"O Senor Harry!" exclaimed Maria, "Nimble has scampered off into the
woods, and enticed Toby to go with him; and Senora Ellen has run after
them, and I do not know what may happen if there is no one near to
protect her."
I took up my gun on hearing this, and followed Ellen, whose dress I
caught a glimpse of among the trees. Presently I saw her, as I got
nearer, throw up her hands, as if she had seen some object which had
alarmed her. I hurried on.
"What is it, Ellen?" I shouted out.
"Oh, look there, Harry!" she exclaimed. "They will catch Nimble and
Toby."
I sprang to her side, and then saw, just beyond a thicket of ferns, two
huge pumas, which were on the point of springing up a tree, among whose
branches were clinging our two pets, Nimble and Toby, their teeth
chattering with terror, while their alarm seemed almost to have
paralysed them. In another instant they would have been in the clutches
of the pumas. I was more concerned about my dear little sister's safety
than for that of her monkeys. At first I thought of telling her to run
back to the hut; but then it flashed across me that the pumas might see
her and follow. So I exclaimed, "Get behind me, Ellen; and we will
shout together, and try and frighten the beasts. That will, at all
events, bring John to our help."
We shouted at the top of our voices. I certainly never shouted louder.
Meantime I raised my gun, to be ready to fire should the pumas threaten
to attack us or persist in following our pets. Scarcely had our voices
ceased, when I heard True's bark, as he came dashing through the wood.
The pumas had not till then discovered us, so eagerly had they been
watching the monkeys. They turned their heads for a moment. Nimble
took the opportunity of swinging himself out of their reach. Ellen
shrieked, for she thought they were going to spring at us. I fired at
the nearest, while True dashed boldly up towards the other. My bullet
took effect, and the powerful brute rolled over, dead. The sound of the
shot startled its companion; and, fortunately for gallant little True,
it turned tail, and bounded away through the forest,--John, who had been
hurrying up, getting a distant shot as it disappeared among the trees.
Arthur and the two Indians followed John, greatly alarmed at our shouts
and the sound of the firearms.
Nimble and Toby, still chattering with fear, came down from their lofty
retreat when we called them, and, looking very humble and penitent,
followed Ellen to the hut; while we, calling Domingos to our assistance,
set to work to skin the puma. The meat we cooked and found very like
veal, and Domingos managed to dress the skin sufficiently to preserve
it.
Duppo had clearly understood Ellen's wish to have some humming-birds
caught alive. We were always up at daybreak, to enjoy the cool air of
the morning. He had gone out when the first streaks of dawn appeared in
the eastern sky, over the cold grey line of the river. When we could do
so with safety, we never failed to take a bath. We had just come out of
the water, and were dressing, when Duppo ran up, and signed to us to
follow him. We called Ellen as we passed the hut, and all together went
towards the igarape, where, in a more open space than usual, a number of
graceful fuschia-looking flowers, as well as others of different forms,
hung suspended from long tendrils, intertwined with the branches of the
trees. Into this spot the rising sun poured its glorious beams with
full brilliancy. We cautiously advanced, when the space before us
seemed suddenly filled with the most beautiful sparking gems of varied
colours, floating here and there in the bright sunlight. I could
scarcely believe that the creatures before us belonged to the feathered
tribes, so brilliant were their hues, so rapid their movements.
Sometimes they vanished from sight, as they darted with inconceivable
rapidity from branch to branch. Now one might be seen for an instant
hovering over a flower, its wings looking like two grey filmy fans
expanded at its sides. Then we could see another dip its long slender
bill into the cup of an upright flower. Now one would come beneath a
suspended blossom. Sometimes one of the little creatures would dart off
into the air, to catch some insect invisible to the eye; and we could
only judge of what it was about by its peculiar movements. As we
watched, a tiny bird would perch on a slender twig, and rest there for a
few seconds, thus giving us an opportunity of examining its beauties.
Ellen could scarcely restrain her delight and admiration at the
spectacle; for though we had often seen humming-birds before, we had
never beheld them to such advantage. The little creature we saw had a
crest on the top of its head of a peculiarly rich chestnut, or ruddy
tint. The upper surface of the body was of a bronzed green hue, and a
broad band of white crossed the lower part, but the wings were
purple-black. The chief part of the tail was chestnut. The forehead
and throat were also of the same rich hue. On either side of the neck
projected a snow-white plume, tipped with the most resplendent metallic
green. The effect of these beautiful colours may be imagined as the
birds flew rapidly to and fro, or perched on a spray, like the one I
have described. Another little creature, very similar to it, was to be
seen flying about above the heads of the others. It also had a crest,
which was of the same colour as the others, but of a somewhat lighter
tint; while at the base of each feather, as we afterwards observed, was
a round spot of bronzed green, looking like a gem in a dark setting.
The crest, which was constantly spread out, appeared very like that of a
peacock's tail, though, as Ellen observed, it would be a very little
peacock to have such a tail. On searching in our book, we found that
the first of these humming-birds we had remarked was a tufted coquette
(_Lophornis ornatus_), while the other, which we seldom saw afterwards,
was the spangled coquette. These birds, with several others of similar
habits and formation, are classed separately from the _Trochilidae_, and
belong to the genus _Phaethornis_. They are remarkable for the long
pointed feathers of their tails, the two central ones being far longer
than the rest. We met with a greater number of them than of any other
genus on the banks of the Amazon.
After we had enjoyed the spectacle for some time, Duppo begged us to
come a little further, when he showed us a beautiful little nest,
secured to the innermost point of a palm-leaf. On the top of the leaf a
little spangled coquette was watching her eggs within. Unlike the nests
of the _Trochilidae_, which are saucer-shaped, it was of a long,
funnel-like form, broad at the top and tapering towards the lower part.
The outside, which was composed of small leaves and moss, had a somewhat
rugged appearance; but the inside, as we had reason to know, was soft
and delicate in the extreme, being thickly lined with silk-cotton from
the fruit of the sumauma-tree. Below the first was perched a tufted
coquette, looking as boldly at us as any town sparrow. The little
creatures, indeed, kept hovering about; and one came within a few feet
of our faces, as much as to ask how we dared to intrude on its domains.
More pugnacious or brave little beings do not exist among the feathered
tribes.
I cannot hope to describe with any degree of accuracy the numbers of
beautiful humming-birds we met with in different places; for though some
are migratory, the larger proportion strictly inhabit certain
localities, and are seldom met with, we were told, in any other. The
humming-birds of the Andes, of which there are a great variety, never
descend into the plains; nor do those of the plains attempt to intrude
on the domains of their mountain relatives. Although they may live on
the nectar of flowers, they have no objection to the tiny insects they
find among their petals, or which fly through the air, while many devour
as titbits the minute spiders which weave their gossamer webs among the
tall grass or shrubs.
"I should not think that any human being could catch one of those little
creatures," said Ellen, as we returned homewards. "The sharpest-eyed
sportsman would find it difficult to hit one with his fowling-piece."
"He would certainly blow it to pieces," observed John, "if he made the
attempt. They are shot, however, with sand; and perhaps our young
Indian friend himself will find the means of shooting one, if he cannot
capture it in some other way."
"Oh, I would not have one shot for the world!" exclaimed Ellen. "Pray
let him understand that he must do nothing of the sort for my sake."
While we were at breakfast, Duppo, who had disappeared, came running up
with one of the beautiful little creatures which we had seen in his
hand. It seemed much less alarmed than birds usually are in the grasp
of a boy. Perhaps that was owing to the careful way in which Duppo held
it.
"Oh, you lovely little gem!" exclaimed Ellen; "but I am sure I shall
never be able to take proper care of it."
Duppo, who seemed to understand her, signified that Oria would do so for
her. Oria, who had been watching us taking sugar with our tea, and had
by this time discovered its qualities, mixed a little in a spoon, which
she at once put before the bill of the little humming-bird. At first it
was far too much alarmed to taste the sweet mess. At length, growing
accustomed to the gentle handling of the Indian girl, it poked out its
beak and took a sip. "Ho, ho!" it seemed to say, "that is nice stuff!"
and then it took another sip, and very soon seemed perfectly satisfied
that it was not going to be so badly off, in spite of its imprisonment.
Oria intimated that she would in time make the little stranger quite
tame.
"But we must keep it out of the way of Master Nimble's paws, for
otherwise he would be very likely to treat it with small ceremony,"
observed John. "Why, Ellen, you will have a perfect menagerie before
long."
"Yes, I hope so," she answered; "I am not nearly contented yet. I
should like to have one of those beautiful little ducks you were telling
me of, and as many humming-birds as I can obtain."
"Perhaps you would like to have a jaguar or puma," said John. "If
caught young, I dare say they can be tamed as well as any other animal."
"I am afraid they would quarrel with my more harmless pets," answered
Ellen. "And yet a fine large puma would be a good defence against all
enemies."
"Not against an Indian with a poisoned arrow. He would be inconvenient,
too, to transport in our canoe. I hope therefore you will confine
yourself to small animals, which will not occupy much space. You may
have as many humming-birds as you like, and half-a-dozen monkeys,
provided they and Nimble do not quarrel."
"Except some pretty little monkeys, I do not wish for any others besides
those I already have," said Ellen.
Duppo and Oria understood Ellen's wish to obtain living creatures, and
they were constantly seeking about, and coming back sometimes with a
beautiful butterfly or moth, sometimes with parrots and other birds.
While we were getting the canoe ready, Ellen and Maria, with the
assistance of Oria, had been preparing food for us--baking cakes, and
drying the meat of several birds and animals which John had killed. We
had hoped to see the large canoe begun before we took our departure, but
as the Indians had not arrived, we agreed that it would be better to
lose no more time, and to start at once.
We took an experimental trip in the canoe before finally starting. We
could have wished her considerably lighter than she was; at the same
time, what she wanted in speed, she possessed in stability.
Early in the morning we bade Ellen and John, with our faithful
attendants, good-bye. Oria, we thought, exhibited a good deal of
anxiety when we were about to shove off, and she came down to the water
and had a long talk with her brother, evidently charging him to keep his
wits about him, and to take good care of us. Dear Ellen could scarcely
restrain her tears. "Oh, do be careful where you venture, Harry!" she
said. "I dread your falling into the power of those dreadful savages."
John also gave us sundry exhortations, to which we promised to attend.
We were just in the mouth of the igarape, when we saw in the distance a
small canoe coming down it. We therefore waited for her arrival. She
drew nearer. We saw that only two people were in her, and we then
recognised our friend Maono and his wife Illora. They were bringing a
quantity of plantains and other fruits, with which the centre of the
canoe was filled. Among others were several crowns of young palm-trees,
which, when boiled, are more delicate than cabbages, and are frequently
used by the natives. Maono was dressed in his usual ornaments of
feathers on his arms and head, his hair being separated neatly in the
centre, and hanging down on either side. Round his neck was a necklace,
and his legs were also adorned like his arms.
"I have been thinking a good deal lately about the account of the early
voyagers, who declared that they met a nation of warrior-women on the
banks of this river," observed Arthur; "and looking at Maono, it strikes
me that we have an explanation of the extraordinary circumstance. If a
party of strangers were to see a band of such men, with shields on their
arms, guarding the shores, they would very likely suppose them, from
their appearance, to be females, and consequently, not having had any
closer view of them, they would sail away, declaring that they had met a
party of Amazons, who had prevented their landing. It was thus this
mighty river obtained the name of the Amazon. The idea would have been
confirmed, had they seen in the distance a band of people, without
ornaments of any description, carrying burdens on their backs. These
the strangers would naturally have supposed to be slaves, taken in war,
and employed to carry the baggage of the fighting ladies." I agreed
with him that it was very likely to have been the case.
As our friends drew near, Duppo spoke to them, and told them where we
were going. He then explained to us that if we would wait a little
longer, they would accompany us and assist us in our search. On
reaching the shore, they carried up their present to Ellen, Illora, I
must confess, bearing the larger portion. Some of the plantains and
fruits they put into our canoe as they passed. They had another long
talk, by the usual means of signs, with John and Domingos, who managed
tolerably well to comprehend their meaning. We asked Duppo how it was
they came to have a canoe. He replied that they had found one which had
been left behind by the Majeronas, and, as we understood, they had
brought it down through the igarape, which communicated with another
river to the north of us, running into the main stream. When I heard
this, the idea struck me that we were not yet altogether free from the
danger of being attacked by the Majeronas, who, having possessed
themselves of our canoe and those of our friends, might some night come
down and take us by surprise.
I jumped on shore and took John aside, so that Ellen could not hear me,
that I might tell him my fears. "You are right to mention them to me,"
he answered; "at the same time, I do not think we need be alarmed. I
will, however, try and explain your idea to the Indians, and get them to
place scouts on the watch for such an occurrence. I certainly wish we
were further off; but yet, as we are now at a considerable distance from
their territory, we shall be able to hear of their approach, should they
come, in time to escape. We must make our way through the woods to the
hut of the recluse, and I am very sure that he will be able to afford us
protection. From what he said, he is well-known among all the
surrounding tribes, who appear to treat him with great respect. Though
we may lose such of our property as we cannot carry off, that will be of
minor importance if we save our lives. For my part, however, I am under
no apprehension of the sort; and I am very glad you did not mention your
fears in the presence of Ellen."
Though I hoped I might be wrong in supposing an attack possible, I was
satisfied at having warned John before going away. Arthur and I tried
to make Duppo understand our plans, that he might describe them to his
father and mother. They, in return, signified that they would proceed
part of the way with us, and make inquiries as they went along, having
been requested to do so by their white friend--meaning the recluse.
John, Ellen, Domingos, and Maria came down to the edge of the water once
more to see us off, accompanied by Nimble and Toby--Toby placed on the
shoulders of Domingos, while Nimble perched himself on John's arm,
holding him affectionately round the neck with his tail. Poll and Niger
always accompanied Ellen. "We shall soon be back!" I exclaimed, as I
shoved off; "and who knows but that we may be accompanied by papa,
mamma, Fanny, and Aunt Martha! Ellen, you must get out your books, for
she will be shocked at finding that you have been so long idle." With
these and other cheerful remarks we backed away from the shore, then,
turning the canoe's head round, proceeded after our Indian friends. By
keeping close to the banks we were out of the current, and thus made
good way. Sometimes I steered, sometimes Duppo. Arthur always begged
that he might keep at his paddle, saying he did not like to take the
place of those who had more experience than himself. A light wind at
length coming from the eastward, we hoisted our sail, and got ahead of
Maono and his wife. The wind increasing, we ran the other canoe out of
sight; but Duppo assured us that his father and mother would soon catch
us up, and that we need not therefore wait for them. We looked into
every opening in the forest which lined the bank, in the faint hope of
seeing the habitation of our friends; but not a hut of any description
was visible; indeed, the shores were mostly lined with so dense a
vegetation, that in but few places could we even have landed, while
often for leagues together there was not a spot on which a hut could
have been built. The wind again falling, we were obliged once more to
lower our sail and to take to our paddles, when we were quickly rejoined
by our Indian friends. As it was important to examine every part of the
shore carefully, we had agreed, if we could find an island, to land
early in the evening on it.