JOSE APPEARS--INTELLIGENCE OF OUR FATHER--HIS ARRIVAL--CATCHING THE
MANATEE--SEARCH FOR A BOAT--JOSE'S TREACHEROUS DESIGN FRUSTRATED BY AN
ANACONDA.
We had already spent a week at our retreat, and no opportunity had as
yet occurred of making our escape. So far as we could tell, we might
live on where we were for many months without being discovered, if we
could provide ourselves with food. That, of course, was a very
important point. We might kill animals enough to supply ourselves with
meat; but we required flour and vegetables, and our small stock of tea
and sugar was diminishing. We had also made Marian's hut tolerably
comfortable, and the rest of the party were content to sleep in the open
air. Thoroughly trusting our faithful Camo, we consulted him as to the
possibility of obtaining fresh supplies from home, especially of such
things as Marian chiefly required. He answered that he would do
everything we wished, but he again warned us of the danger we might
incur of being discovered.
"Oh, do not let any risk be run for me!" exclaimed Marian. "I would
infinitely rather go without any luxuries, than feel that our friends
had to incur any danger to obtain them. All I wish to ascertain is, how
poor papa is getting on."
"We will wait, at all events," said Uncle Paul. "If we find that no
vessel approaches the coast, we must try and obtain a boat from the
shore. It will not be safe, however, to go off in her without an ample
stock of provisions and water, as some days may pass before we succeed
in getting on board a vessel to carry us to the mainland or to one of
the islands."
Our chief object for the present was, therefore, according to Uncle
Paul's advice, to obtain the provisions he thought necessary; while
every day, as before, Camo and the other natives went out to watch for
the approach of those who might be sent in search of us.
One evening one of the two men came back reporting that all was safe,
but Camo had not returned. Arthur and I had gone some little distance
from our retreat, with our guns, when we caught sight of a person among
the trees stealing towards us. We were convinced, by the cautious way
in which he approached, that it was not Camo. We accordingly concealed
ourselves; for had we retreated, the stranger would probably have
observed us. As he drew nearer to us, we were convinced, by the way he
looked about in every direction, that he by some means or other knew we
had taken refuge in the neighbourhood. When he stopped at length, a
short distance off, we recognised one of my father's servants--a
half-caste named Jose. He was not a man in whom we had ever placed much
confidence, though he was an industrious, hardworking fellow; and we
were, therefore, doubtful whether we should speak to him, or endeavour
to keep concealed. Still, we were both anxious to gain tidings from
home; and we thought it probable that my father had sent him with a
message for us. It was evident, indeed, that he must have known
whereabouts to find us, or he would not have come so directly towards
our hiding-place. Arthur put his mouth to my ear, and whispered--
"It will be better to show ourselves; and we must afterwards keep a
watch on the man, to prevent him from going off and giving information
to our enemies."
I, of course, agreed to this proposal; so, stepping out from behind the
tree where we had been hidden, we faced Jose, and asked him whether he
had brought any message from my father. He seemed in no way astonished
at seeing us, but replied that he was glad to find we had not left the
island, as he had been sent expressly by my father to try and meet with
us. He had been, he said, searching for us for some days; and at length
catching sight of Camo, he knew that we were not likely to be far off.
My father himself, he said, was in considerable apprehension of being
denounced to the Inquisition, as he had received it warning from Doctor
Antonio, and had thought it prudent in consequence to hide himself.
"Will he not join us?" asked Arthur eagerly. "He will be safer where we
are than anywhere else."
"He does not know where to find you, senors; but if you will show me
your place of concealment, I will try and find him, and bring him to
you."
Arthur looked at me, on hearing this, with an expression that showed he
doubted the truth of what Jose said. "It will be better not to show any
distrust," he whispered; "at the same time, it might be hazardous to
lead Jose to our retreat."
"What are we to do, then?" I asked.
"We will tell him to go and find your father, and conduct him to this
spot: if he comes, we need no longer have any doubts about Jose's
fidelity."
I thought Arthur's idea a good one, though we should have liked to
consult Uncle Paul on the subject.
Arthur asked Jose how long it would take to bring our father to the spot
where we then were. He replied, "Certainly not before noon of next
day;" and we accordingly agreed to meet him at that hour.
"But will you not take me to your hiding-place?" he asked. "I am hungry
and weary, and require rest and refreshment."
I was much disposed to do as the man requested, but I waited to hear
what Arthur would say before replying.
"We regret that we cannot take you there at present," said Arthur;
"others are concerned as well as ourselves. Do you go back and find
your master, and tell him that we are well, and shall be rejoiced to see
him."
Jose looked somewhat disappointed.
"Come," said Arthur, "we will accompany you a part of the way. Here are
two birds which we have shot; they will help to support you and Senor
Dennis till you reach this to-morrow."
Still Jose lingered, evidently wishing to learn the way to our retreat;
but Arthur had a determined manner about him, and Jose was at length
compelled to turn back, whereupon we accompanied him.
We walked on for about half a mile through the forest, but were
unwilling to go further, for fear of losing our way. At length we bade
Jose goodbye, and hurried back, occasionally looking behind us to
ascertain whether he was following. It was dark by the time we reached
our retreat. Camo had just before come in, and, strange to say, had not
seen anything of Jose. Uncle Paul approved of what we had done, but
expressed his doubts as to whether Jose was honest.
"We shall know to-morrow," he observed. "If he is accompanied by your
father, all may be right; but if not, we must take care that he does not
discover our retreat. Having themselves failed to find us, the officers
of the Inquisition are very likely to have bribed him; and they may
possibly have let your father escape their clutches, for the sake of
catching us all in one net."
So impressed was Uncle Paul with this idea, that he proposed we should
move further south, to some other safe place of concealment. Consulting
Camo on the subject, the Indian replied that we could not hope to find a
safer retreat than our present one, and suggested that he and his
companions should be on the watch, some distance in advance of the spot
to which we had told Jose to bring my father; promising that, should he
be accompanied by strangers, they would immediately hasten to inform us,
so that we might have time to escape.
I earnestly hoped that my father would come; for, though he might run
the risk of sacrificing his property, that would be far better than
having to act the part of a hypocrite, or being shut up in the dungeons
of the Inquisition.
The night seemed very long; and I could scarcely go to sleep for
thinking of what might happen on the morrow. At the hour appointed,
Arthur and I went to the spot agreed on; Camo and the other natives
having some time before set out to watch for Jose's approach. We waited
anxiously; the hour for the meeting had arrived. At length we caught
sight of two persons coming through the forest. My heart bounded with
joy; my father was one of them, and Jose was his companion. Arthur and
I hurried towards them, and were soon welcoming my father. He looked
pale and ill, but expressed his thankfulness at having escaped; so we at
once accompanied him to our retreat, followed by Jose.
He was, as might be expected, very much cast down, and anxious about the
future; but Uncle Paul did his utmost to raise his spirits, bidding him
trust in God, and reminding him that everything would be ordered for the
best. Our plans for the future were then discussed, as our father was
eager to get off as soon as possible. As we spoke in English, Jose
could not understand what was said; but he observed everything that took
place with a look which I did not like--indeed, neither Arthur nor I
were yet satisfied that he was acting an honest part.
The means of obtaining provisions for the voyage next occupied our
attention. Camo suggested that we should try and catch a cowfish, the
flesh of which, when cut up into strips and dried in the sun, could be
preserved for a considerable time, and would prove more serviceable than
any other food we were likely to obtain. He offered at once to go down
to the river and look out for one. Arthur, Tim, and I accompanied him
and the two other natives. Tim had an axe, while we had our guns, and
the natives had provided themselves with lances, to which long lines
were attached. Camo took his post on the lower branch of a tree which
projected over the water, while we stationed ourselves at some little
distance, ready to render him assistance, if required; and we waited
thus for some time, looking up and down the stream in the hope of seeing
a cowfish come within reach of his lance.
The creature of which we were in search is amphibious, and suckles its
young like the whale. It is frequently found in pairs with its young,
browsing on the marine plants, and sometimes on shore in the cocoanut
groves. It is properly called the "manatee," or seacow; measures
fifteen feet in length, has two fin-like arms, is covered with hair, and
often weighs twelve hundred pounds. I had never seen one, but Camo had
described it to us as we were on our way to the river.
At length we caught sight of a dark object coming slowly up the stream;
its head, as it approached, greatly resembling that of a cow, while its
hairy body was raised considerably above the water. We knew from Camo's
movements that he also had observed it. The question was whether or not
it would pass near enough to him to allow him to strike it with his
lance. As it drew nearer, we saw that it had a young one by its side.
Now, greatly to our disappointment, it floated off to the opposite side
of the stream, and we feared that it would be lost. It suddenly turned
again, however, while its young one disappeared beneath it. For some
time it remained almost stationary, then, unconscious of its danger,
floated directly under where Camo stood. At that instant his long lance
flew from his hand, and buried itself deep in the animal's back. The
other natives, who had been watching eagerly, now sprang forward and
hurled their lances, fixing them firmly, one in its neck, and another
towards its tail. The creature, finding itself wounded, began to plunge
violently, but made no other effort to escape. It seemed, however, as
if the light lances would be unable to hold it. Arthur and I on this
made our way as close to the water as we could; and when we got the
creature clearly in sight, Arthur fired, and sent a bullet through its
head. Its struggles instantly ceased, and without much difficulty we
drew it up to the only part of the bank in the neighbourhood where we
could land it. It was quite dead, but even then it required our united
strength to drag it on shore. The young one followed, and tried to
climb up the bank, when Tim despatched it with a blow of his axe. It
seemed a cruel deed, but necessity, in such a case, has no law, and we
were thankful to have obtained such an ample supply of meat.
We at once set to work to cut up the creature, under Camo's directions,
and soon had loaded ourselves with as much meat as we could carry.
Leaving one of the natives to guard the carcass from the birds of prey,
or any animals which might come to feed on it, we hastened back to our
retreat, and then returned for a further quantity. Uncle Paul was
delighted at our success; and we immediately set to work to cut the meat
into thin strips, which we hung up in the sun. In the evening we cooked
a portion of the young manatee for supper, and we all agreed that it
tasted like the most delicate pork.
We had now a supply of meat sufficient to last us for several days; and
we hoped, with the aid of some cocoanuts, yams, plantains, bananas, and
other fruits, to secure an ample supply of provisions for the longest
voyage we were likely to take. Our hope was that we should quickly get
on board a vessel. If not, Uncle Paul proposed that we should steer for
Tobago, which we might expect to reach in a couple of days. Our chief
difficulty was to obtain a boat; and Uncle Paul and Arthur agreed to set
out to the south in search of one. Dressed in duck trousers, and with
broad-brimmed hats on their heads, they would probably be taken for
English sailors, and would not be interfered with. They hoped to hire a
boat without difficulty; if not, they intended to run off with one, and
to send back more than her value to the owner. Under the circumstances,
they considered that they would be justified in so doing; though I am
very sure that we must never do what is wrong for the sake of gaining an
advantage of any sort.
I may be excused, however, from discussing here the morality of their
intended act. The world certainly would not have blamed them; but, as I
now write in my old age, I have learned that there is a rule far above
the world's laws, and that says, "Do no wrong, or be guilty of any
appearance of wrong, however important may seem the object to be
gained." But this is a digression.
Camo and the two other natives agreed to accompany our uncle and Arthur.
The latter took his gun with him, but I retained mine.
They had been gone for some hours, when Tim and I agreed to go out into
the woods and kill some birds for supper, whilst our father--who had not
yet recovered from the fatigue of his journey, and was, besides, sorely
distressed at the thought of all his hopes being destroyed--remained in
the retreat with Marian. Jose undertook to stop and prepare the meat,
which was to be packed up tightly in small bundles, and covered over
with leaves.
Tim and I took our way westward. I scarcely know what made us go in
that direction; for before we left the camp we had intended to proceed
to the river, and had said so in Jose's hearing. We had gone some
distance, however, when we caught sight of a small deer known as the
"mangrove stag." The creature did not perceive us, and we followed it
for a considerable distance before I could get a favourable shot. At
length, when we were little more than fifty yards off, I fired, and,
greatly to my satisfaction, brought it to the ground. Tim having
quickly despatched it, next skinned and cut it up; then loading
ourselves with as much of the flesh as we could carry, we set off to
return to the camp.
We had made some progress on our way home, though with our load we moved
but slowly--when we caught sight of Jose in the distance, running
rapidly among the trees of the forest. At the same moment an object
appeared directly in front of Jose sufficient to fill us with horror.
It was a huge snake. Jose apparently had not seen it; for the next
instant the creature seized him, and began to wind its folds around his
body. He uttered a dreadful shriek of terror, not knowing that anyone
was near. Tim and I rushed forward; he with his axe in his hand, I with
a stick I had picked up--for I was afraid, should I fire, of killing the
man. Jose had never been a favourite with Tim; indeed, he had suspected
him from the first; and the man's appearance at that spot showed pretty
clearly that Tim was right in his opinion. He now, however, dashed up
to the huge snake in the most gallant way, and struck it a violent blow
on the tail, almost severing the end. Still the monster kept firm hold
of the terrified Jose, whose fearful shrieks were each instant becoming
fainter as the creature pressed his body tighter and tighter in its
encircling folds.
"Do you, Master Guy, batter away at its tail, while I take its head,"
cried Tim; and springing towards the neck of the monster, just as it was
on the point of seizing Jose's head in its mouth, he struck it a blow
with his axe which well-nigh cut it through. Still it kept hold of the
wretched man; till Tim repeating his blow, it rolled over to the ground
with its victim, who, covered with its blood, presented a horrible
spectacle as he lay gasping for breath. The blows had paralysed the
serpent; and now, seizing Jose by the shoulders, we dragged him out from
between its relaxed folds. We had expected to find every bone in his
body broken, but, except that his breath had nearly been squeezed out of
him, he did not appear to have suffered much. The anaconda, however, we
saw from the movements of its body, still retained sufficient vitality
to be mischievous.
"We must finish off this gentleman before we attend to Master Jose,"
cried Tim. "If he comes to life again, he will be after taking us all
three down his ugly mouth, like so many pills, at a gulp."
"I suspect the gash you gave him must have somewhat spoiled his
digestion, though, Tim," I observed.
"Arrah, then, I will be after giving him another, to make sure,"
exclaimed my companion, severing the snake's head at a blow. "There!
now I've done for him!" he cried, triumphantly holding up its head.
We measured the anaconda, which was fully thirty feet long; and Tim
having cut it open with his axe, we found the body of a young deer, and
three pacas, each larger than a hare, perfectly entire, showing that the
creature had only just swallowed them. Its appearance was most hideous,
the creature being very broad in the middle, and tapering abruptly at
both ends. It had probably come up a small stream which ran into the
main river, and which passed at no great distance from the spot where it
had attacked Jose.
I was not before aware that anacondas of any size were to be found in
Trinidad; indeed, Camo had told us that he had never seen one, and that
at all events they were very rare.
We now turned our attention to Jose, who had not yet recovered from his
terror. He sat moaning on the ground, and feeling his limbs, as if
still uncertain whether or not they were broken. We at length got him
on his legs, and taking him to the water, washed off the serpent's
blood, which abundantly besprinkled his face and shoulders.
"And now, Jose, tell me, where were you going when the serpent stopped
you?" I asked, when he had recovered sufficiently to speak.
"Oh, don't ask me, Senor Guy! I will go back with you, and remain
faithful to the end of my days."
I thought it best not to put further questions to the man, intending to
leave it to my father to do so; but I strongly suspected that had not
the anaconda put a stop to his proceedings, we should not have seen him
again. Indeed, I may say that I was certain he was on his way to give
information to the Inquisition of our place of concealment.
Assisting him along, we reached our sylvan home just as darkness set in.
My father looked sternly at Jose, and asked where he had been going.
The wretched man, falling on his knees, then acknowledged his intended
treachery, and, begging my father to forgive him, said he would be
faithful in future.
"I will trust you thus far," said my father: "you must never leave this
retreat while we remain here."
Jose made no answer, but, sitting down on the ground, groaned as if in
great pain. Indeed, the anaconda had given him a greater squeeze than
we had at first supposed.
"You may depend on it, your honour, that I will keep an eye on our
friend here," said Tim, glancing at Jose. "If it had not been for the
big serpent, he would have been after getting those `Inquisitive'
gentlemen down upon us. I will make my shillelagh and his head
wonderfully well acquainted, however, if I catch him trying to bolt
again."
After this discovery of the intended treachery of our servant, we felt
more anxious than ever to escape from the island; and we eagerly looked
for the return of Uncle Paul and Arthur, with the boat we hoped they
would find.