute humming birds to gorgeous parrots and toucans with their fantastic beaks.

  So the days had passed pleasantly, with little to suggest that they were soon to give way to a more strenuous existence.

  As they made camp on the fifth evening Batty put the question to Digger :

  'Do you expect to have any difficulty in finding this tributary we're making for ? ' They had passed several.

  'There shouldn't be any difficulty,' replied Digger cautiously.

  'Although,' he added, 'on trips of this sort it doesn't do to be too sure of anything. There is one risk. During the rains —and you know what tropical rain can be like—miles of country can become flooded, and the water may dig out new channels to reach the main river. Where there was one tributary there may be several, not actual streams but storm water draining from swamps or lakes. Either way, when we turn off you'll find things different from this. A boat entering a small tributary vanishes into a sort of green cathedral, with the lianas hanging like bell-ropes.'

  'How far up do these lianas go ? 'asked Tommy.

  'To the tree tops, to get to the light. And as the trees may be three hundred feet tall, or more, the lianas must be taller, because instead of going up straight they have to wind their way up, hanging on to anything they can reach. If a shoot can't get hold of anything it hangs down, which is why you so often see them in loops. I've heard it said that the liana, from root to tip, is the longest plant that grows. I don't know if anyone has ever actually measured one but some must run to five or six hundred feet.'

  Pompey stepped in. A guy once told me, a scientific type he was, that the tallest vegetable on earth was seaweed-kelp, you know the stuff. I've seen it on the surface when its roots must have been in the sea bed a hundred fathoms down ; which 'd make it as tall as these 'ere lianas.'

  Could be,' agreed Digger. 'I shan't bother to do any measuring. We should reach the tributary tomorrow. I shall soon know if we're in the right one.'

  How ? '

  I shall find my old camping ground. It may be overgrown, but the cross which marks the grave of the chap who told me about the gold should still be there. If . . .' Digger broke off suddenly, staring up the river.

  Hullo, what's this coming ? ' he said slowly.

  The others looked, and saw a big canoe being paddled fast down the middle of the stream. The several members of the crew were blacks. Two white, or nearly white, men sat in the stern.

  They're coming across to us,' observed Batty, as the canoe turned its nose towards the spot on which they stood.

  Do you know any of those men ? ' Digger asked Sunny, who had stopped work to watch.

  Yaas, boss,' answered the Negro. Dey's de two I told you 'bout. Dem no good niggers come from Belize.'

  No good ? '

  I wouldn't have dat lot with me, no suh,' replied Sunny vaguely.

  As the canoe pulled up against the bank it could be seen that it carried a black crew of eight. The white men stepped ashore. At this juncture it may have been prejudice, but Tommy did not like the look of them. Both were hard-bitten types, bearded, dark skinned and unsmiling. One carried a rifle. The blacks looked a sullen surly lot. Sunny walked towards them while the white men approached Digger, whom they seemed to sense was the leade
r of the party.

  Got any grub to spare ? ' asked one without preamble. He spoke with an accent, which tended to confirm Tommy's impression that neither was British.

  No,' answered Digger.

  We're going up-

  country and we shall need all we have. How do you come to be short ? '

  'We've had a bit of trouble and stayed longer than we intended.'

  'I'll give you enough to take you to Sac Xas. On this stream and with your crew you should make it in a couple of days.'

  We've reasons for not wanting to call at Sac Xas. Moreover, we aim to stick around here a bit longer.'

  Digger shrugged. That's your affair. You can't expect us to deplete our stores so that you can carry on with your business, whatever that may be.

  If you're out of grub surely the sensible thing would be for you to pull out and refit.'

  We'd rather stay.'

  Then you'll have to make your own arrangements. I can let you have enough grub to see you down the river, but you can't expect me to jeopardise my own expedition so that you can carry on with yours.' Digger's manner was firm, but not unfriendly.

  The man changed the subject. What are you doing here ? '

  Primarily this is a pleasure cruise, but we hope to collect some natural-history specimens.

  What's your line ? '

  The man hesitated, glancing at his companion.

  There's gold somewhere about here and we reckon to locate it. If we do we'll pay you well for anything you let us have.'

  Digger smiled wanly. That's a big if. What gave you the idea there was gold here ? '

  A guy named Harwin struck it rich not so long ago, but the Indians got him before he could get out with it. I'll tell you this much, to save you wasting your time. It ain't on the main river.'

  'Well, good luck to you,' said Digger evenly. 'You thinking of staying the night here ? '

  No. We'd best pull on down.'

  Okay.' Digger handed over some tins of biscuits and corned beef, which were received, Tommy thought, with bad grace, considering the circumstances.