We now found that it was time to begin our return to the river. As we
were walking on we caught sight of some object moving among the tall
grass. Arthur, True, and I followed at full speed. I had my gun ready
to fire. It was a huge serpent. It seemed, however, more afraid of us
than we were of it. On it went like a dark stream running amidst the
verdure, moving almost in a straight line, with only the slightest
perceptible bends, and it soon disappeared among the thick underwood.
From its size it would have been an awkward creature to be surprised by
unarmed; and True, I suspect, would have had little chance of escaping.
Shortly afterwards, looking up among the branches, we saw overhead a
large flight of parrots. From their curious way of moving they seemed
to be fighting in the air. Presently down one fell from among them,
pitching into a soft clump of grass. I ran forward, expecting to find
it dead; but scarcely had I taken it in my hand, than it revived, and I
had no doubt it had been stunned by a blow on the head from one of its
companions. It was of a bright green plumage, with a patch of scarlet
beneath the wings. "I am sure your sister would like it for a pet,"
exclaimed Arthur; "do let us take it to her!" The parrot, however,
seemed in no way disposed to submit to captivity, but struggled
violently and bit at our fingers. I managed, however, to secure its
beak, and we carried it in safety to the hut.
"Oh, what a beautiful little creature!" exclaimed Ellen as she saw it.
"I have been so longing to have some pets, and I am much obliged to you
for bringing it to me."
"I have tamed many birds," said Maria, "and I hope soon to make this one
very amiable and happy."
Domingos, however, declared that the bird could not be kept without a
cage. Some bamboos were growing at a short distance. He cut several
small ones, and in a short time had constructed a good-sized cage, with
the bars sufficiently close prevent the little stranger escaping. He
then set to work to pluck the birds we had killed, and they were quickly
roasting, spitted between forked sticks, before the fire. While we were
engaged in preparing dinner we caught sight of several persons coming
along the banks of the river. Isoro led the way; six natives followed.
They were clad in somewhat scanty garments--a sort of kilt of matting,
ornamented with feathers, round their waists, their cheeks and body
painted with red and yellow. They were, however, pleasant-looking men.
They had quivers at their backs, and long tubes, which I soon found to
be blow-pipes, in their hands. True at first evidently did not approve
of their presence, and went growling about, showing his teeth; but when
he saw us treat them as friends, he became quiet, and went and lay down
at the entrance to Ellen's room, eyeing them, however, as if not quite
satisfied about the matter.
Isoro introduced the tallest of the party, whose kilt was rather more
ornamented than those of his companions, as their chief--Naro by name.
He had agreed to build us a couple of canoes, of sufficient size to
convey us down the more dangerous parts of the river. After this we
were to proceed in one, while he and his men returned in the other. We
were to repay him with a dozen yards of cloth, a couple of knives, some
beads, and other articles.
As soon as we had finished our roasted toucans and parrots, we set forth
with our new allies in search of suitable trees for the shells of the
boats. We hunted about for some time before they could fix on one. At
length they pointed out one about fifteen feet in circumference. Some
of the bark being cut off. I saw that the wood was of a yellow colour,
and of a soft nature, which could be easily worked. The Indians,
however, shook their heads, declaring that though the wood was good for
a canoe, the tree was too large to be cut down. Isoro, in answer, told
them that if they could make a canoe out of it, he would undertake to
fell it. He soon showed his countrymen that he would make his words
good, and wielding his sharp axe, he quickly cut a deep notch in the
tree. Naro now seemed satisfied. While some of the party hewed at the
trunk, others climbed the neighbouring trees to cut away the festoons of
sipos and other creepers which might impede its fall. A road also had
to be cleared to the river for the distance of nearly a quarter of a
mile. All hands assisted in this work, and by evening we had made
considerable progress.
The Indians camped round us at night. One of them had broken his
blow-pipe, and was employed in taking it to pieces for the purpose of
mending it. I had thus an opportunity of seeing how it was made. It
was about ten feet long, and composed of two separate lengths of wood,
each of which was scooped out so as to form one-half of the tube. Their
tools appeared to be made of the teeth of some animal, which I
afterwards found were those of the paca. These two pieces thus hollowed
out are fastened together by winding round them long flat slips of the
climbing palm-tree called the jacitara. The tube is then covered over
with black bees'-wax. A mouth-piece made of wood is fastened to one
end, which is broader than the other. From this it tapers away towards
the muzzle. I was surprised to find how heavy the instrument was when I
came to try and shoot from one. It is called by a variety of names--by
the Spaniards, _zarabatana_; by some natives, the _samouran_; by others,
the _tarbucan_; by the Portuguese, the _gravatana_. The arrows are made
from thin strips of the hard rind of the leaf-stalks of palms, and are
scraped at the end till they become as sharp as needles. Round the
butt-end is wound a little mass from the silk-cotton tree, which exactly
fits into the bore of the blow-pipe. The quivers were very neatly
formed of the plaited strips of a plant growing wild, from which
arrow-root is made. The upper part consisted of a rim of the red wood
of the japura, highly polished; and it was secured over the shoulder by
a belt ornamented with coloured fringes and tassels of cotton. We
afterwards saw blow-pipes formed in a different way, two stems of small
palms being selected, of different sizes, the smaller exactly to fit
inside the larger. Thus any curve existing in the one is counteracted
by that of the other. The arrows are tipped with the far-famed wourali
poison, which quickly kills any animal they wound.
Next morning we returned to the tree, and worked away as before. Arthur
and I undertook to cut down some smaller trees, to serve as rollers on
which to drag the huge trunk to the side of the river, where it was to
be hollowed out. We had, however, to supply ourselves with food, and
two of our new friends prepared to go in search of game with their
blow-pipes. Arthur and I begged to accompany them; but they made signs
that we must not fire off our guns, as we should quickly put the game to
flight, and that we must keep at a distance behind them.
"I wonder what they are going to shoot," asked Arthur.
"We shall soon see," I answered, as we followed our friends.
The noise of our operations in the forest had driven away most of its
usual inhabitants from the neighbourhood. We therefore had to go some
distance before we came in sight of any game. We kept, as we had
promised, a little behind our friends. Suddenly one of them stopped,
and raising his blow-pipe, a sound like that from a large pop-gun was
heard, and we saw a bird, pierced by an arrow, fluttering among the
branches. Gradually its wings ceased to move, and down fell a parrot.
Advancing a little further, the Indian made us a sign to stop; and
looking up among the branches, we caught sight of a troop of the same
curious little monkeys with long tails which we had seen the day before.
They kept frisking about, now climbing up the sipos, now throwing
themselves down, hanging by their tails, and swinging backwards and
forwards. Presently one of the natives lifted his blow-pipe, from which
sped an arrow, piercing one of the poor little creatures. It hung for
an instant by its tail round a branch, and then fell with a crash among
the thick leaves. The others kept jumping about, apparently not aware
of what had happened to their companion. Thus three or more were
brought down before the rest discovered the enemy in their
neighbourhood. They then all went off at a rapid rate, swinging
themselves from branch to branch, but stopped again at a short distance
to watch us.
"I would give anything to have one of those active little fellows
alive!" exclaimed Arthur. "Don't you think, Harry, that we could make
the Indians understand what we want?"
"We will try, at all events," I answered. "But I beg that you won't
laugh at my pantomime."
Galling to the Indians, I took one of their arrows, and pointing it
towards the monkeys, which were still to be seen a little way before us
among the trees, eyeing us curiously, I shook my head violently, to show
that I did not want it killed. Then I ran forward, and pretended to
catch one, and to lead it along. "Now, Arthur, you must act the
monkey," I exclaimed. On this he began frisking about, putting out his
hand behind to represent a tail, while I pretended to be soothing him by
stroking him on the head and back, and thus inducing him to accompany
me.
The Indians watched us attentively, and then nodding their beads, began
to talk together. They soon seemed to be agreed as to what we wanted,
and signing to us to remain quiet, one of them again crept cautiously
towards the monkeys, still frisking about within sight, while the other
sat down with Arthur and me. We eagerly watched the Indian. He first
selected an arrow, the point of which he scraped slightly and wetted.
Presently he placed his blow-pipe within the loop of a sipo.
"Why, he's going to kill one of the poor creatures after all!" exclaimed
Arthur.
"It looks very like it," I answered. "But we shall see."
The Indian waited for a few seconds, and then out flew his tiny dart
with a loud pop. One of the monkeys was hit. "Oh dear! oh dear!" cried
Arthur. "They could not have understood us." The monkey had been
struck when hanging to one of the lower branches; it fell before it had
time to save itself with its long tail, and the Indian instantly
springing forward, caught it, and pulled out the dart. He then took
something out of the bag hanging at his waist, and put it into its
mouth, which he kept closed to prevent it from spluttering it out. The
poor creature seemed so stunned or bewildered by its fall, and at
finding itself suddenly in the grasp of a strange being twenty times its
own size, that it made no resistance. The Indian brought it to us in
his arms, much as a nurse carries a baby, and showed us that it was not
much the worse for its wound. As we went along we observed that its
eyes, which were at first dim, had quickly recovered their brightness,
while its tail began to whisk about and coil itself round the native's
arm. We were at a loss to account for the wonderful way in which it had
so speedily recovered; nor did the Indians seem disposed to tell us
their secret.
"I should so like to carry the little creature, it seems already so tame
and gentle," said Arthur.
"You had better not take it from the Indian, or it may give you an ugly
bite, and be off and up a tree in a twinkling," I answered. "It has no
cause to love us as yet, at all events."
Arthur still insisting that he could carry the monkey, asked the Indian
to let him have it. The native shook his head, and signified that the
monkey would to a certainty escape if he did. At last, however, he and
his companion stopped, and fastened the creature's tail tightly to its
back, then they wound a quantity of fibre round its front paws, and
finally put a muzzle over its mouth. "There; you may manage to carry
him now," they seemed to say. "But take care, he may slip out of his
bonds even yet, if you do not hold him fast."
The monkey glanced up at the countenance of Arthur, who looked down
kindly at the creature, and carried it gently so as not to hurt it.
"I should like to give it a name," he said; "something appropriate."
"We will consult Ellen on that important matter," I answered. "When she
sees how active it is, I think she will call it Nimble."
"Oh yes; that would be a capital name. Do let us call it Nimble," he
exclaimed.
"You and Ellen shall choose its name, and I am sure that John will agree
to whatever you decide," I replied.
This made Arthur perfectly contented, and he walked along stroking the
monkey and talking gently to it, till the animal evidently began to feel
confidence in him, and lay perfectly quiet in his arms.
The Indians did not as yet appear satisfied with the amount of game they
had killed, and were on the look-out for more. I kept my gun in
readiness for a shot. "Pray, Harry, do not kill another spider monkey,"
said Arthur; "it would make Nimble so unhappy, I am sure." I promised
that I would not; indeed, I had not the heart to wish even to shoot one
of the merry little creatures.
We soon afterwards, however, came in sight of several much larger
monkeys, with stouter limbs, but excessively active, and furnished with
long, strong, flexible tails. I recognised them as the species called
by the Portuguese _Macaco barrigudo_, or the big-bellied monkey. The
Indians shot one of them with their blow-pipes, the rest wisely swinging
themselves off. The creature had a black and wrinkled face, with a low
forehead and projecting eyebrows. The body was upwards of two feet in
length, and the tail not much less. As the Indians held him up, Arthur
and I agreed that he looked exactly like an old negro.
By the evening we had as many birds and monkeys as we could carry.
Arthur offered to carry some of the birds in addition to Nimble,
declaring that he could not bring himself to eat our four-handed game.
"And that negro-looking old fellow, I would starve rather than touch
him!" he exclaimed. "And as for Domingos, I should think him a cannibal
if he were to eat him." Arthur, as we went along, kept trying to
prevent his little charge from seeing its dead companions. "I am sure
that it would make him unhappy," he observed; "for how can he tell that
he is not going to be treated in the same way!"
So like was one part of the forest to another, that I had no idea we
were near our huts when we came in sight of them True heard us
approaching and came bounding forth to meet us, leaping up first to lick
my hands and then sniffing up at poor little Nimble, who trembled at
seeing him, and after vainly endeavouring to escape, clung tightly to
Arthur for protection. "Do call off True; there's a good fellow!"
exclaimed Arthur. "He will frighten poor little Nimble to death; but
when they are better acquainted they will become very good friends, I
dare say." I called True to me, and presently Ellen and Maria came
running out of the hut towards us. Ellen was greatly pleased with
Nimble, and thanked Arthur very much for having brought him. We carried
Nimble into the hut, and Domingos found a leathern strap to fasten round
his waist, by which he was secured to one of the beams in the roof.
Here he could run from side to side of the hut, out of the reach of
True. He kept looking down on us somewhat scared at first at his novel
position, but in a short time took some nuts and fruit readily from
Arthur's hand, and after examining and cautiously tasting them, to
ascertain that they suited his palate, ate a hearty meal.
Ellen told us that she and Maria had been greatly alarmed during our
absence by the appearance of a large creature--from their account a puma
or a jaguar--which had come close to the hut. True had behaved nobly in
standing on the defensive, while they had screamed and waved sticks to
try to frighten it off. For some time, however, they were afraid that
it would attack them, but at last it turned tail and retreated into the
forest.
Domingos and our Indian friends lost no time in preparing the game which
we had killed. Arthur and I watched them, when Domingos, without at all
recognising the likeness which Arthur and I had discovered in the
_macaco barrigudo_ to himself, began without ceremony to skin it, and in
a short time had it spitted and roasting before the fire. We had formed
a rough table, and the first article of food which Domingos placed on it
was a portion of the big monkey on a plantain leaf.
"Ah!" he said, "I have reserved this for you; for the meat is superior
to that of either the other monkeys or the birds. Just try it, and you
will agree with me."
Had he not talked about the monkey, probably no one would have objected
to the meat, which did look very nice; but Ellen and Arthur both begged
to have some of the birds, with the addition of some roasted plantains
and farinha cakes. We made a very substantial meal, John and I agreeing
that the big _macaco_ was very nice food. Domingos thought so also, as
he had claimed a joint as his own share.
I was awoke at night by hearing a strange rushing noise round my head,
and raising it above the hammock I caught sight of numberless dark
creatures with huge wings which kept sweeping round and round here and
there through the verandah. Presently one of them pitched on the clew
of my hammock. There was sufficient light from the bright stars to see
its shape, and I beheld a creature with large ears standing out from the
sides and top of its head, a spear-shaped appendage on the tip of its
nose, while a pair of glittering black eyes and a grinning mouth gave it
the appearance of a little imp. Presently it expanded its large wings
and floated towards my head. I could stand this no longer, and singing
out, dealt it a blow with my palm which sent it flying away. The cry
awoke my companions, who jumped out of their hammocks, wondering what
was the matter. We were quickly engaged in driving out the intruders,
which we now discovered to be vampire bats. "Hillo!" cried Arthur,
"what is the matter with my foot? There is blood flowing from it!" We
found that one of the creatures had been sucking his too. John bound it
up, and in a short time tranquillity was restored, and we were all soon
in our hammocks. Hideous as these creatures appear, they are harmless,
as the puncture they make is but slight, and the wound quickly heals.
They showed their sense by selecting our hut for their night quarters,
as they there found themselves more secure from the beasts which prey on
them than in their abodes in the forest.
In the morning we examined several we had knocked down. They measured
twenty-eight inches across the wings, which were of a leathery
consistency, the bodies being covered with grey hair. We found their
stomachs filled with the pulp and seeds of fruits, with the remains of a
few insects only.
Our new friend Nimble soon became reconciled to his lot. Though he took
food readily enough from Arthur, and by degrees let Ellen and Maria
stroke his back, when any one else came near him he clambered up as high
as he could reach into the roof. He soon discovered that True could not
climb up to his perch, and in a short time he would swing himself off by
his tail within a foot or two of the dog's nose, stretching out his paws
as if he were going to catch him by the ear, taking good care to be
ready to spring again far out of his reach should True show the
slightest signs of leaping up.
"It won't be long before we see Master Nimble riding on True's back, and
using his tail as a whip," said Arthur, who had been watching the two
animals. He was right; and in a few days Nimble and True became very
good friends.
Our boat-building proceeded well. A log of twenty feet in length having
been cut off and placed on the rollers, we secured a number of tough
lianas to it, and using them as traces, dragged it down to the river.
We could, however, move it but slowly, and two whole days were thus
consumed. The upper side being smoothed off, a slit was made down the
whole length, which was opened slowly by wedges. Having cleared out a
considerable portion of the inside, it was turned over and raised on
trestles. Beneath it a fire was made along the whole length. Other
pieces of hard wood were gradually driven in with wedges to increase the
opening, the larger ones being in the centre, where the width was to be
the greatest. In about eight hours the work was thus far completed.
The bow and tern were made of hewn planks in a circular form, fastened
with wooden pins. A plank on each side was next secured, and benches
fixed in. The seams were caulked with gum collected from trees growing
near, mixed with resin, which exuded from the trunks of others. We thus
constructed a vessel, of sufficient size to make a voyage of upwards of
one thousand miles down the mighty river, solely of materials found in
the wilderness. Paddles were also quickly formed by the Indians of the
tough wood of another tree, which they split into boards. They then
wove some mats for sails, lianas of different thicknesses serving as
cordage.
After this our native friends selected another tree, from which they
proposed to form the second canoe. This was to be smaller, that they
might be able to paddle it up against the stream. It was built in the
same way as the first, but without mast or sails.