"I am thankful to have you back, my young masters," exclaimed Domingos,
as he helped us to land. "But what! have you not brought back the
canoe? I thought it was her you had returned in, and that the third
person I saw was Senor John. He set off some time back to look for
you."
We briefly explained what had happened, and introduced the young Indian.
Having secured the raft, we hastened to our encampment. Ellen and
Maria came out to meet us.
"I am so glad you have come back," said Ellen, "for we were growing very
anxious about you. I hope John will soon return. I am surprised you
did not see him as you came down the igarape."
I explained to her how easily we might have passed each other. "I dare
say we shall see John in a few minutes. When he found night coming on,
he would certainly turn back," I added.
We now brought Duppo forward and introduced him, telling Ellen about his
sister Oria.
"Oh, I should so like to see her!" she exclaimed. "Do try and make him
understand that we hope he will bring her here."
Though modest and retiring in his manner, Duppo soon made himself at
home, and seemed well pleased at being in our society. Ellen was
delighted with the curious bird he had brought her, and Maria undertook
to tame it, as she had the parrot and Nimble. John had fortunately
killed a paca in the morning, and Maria had dressed part of it for
supper. We were, however, unwilling to begin our meal till his return.
We waited for some time, expecting him every instant to appear. We made
the fire blaze brightly as a signal, and Domingos and I went to a little
distance from the camp, first in one direction, then in another,
shouting at the top of our voices; but we in vain listened for his in
return. I then fired off my rifle, hoping that, had he lost his way,
that might show him the position of the camp. We stood breathless,
waiting to hear his rifle, but no sound reached our ears. We now became
very anxious, but were unwilling to go further from the camp, lest we
might be unable to find our way back. True, who had followed us, added
his voice to our shouts.
"Hark!" said Domingos; "I hear a sound."
We listened. It was a low, deep howl. It grew louder and louder.
"That is only one of those big monkeys beginning its night music," I
observed.
True, when he heard it, was darting forward, but I called him back,
afraid lest he should meet with a prowling jaguar or huge boa, which
might carry him off before we could go to his assistance. At length,
with sad forebodings, we returned to the camp. We did our best to
comfort Ellen, yet it was very difficult to account for John's
non-appearance.
"He must certainly have gone further than he intended," observed Arthur;
"then, not having the sun to guide him, must have taken a wrong
direction. He will probably climb up into some tree to sleep, and when
the sun rises in the morning he will easily find his way back."
"Oh, thank you, Arthur, for suggesting that!" said Ellen; "I am sure it
must be so."
"At all events," I said, "we will start away at daybreak to look for
him; and with our young Indian friend as a guide, we need have no fear
in venturing into the forest."
We had none of us much appetite for supper, but Domingos persuaded us to
take some. We then made up a fire, intending to keep watch during the
night, hoping every moment that John might return. Domingos, however,
at length persuaded Arthur and I to lie down in our hammocks; indeed, in
spite of our anxiety, in consequence of the fatigue we had gone through
during the day, we could with difficulty keep our eyes open. He made
Duppo get into his, saying that he himself would keep watch. Every now
and then I awoke, hoping to hear John's cheery voice. Each time I
looked out I saw our faithful Domingos sitting before the fire, busying
himself in throwing sticks on it to keep it blazing brightly.
Occasionally I observed him get up, go to a little distance, and stretch
out his neck into the darkness. Then he would come back again and take
his seat as before, while the various tones of croaking frogs, or huge
crickets, or the fearful howls of the night-monkeys, which came, now
from one direction, now from another, from the far-off depths of the
forest, sounded as if they were keeping up a conversation among
themselves. This dismal noise continued throughout the night.
At daylight Arthur and I leaped from our hammocks, and roused up young
Duppo. We tried to explain to him that one of our number had gone away,
and that we wanted to go in search of him.
"Stay!" exclaimed Domingos; "you must not go without breakfast. I have
been boiling the cocoa, and I will soon roast some paca."
While we were breakfasting, Ellen and Maria came out of their hut.
Ellen looked very pale and anxious, as if she had passed a sleepless
night; and she confessed that she had not closed her eyes for thinking
of John, and what might have become of him. We were doubtful about
taking True; but when he saw us preparing to start, he ran off, and
would not return, for fear of being tied up: we decided, therefore, to
let him go with us, thinking that he might be of assistance in finding
John.
Having done my best to comfort Ellen, we set out in the direction
Domingos told us John had gone. We had stored our wallets with food,
that we might not run the risk of starving should we be kept out longer
than we expected. Duppo had followed our example, having brought his
bag of farinha on shore. He carried his bow and blow-pipe; and Arthur
was armed with his bow, as well as with a long pointed staff; and I had
my rifle and a good store of ammunition. Our Indian guide seemed to
understand clearly our object, and led the way without hesitation
through the forest. After we had gone some little distance, we saw him
examining the trees on either side. Then he again went on as before.
He made signs to us that the person we were searching for had gone that
way. After a time he again stopped, and showed us how he had been
turning about, now in one direction, now in another. Then on he went
again, further and further from the camp. As we were making our way
onwards, Duppo stopped, and signed to us to be silent; and then pointed
to a tree a little way in front. We there saw on a bough a short-tailed
animal, with white hair. After waiting a minute or two, it turned
round, and a face of the most vivid scarlet hue was presented to us. It
seemed unconscious of our presence for it did not move from its post.
The head was nearly bald, or at most had but a short crop of thin grey
hair; while round the odd-looking face was a fringe of bushy whiskers of
a sandy colour, which met under the chin. A pair of reddish eyes added
to its curious appearance. The body was entirely covered with long,
straight, shining white hair.
Presently it moved along the branch, and began picking some fruit which
grew at the further end. Duppo cautiously lifted his blow-pipe to his
mouth. An arrow sped forth and struck the creature. The instant it
felt itself wounded, it ran along the branch till it reached another
tree. Duppo made chase, and we had no little difficulty in following
him. On the creature went from tree to tree, and it seemed that there
was but a slight chance of his catching it. Presently we saw it again,
but moving slower than at first. Slower and slower it went, till Duppo
could easily keep close under it; then down it fell, almost into his
arms. True, who was ahead of us, darted forward, and, had I not called
him back, would have seized the creature. The Indian, meantime, was
engaged in pulling out the arrow; and having done so, he put a pinch of
salt into the creature's mouth.
On examining it, we found it was a veritable monkey, one of the most
curious of the race I ever saw. It was of the genera of _Cebidae_.
Duppo called it a _nakari_ (_Brachyurus calvus_ is its scientific name).
The body was about eighteen inches long, exclusive of the limbs. Its
tail was very short, and apparently of no use to it in climbing; and its
limbs were rather shorter and thicker than those of most monkeys. In a
short time it began to show signs of life.
We soon afterwards caught sight of another, with a young one on its
back, which our guide told us was a mother monkey. It, however, got
away before he could bring his blow-pipe to bear on it. As soon as the
little captive began to move, Duppo secured its front hands with a piece
of line, and threw a small net over its head to prevent it biting. He
then secured it on his shoulder; and we again pushed on through the
forest as fast as we could go. We were at length obliged to stop and
rest. We had taken but a slight breakfast. Arthur said he was hungry;
and Duppo showed that he was by taking out a cake of farinha and some
dried meat from his bag. Anxiety, however, had taken away my appetite.
While I was sitting down, I observed close to us what I took to be a
seed-pod of some aerial plant, hanging straight down from a bough, at
about six feet from the ground. On going up to it, I found to my
surprise that it was a cocoon about the size of a sparrow's egg, woven
by a caterpillar in broad meshes of a rose-coloured silky substance. It
hung, suspended from the tip of an outstanding leaf, by a strong silken
thread about six inches in length. On examining it carefully, I found
that the glossy threads which surrounded it were thick and strong. Both
above and below there was an orifice, which I concluded was to enable
the moth, when changed from the chrysalis which slept tranquilly within
its airy cage, to make its escape. It was so strong that it could
resist evidently the peck of a bird's beak, while it would immediately
swing away from one on being touched. I afterwards met with several
such cocoons; and once saw a moth coming forth from one. It was of a
dull, slatey colour, and belonged to the silkworm family of
_Bombycidae_.
Arthur persuaded me at last to take a little food; and having rested
sufficiently, we again moved on. At length Duppo came to a stand-still,
and signed to me to keep back True. I could hardly hold him, however,
he seemed so anxious to push forward. Duppo had slung his blow-pipe at
his back, and held his bow with an arrow to shoot. Then I saw him
examining the ground on every side under the boughs, many of which hung
close down to it. Presently the report of a gun reached our ears.
"That is certainly your brother John!" exclaimed Arthur.
The shot came from some distance, however. Then another, and another,
followed at intervals of a few minutes. We now hurried on more eagerly
than ever, in spite of Duppo's signs to us to be cautious. I felt
convinced that John alone could have fired those shots. Again another
shot sounded close to us; and on emerging from the thicker part of the
forest, we saw at a little distance the ground covered with a herd of
hog-like animals--though smaller than ordinary hogs--which I guessed at
once were peccaries. They were in a great state of commotion--running
about in all directions, turning their long snouts up into the air.
Going a few yards further on, there was John himself, seated high up on
the bough of a tree, to which numerous sipos hung. His gun was pointed
down towards the herd of peccaries, several of which lay dead on the
ground. Some of the others kept running about, but the greater portion
were standing looking up at him. There he sat, with his usual
composure, regularly besieged by them. The attention of the savage
creatures was so occupied with him that they did not perceive our
approach.
I was somewhat surprised at the eager signs which Duppo made to us to
climb up a tree by means of some sipos which hung close at hand. We
were hesitating to follow his advice, when he seized Arthur by the arm
and dragged him up. I thought it prudent to follow his example, as I
had formed a good opinion of his sense. I lifted up True to Arthur, who
caught him in his arms; and then I swung myself up to the branch after
him. We had just taken our seats facing John, when the peccaries
discovered us; and a number of them turning round, charged across the
ground on which we had stood. Duppo had got his bow ready, and shot one
as they passed. He killed another as, turning round, they charged back
again, and then ran about looking up at us, as they had been watching
John.
"I am very glad to see you safe!" I shouted out to John; for hitherto
we had not had time to speak to him. "But why should we be afraid of
these little creatures? They have more reason to be afraid of us, from
the number you have killed, I should think."
"Just look into their mouths, and you will soon see that they are not so
harmless as you suppose," he answered. "I have had a narrow escape of
losing my life; for one of them caught me in the leg as I was climbing
this tree, and had I let go my hold, the whole herd would have been upon
me, and I should have been cut to pieces in a few seconds. Those tusks
of theirs are as pointed as needles and as sharp as razors. I am very
glad you found me out, too; for I left my wallet hanging on a branch,
just before I had to run for my life from these fellows. But how did
you get back?"