AN ALLIGATOR HUNT--REMARKABLE EXPLOSIONS--THE RAINY SEASON USHERED IN BY
AN AWFUL RESURRECTION.
At sunrise an expressive shout in Portuguese set the black slaves on
their feet; and, after a hasty breakfast of alligator-tail and farina,
they commenced operations. Alligator-tail is by no means bad food, and
after the first mouthful--taken with hesitation and swallowed with
difficulty,--Martin and Barney both pronounced it "capital." Sambo, who
had cooked the delicate morsel, and stood watching them, smacked his
lips and added, "Fuss rate."
All being now ready for the hunt, a number of Negroes entered the water,
which was nowhere very deep, with long poles in their hands. This
appeared to Martin and Barney a very reckless and dangerous thing to do,
as no doubt it was. Nevertheless accidents, they were told, very rarely
happened.
Sambo, who was the overseer of the party, was the first to dash up to
the middle in the water. "Hi," exclaimed that dingy individual, making
a torrent of remarks in Portuguese, while he darted his long pole hither
and thither; then, observing that Martin and Barney were gazing at him
open mouthed, he shouted, "Look out, boys! here 'im comes! Take care,
ole feller, or he jump right down you throat! hi-i-i!"
As he spoke, a large alligator, having been rudely stirred up from his
muddy bed, floundered on the surface of the lake, and Sambo instantly
gave it a thump over the back and a blow under the ribs; which had the
effect of driving it in the direction of the shore. Here a number of
Negroes were ready for him; and the moment he came within reach, a coil
of rope with a noose on the end of it, called a lasso, was adroitly
thrown over the reptile's head: ten or twelve men then hauled the lasso
and dragged it ashore amid shouts of triumph. This alligator was twenty
feet long, with an enormous misshapen head and fearful rows of teeth
that were terrible to behold. The monster did not submit to be
captured, however, without a struggle; and the Negroes grew wild with
excitement as they yelled and leaped madly about seeking to avoid its
dangerous jaws and the blows of its powerful tail. After some trouble,
a second lasso was thrown over the tail, which was thus somewhat
restrained in its movements; and Sambo, approaching cautiously with an
axe, cut a deep gash just at the root of that formidable appendage,
which rendered it harmless. "Hi-i," shouted Sambo in triumph, as he
sprang towards the animal's head, and inflicted a similar gash in the
neck; "dare, you quite finish, ole feller."
"Musha but that's thrue!" ejaculated Barney, who stood staring at the
whole proceeding like one in a trance. "Did ye iver git a bite, Sambo?"
Barney received no answer, for his sable friend was already up to his
waist in the water with five or six of his brethren, who were
flourishing their long poles and driving the snorting alligators towards
the shore, where their comrades, with lassos and harpoons, awaited them.
Sometimes they harpooned the alligators, and then, fastening lassos to
their heads and tails, or to a hind leg, dragged them ashore; at other
times they threw the lasso over their heads at once, without taking the
trouble to harpoon them. It was a terrible and a wonderful sight to
witness the Negroes in the very midst of a shoal of these creatures, any
one of which could have taken a man into his jaws quite easily,--whence,
once between these long saw-like rows of teeth, no man could have
escaped to tell how sharp they were. The creatures were so numerous
that it was impossible to thrust a pole into the mud without stirring up
one of them; but they were so terrified at the sudden attack and the
shouts of the Negroes, that they thought only of escape.
Suddenly there arose a great cry. One of the lassos had snapt and the
alligator was floundering back into the water, when Sambo rushed in up
to the arm-pits, and caught the end of the rope. At the same moment two
alligators made at the Negro with open jaws. It is probable that the
animals went in his direction by mere accident, and would have brushed
past him in blind haste; but to Martin and Barney it seemed as if the
poor man's fate were sealed, and they uttered a loud shout of horror as
they bounded simultaneously into the water, not knowing what to do, but
being unable to restrain the impulse to spring to Sambo's aid.
Fortunately, however, one of the other Negroes was near Sambo. He
sprang forward, and dealt the alligators two tremendous blows with his
pole on their snouts, right and left, which turned them off. Then other
Negroes came up, laid hold of Sambo, who would not let go his hold and
was being dragged into deep water, caught the end of the rope, and in
ten minutes hauled their victim to the shore, when it was quickly
despatched in the usual manner.
By this time about a dozen alligators, varying from ten to twenty feet
in length, had been captured; and Barney at length became so bold that
he requested to be allowed to try his hand at throwing the lasso, the
dexterous use of which by the Negroes had filled him with admiration. A
loud burst of laughter greeted this proposal, and Sambo showed a set of
teeth that might have made even the alligators envious, as he handed the
Irishman a coil of line.
"Now don't miss, Barney," cried Martin laughing heartily, as his comrade
advanced to the edge of the lake and watched his opportunity. "Mind,
your credit as an expert hunter is at stake."
The Senhor Antonio stood close behind the Irishman, with his arms folded
and a sarcastic smile on his countenance.
"Don't send it down him's throat," yelled Sambo. "Hi-i, dat's de vay to
swing um round. Stir um up, boys!--poke um up, villains, hi!"
The Negroes in the water obeyed with frantic glee, and the terrified
monsters surged about in all directions, so that Barney found it almost
impossible to fix his attention on any particular individual. At length
he made up his mind, whirled the coil round his head, discharged the
noose, caught the Senhor Antonio round the neck, and jerked him
violently to the ground!
There was a simultaneous pause of horror among the slaves; but it was
too much for their risible faculties to withstand; with one accord they
rushed howling into the water to conceal their laughter, and began to
stir up and belabour the alligators with their poles, until the surface
of the lake was a sheet of foam.
Meanwhile the Senhor Antonio sprang to his feet and began to bluster
considerably in Portuguese; but poor Barney seemed awfully crestfallen,
and the deep concern which wrinkled his face, and the genuine regret
that sounded in the tones of his voice, at length soothed the indignant
Brazilian, who frowned gravely, and waving his hand, as if to signify
that Barney had his forgiveness, he stalked up to the shed, lighted a
cigarito, and lay down in his hammock.
"Well," said Martin, in an undertone, "you did it that time, Barney. I
verily thought the old fellow was hanged. He became quite livid in the
face."
"Och! bad luck to the lasso, say I. May I niver more see the swate
groves o' Killarney if iver I meddle with wan again."
"Hi-i; you is fuss rate," said Sambo, as he and his comrades returned
and busied themselves in cutting up the dead alligators. "You beat de
Niggers all to not'ing. Not any of dis yere chiles eber lasso Sen'or
Antonio yet; no, neber!"
It was some time before the Negroes could effectually subdue their
merriment, but at length they succeeded, and applied themselves
vigorously to the work of cutting out the fat. The alligators were all
cut open,--a work of no small difficulty, owing to the hard scales which
covered them, as with coats of mail; then the fat, which accumulates in
large quantities about the intestines, was cut out and made up into
packets in the skins of the smaller ones, which were taken off for this
purpose.
These packets were afterwards carried to the Senhor's dwelling, and the
fat melted down into oil, which served for burning in lamps quite as
well as train oil. The flesh of a smaller species of alligator, some of
which were also taken, is considered excellent food; and, while the
Negroes were engaged in their work, Barney made himself useful by
kindling a large fire and preparing a savoury dish for "all hands,"
plentifully seasoned with salt and pepper, with which condiments the
country is well supplied, and of which the people are exceedingly fond.
There was also caught in this lake a large species of fish called
pirarucu, which, strangely enough, found it possible to exist in spite
of alligators. They were splendid creatures, from five to six feet
long, and covered with large scales more than an inch in diameter, which
were beautifully marked and spotted with red. These fish were most
delicately flavoured, and Barney exerted his talents to the utmost in
order to do them justice. Martin also did his best to prove himself a
willing and efficient assistant, and cleaned and washed the pirarucu
steaks and the junks of alligator-tail to admiration. In short, the
exertions of the two strangers in this way quite won the hearts of the
Negroes, and after dinner the Senhor Antonio had quite recovered his
good humour.
While staying at this place Martin had an opportunity of seeing a great
variety of the curious fish, with which the Amazon is stocked. These
are so numerous that sometimes, when sailing up stream with a fair wind,
they were seen leaping all round the canoe in shoals, so that it was
only necessary to strike the water with the paddles in order to kill a
few.
The peixe boi, or cow-fish, is one of the most curious of the
inhabitants of the Amazon. It is about six feet long, and no less than
five feet in circumference at its thickest part. It is a perfectly
smooth, and what we may call _dumpy_ fish, of a leaden colour, with a
semicircular flat tail, and a large mouth with thick fleshy lips,
resembling those of a cow. There are stiff bristles on the lips, and a
few scattered hairs over the body. It has two fins just behind the
head; and below these, in the females, there are two breasts, from which
good white milk flows when pressure is applied. The cow-fish feeds on
grass at the borders of rivers and lakes; and, when suckling its young,
it carries it in its fins or flippers, and clasps the little one to its
breast, just as a mother clasps her baby! It is harpooned and taken for
the sake of its fat, from which oil is made. The flesh is also very
good, resembling beef in quality, and it was much relished by Martin and
Barney, who frequently dined on beefsteaks cut from this remarkable
cow-fish.
There was also another fish which surprised our adventurers not a
little, the first time they met with it. One evening Senhor Antonio had
ordered a net to be thrown into the river, being desirous of procuring a
few fresh fish for the use of his establishment. The Indians and
Negroes soon after commenced dragging, and in a few minutes afterwards
the sandy bank of the river was strewn with an immense variety of small
fish, among which were a few of a larger kind. Martin and Barney became
excited as they saw them leaping and spluttering about, and ran in
amongst them to assist in gathering them into baskets. But scarcely had
the latter advanced a few steps when there was a loud report, as if a
pistol had gone off under his feet.
"Hallo!" exclaimed the Irishman, leaping two feet into the air. On his
reaching the ground again, a similar explosion occurred, and Barney
dashed aside, overturning Martin in his haste. Martin's heel caught on
a stone, and he fell flat on the ground, when instantly there was a
report as if he had fallen upon and burst an inflated paper bag. The
natives laughed loud and long, while the unfortunate couple sprang up
the bank, half inclined to think that an earthquake was about to take
place. The cause of their fright was then pointed out. It was a
species of small fish which has the power of inflating the fore part of
its body into a complete ball, and which, when stamped upon, explodes
with a loud noise. There were great numbers of these scattered among
the other fish, and also large quantities of a little fish armed with
long spines, which inflict a serious wound when trodden upon.
At this place adventures on a small scale crowded upon our travellers so
thickly that Martin began to look upon sudden surprises as a necessary
of life, and Barney said that, "if it wint on any longer he feared his
eyebrows would get fixed near the top of his head, and niver more come
down."
One evening, soon after their departure from the residence of Senhor
Antonio, the old trader was sitting steering in the stern of his canoe,
which was running up before a pretty stiff breeze. Martin was lying on
his back, as was his wont in such easy circumstances, amusing himself
with Marmoset; and Barney was reclining in the bow talking solemnly to
Grampus; when suddenly the wind ceased, and it became a dead calm. The
current was so strong that they could scarcely paddle against it so they
resolved to go no further that night, and ran the canoe ashore on a low
point of mud, intending to encamp under the trees, no human habitation
being near them. The mud-bank was hard and dry, and cracked with the
heat; for it was now the end of the dry season, and the river had long
since retired from it.
"Not a very comfortable place, Barney," said Martin, looking round, as
he threw down one of the bales which he had just carried up from the
canoe. "Hallo! there's a hut, I declare. Come, that's a comfort
anyhow."
As he spoke, Martin pointed to one of the solitary and rudely
constructed huts or sheds, which the natives of the banks of the Amazon
sometimes erect during the dry season, and forsake when the river
overflows its banks. The hut was a very old one, and had evidently been
inundated, for the floor was a mass of dry, solid mud, and the palm-leaf
roof was much damaged. However, it was better than nothing, so they
slung their hammocks under it, kindled a fire, and prepared supper.
While they were busy discussing this meal, a few dark and ominous clouds
gathered in the sky, and the old trader, glancing uneasily about him,
gave them to understand that he feared the rainy season was going to
begin.
"Well, then," said Barney, lighting his pipe and stretching himself at
full length in his hammock, with a leg swinging to and fro over one side
and his head leaning over the other, as was his wont when he felt
particularly comfortable in mind and body; "Well then, avic, let it
begin. If we're sure to have it anyhow, the sooner it begins the
better, to my thinkin'."
"I don't know that," said Martin, who was seated on a large stone beside
the fire sipping a can of coffee, which he shared equally with Marmoset.
The monkey sat on his shoulder gazing anxiously into his face, with an
expression that seemed as if the creature were mentally exclaiming, "Now
me, now you; now me, now you," during the whole process. "It would be
better, I think, if we were in a more sheltered position before it
begins. Ha! there it comes though, in earnest."
A smart shower began to fall as he spoke, and, percolating through the
old root descended rather copiously on the mud floor. In a few minutes
there was a heaving of the ground under their feet!
"Ochone!" cried Barney, taking his pipe out of his mouth and looking
down with a disturbed expression, "there's an arthquake, I do belave."
For a few seconds there was a dead silence.
"Nonsense," whispered Martin uneasily.
"It's dramin' I must have been," sighed Barney, resuming his pipe.
Again the ground heaved and cracked, and Martin and the old trader had
just time to spring to their feet when the mud floor of the hut burst
upwards and a huge dried-up looking alligator crawled forth, as if from
the bowels of the earth! It glanced up at Barney; opened its tremendous
jaws, and made as if it would run at the terrified old trader; then,
observing the doorway, it waddled out, and, trundling down the bank,
plunged into the river and disappeared.
Barney could find no words to express his feelings, but continued to
gaze, with an unbelieving expression, down into the hole, out of which
the monster had come, and in which it had buried itself many weeks
before, when the whole country was covered with soft mud. At that time
it had probably regarded the shelter of the inundated hut as of some
advantage, and had lain down to repose. The water retiring had left it
there buried, and--as we have already mentioned in reference to
alligators--when the first shower of the rainy season fell, it was led
by instinct to burst its earthy prison, and seek its native element.
Before Barney or his companions could recover from their surprise, they
had other and more urgent matters to think about. The dark clouds burst
overhead, and the rain descended like a continued water-spout--not in
drops but in heavy sheets and masses; the roof of the hut gave way in
several places, driving them into a corner for shelter; the river began
to rise rapidly, soon flooding the hut; and, when darkness overspread
the land, they found themselves drenched to the skin and suspended in
their hammocks over a running stream of water!
This event brought about an entire change in the aspect of nature, and
was the cause of a sad and momentous era in the adventures of Martin
Rattler and his companion.