THE MIDNIGHT RETURN TO DEFEND CATARACT
This little incident afforded only momentary relaxation to the tension
caused by their surroundings.
“What can you see?” asked John.
“I can see them all,” he answered, “and they know it. I imagine Angel
and his gun was a big surprise to them.”
Some months previous to the start on this trip, Angel was seen
practicing with an imaginary gun, darting to and fro, as though sighting
and eluding enemies, as he had seen the boys do, and his antics were so
amusing, that George made a gun, which was presented to him.
Its possession was an infinite source of delight to him, and he was
never without it in his hands, and the surprising thing was, it did not
in any way interfere with his climbing of trees. To show how highly
developed were his imitative qualities, it will be remembered that a
number of extra guns were made, and when either went on a trip which was
hazardous two guns were always taken along, one of which was strapped to
the back.
This was noticed by him, and he tried in several ways, which were
perceived by George, to supply this deficiency in his gun equipment; so
that a strap was given him, and fitted to the gun, and with the new
arrangement of his weapon, he would take off the gun and put it back
again, and chuckle while doing it.
When George climbed the tree his gun was strapped on, and Angel strapped
on his, and as soon as the new seat was made, and George was ready to
view the surroundings, he took the gun from his back, and Angel did
likewise.
This act, as afterwards learned from the savages, had the most
remarkable impression on them. They knew the orang, and all his ways,
but here was one of them, possessed of a gun, and to all intents as able
to use it as the white man beside him in the tree. Of course, they had
no means of knowing that Angel’s gun was merely an imitation of the real
article.
“Count them, if you can. It will be interesting to know how many we are
up against,” said Harry.
George scanned the field to the southeast, so as to take in all those on
the same side of the river on which they were encamped. “I can see
forty-two. Now let us see how many are on the other side.” In a few
moments he continued: “There are only thirty.”
“Can you distinguish,” asked John, “whether all of the same tribe are on
this side, or are the two peoples mixed up, some on one side, and some
on the other?”
“I shall have to study that for a little. They are hiding now, so it is
difficult to get a good look. I have seen only three, so far, with
distinctive clearness, to be able to judge, but I think the Kurabus are
on our side of the stream.”
“I am glad to know that,” continued John. “It is a good indication that
they are not any too friendly with each other.” Then, calling up to
George, he added: “Be very particular to look up and down stream, and
tell me if you see any crossing and recrossing.”
The boys did not question John’s motives in giving George those
injunctions.
“Would there by any objection if I should go up the tree and stay with
George?” asked Ralph.
“Not in the least,” answered the Professor, and John gave a smiling
assent to the question.
“While I am about it, I might as well take a rope along, so we can have
a more easy way to get up.”
“Splendid idea,” responded John, “and before you go let me make a
sailor’s ladder, which you can loop over the first limb, and thus make
an easy route for our scouts.” So saying, he neatly tied and knotted the
rope, and Ralph leaped over the fort, and had no trouble in making his
way to the first limb, and after he had secured the rope ladder,
ascended to the limb which George and Angel occupied.
The arrival of Ralph was another occasion for the peculiar chuckle on
the part of Angel, and before Ralph arrived, Angel was off his seat, and
began the weaving act for an additional seat, and he worked so rapidly
that by the time Ralph came up the seat was ready.
George heartily welcomed Ralph. They were chums, just as Harry and Tom
had grown to be particularly fond of each other.
It was now an easy matter to gain access to the tree; but John still
facilitated this, when he suggested that the wagon be drawn over to the
tree, and as the low top of the wagon was over eight feet high, there
was no more trouble to ascend the tree than to get over the fort.
As the day passed the watchers in the top kept a sharp lookout for signs
of communication between the tribes on the opposite sides of the river.
One of the savages first wounded began to show alarming symptoms and, as
the Professor stated, there was every indication of blood poisoning,
which was indicated by the high fever. Before evening the symptoms
became more pronounced.
The bullet wound was near the hip, and in making the examination was
found to be very much inflamed. George was present, and inquired: “What
is it that causes the inflammation?”
[Illustration: _Fig. 2._]
“The local inflammation near the wound is produced by the tissues
absorbing blood in excess, and the result is that the vessels containing
the blood are so modified as to permit an unusually large amount of the
watery portion of the blood to pass through the walls of the veins and
arteries. This entirely disorganizes the orderly manner of carrying out
the function of the blood, and it is shown by the high fever and redness
exhibited.”
“Is that the same as blood poisoning?”
“That is quite a different matter. This man has what is called septic
fever, which is produced by an infection of the system from bacterial
germs, which were produced by the wound, so that the blood carried the
germs throughout the body, and produced what is called a toxic
condition. Toxic means poison, or poisoned state. When the blood is thus
affected it is unable to do its proper duty, and a high heat is produced
within.”
“But why is it that he has chills and then a fever?”
“During the time that the fever is rising the heat produced exceeds the
heat lost. If the rise is very rapid, as in this case, the blood is
withdrawn from the skin, and this withdrawal diminishes the loss of
heat, which gives rise to a cold sensation or chill, and is combined,
very frequently, with an attack of shivering.”
It was not considered advisable for either of the boys to remain in the
tree during the night, and as soon as it was dark Tom and Harry, who
were then on watch, descended, and preparations were made for the night
watch.
Shortly after midnight, John took only one of the guns, and also
selecting one of the bows, and several arrows, from those which were
taken from the wounded captives, started out on a tour of investigation.
In an hour a series of shouts and cries disturbed the silent night. It
was the cry of the warriors on the north side of the stream.
Harry, who was one of the watchers with Tom, called to his companion:
“Did you hear that? I wonder if John is in trouble?” The sounds were
repeated, and finally reechoed by those on the south side of the river.
Everything seemed to be confusion, and the sound of tramping feet in the
distance became plain.
The Professor was wakened, and the situation explained. “Hasn’t John
returned? How long has he been away? Which direction did he take?” The
questions were hurriedly asked, and when the boys stated that he had
disappeared in the direction that the sounds came from, the matter took
on a very much more serious aspect.
All crowded around the Professor, and one suggestion after the other was
made, first as to the cause of the uproar, and then as to the condition
of John.
“It is evident that the cause of the alarm comes through John, but how
he has caused the difficulty, or what his motive is, I do not know. I
cannot advise any of you to put yourselves in danger at this time.”
The tumult increased, and it appeared that the sounds moved near to the
stream north of their position. While thus speculating Harry noticed a
movement close to the clearing and near the fringe, along the stream.
It was someone stealthily crawling along, and coming toward the wagon.
“Shall I fire?” asked Tom. The Professor held up a restraining hand.
“Wait until we see what the object is.”
Coming nearer, a savage was plainly seen with his distinctive headdress,
and he was now within thirty feet of the wagon. The boys were shocked to
see John’s gun strapped on the warrior’s shoulder, as he carried a bow
in one hand. A few feet farther and he stood up, and held up an
outstretched hand, and uttered the words: “Keep quiet.”
It was John.
The relief almost caused a shout; but they remembered the injunction,
and restrained themselves. In a moment more he was in the wagon; and the
inevitable questions began.
“Where had he gone? What was the trouble in the camps?” and many others
of like import were hurled at him.
“Let me tell the story in my own way,” he finally replied. “I had my
reasons for believing that not the best fellowship, existed between our
besiegers, and that was the reason I asked George to keep a sharp
lookout to see whether they intermingled during the day.
“When I left the wagon I took with me the headdress of the savage on the
other side of the wagon, one of the Saboros, and also the bow and
arrows. I approached the Kurabus on the other side, and after stalking
one of their sentries, I shot him with the arrow, which also belonged to
the same tribe--the Saboros; the shot merely disabled him temporarily,
and he gave the alarm, as I knew he would.
“I purposely dropped my headdress near his body, and seized his--the one
I now have, together with his bow and arrows, and stole away. I remained
in the near vicinity until the cries of the wounded man brought his
friends, and there were the telltale Saboro arrow and headdress, and
believing that the work was one of their confederates on the other side
of the river, the general alarm was given, which resulted in the first
cries you heard.
“I had just crossed the stream, when the first of the Saboros came up,
and he was no doubt one of the scouts of their party. Taking the first
advantage, and before the main portion of the warriors came up, I shot
the one nearest me with the arrow I had taken from the Kurabus, and
stunned him into insensibility as he fell, and I dragged his body up to
within seventy-five feet of the wagon.”
The boys looked admiringly at John.
“They will have some time in explaining the mystery. One of the tribe on
the other side was shot, and one of the savages on this side is missing.
Each will blame the other, and we may expect some lively times in the
morning.”
John was right, for when morning broke, and before either of the boys
could make his way to the treetop, there was an unusual commotion among
the savages. Harry and Tom were up in the tree without a moment’s loss
of time, and the uproar was apparent to them at once.
“They are after each other. The Kurabus are about to attack the Saboros.
Shall we take a hand?” cried Tom.
“By no means,” responded the Professor. “Let us know just what they are
doing.”
Those in the wagon could now see the Kurabus cross the stream. They were
numerically stronger than the Saboros, and there was now an opportunity
to witness the tactics of the savages.
John could not resist the opportunity of going up into the tree to
witness the combat. The attacking party skulked forward, after crossing,
and dodged from tree to tree, and as fast as an advance was made the
smaller party retreated, and took up position in a strong line of bush,
well within sight of the tree.
A volley of arrows was the first signal for attack, and this was
answered, the parties now being close enough to enable them to do some
execution. The attacking party first scattered out in a line, and the
Saboros immediately advanced with a rush, for the center of the position
held by their enemies.
“That was a shrewd move on the part of the Saboros. See the scattered
fellows trying to get away.” They were plainly being driven toward the
direction of the wagon, but before reaching the stream near the wagon,
crossed, and the Saboros now rushed after, attacking with their spears
as they ran.
The Kurabus retreated to the northeast, as they were now cut off from
going southwest along the line of the stream, and part of their force
was plainly visible to the left and in the rear of the victorious party.
Within an hour they saw the last of the pursuers disappearing to the
northeast.
This unexpected turn to the affairs, was received with jubilant shouts
from those in the treetop, when they announced the result of the fight.
Just as they were descending, Ralph, who was the last to go down, cried
out: “Wait, look to the south. More of them, and they are coming
directly toward us.”
John saw them, and returned to his position, calling out to those below:
“Keep quiet, and do not respond to the attack. They belong to the
defeated party. Undoubtedly, a part of their band.”
The shouts of the boys, so incautiously given, startled the oncoming
savages, and they stopped. From their position it was impossible to see
the wagon, and they did not notice the watchers in the trees.
After a moment’s halt they again came forward, and as they appeared at
the clearing, caught sight of the peculiar fort structure in their way,
and also saw the captives on the ground. For a moment there was
consternation among them.
“I can see thirty of them, and if they go around us they will come on
the trail of the party to the north, and probably will discover what has
happened to them,” said John.
They were now close enough to be within range of the guns. In fact, they
were near enough to use their arrows effectively, if the whites had
exposed themselves. The Professor raised himself above the fort, and
motioned to them, in the hope that it would cause them to desist from
any further attack.
At the same time he pointed to the north, and at this motion, they drew
back, and John reported that the band was making a circle around to the
left. They had understood the motion, as it appeared, and, in accordance
with the expectations of John and the Professor, the battle on the brink
of the stream, and the discovery of the wounded, was sufficient to give
them the information that their friends were being driven to the north
by their late allies.
The Kurabus quickly learned from their wounded friend, the status of the
quarrel, and there was a long consultation, before any action was taken.
“We do not seem to be making much headway in getting intimately
acquainted with our friends on the island. We have only two things open
to us. One is to proceed to the southwest, and meet the tribes living
there, or to follow up the warring parties, and endeavor to establish
relations with them in some manner,” was the Professor’s view of the
situation.
At this juncture John descended from the tree. “I am of the opinion that
the newly arrived band will follow up and try to aid their friends. The
serious thing to my mind is, the thought that as they now know our
location at the Cataract, one or the other party will go there and
destroy everything.”
“Can you make out enough from the fellows’ answers outside to assure
yourself that they were on their way to attack us there?”
“I am convinced of that,” answered John.
“I think it is our duty to return there at once,” was the Professor’s
reply.
There was a unanimous assent to this proposal. It was now about ten
o’clock, and George, in the treetop, called down: “They are going to the
northeast.”
“Just as I expected. Keep a watch on them until they disappear, and in
the meantime let us get the wagon ready.”
Tom descended to aid in the work, and the fort sections were put into
place on the wagon, the yaks yoked on, and the two savages put aboard.
“They have gone, and are after their friends as fast as they can
travel,” said George, as he descended, and took the rope off the last
limb.
The team was directed due north, and it was a gratifying surprise to
find that they were less than a quarter of a mile from the South River.
The fort sections were applied at once, and without mishap the wagon was
floated across, so that temporarily, at least, they were free from the
savages.