DESCRIBES A SURGICAL OPERATION, AND RECORDS THE DELIBERATIONS OF A
COUNCIL.
The town of Tacames, in the republic of Ecuador, is not large, neither
is it important to the world, but it appeared both large and important
in the eyes of our hero and his comrades. In their circumstances any
town would have been regarded as a city of refuge, and their joy on
arriving was not much, if at all, marred by the smallness and the poor
appearance of the town, which, at that time, consisted of about twenty
houses. They were built on the top of posts about twelve or fourteen
feet from the ground--like the hut of the Spaniard already described--
because, being closely walled in by a dense jungle, tigers and huge
monkeys were bold enough to pay the inhabitants nocturnal and unwelcome
visits very frequently.
"A curious-looking place," observed Will Osten, as they drew near.
"So would the natives obsarve of London or Liverpool," said Old Peter.
"With less cause, however," replied Will.
"That depends on taste," retorted Old Peter.
"Be no manes," put in Larry; "it neither depinds on taste, nor smell,
but feelin'--see now, here's how it is. We being in Tickamis, _feels_
it coorious; well av the natives here wos in London _they_ would feel it
coorious. It's all a matter o' feelin' d'ye see--wan o' the five
senses."
"Wot a muddlehead you are, Larry," growled Muggins; "ye don't even know
that there's six senses."
"Only five," said the Irishman firmly--"seein', hearin', tastin',
smellin', and feelin'; wot's the sixth sense?"
"One that you are chock full of--it's non-sense," replied Muggins.
"Think o' that, now!" exclaimed Larry, with a broad grin; "sure I wint
an' forgot it, an' the sevinth wan, too, called common sense, of which,
Muggins, you haven't got no more in yer skull than a blue-faced baboon.
Hallo! wot's that? Is it a wild baist on its hind-legs or only a mad
man?"
He pointed as he spoke to a man who approached them from the town, and
whose appearance as well as his actions were well calculated to surprise
them. He was a fine-looking man of gigantic size, with a poncho over
his shoulders and a Spanish-looking sombrero on his head, but the most
curious thing about him was his gait. At one moment he sauntered,
holding his face between both hands, next moment he bent double and
appeared to stamp with his feet. Then he hurried forward a few paces
but paused abruptly, bent down and stamped again. Presently he caught
sight of the travellers. At once his antics ceased. He raised himself
erect, and advancing quickly, lifted his sombrero and saluted them with
the air of a prince.
Will Osten addressed him in English, and, to his surprise as well as
gratification, the Spaniard replied in the same tongue, which he spoke,
however, in a most remarkable way, having learned it chiefly from the
skippers of those vessels that touched at the port.
"I sall be happy to offer you hospitabilities, gentelmans," said Don
Diego--(for so he styled himself). "If you vill come to meen house you
vill grub there."
The grin of unnatural ferocity which Don Diego put on while he spoke,
surprised and perplexed the travellers not a little, but he suddenly
explained the mystery by clutching his hair, setting his teeth and
muttering wildly while he gave a quick stamp with his foot--
"Skuse me, gentelmans, I got most desperable 'tack of toothick!"
Will Osten attempted to console Don Diego by telling him that he was a
surgeon, and that if he could only obtain a pair of pincers he would
soon remedy that evil; but the Spaniard shook his head and assured him
that there was a miserable man in the town calling himself a vendor of
physic, who had already nearly driven him mad by attempting several
times to pull the tooth, but in vain.
"Indeed," said the Don, "the last time he have try, I 'fraid I shut up
won of his days light--it _was_ so sore!"
Will Osten ultimately persuaded the Spaniard, however, to consent to an
operation, and the whole party accompanied him to his house, which was
the most substantial in the town. Leaving his comrades there, Will went
with Bunco in search of the apothecary, whom he soon found, and who
readily lent him a pair of forceps, with which he returned to the
residence of Don Diego. Considering his size, Will deemed it advisable
to have Larry and Muggins standing by ready to hold him if he should
prove obstreperous. This was a wise precaution, for, the moment Will
began to pull at the obstinate grinder, the gigantic Don began to roar
and then to struggle. The tooth was terribly firm. Will did not wonder
that the native dentist had failed. The first wrench had no effect on
it. The second--a very powerful one--was equally futile, but it caused
Don Diego to roar hideously and to kick, so Will gave a nod to his
assistants, who unceremoniously seized the big man in their iron gripe
and held him fast. Then our hero threw all his strength into a final
effort, and the tooth came out with a crash, and, along with it, a
terrible yell from Don Diego, who sent Larry and Muggins staggering
against the wall! The relief experienced by the poor man was almost
instantaneous; as soon as he could speak he thanked Will in fervid
Spanish, and with genuine gratitude.
It is interesting to observe how often matters of apparently slight
moment in human affairs form turning-points which lead to important
results. The incident which we have just related caused Don Diego to
entertain such kindly feelings towards Will Osten, that he not only
invited him to stay at his house with his companions during their
residence in Tacames, but insisted on his accepting a very large fee for
the service he had rendered him. Of course this was not objected to in
the circumstances, but a still better piece of good fortune than this
befell the wanderers. Will found that a number of the inhabitants had
been attacked with dysentery, and that the ignorance of the vendor of
physic was so great, that he could do nothing for them, except make a
few daring experiments, which were eminently unsuccessful. To these
poor invalids our embryo doctor was so useful, that after a few days
dosing with proper medicine, their health and spirits began to improve
rapidly, and their gratitude was such that they heaped upon him every
delicacy that the place afforded, such as bananas, plantains, oranges,
lemons, pumpkins, melons, sweet potatoes, beef, goat's flesh, venison,
and pork, besides filling his pockets with doubloons! Thus it came to
pass, that from absolute destitution Will and his comrades suddenly
leaped into a condition of comparative affluence.
At the end of a week a council was called, to discuss future
proceedings. The council chamber was, as usual, the forest, and Spanish
cigarettes assisted the deliberations. Will being called to the chair,
which was a tree stump, opened the proceedings by propounding the
question, "What shall we do now, for of course we must not trespass too
long on the hospitality of Don Diego?"
"I don't see why we shudn't," said Larry, "p'raps he'll have another
touch o' toothache, an' 'll want another grinder tuck out."
"That may be, nevertheless it behoves us to fix our future plans without
delay. As there are no vessels in port just now, and we cannot tell
when any will arrive, it is worth while considering whether we cannot
travel by land; also, we must decide whether California or England is to
be our destination."
"I vote for Callyforny," said Larry O'Hale with much energy. "`Goold
for ever,' is my motto! Make our fortunes right off, go home, take
villas in ould Ireland, an' kape our carriages, wid flunkeys an'
maid-servants an' such like. Sure av we can't get by say, we can walk."
"If I had wings, which is wot I haven't," said Muggins, with slow
precision of utterance, "I might fly over the Andes, likewise the
Atlantic, to England, or if I had legs ten fathoms long I might walk to
Callyforny; but, havin' only short legs, more used to the sea than to
the land, I votes for stoppin' where we are for some time, an', p'raps,
a sail will heave in sight an' take us off, d'ye see?"
"Ho!" exclaimed Bunco, with a nod of approval, "and wees kin go huntin'
for amoosement in de meaninwhiles."
"It's my opinion, sir," observed Old Peter, "that as we're all dependent
on the money earned by yourself, the least we can do, is to leave you to
settle the matter of when we start, and where we go. What say you,
mates?"
A general assent being given to this, Will Osten decided that they
should remain where they were for a week or a fortnight longer, in the
hope of a vessel arriving, and that, in the meantime, as suggested by
Bunco, they should amuse themselves by going on a hunting expedition.
In accordance with this plan they immediately set about making
preparation for a start by borrowing from their host two small canoes,
each made of the trunk of a large tree hollowed out. Bunco acted as
steersman in one of these. Will Osten, after a few hours' practice,
deemed himself sufficiently expert to take the post of honour in the
other, and then, bidding adieu to Don Diego, and embarking with their
guns and a large supply of ammunition and provisions, they commenced the
ascent of the river Tacames, little thinking that some of the party
would never descend that river or see Don Diego again!