Giving one of these natural ropes a good shake to make sure there were no insects on it, and a hard pull to confirm that it would carry his weight, he set off.
The work was hard rather than difficult, for the higher he got the more lianas there were from which to choose, often with loops to offer a foothold. Anyway, without encountering serious opposition, he reached the first branch, and on this he sat for a while to recover his breath and wipe perspiration from his face. Looking down, he was a little startled to see how high he was. From below it hadn't looked so far. Looking up, he saw that he still had a long way to go. In fact at this stage he nearly gave up, perceiving that he had taken on a bigger task than he had anticipated. However, it was the old story—having come so far he would go on.
So off he went again, inspired by the fact that the light was getting brighter all the time.
Indeed,
there was now so much stuff below him that he could hardly see the ground. He had a shock when, again sitting astride a branch to mop his face, a monkey that could not have known he was there, landed close beside him. It fled instantly, screeching, and Tommy's heart missed a beat when he realised he had nearly fallen.
It was shortly after this that he made a discovery which alone made his labours worth while. Pushing his way through a mat of dead leaves and twigs he found himself surrounded by a wonderful display of huge mauve and purple orchids, growing as thickly as buttercups in an English water meadow. Were these, he wondered, the sort that Digger wanted ? He resolved to answer the question by sending some of them down, which he did by tearing up two clumps by their tuberous roots and dropping them.
After this he went on to the top, no great distance away, and there before his eyes was a spectacle that he could not have imagined. Around him was a sea of flowers of all colours, with the blue ones that he sought predominating. It was a wonderful sight, but disappointment awaited him, for he soon ascertained that the blue flowers were not roses, although there was a resemblance. They were, he thought, a sort of clematis, with a flower in the shape of a large buttercup. No matter, he mused, he had seen a sight worth seeing. He plucked some of the flowers and threw them down ; in case these did not reach the ground he tucked some inside his shirt.
At this juncture two things occurred to disturb his equanimity. He could hear the others calling him, and realised they supposed him to be lost in the forest. The voices seemed to come from a long way off. He shouted back, of course, but some monkeys that had now discovered him were making such a din that he was by no means sure he would be heard.
It was a situation that he had not foreseen.
The other thing was a wave of giddiness, followed by a slight feeling of sickness. For a moment he sat still, putting his discomfort down to the heat. But when instead of feeling better he discovered that he was getting worse he suspected another reason. All the time he had been there he had been aware of a pungent scent, given off, presumably, by the flowers ; now, perhaps because they were being shaken, the perfume became almost overpowering, nauseating. He felt it was choking him.
Trembling a little from the knowledge of the distance he would fall should he faint, he started down, to discover, as others have done, that descent from a high altitude is more difficult than ascent. But as he went on, hand over hand from one liana to another, all the time getting farther away from the flowers, he had the consolation of feeling his sickness pass.
He could still hear the others calling him. They seemed to be farther away than ever, and he could only conclude that they were carrying their search deeper into the forest. He yelled back, and to his great relief got an answer. But the calling continued. What he did not realise, although he might have done so, was that he was being sought for everywhere except in the right place, which was in the air overhead.
A final difficulty arose just when he thought he was as good as on the ground. He was in fact below the lowest branches, going down a liana. It ended in a loop nearly forty feet above the ground. Not another was in reach, so there he swung, seated in the loop, observing with dismay that he had lost his way coming down and had arrived at a different place. At this awkward moment the others appeared below him. They stopped and called. He answered. Their faces were upturned.
There was a brief silence. Then Digger said in a cold, calm voice, 'What do you think you're doing ? '
'He's waiting for the birdies to sing,' declared Pompey, grinning.
No, he's kidding himself he's the young man on the flying trapeze,'
stated Batty.
Said Digger curtly, looking up at Tommy, Quit this Tarzan stuff and come down. We've been looking everywhere for you.'
That's just it,' answered Tommy lugubriously, I can't get any farther.
I've come to the end of my tether.'
Why did you have to go up there ? 'demanded Digger. Isn't there enough room for you on the ground ? '
Tommy's reply was to take his bunch of blue flowers, somewhat mangled, from his shirt and toss them down.
This caused a moment of excitement, and Tommy thought he really was going to cause a sensation.
Digger, seeing how he was fixed, gave instructions. You'll have to climb back up to the branch and come down another one. This one.' He shook a liana that reached the ground.
Tommy made his way wearily back to the branch, crawled along it to the liana indicated, and, climbing down it, completed his overhead journey, filthy, exhausted, and perspiring all over.
After taking a minute or two to recover he told his story.
The rose part of it was disappointing, but Digger showed interest in the orchids. You say you threw some down ? '
Yes. They can't be far away.'
They were soon found. This is good stuff,' asserted Digger. They're cattleyas ; fine colour too. One of these plants you threw down would be worth five pounds at home. Are there plenty ? '
Hundreds. I might say thousands.'
Good. We'll bear it in mind. If we fail to find the metal we may have a little goldmine over our heads. Let's get back to camp. When we get there you'd better stay there. Bring those orchids, some of you.'
Digger started walking back, carrying the blue flowers Tommy had given him. From time to time he raised them to his nose. Also, Tommy noticed, he broke off a seed pod, crushed it in his hand, smelt it and put it in his pocket.
It has a terribly strong smell,' said Tommy.
So I noticed. I'm more interested in the perfume than the flower. It may be something quite new.'
Would it be worth anything if it was ? '
A new perfume in the United States can be worth up to a million dollars.'
'How much ? ' Tommy's voice cracked with incredulity.
'You heard me. Perfumery is big business. People get tired of the old scents. In fact, you can get so accustomed to them that you don't notice them any more. A new one makes people sniff and turn their heads to see where it's coming from. Which is why a wealthy woman will pay the high price demanded for a few drops. The price helps to keep it rare.
Oh, yes, it's expensive all right. Mind you, it isn't only scent. It goes into soap, hair cream, face powder, and other toilet preparations.
Perfumery isn't just a luxury trade.
Your nose should have told you we live in days when everything has to smell nice. Con-sequently the creation and production of basic aromas employ an enormous number of people.'
'Where do all these scents come from ? ' asked Batty.
'Most of them have a vegetable base, an essential oil derived from flowers, leaves, roots, bark or seeds. Sometimes it's an aromatic gum, like frankincense and myrrh, which were known to, and used by, the ancients in Biblical days. They're resins which in the Old World served the same purpose as rubber latex here. If the tree is damaged they ooze out and gum up the wound. You must have seen resin on fir trees at home.
Explorers are always on the look-out for something new, which is why I'm interested in your blue flower even if it isn't a rose. We'll take some seed pods home
with us. I've told you before, gold isn't the only thing in the jungle worth picking up.'
They had nearly reached camp when a warning whistle from Sunny, who was leading, brought them to a halt. The Negro pointed.
Words were unnecessary. Moving down the river bank and across the camping ground was a broad, black, swiftly-flowing stream. But it was not water.
It was an army of ants on the march ; insects a good half inch in length.
This is where we wait,' said Digger philosophically. Don't worry. They won't interfere with us if we don't provoke them. Never try to cross their path. One bite is painful, so you can imagine what it would be like to have them crawling all over you. Everything has to give way to them except the anteaters that live on them. Size makes no difference.
Even the jaguar treats them with respect.'
There must be millions of them,' muttered Tommy, as he stood watching the column that seemed to have no end.
There are millions,' returned Digger calmly. 'What about our kit ? '
asked Batty anxiously. That '11 be all right,' Digger assured him. On the whole they do more good than harm, because they eat every living thing on their line of march. They clean up as they go.'
'What you might call proper moppers-up,' observed Batty.
Tommy could only stare aghast. There seemed to be something as relentless as death itself in this awful march past regardless of obstacles. It was about half an hour before the end of the column disappeared into the jungle, and they could go on to the camp.
'What are you going to do about the launch if we're going on in the canoe,' asked Pompey later, as they sat over the midday meal. Will it be safe to leave it without a guard, with those two scallywags nosing about
? '
'I was about to raise that question,' answered Digger. It's one of two problems I've had on my mind. It would be dangerous to leave the launch for any length of time, so the answer really depends on how much farther we have to go. We can hear the falls so we can't be any great distance from them. Harwin went beyond them, but from what he said I don't think it could have been far. He tried to tell me something else, but he was too far gone and couldn't get it out. Anyway, we certainly couldn't get the launch past the falls. We may have a job to portage the canoe. We shall know more about that when we see them.
We might get the launch a bit nearer—the closer the better.'
Anyone coming up the river would see her where she is,' stated Pompey.
That's what I don't like about it,' answered Digger. If Indians found her they might loot her. I think a sound plan would be to make a sortie tomorrow in the canoe to find out what's in front of us. Somebody could stay on guard. Even if we can't get much farther we might find a place where she'd be less conspicuous.'
Everyone agreed that this was a good idea.
The other thing that worries me is the uncertainty of knowing which country we're in,'
resumed Digger. Even now I couldn't swear we were still in British territory. Since leaving the Hondo our general course has been south-west, so there's a chance we may be in Mexico or Guatemala. We've no way of checking it. As things are at the moment, if we ran into trouble with frontier officials we could probably talk ourselves out of it by honestly pleading ignorance. But if we struck gold it would be a different matter.'
So what ? ' demanded Pompey belligerently.
Let's put it like this,' went on Digger. If Harwin's gold happens to be easy to get at we might take all we could find and pull out without making a song about it. But if it happens to be a mining job we should have to apply for a concession to work it, because sooner or later somebody would come along and spot what we were doing.
You can imagine what the situation would be if we found a rich vein of gold, and three countries claimed it was in their territory. We should start a war and maybe find ourselves in the thick of it.'
Aw shucks ! ' growled Pompey. 'Let's find the stuff and leave the Governor in Belize to do the arguing-if there is to be any.'
Digger smiled. 'That's one way of looking at it, and perhaps it's the best. As you say, let's find the stuff.'
And so it was decided. CHAPTER 6
GOLD!
THE next morning dawned fine, but, as usual, gloomy ; for, as Tommy had by this time realised, under the vast canopy of leaves and palm fronds there could never be anything but an eerie green twilight except where a forest giant had fallen, dragging down its neighbours by the lianas by which they were attached.
Pompey, who had a slight touch of fever, offered to stand guard over the launch, so Digger, having dosed him with quinine, and the others were soon on their way upstream in the canoe.
The going was slow, not so much on account of the current, which was in fact inclined to be sluggish, as from water lilies and other aquatic growths which, spreading sometimes across the stream, prevented the canoe from taking a straight course. However by midday they had made an eitimated four miles, with the noise of the falls steadily becoming
louder. No tributaries were seen, but by accident they made a discovery that was to affect their plans.
The river forked. As there was nothing to choose between the two waterways they took the right-hand one, only to find themselves, a few minutes later, in a cul-de-sac. Clearly they had struck a backwater. It ended in a small lagoon occupied by the inevitable water-lilies and not a few alligators, reptiles to which they had by this time become accustomed. Parrots, with plumage of rainbow hue, flapped lazily from tree to tree, or clung to branches looking like flowers created by a mad magician. From a rotting branch, half submerged, sprang a spray of crimson orchids ; an inch away, a humming bird, no less brilliant, hung motionless on invisible wings as it sipped the nectar from the flowers.
There were no banks in the literal meaning of the word, the forest trees appearing to rise straight from the stagnant water. The trunks of the trees could not be seen, for over them, taking advantage of the sunlight, hung a thick curtain of vines to make a solid wall of green. Some of these climbers were in flower, making a picture that would have been enchanting had it not been for significant ripples in the water.
'We shall have to go back,' said Digger.
Returning to the fork they took the left-hand branch, a quickening current telling them they were on the real stream. Almost at once, rounding a bend, they came upon their immediate objective.
With one accord they stopped paddling to gaze at the breath-taking spectacle suddenly presented.
Straight in front rose a cliff perhaps two hundred feet high, the ridge clear cut against the sky. It was not straight, but semi-circular, giving the impression of a giant basin one half of which had been cut away. Over a point roughly in the middle water was falling into the broad black foam-. covered pool, on which the canoe was gently rocking. The air, usually so silent, was filled with a noise like distant thunder. Spray from the collision rose in a smoke-like mist to lose itself in the blue dome overhead.
'Well, there it is,' shouted Digger. He had to shout to make himself heard above the noise.
'You say Harwin went beyond the falls ? ' queried Batty.
Yes.'
'Then there must be a way round.'
Obviously. He and his crew must have cut a passage through the jungle and then carried the canoe up. It will be overgrown by now, no doubt, but we should be able to find the place. Just a minute. Let's see how deep the water is.' So saying, Digger tied a bullet on a length of string and took a sounding. Thirty feet,' he announced. We might have expected it would be pretty deep. Pity.'
'Why is it a pity ? ' asked Tommy.
Because if there's gold above the falls you may be sure that plenty has been washed over
; and as that's been going on for perhaps thousands of years you can imagine what the bottom of this pool must be like. Had it been shallow we might have done something about it, but as it is we might as well forget it. Let's see if we can find the place where Harwin made his portage.
He'd need rollers to
get the canoe up, and they should still be there, even if they're rotten.' Digger's eyes explored the base of the green wall of jungle which everywhere, except at the cliff, hemmed them in. He pointed. There seems to be a bit of a beach over there. Let's go over.'
It turned out to be the right place, for mounting diagonally upwards from the narrow strip of gravel ran a passage, a narrow green tunnel which the jungle was doing its best to fill.
Let's explore and see what the going is like,' suggested Digger.
They beached the canoe and began what turned out to be a hard, hot, but not impossible climb. Sunny went ahead and with deft strokes of his machete cleared the path.
'I have a feeling,' said Digger during a rest, that when we get to the top we may find that the country has entirely changed its character.
In this part of the world a few hundred feet of height can make a lot of difference. So far, we've been on the floor of the jungle, on soil washed down through the ages from the higher ground. On top we may find ourselves on a plateau that is mostly rock.' And Digger turned out to be correct.
Actually the ground began to change before they reached the top, more and more rock outcropping through the soil and decaying vegetable matter. And as the ground changed so did the nature of the jungle. The undergrowth became sparse, and presently gave way to a forest of magnificent cedars that sprang from a carpet of luxuriant moss.
Digger whistled. 'Take a look at those trees,' he invited in a curious voice.
'What about them ? ' asked Batty wonderingly.
'This is the fortune we've been looking for—if we could get this timber to the coast. This is a treasure grove, as you might say ; and here it's likely to remain. I've struck this sort of thing before, but there's nothing one can do about it. To get this timber to the coast would cost more than it's worth, valuable though it is.' Digger laughed suddenly.
'This reminds me of something. I once found a fine stand of mahogany.
I sold it to a timber company who forgot to pay for it. But I had the last laugh. They cut it at the wrong time and lost the lot. It's a queer thing, but if you cut mahogany when the moon is full it splits. Worms get in and it's goodbye.'
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