THE VALLEY OF SERPENTS
We now equipped an expedition to explore the Ruby Mountains, of which I
was appointed leader. Hartog wished to come with us, but I persuaded
him that his place was on board our ship, which, remembering how the
Spaniards had, on a former occasion, pirated the vessel, he could not
deny.
"You are right, Peter," he said, when we had argued the matter. "We
cannot both go, and, since I am captain of the 'Golden Seahorse', I
clearly perceive my duty is to stand by her through fair and foul."
The matter being thus concluded, I took command of the party for the
shore. In the forenoon we rowed for the beach in two pinnaces, well
manned and armed. In all the places where we had landed we had treated
the blacks with kindness, offering them pieces of iron, strings of
beads, and pieces of cloth, hoping by these means to win their
friendship, and to be allowed to explore the country; but, in spite of
our friendly overtures, the blacks received us everywhere as enemies,
and nowhere more so than in this land of pygmies and giants. We
therefore determined to waste no more time in making useless efforts
for peace, but to meet force with force. Twelve men, well armed, we
considered to be a match for all the savages we were likely to
encounter during a day's march inland.
We had brought with us some coils of stout rope in order to assist us
in descending from the mountain heights into the valleys below, for I
did not place much reliance upon the fable of the eagles and the pieces
of fresh meat as a means to procure the rubies which it was said were
washed down by torrential rains at certain seasons. If rubies were to
be obtained, I argued, it must be by a more practical method than that
employed by Marco Polo's men. Besides, we had no fresh meat with which
to give Polo's experiment a trial.
After our recent brush with the natives these wild men gave us a wide
berth, and we saw no sign of them on our way to the mountains, to which
we came after two hours of walking. The sides of these mountains are
rocky, with no verdure of any kind upon them except a species of
stubble which grows in patches. When we came to the top of one of these
hills, we looked down a sheer cliff into the valley. I never before saw
any place so inaccessible to man. Nothing without wings, it appeared,
could descend into those depths. After exploring the mountains for the
best part of an hour, however, we came to a position where it was
possible, with caution, to descend for some distance, and by aid of our
rope, one end of which we fastened to rocks or stubble as opportunity
offered, we succeeded in reaching a cliff from which there was a drop
of not more than two hundred feet. This I calculated to be the entire
length of the rope we had brought with us, by which I resolved to be
lowered. Bantum tried to dissuade me from my project, urging that the
risk was too great; but I was determined that, having come so far, I
would not go back without being able to make some report of the valley
we had undertaken to explore, and a descent by means of the rope seemed
to be the only method, nor could Bantum suggest any other.
I now knotted at one end of the rope a cradle in which I could sit.
while being lowered, and so long as the rope held, of which there
appeared to be no reason to doubt, for my weight was well within its
compass, I did not anticipate danger.
All being made ready, and every possible precaution taken against
accident, I was let down from the top of the cliff to what looked like
the dried-up course of a stream composed of pebbles and wash-dirt. The
whole valley presented the most dreary and desolate appearance. The
high cliffs by which it was surrounded rose like perpendicular walls,
casting deep shadows, so that the sun's rays never penetrated to the
floor, for which reason it was destitute of verdure, barren to the eye,
and depressing to the senses. As I descended it seemed to me as though
I was being lowered into some forgotten tomb.
At length my feet touched ground, and, extricating myself from my
cradle, I began to explore the course of the stream. The light in these
depths, although it was noonday, was not greater than twilight, and I
found some difficulty in ascertaining of what the bed of the stream was
composed, but by crawling on all fours I was able to form some idea of
its composition, and among the wash-dirt I found a number of dark
stones, which, from the experience I had gained at Amsterdam, I knew to
be rubies of a size and weight that promised great value.
I now became so absorbed in my hunt for rubies that the dismal nature
of my surroundings was forgotten. The greed of gain obsessed me, and as
I gathered the precious stones into my pocket I would not have
exchanged this desolate valley for the most beautiful spot on earth.
But I was soon to learn how the wealth of the world is for ever
encompassed by dangers that we wot not of. A shout drew my attention,
and on looking up a sight met my gaze which drove all thoughts of
ruby-hunting from my mind, and made self-preservation my only concern.
The rope by which I had descended, relieved of my weight, swayed like
a serpent endowed with life, and for this reason, perhaps, it was being
fiercely attacked, about midway from the top, by a flock of white
eagles which tore at the hemp with beak and claws. I ran to the cradle;
but I had barely come to it when the rope parted, a hundred feet or
more of it falling down to where I stood scarcely able, as yet, to
realize the extent of the disaster which had overtaken me. A return to
the ship for a fresh rope would occupy, I knew, six hours at the least,
provided my companions were not molested on their way by hostile
savages, and I shuddered to think what my sufferings must be during
such a period of enforced solitude in this dreadful place. I shouted to
my comrades on top of the cliff, who answered me, but it was impossible
to understand what was said. I noticed, however, that some had already
set off on a return to the ship, as I conjectured, for a fresh rope;
while others continued to watch me. Thus I did not feel so deserted as
I would otherwise have done, though I dreaded the weary hours before
me, particularly when it should become dark, as would happen sooner
here than above.
And now, to add to my terrors, I became aware of a low, hissing sound
which seemed to come from all around me, first from one quarter and
then from another. The air seemed to menace me with the hisses that
were borne upon it. Then, in spite of the gloom, by straining my eyes I
could see the cause of this hissing. A number of serpents were crawling
out of the crevices of the rocks around, and making toward me. I
shouted in the hope of frightening them away, but, although they
paused, irresolute, at the sound of my voice, they came on again,
drawing closer every minute. They were of all sizes, some of great
length, black and venomous-looking. One monstrous reptile of the
constrictor species continued to watch me from an adjacent rock upon
which it lay, its forked tongue darting in and out of its mouth. I felt
that my reason was leaving me. Endurance has its limits--I could bear
no more. Death or madness awaited me.
Then a miracle happened. The white eagles, the cause of my mishap, now
proved my salvation. They descended upon the serpents like bolts from
above, carrying them off in their talons to the mountain tops, there to
be devoured at their leisure. The dark valley became alive with
flapping white wings and squirming serpents, in the midst of which
pandemonium I mercifully lost consciousness.
When I came to myself Hartog was beside me. It was pitch dark, but he
carried a ship's lantern in his hand.