For just a few moments Roland was taken aback. Then, in a steady manly
voice that could be heard all over the camp, he gave the order.
"All men down! The Indians are approaching from the west. Fire low,
lads--between you and the light.
"Don't waste a shot!" he added.
[Illustration: "FIRE LOW, LADS.... DON'T WASTE A SHOT!"]
Three Indians bit the dust at the first volley, and though the rest
struggled on to the attack, it was only to be quickly repulsed.
In ten minutes' time all had fled, and the great forest and woodland was
as silent as before.
It was Roland's voice that again broke the stillness.
"Rally round, boys," he shouted, "and let me know the worst."
The sacrifice of life, however, was confined to three poor fellows, one
white man and two peons; and no one was wounded.
Nobody thought of going to sleep again on this sad night, and when red
clouds were at last seen over the green-wooded horizon, heralding the
approach of day, a general sense of relief was felt by all in the little
camp.
Soon after sunrise breakfast was served, and eaten with avidity by all
hands now in camp, for scouts were out, and Dick and Roland awaited the
news they would bring with some degree of impatience.
The scouting was really a sort of reconnaisance in force, by picked
Indians and whites under the command of the redoubtable Burly Bill.
Suddenly Brawn raised his head and gave vent to an angry "wouff!" and
almost at the same time the sound of distant rifle-firing fell on the
ears of the little army.
Half an hour after this, Bill and two men stepped out from the bush and
advanced.
His brow was bound with a blood-stained handkerchief.
It was a spear wound, but he would not hear of it being dressed at
present.
"What cheer then, Bill?"
"Not much of that," he answered, throwing himself down and lighting that
marvellous meerschaum, from which he appeared to get so much
consolation.
"Not a vast deal of cheer. Yes, I'll eat after I gets a bit cooler
like."
"Ay, we'll have to fight the Dun-skins. They swarm in the forest
between us and the Madeira, and they are about as far from bein' angels
as any durned nigger could be."
"And what do you advise, Bill?"
"Well," was the reply, "as soon as your boys get their nose-bags off, my
advice is to set to work with spade and shovel and transform this 'ere
camp into a fortress.
"Ay, and it is one we won't be able to abandon for days and days to
come," he added.
The men were now speedily told off to duty, and in a very short time had
made the camp all but impregnable, and quite strong enough to give an
excellent account of any number of Dun-skins.
The Paynee Indians are a semi-nomadic tribe of most implacable savages,
who roam over hill and dell and upland, hunting or fighting as the case
may be, but who have nevertheless a home in the dark mountain fastnesses
of the far interior.
They are cannibals, though once, long, long ago, a band of Jesuits
attempted their reclamation.
These brave missionaries numbered in all but one hundred and twenty men,
and they went among the terrible natives with, figuratively speaking,
their prayer-books in one hand, their lives in the other.
All went well for a time. They succeeded in winning the affections of
the savages. They erected rude churches, and even to this day crosses
of stone are to be found in this wild land, half-buried among the rank
vegetation.
But there came a day, and a sad one it was, when the cannibals were
attacked by a wild hill-tribe. These highlanders had heard that, owing
to the new religion, their ancient enemies had degenerated into old
wives and squaws.
A terrible battle ensued, during which the men from the uplands found
out their mistake, for they were repulsed with fearful slaughter.
All might have gone well with the Jesuits even yet but for one
_contretemps_.
At the very moment when the savages returned wildly exultant from the
hills, bearing, horrible to relate, joints of human flesh on their
spears, there came from the east a party of men who had been down to the
banks of the Madeira, and had attacked and looted a small steamer that
among other things had much fire-water on board.
Oh, that accursed fire-water, how terrible its results wherever on earth
it gains ascendancy!
All the fearful passions of these savages were soon let loose. The
scene was like pandemonium.
The poor Jesuits hid themselves in their little church, barricading the
door, and devoting the first part of the night to prayer and song. But
at midnight the awful howling of the cannibals coming nearer and nearer
told them that they had been missed, and that their doom was now sealed.
Only one man escaped to tell the terrible tale.
And these, or rather their descendants, were the very cannibals that
Roland's little army had now to do battle with.
Both he and Dick, however, kept up a good heart.
There was ammunition enough to last for months of desultory firing, if
necessary, and when the attack was made at last, after Bill's scouts had
been driven in, the savages learned a lesson they were never likely to
forget.
Brave indeed they were, and over and over again they charged, spear in
hand, almost into the trenches. But only to be thrust back wounded, or
to die where they stood, beneath a steady revolver fire.
But they retreated almost as quickly as they had come, and once more
sought the shelter of bush and jungle.
Not for very long, however. They were evidently determined that the
little garrison should enjoy no peace.
They had changed their tactics now, and instead of making wild rushes
towards the ramparts, they commenced to bombard the fort with large
stones.
With their slings the Bolivian Indians can aim with great precision, for
they learn the art when they are mere infants.
As no one showed above the ramparts, there was in this case no human
target for the missiles, but use was made of larger stones, and these
kept falling into the trenches in all directions, so that much mischief
was done and many men were hurt.
A terrible rifle fire was now opened upon that part of the bush in which
the cannibal savages were supposed to be in force, and from the howling
and shrieking that immediately followed, it was evident that many
bullets were finding their billets.
But soon even these sounds died away, and it was evident enough that the
enemy had retired, no doubt with the intention of inventing some new
form of attack. There was peace now for many hours, and Roland took
advantage of this to order dinner to be got ready. No men, unless it be
the Scotch, can fight well on empty stomachs.
The wounded were attended to and made as comfortable as possible, and
after this there was apparently very little to do except to wait and
watch.
Burly Bill brought out his consolatory meerschaum. But while he puffed
away, he was not idle. He was thinking.
Now thinking was not very much in this honest fellow's line. Action was
more his _forte_. But the present occasion demanded thought.
The afternoon was already far spent. The sentries--lynx-eyed Indians,
rifles in hand--were watching the bush, and longing for a shot. Roland
and Dick, with Bill and big Brawn, were seated in the shade of a green
and spreading tree, and all had been silent for some considerable time.
"I say, young fellows!" said Bill at last, "this kind of lounging
doesn't suit me. What say you to a council of war?"
"Well, you've been thinking, Bill?"
"Ay, I've been doin' a smart bit o' that. Let us consult Charlie."
Charlie the ex-cannibal was now brought forward and seated on the grass.
There was a deal of practical knowledge in this Indian's head. His had
been a very long experience of savage warfare and wandering in forests
and wilds; and he was proud now to be consulted.
"Charlie," said Bill, "what do you think of the situation?"
"De sit-uation?" was the reply. "Me not likee he. Me tinkee we sitee
too much. Byme by, de cannibal he come much quick. Ah! dere will soon
be muchee much too much sabage cannibal! Fust de killee you and den de
eatee you, and make fine bobbery. Ha! ha!"
"Well, Charlie, I don't think that there is a deal to laugh at.
Howsomever, we've got to do something soon."
"So, so," said Charlie, "notwidstanding."
"Well, I've been thinking that we should make tracks for the other side
of the river. You see these savage rapscallions have no canoes, and
they seem to have no food. They are not herons or storks, and can't
wade through deep water."
"Foh true, sah. Dey am not stohks and dey am not herons notwidstanding,
but see, sah, ebery man he am his own canoe! No stohks, but all same
one frog, notwidstanding foh true!"
"And you think they would follow us?"
"All same's one eel--two hundred eel. Dey swim wid spears in mouf, and
bow and arrow held high. Ha! ha! good soldier, ebery modder's son!"
"I'll tell you my plan," said Dick Temple. "Just loose off the boats,
and make one bold dash for liberty."
"Ha! ha! sah!" cried Charlie. "I takes de liberty to laugh
notwidstanding, foh true. You plenty much all dead men 'fore you get
into de big ribber!"
"Well, hang it!" said Dick, "we're not going to stay here with the
pretty prospect before us of being all scuppered and eaten. What say
you, Roll?"
"I think," said Roland quietly, "that Charlie there has come prepared to
speak, for his face is just beaming."
"See, sah," cried Charlie, evidently pleased, "you trust all to Charlie.
He makee you free after dark. Down in de fo'est yondah dere am mebbe
two, mebbee free hunder' sabages. Now dey not want to fight till de
dark. Dey will fight all de same when de moon rise, and de rifle not
muchee good. No hit in de dark, on'y jes' puff, puff.
"See," he continued, "de wind begin to blow a leetle. De wind get high
byme by, den de sun go out, and Charlie he fiah de forest."
"Fire the forest, Charlie?"
"Notwidstanding," said Charlie grimly.
"When," he added, "you see de flame curl up, be all ready. Soon de
flame he bus' highah and highah, and all by de ribber bank one big
blaze."
"Charlie," cried Bill, "you're a brick! Give us a shake of your yellow
hand. Hurrah! boys, Charlie's going to do it!"
Never perhaps was sunset waited for with more impatience.
The great and unanswerable question was this: Would these savages attack
immediately after darkness fell, or would they take some time to
deliberate?
But behind the rugged mountains down sank the sun at last, and after a
brief twilight the stars shone out.
Charlie was not going alone. He had asked for the assistance of many
Indians, and in a whisper he gave them their orders.
Our heroes did not interfere in any way, for fear of confusing the good
fellow's plans. But they soon noted that while Charlie himself and two
Indians left in one of the smallest canoes, the others disappeared like
snakes in the grass, creeping northwards over the plain.
And now there was silence, for the wind was hushed; silence everywhere,
that deep, indescribable silence which nightfall ever brings to a wild
and savage land, in which even the beasts are still and listening in
forest and dell, not knowing from which direction danger may spring.
Within the little camp nothing could be done but lie still, every man
holding his breath with suspense. Nothing could be done save watch,
wait, count the weary minutes, and marvel at their length.
Suddenly, however, the deep silence was broken by a mournful cry that
came from riverwards. It was apparently that of an owl seeking for its
mate, but it was taken up and repeated northwards all over the plain
twixt camp and forest, and almost at the same time tiny tongues of fire
sprang up here and there and everywhere.
Higher and higher they leapt, along the ground they ran, meeting in all
directions down the dark river and across the wild moor by the edge of
the woodland. The undergrowth was dry, the grass was withered, and in
an amazingly short time the whole forest by the banks of the Madeira was
sheeted in devastating flames.
The savages had been massed in the centre of the jungle, and just
preparing to issue forth and carry death into the camp of our heroes,
when suddenly the crackling of the flames fell on their ears, and they
knew they were caught in a fire-trap, with scarcely any means of escape.
Charlie had been terribly in earnest, and, hurrying on in his canoe
towards the Madeira, he lit the bank all along, and even down the side
of the great stream itself.
It was evidently his savage intention to roast these poor cannibals
alive.
As it was, the only outlet towards salvation that remained for them was
the Madeira's dark brink.
"Now, boys, now!" shouted Roland, when he saw that the fire had gained
entire mastery, and, making its own wind, was sweeping onwards, licking
up everything in its way.
"Now, lads, on board! Let us get off down stream in all haste.
Hurrah!"