WHEREIN ARE RECOUNTED DANGERS, DIFFICULTIES, AND PERPLEXITIES FACED AND
OVERCOME.
Next morning the travellers rose with the sun, and descended from the
tree in which they had spent the night--much refreshed and "ready for
anything."
It was well that they were thus prepared for whatever might befall them,
for there were several incidents in store for them that day which tried
them somewhat, and would have perplexed them sadly had they been without
a guide. Perhaps we are scarcely entitled to bestow that title on
Bunco, for he was as thoroughly lost in the forest as were any of his
companions, in the sense, at least, of being ignorant as to where he
was, or how far from the nearest human habitation: but he was acquainted
with forest-life, knew the signs and symptoms of the wilderness, and
could track his way through pathless wastes in a manner that was utterly
incomprehensible to his companions, and could not be explained by
himself. Moreover, he was a shrewd fellow, as well as bold, and
possessed a strong sense of humour, which he did not fail at times to
gratify at the expense of his friends.
This tendency was exhibited by him in the first morning's march, during
which he proved his superiority in woodcraft, and firmly established
himself in the confidence of the party. The incident occurred thus:--
After a hearty and hasty breakfast--for, being lost, they were all
anxious to get found as soon as possible--they set forth in single file;
Bunco leading, Old Peter, Muggins, and Larry following, and Will Osten
bringing up the rear. During the first hour they walked easily and
pleasantly enough through level and rather open woodland, where they met
few obstacles worth mentioning, so that Larry and Muggins, whose minds
were filled with the idea of wild beasts, and who were much excited by
the romance of their novel position, kept a sharp lookout on the bushes
right and left, the one shouldering his gigantic cudgel, the other
flourishing his shillelah in a humorous free-and-easy way, and both
feeling convinced that with such weapons they were more than a match for
any tiger alive! When several hours had elapsed, however, without
producing any sign or sound of game, they began to feel disappointment,
and to regard their guide as an exaggerator if not worse; and when, in
course of time, the underwood became more dense and their passage
through the forest more difficult, they began to make slighting remarks
about their dark-skinned friend, and to question his fitness for the
duties of guide. In particular, Muggins--who was becoming fatigued,
owing partly to the weight of his club as well as to the weight of his
body and the shortness of his legs--at last broke out on him and
declared that he would follow no further.
"Why," said he gruffly, "it's as plain as the nose on yer nutmeg face,
that ye're steerin' a wrong coorse. You'll never make the coast on this
tack."
"Oh yis, wees will," replied Bunco, with a quiet smile.
"No, wees won't, ye lump o' mahogany," retorted Muggins. "Don't the
coast run nor' and by west here away?"
"Troo," assented Bunco with a nod.
"Well, and ain't we goin' due north just now, so that the coast lies
away on our left, an' for the last three hours you've bin bearin' away
to the _right_, something like nor' and by east, if it's not nor' _east_
an' by east, the coast being all the while on yer port beam, you
grampus--that's so, ain't it?"
"Yis, dat's so," replied Bunco with a grin.
"Then, shiver my timbers, why don't ye shove yer helm hard a starboard
an' lay yer right coorse? Come, lads, _I'll_ go to the wheel now for a
spell."
Will Osten was about to object to this, but Bunco gave him a peculiar
glance which induced him to agree to the proposal; so Muggins went ahead
and the rest followed.
At the place where this dispute occurred there chanced to be a stretch
of comparatively open ground leading away to the left. Into this glade
the hardy seamen turned with an air of triumph.
His triumph, however, was short-lived, for at a turn in the glade he
came to a place where the underwood was so dense and so interlaced with
vines and creeping plants that further advance was absolutely
impossible. After "yawing about" for some minutes "in search of a
channel," as Larry expressed it, Muggins suddenly gave in and
exclaimed,--"I'm a Dutchman, boys, if we ha'n't got embayed!"
"It's let go the anchor an' take soundin's 'll be the nixt order, I
s'pose, Captain Muggins?" said Larry, touching his cap.
"Or let the tother pilot take the helm," said Old Peter, "`he's all my
fancy painted him,' as Milton says in Paraphrases Lost."
"Right, Peter," cried Will Osten, "we must dethrone Muggins and
reinstate Bunco."
"Ha! you's willin' for to do second fiddil _now_?" said the native,
turning with a grin to Muggins, as he was about to resume his place at
the head of the party.
"No, never, ye leather-jawed kangaroo, but I've no objections to _do_
the drum on yer skull, with _this_ for a drumstick!" He flourished his
club as he spoke, and Bunco, bounding away with a laugh, led the party
back on their track for a few paces, then, turning sharp to the right,
he conducted them into a narrow opening in the thicket, and proceeded in
a zig-zag manner that utterly confused poor Muggins, inducing him from
that hour to resign himself with blind faith to the guidance of his
conqueror. Well would it be for humanity in general, and for rulers in
particular, if there were more of Muggins's spirit abroad inducing men
to give in and resign cheerfully when beaten fairly!
If the sailors were disappointed at not meeting with any wild creatures
during the first part of their walk, they were more than compensated by
the experiences of the afternoon. While they were walking quietly
along, several snakes--some of considerable length--wriggled out of
their path, and Larry trod on one which twirled round his foot, causing
him to leap off the ground like a grasshopper and utter a yell, compared
to which all his previous shoutings were like soft music. Bunco calmed
his fears, however, and comforted the party by saying that these snakes
were harmless. Nevertheless, they felt a strong sensation of aversion
to the reptiles, which it was not easy to overcome, and Muggins began to
think seriously that being lost in the forest was, after all, a pleasure
mingled considerably with alloy! Not long after the incident of the
snake, strange sounds were heard from time to time in the bushes, and
all the party, except Bunco, began to glance uneasily from side to side,
and grasped their weapons firmly. Suddenly a frightful-looking face was
observed by Larry peeping through the bushes right over Muggins's
unconscious head. The horrified Irishman, who thought it was no other
than a visitant from the world of fiends, was going to utter a shout of
warning, when a long hairy arm was stretched out from the bushes and
Muggins's hat was snatched from his head.
"Och! ye spalpeen," cried Larry, hurling his cudgel at the ugly
creature.
The weapon was truly aimed; it hit the monkey on the back, causing it to
drop the hat and vanish from the spot--shrieking.
"Well done, Larry!" cried Will Osten; "why didn't you warn us to expect
visits from such brutes, Bunco?"
"Why, cause me tink you know all 'bout 'im. Hab larn 'im from Jo
Gruffy."
"From who?"
"From Jo Gruffy. Him as you was say, last night, do tell all 'bout de
countries ob de world, and wot sort of treeses an' hanimals in 'im. Der
be plenty ob dem hanimals--(how you call 'im, mongkees?) in Peroo, big
an leetil."
"Well!" exclaimed our hero with a laugh, "possibly geography may refer
to the fact; if so, I had forgotten it, but I'm sorry to hear that they
are numerous, for they are much too bold to be pleasant companions."
"Dey do us no harm," said Bunco, grinning, "only chok full ob fun!"
"Git along wid ye," cried Larry. "It's my belaif they're yer own
relations, or ye wouldn't stick up for them."
Thus admonished, the native resumed the march, and led them through the
jungle into deeper and darker shades. Here the forest was quite free
from underwood, and the leafy canopy overhead was so dense that the sky
could seldom be seen. Everything appeared to be steeped in a soft
mellow shade of yellowish green, which was delightfully cool and
refreshing in a land lying so very near to the equator. The howling and
hoarse barking of wild beasts was now heard to an extent that fully
satisfied Larry O'Hale and his friend Muggins. There were patches of
dense jungle here and there, in which it was supposed the animals lay
concealed, and each of these were carefully examined by our travellers.
That there was need for caution became apparent from the fact that Bunco
carried his gun at full cock in the hollow of his left arm, and had a
stern, earnest expression of visage which was quite new to his nautical
companions, and made a deep impression on them. Curious and interesting
change of sentiment:--the man whom, while at sea, they had treated with
good-humoured contempt, was ere long clung to and regarded almost with
reverence!
"Be quiet, boys, here," he said, "an' no make noise. Keep de eyes
open."
After this he did not speak, but gave his directions by signs.