The morning came bright and clear, and the boats were pushed off once
more out of the oppressive gloom of the water-floored forest into the
sunny brightness of the river, by which they were again swept on hour
after hour.
It was when the question of supplies was beginning to assume a serious
aspect about midday that there was a change in the monotonous windings
of the river, which suddenly forked, and, the branch to the left seeming
the more open, the boats were guided into that.
They were carried along here as swiftly as ever for a few miles, and
then the branch divided again and again, till they seemed to be passing
through a very network of smaller rivers, their last change being into
one whose banks, though well wooded, presented a marked change, for in
place of flooded forest the banks displayed steep cliffs dotted with
verdure, and in whose cracks grand trees towered up; while, after
passing for miles through what rapidly grew into the likeness of a
mountain defile, the helpless party had the satisfaction of finding that
the current was no longer fierce, but glided along deep and dark at the
rate of about four miles an hour.
"Hab!" cried the captain; "this is better. Now, gentlemen, you may get
your guns ready for anything worth shooting. We can easily retrieve it
here, and find a place by-and-by up among the rocks on one side or the
other to land and cook whatever you manage to bring down."
"Why, Brace," said Sir Humphrey, as they glided gently along, gun in
hand, watching the steep slope of cliff on their left, everywhere
beautiful and in places almost perpendicular and awful in its grandeur,
"this is the most beautiful part of the country we have seen."
"Don't talk," said Brace, in a low tone of voice. "I seem to want to
watch."
"But don't forget about the cooking," said Briscoe, suddenly raising his
gun to his shoulder. "Look out, Brace, up yonder, and watch the bushes
on that shelf of rock."
He fired twice the next moment, and half a dozen large birds rose to fly
across the river, one of which fell to Brace's gun; while, the boat
being run close under the rocky face of the cliff, a couple of men
climbed out and crept up among the bushes, where they found that Briscoe
had shot three large turkey-like birds, which would form a welcome
addition to their larder.
During their steady glide on, half a dozen more good-sized birds of
similar and different kinds were brought down from where they were
feeding upon the fruits and berries, the men's spirits rising with their
success as much as from the beauty of the winding gorge, so that the
evening's camping was looked forward to with eagerness, while the
captain's declaration that they were getting beyond the influence of the
flood was received with a cheer.
"You see, gentlemen, it's like this: the flood has been acting like the
tide in a river which has kept back the regular flow here, and it
strikes me that before we have gone many miles farther the stream will
have grown slacker and slacker till it comes almost to a standstill, and
to-morrow some time we shall have it against us once more."
"Unless we turn into another stream and so get back a fresh way,"
suggested Brace. "It is a wonderful network of water."
"Maybe," said the captain; "but we don't want to lose our bearings."
"We couldn't if we kept on going down stream. We must reach the sea
somewhere."
"That's right enough," said the captain drily; "but I don't want to
reach it somewhere. I want the way that leads by my brig."
"Yes," said Briscoe, laughing. "Why, Brace, we might be getting out
somewhere or other in the Pacific Ocean."
"What about crossing the Andes first?" said Brace sharply.
"Oh, that would be all right. I daresay we could keep on rising till we
found a way through-place where the watershed runs, as the learned chaps
say."
He had hardly spoken before Brace caught him by the arm, gripping it
strongly.
"What is it--bird?"
"No," said Brace, in a hoarse whisper. "I caught sight of a canoe
gliding along under the rocks on the farther shore."
"Did you?" said Briscoe coolly. "Well, I'm not surprised. The Indians
would be fools if some of them didn't come and live along here. It's
about the most beautiful place I ever saw."
"I can see it now," said Sir Humphrey, looking through his glass.
"There are four Indians in it with feather crowns on their heads. I
don't think they have seen us till now, for they are paddling the other
way."
"Then I tell you what: let's lie-to under the trees here," said the
captain. "There's a level bit about fifty feet up like a shelf in yon
bit of a gully. I had my eye upon that directly, and down here we can
lie up quite snugly. Let's have a quiet night somehow, and go on
to-morrow morning to see whether the Indians mean to be friends or foes.
See 'em still, Sir Humphrey?"
"No," was the reply; "they have gone right out of sight."
"Then now have the goodness to use your glass well, and sweep all the
shelves up the farther shore to see if you can make out any sign of an
Indian village, sir. Seems a wonderfully likely place for people to be
living."
At that moment there was a heavy splash as a large silvery fish flung
itself completely out of the water and then fell back, while the noise
it made startled a covey of ducks, which went fluttering and paddling up
stream.
"Must be inhabitants here, I should say," exclaimed the American,
shading his eyes with his hand. "A bit shut in and shady, but all the
better in a tropical country: why, it's lovely. Here, gentlemen, I'm
getting a bit tired of being cramped up in a boat. I vote we call this
Golden Valley and come and live here for a year or two."
"To hunt for the Golden City?" said Brace mischievously.
"Oh, no," said Briscoe quietly; "this place makes me feel as if I didn't
want to hunt for anything, only to knock myself up a hut, or to find a
sort of cave up on one of these shelves, and then just go on living
like. Why, it's a ready-made Paradise, and we seem to have pretty
nearly got beyond the reach of the flood."
"Then let's lie up here," said the captain, "and set your Dan to work.
It is very beautiful, but it will be better after we've had a bit of
something to eat."