The raft lay moored in the little alcove where Harry and Topsie two and
a half years previously had encountered the jaguars, and where old Sir
Harry had received his death wound. To readers of “The Young Castaways,”
therefore, these scenes will come back as old spots revisited, friends
of the past looked upon once more.
As such they were viewed again by Harry and Topsie, who never seemed
tired of showing them to their cousins; and they had an especial
interest, too, for Sir Francis and Lady Vane, sacred to the memory as
they were of their old relative, who, having died to this world as every
one thought, had been discovered nearly eighty years later on by his
young descendants—alas! only to be discovered, to die.
Then there was his grave to be visited, and those of the loved dead ones
who lay beside him, and finally the wonderful cave all teeming with
gold, in which so many strange events had come to pass.
Aniwee, too, had quite recovered her spirits, and bubbled over with
laughter and happiness. Had not Piñone been lost to her, and had he not
been restored? Had not her child been stolen and recovered?
She went about a great deal with the young folks—for was she not a mere
child herself?—and La Guardia Chica was again made over to the arms of
Blancha, and guarded jealously by Graviel.
It was arranged that our white friends, together with Piñone, Aniwee,
the child, its nurse, and attendant, should embark on the raft, and that
Chorlo, Coquet, and the other Indians should follow the left heights,
which overlooked the river. This was considered a wise precaution in
case of attack and renewed pursuit from the Traucos, in the event of
which the raft party could be drawn up by the foot party above, by means
of their strong lassos, and thus place the wide gulf between themselves
and their pursuers. Piñone, however, was of opinion that no further
pursuit would be engaged in, though of course it was wise to take every
possible precaution.
Previous to starting, a hunt expedition had been organised, to provide
the party with meat, fruit having for some time been their sole
sustenance. This class of food, though it agreed well enough with the
white travellers, told sadly on the constitutions of the Indians, who
had always been accustomed to plenty of meat. Now Harry and Topsie knew
that any number of deer and vicuña abounded on the higher plateaux, and
that a good supply of meat could be obtained if a hunt expedition were
organised. When, therefore, they proposed to spend a few days in
hunting, their proposal was at once agreed to, and as they were the only
members of the party who were not strangers to the locality, the
arrangements for the hunt were put into their hands.
The two young people, therefore, began by selecting those who should
take part in the expedition. Of course they chose first of all their
uncle, aunt, and cousins, and as Piñone professed his willingness to
remain and guard the raft in the company of eleven of the Indians, they
were able to induce Aniwee to join them. Chorlo and Coquet were allowed
to go with them, five of the Indians likewise, while Blancha and Graviel
were left in charge of the baby Cacique.
The youthful leaders of this hunt party remembered how, in their former
wanderings, they had passed through a portion of the forest teeming with
game, and they were in hopes that these parts were still as thickly
populated as they had formerly been. They therefore led the way up the
steep jungle hillside, and directed their footsteps for these old
haunts. The climb was both stiff and tiring, but the hunters were all in
good condition, and so full of keenness and expectation, that they
really paid little attention to the difficulties which at first
confronted them. The old path cut by the hermit had become greatly
overgrown, but the axes of the party soon opened a way again.
At length, after several hours of hard work, a beautiful grassy plateau
was reached, covered all over with long rich grass, branching off in
different directions in shady avenues, and bounded on the far side by a
mass of thick jungle and almost impenetrable forest. Here Harry and
Topsie called a halt, and gave it as their opinion that the party must
break up at this point, and take different routes. They suggested that
it should consist of three sections, namely, of Harry, Topsie, Aniwee,
Chorlo, and an Indian in one, Sir Francis, Willie, Mary, Coquet, and an
Indian brave in the second, while Lady Vane, Freddy, and the three
remaining Indians it was thought would make up a suitable third. After
refreshing the inner man on a few piñones and araucarias, which they had
brought with them, the party having divided into its respective
sections, separated with many a laughing challenge as to which of them
should get the best bag.
Each section selected one of the spacious glades that seemed to open a
path in each instance through the otherwise dark and gloomy jungle, and
they soon disappeared from each other’s view.
Harry, Topsie, and Aniwee had at once bent their steps in a
south-westerly direction, followed close behind by Chorlo and the other
Indian who accompanied them. Of course Shag formed one of the party. It
would have been strange if he had not been found close to his mistress’s
heels in devoted attendance, for the brave dog was never absent unless
executing some commission for her.
They were walking along and keeping their eyes and ears wide open, when
a low cry from Chorlo brought them to a standstill. Turning round, they
saw both her and her companion crouching on the ground, and they at once
followed her example, Shag of course imitating his mistress.
“What is it, Chorlo?” whispered Topsie in a low voice; but the Indian
girl never moved, and her eyes remained fixed on the dark forest to her
left. Looking in the same direction, the young Araucanian Queen’s eyes
fell upon a large white object, which faced them, motionless as death.
“A bull!” she exclaimed in a whisper, and Harry and Topsie’s heart beat
with excitement as they heard her words.
Yes, there he was, a glorious, milk-white fellow, staring at them
savagely from out his dark retreat, and wondering no doubt who and what
these strange two-legged creatures were, who had come to disturb him in
his lair.
“Do not fire,” entreated the Indian hastily, as he saw Harry raise his
rifle. “Not even the medicine ball will penetrate his skull, unless it
hits one place. We must decoy him into the open, for if you merely hit
and wound him in there, we shall never see him again.”
Strangely enough the name of this Indian was El Toro, a name which had
been given to him in consequence of his skill in hunting the wild
cattle. His advice was therefore to be respected, and Harry lowered his
rifle without firing.
But how get him into the open? That was the question, and El Toro was
again consulted. He at once ordered every one to take refuge in a small
dark clump close to the spot, and bade them be on the look out, then he
threw himself on the ground, and began wriggling in the direction of the
jungle in which the white bull stood, looking for all the world like
some strange serpent of immense proportions.
But the moment he reached the jungle he sprung to his feet and plunged
in. A few seconds later the ambushed hunters saw the bull turn his head
and look behind him. Then they heard a yell, whereat Shag sprung up, his
eyes starting, and his coat bristling with defiance, and Topsie had hard
work to control him. The next minute, with a furious bellow, the bull
came crashing through the jungle into the open, with El Toro seated
astride his back!
It was a most extraordinary sight, and fascinated the onlookers. The
bull, terrified out of his wits, bounded high in the air with his head
between his forelegs, and his knotted tail lashing his sides in wild
anger, but El Toro was not to be dislodged by any buck-jumping; he was
far too fine a rider for that. He was somewhat discomfited, however, for
in his wriggles he had dropped his knife, and was consequently unarmed.
Failing to dislodge his rider by buck-jumping, the bull threw itself
down and proceeded to roll over, bellowing all the time loudly and
angrily. Like lightning, however, El Toro sprung to the ground, shouting
to his companions to fire. This they did at once; but in the excitement
and hurry of the moment, Aniwee missed the bull altogether, and Harry
and Topsie’s shots only wounded him. This thoroughly roused his ire to
its highest pitch, and he charged straight at the clump whence the shots
had proceeded.
“El Lazo, el Lazo!” shouted El Toro, frantically waving his right hand
above his head; “Chorlo, lazo el Toro!”
As he spoke, the Indian girl appeared to sprung forward from out her
hiding-place waving the lasso which she carried around her head. She was
a picture of grace and beauty and glorious muscular strength, a true
Amazon of the breezy plain. The bull perceived her, and altering his
course so as to front her fully, bore straight at her as a die. But when
within fifty paces of the unflinching girl, the whirr of the lasso
sounded, and flying straight to meet him like a winged serpent, it
alighted gracefully above his sharp-pointed horns. With a sudden jerk
the noose closed tight upon them, and the stout hide thong was secure
thereon.
Then Chorlo sprung nimbly towards the place of ambush once more, just as
the bull, unable to arrest his course, thundered over the ground on
which a moment before she had stood luring him on.
As he dashed by, Shag could no longer be restrained, and rushing out
sprung savagely at his haunches.
By this time El Toro had come up to Chorlo’s assistance, and had
clutched hold of the lasso, which the maddened beast no sooner felt than
he reared straight up, and struck out furiously as if fighting the air,
and then threw himself on the ground, rolling over and over, and sending
Shag flying as if he were a piece of brown paper. But no efforts on the
angry captive’s part could dislodge the fatal noose which clung tight
around his horns.
As Shag picked himself up and prepared to renew his attack, the bull
caught sight of his assailants. With a bellow of defiance, he charged
once more pell-mell on the little party. Loudly did El Toro shout to his
companions to make a run for the jungle, as still clinging to the lasso
he gave the example, an example in which he was imitated by Aniwee,
Chorlo, and Topsie. But Harry, with the headstrong inexperience of
youth, thought that the opportunity for distinguishing himself was too
good to be lost. Instead of obeying El Toro’s advice he knelt down, took
careful aim at the charging bull, and fired.
Ping went the bullet as it crashed against the hard skull of the
maddened animal, but did not arrest his course. Before Harry could fire
again the rifle was dashed from his grasp, and he felt himself raised on
the horns of the bull and tossed high in the air. Assuredly if he fell
on them in his descent, he must be impaled alive.
But Shag, brave and watchful, was at hand to rescue. With a savage bark
he sprang at the bull’s throat, and the brute, tackled by this new
assailant, bent its head to the ground, and strove to stamp Harry’s
deliverer with its fore feet. As it did so, the boy alighted face
downwards on the bull’s back, and rolled therefrom to the ground,
fortunately, beyond a good shaking and severe bruising, unhurt. At the
same moment El Toro and Chorlo tightened the lasso, and Topsie, rushing
from her retreat, took careful aim and fired. With a loud bellow the
mighty beast fell forward, almost crushing poor Shag to death beneath
its weight.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]