WHERE ARE QUACKO AND ARA?--THE SWIM CONTINUED--ESCAPE FROM AN
ALLIGATOR--MARIAN AND MY FATHER--REACH A LAKE--A CURIOUS SAIL--FISHING.
We had been resting for some time, and now felt able to keep on swimming
for many miles without stopping. We were in tolerable spirits, having
every reason to believe that we should see no more of the savages. We
hoped, too, that the next would be our last stage, and that at the end
of it we should find Marian, with my father and Arthur, safe on the
raft. Uncle Paul then proposed to construct an additional raft to carry
the whole party.
We had finished our meal, when Kallolo exclaimed, with an expression of
grief on his countenance, "Oh! where is Quacko? Cruel, indeed, have I
been to leave him behind; but my thoughts were so engaged with the
dangers which threatened us, that for the moment I forgot all about him.
I must go back and find the affectionate ape. Even though he may
obtain subsistence in the forest, he will pine and die when he finds
himself deserted by his friends."
"Stay, stay, my friend," said Uncle Paul. "Much as I esteem your regard
for the poor ape, and his extraordinary attachment to you, I would not
have you risk your safety by attempting to recover him. The lives of
all the party are of far more importance than that of the ape; and for
your own sake as well as ours I must prohibit your going."
Kallolo looked very unhappy on hearing this. "I shall run little or no
risk, Senor Paul," he answered; "and, besides, Maco and Polo are as able
to guide you as I am. I cannot bear the thought of losing my friend
through my own negligence."
Of course, it will be understood that I am merely translating what the
Indian said, or rather giving the meaning of his words.
Still, Uncle Paul was firm. "I cannot reconcile it to my conscience to
allow you to go; and I should be unable to forgive myself should any
accident happen to you," he answered.
I also felt very sorry that Quacko was lost; but the anxiety about our
own safety accounted fully for our having forgotten him.
"Sure, now, I have been after forgetting Ara!" exclaimed Tim. "I left
the poor bird on a branch fast asleep when those bastes of Indians sent
us off into the water in such a hurry, and never a bit did I think of
her till now. I am just as bad as you are, Kallolo; for, sure, hadn't I
charge of the bird, till she flew out of my thoughts altogether?"
"At all events, here she comes back to us again!" I exclaimed.
At that moment Ara was seen approaching with rapid flight; and in an
instant afterwards she perched on Tim's shoulder, and looking into his
face, seemed, by the peculiar sounds she made, to be chiding him for his
desertion. When he offered her some fruit, she declined to take it;
evidently, however, not from anger, but because she had had an ample
breakfast on something more to her taste which she had found on the way.
Only a few minutes had passed, when I saw Maco and Kallolo looking
anxiously through the trees to the eastward, and talking together,
having caught sight of some object moving through the forest. From the
few words I overheard, they were expressing their fears that the savages
had again found us out. Suddenly their countenances brightened; and
immediately afterwards we observed Quacko swinging himself amid the
pendent vines, and running along the branches, making his way rapidly
towards us! He sprang into Kallolo's arms, and began to chatter
eagerly, as if he had had a great deal to communicate. Whether he was
telling the native about the savages, or complaining that he had been
deserted, and begging that it might not happen again, I could not
ascertain, nor did Kallolo think fit to enlighten us; but he looked
truly delighted at having got back his friend.
Uncle Paul now gave the signal to start. Maco and Sambo led the way, as
they had only lately passed down the channel, and were better acquainted
with it than Kallolo, who brought up the rear. As before, my sensations
were those of a person swimming in a dream. I felt myself floating
through the smooth, dark waters, and striking out with my arms and legs,
and moving onwards. I saw my uncle ahead; and the green trees, with
their vast stems and intricate tracery of sepos and vines, with
numberless parasites hanging from them of every variety of fantastic
form, on either side of me; and the bright blue sky overhead; and birds
of gorgeous plumage, uttering strange notes, flying backwards and
forwards. Here and there, tall trunks had fallen prostrate, or were
inclining at various angles, and suspended by a network of sepos to the
boughs of their neighbours,--some actually crossing the stream and
forming bridges from side to side. Occasionally, troops of monkeys came
gambolling along among the branches, peering down upon us with curious
eyes, skipping and frolicking about, and chattering and screeching as if
angrily demanding what business we had to intrude on their retreats.
Now we passed among cylindrical trunks, rising like columns out of the
deep water. Then there came a splash of fruit falling around us,
announcing that birds were feeding overhead; and looking up, we
discovered flocks of parakeets, or bright blue chatterers, or pompadours
having delicate white wings and claret-coloured plumage. Again, with a
whir a trogon on the wing would seize some fruit, or a clumsy toucan
would make the branches shake as he alighted above our heads. We saw
several species of trogons, and frequently caught sight of that curious
black umbrella-bird which I have before described. Clumps of the light
and exquisitely graceful assai palm shot up everywhere. Here and there
the drooping bamboos dipped their feathery branches into the water,
frequently covered to their very tops with purple convolvuli; yellow
bignonias carried their golden clusters to the very summit of the more
lofty trees; while white flowering myrtles and orange-coloured mallows
bordered the channel. Crabs of every variety of colour and size sat on
decaying logs watching for their prey. No sooner, however, did we
attempt to seize them than they made off with nimble feet.
I saw all these sights and many more, and yet, as I have said, I gazed
on them as in a dream, while with my companions I floated on and on
through the silent water. When the sun's rays struck down on the
surface of the river, it appeared bright and clear, and our eyes could
frequently penetrate to the very bottom even where it was too deep to
allow us to wade; but in other places, where overhung by the thick
foliage, or after the sun had sunk behind the tall trees, it was as
black as ink; and I could not help feeling a sensation of dread lest
some ravenous monster was lurking beneath, ready to seize us as we
passed by. I refrained from expressing my fears, as they did not appear
to be entertained by the rest of the party. Perhaps they too felt as I
did, but thought it better to say nothing about the matter, as the
journey had to be performed, and there was no other way of accomplishing
it.
We began to feel anxious at not having come up with our friends ahead,
and were eagerly looking out for them. Sambo assured us that we were
not far from the spot where he had left the raft. As he and Tim swam
faster than any of us--except Kallolo, who, carrying the monkey, was
somewhat impeded in his progress--Uncle Paul directed them to push on
ahead to tell our friends that we were coming. Maco and Polo would
probably have been employed for the service; but the former, on account
of his wounds, could only just manage to keep up with us; and the latter
was required to remain, that he might render him assistance should it
become necessary.
Evening was approaching, and I began to feel that I should be unable
much longer to continue this sort of work, and wished more earnestly
than ever that I were once more safe on the raft. I suspect that Uncle
Paul felt much as I did, though with that courage which distinguished
him he made no complaint, but continued striking out as if it were his
usual mode of progression. Not unfrequently thoughts as to what might
have been the fate of those I loved more than any others on earth would
occur to me, especially when I felt exhausted by my exertions; but I
endeavoured to banish them from my mind, and answered Uncle Paul's
inquiries with as hearty an "All right" as I could utter.
The day wore on. In some of the bends of the river dark shadows had
already begun to fall on the water and to mount up the trunks of the
trees. The channel, or igarape, as such passages are called in some
parts of the country, became narrower than ever. No current was
perceptible: the lilies and other beautiful water-plants, little
bladderworts, and bright blue flowers with curious leaves and swollen
stalks, floated unmoved on the surface, with occasionally large circular
leaves and flowers of a gigantic size, which were new to all of us when
we first entered this region.
Tim and Sambo had long ago got out of sight, and we hoped that ere this
they had reached our friends. As we entered another bend of the
channel, I caught sight of some figures in the far distance standing on
one of those gigantic trunks I have so often mentioned. My first idea
was that they were Indians, perhaps waiting to cut us off: and I asked
Uncle Paul if he could see them.
"Yes, yes; I am thankful to say I do," he answered. "They are your
father and Arthur and dear Marian; but why they are not on the raft I
cannot tell."
The sight encouraged us, and, our strength restored, we struck out with
renewed vigour. It was now literally a race among us all who should get
there first. Uncle Paul beat me; and when I was still some distance
off: I saw him scrambling up and shaking hands with all the party. Even
Maco and Polo passed me, and I saw them make their way up the trunk of a
tree which had fallen across the one on which the rest of the party were
seated. As they reached the upper part, they eagerly looked up the
channel. Anxious as I was to go ahead, I felt as if my arms and legs
were so heavily weighted that I could only move them with a sensation I
had sometimes experienced in my dreams when trying to overtake a person
with whom I desired to communicate, or when pursued by some wild beast
from which I was endeavouring to escape.
My father and Marian were standing up; Arthur was lying on the trunk of
the tree; and Uncle Paul was sitting down with his feet just above the
water. Suddenly he started up, and cried out, "Quick, quick, Guy;
strike out for your life!" I did my best, for I knew he had good reason
for bidding me haste. Just as I reached the bank, looking back for an
instant, I saw a dark object rise to the surface, and presently a long
pair of jaws, with formidable rows of teeth, opened slowly! I sprang
up, knowing at once that it was an alligator, and though one of moderate
size, large enough to have given an ugly bite, even if it could not snap
off a limb or carry its victim down to the bottom. Uncle Paul stretched
out his arms; and Arthur, who had not till then seen my danger, stooped
down to assist me. I had scarcely time to receive my father's and
Marian's embraces before I sank almost fainting by the side of Arthur on
the trunk of the tree.
I saw, however, that they were still looking anxiously down the channel
towards Kallolo, who had been some way behind me with Quacko on his
back. They shouted to him, and pointed out the creature, whose wicked
eye was turned towards the monkey; and he would very speedily have
crunched him up in his jaws if he had not held tight hold of the Indian.
Kallolo, nothing daunted, cast a glance at the amphibious animal, and
instead of continuing his course, struck across the stream, drawing, as
he did so, his long knife from his belt, ready to defend himself and his
favourite should he be attacked. The shouts of my friends frightened
the creature; which, instead of darting at Kallolo, as they expected it
would, dived beneath the surface, probably to seek for shelter under the
bank or to escape to a distance. Kallolo quickly gained a fallen stem,
and made his way up to us.
"What has become of Tim and Sambo?" I asked faintly; for though too
weak to stand, I had not lost consciousness.
"They have gone on ahead to the raft, which is only a little distance
off," answered Arthur; "and we are now looking out for their return. So
fatigued were your father and I, that, when we reached this convenient
resting-place, we determined to remain here till your arrival. We have,
indeed, cause to be thankful that we did not attempt to go further, now
that we have seen the creatures which inhabit this part of the channel.
Had we known it before, the fact would have tended to unnerve us."
"I am indeed thankful that I did not know it," said Marian; "for I
should have been miserable with the thought that at any moment my father
or Arthur might have been attacked by one of the monsters."
Kallolo took the matter very coolly. "If the cayman had come near me,
he would have had to repent of his boldness," he observed. "My knife
was ready for him, and I should have stuck it into his throat before he
could have touched me. I should not fear to encounter a much larger
one, provided I knew that he was approaching. These creatures are
dangerous only when people are unprepared to meet them."
"But as I had no knife ready, and should not have known where or how to
strike him, I am very thankful that I got out of the water in time to
avoid his sharp teeth," I observed.
Marian shuddered. "Yes, indeed, it was dreadful even for the few
moments in which I thought there was danger," she observed. "Oh, I am
so thankful that when my father and Arthur were swimming by the side of
my raft, they were not attacked by the monster."
"We indeed ran a great risk," observed my father. "Probably the
creature was frightened by the splashing we made in the water, and by
the appearance of the raft; or possibly it may not have been in the
neighbourhood at the time."
"I suspect that it was not far off," observed Uncle Paul. "These
creatures do not move much about; they frequent particular pools and
parts of the river. However, its appearance must make us cautious how
we venture into the water in future. We may be well-satisfied that our
long swim is over.--Do you see anything of Sambo and Tim with the raft?"
he shouted to the Indians, who were still looking out.
"Yes, yes; they have this moment come in sight, and are standing on the
raft poling it along,--so it seems to me," answered Maco, pointing along
the igarape, down which a stream of light came from the setting sun,
tingeing here and there the boughs on either side, and gilding the
summits of the lofty trees. No scene of the same character could have
surpassed it in beauty.
"It is indeed lovely," exclaimed Marian. "Till we came here, perhaps
the eyes of those capable of appreciating its beauties have never gazed
on it. It seems strange that so many lovely spots, such as exist in
these wilds, should be concealed from the eyes of civilised people."
"Many things exist for which we cannot account," observed Uncle Paul.
"Birds of the most gorgeous plumage are found in parts of the globe
inhabited only by the lowest savages. Nothing can surpass the
magnificence of the icebergs clustered at the arctic and the antarctic
poles, where the feet of human beings never tread. What curious
coloured fish swim far down beneath the surface, where the eye of man
cannot penetrate! Indeed, we may believe that civilised men are not the
only beings capable of enjoying the beauties of creation; which all,
however, tend, when brought to light, to exhibit the power and
beneficence of the Creator."
Arthur listened attentively to what Uncle Paul was saying. "Yes,
indeed, I agree with you," he observed. "There are numberless things
which we see around us in nature, but cannot comprehend the reason of
their existence, though we must acknowledge the wisdom of Him who made
them all, and bow humbly to his will."
Our attention was now turned towards the approaching raft. While it was
coming, Uncle Paul inquired what provisions we had among us; and we
found, on examination, that the stock was very limited, and that the
fruit had come to an end. While there was still light, therefore, he
sent the Indians to search for some more. We saw, not far off, several
palms and other fruit-bearing trees with birds perched on them, showing
that the fruit was ripe. Both Arthur and I were desirous to accompany
them, but we felt much too weary to move.
"You must take care not to get into the midst of the macaws' nests, else
you may find yourselves attacked as we were," observed Arthur. "I see a
number of those birds congregated about a tree in the distance, and
possibly they have their homes thereabout; at all events, they may not
like to be disturbed in their feast, and will do battle with the
intruders."
"Never fear," answered Uncle Paul; "the Indians know pretty well what
they are about."
We had not long to wait for Sambo and Tim, who managed to bring the raft
close up to us. It was, however, so late in the day that Uncle Paul
considered it best for us to remain where we were till the following
morning, when he proposed that we should build another raft capable of
carrying all the party who could not find room on the first. As we had
no tools excepting our knives, the operation of cutting down the trees
would not be an easy one; therefore Tim offered to commence at once, so
that we might have some progress made before morning. Uncle Paul
thanked him for his forethought. Sambo, aided by Kallolo, immediately
set to work to break off by main force as many young palm-trees as they
could meet with. Neither Arthur nor I felt that we had strength to
assist them. Indeed, we could do nothing but lie stretched on the trunk
of the tree; and had the Indians come in pursuit of us, I really believe
that we should have been unable to make any efforts to escape. My
father, also, was greatly exhausted; but Uncle Paul, though fatigued,
was still able to exert himself, and to give any directions which were
necessary.
At length the two Indians returned with an ample supply of fruit. We
enjoyed our supper. It was the first we had taken together for several
days. When it was over it was high time to secure sleeping-places
before the shades of night should come down upon us. By arranging some
sepos which hung down from the boughs above, we formed a secure place
for Marian; and then we looked out for similar places for ourselves,
where we might rest without the danger of falling off into the water:
and I could not help reflecting that if we should meet with such an
accident, the creature we had seen would take the opportunity of biting
off a foot or an arm, or of dragging us off to his den to devour us at
his leisure. I had read of people sleeping over volcanoes: our fate
would have been quite as unpleasant, had we fallen into the water, as
that of persons found napping at the moment a volcano commenced sending
forth its streams of lava or showers of ashes.
Though we believed that we were already at a safe distance from the
savages, Uncle Paul considered it prudent to set a watch, that we might
have due notice of the approach of danger. Arthur and I begged that we
might take our share of duty, with one of the men to assist us. Uncle
Paul himself intended to keep the first watch, to give me time to obtain
some rest. I did not sleep very soundly. Frequently I opened my eyes
and saw the tall figure of Uncle Paul pacing up and down on the trunk of
the tree, with a pole in his hand to balance himself, making only three
or four paces between each turn, stopping every now and then to look up
and down the channel, or to peer into the forest. While he was on the
watch, I was sure that we should have timely warning of danger. At
length his figure seemed to extend into gigantic proportions, and then
grew more and more indistinct, till my eyes closed.
Arthur at last awoke me. He had had his watch, and it was now time for
me to take mine; but he warned me to be careful not to slip off the
trunk, as he had nearly done, he said. I got up and took the pole he
gave me. At one end was a sharp point, which would serve to give an
effectual thrust to any wild beast, or to a human savage who might
attack us. There was not much probability of our being assailed either
by a jaguar or a puma, as these creatures were not likely to make their
way across the water intervening between us and the dry land; but we
were not safe from the stealthy approach of an anaconda, though we had
seen no signs of such a creature since we had left the broad river. I
could not, however, get out of my head the recollection of the monster
which had attacked us; and very often, as I looked up and down the
channel, I fancied that I saw one of the creatures swimming towards us,
with its head above the surface. Greatly to my relief, on each occasion
the object I had caught sight of resolved itself into the partly
submerged root or branch of a tree.
Very thankful I felt when at last the streaks of early dawn appeared in
the eastern sky, and the noises of animated nature again burst on my
ear. Parrots and macaws, and numberless other birds, began to utter
their varied notes, and the sounds I have before described echoed
through the forest. I called up my companions, and, without a moment's
delay, all hands set to work to put together the raft for which we had
collected part of the materials the previous evening. More were
required; and while the Indians and Tim went into the forest to cut or
break down the palms, Uncle Paul, assisted by Sambo, bound them
together. Arthur and I employed ourselves in dragging the logs up to
them, and in cutting the lianas or sepos, which my father and Marian
unwound and prepared for use as cordage. The task was a far more
difficult one than it would have been had we possessed axes. Our knives
served only to cut off the smaller boughs, and slightly to trim the logs
or cut the lianas.
We worked away with so much energy, that by eight o'clock, as far as we
could judge from the sun, we had put a raft together capable of carrying
six persons. Pretty well tired by our exertions, and with good
appetites, we sat down on the huge trunk to breakfast. The heat of the
sun was already great; but, shaded by the overhanging branches, the spot
we occupied felt delightfully cool, while the bunches of fruit the
Indians had procured were most refreshing. At this meal we finished the
last of the dried fish and meat we had brought with us, and we had
henceforward to depend on the birds or animals we might trap or shoot in
the forest, or the fish we might obtain from the water. We had,
however, no fear of starving. Kallolo assured us that we should find
turtle in abundance; and that, with the blowpipe he had undertaken to
form, he should be able to kill as many birds and monkeys as we might
require; while the produce of many varieties of palm-trees and the
different fruits we were sure to discover would afford us an abundant
supply of vegetable diet.
Our final task was to cut some long poles, and to split up into thin
boards, by means of wedges, a portion of a branch which had been torn
off by a storm. These boards were secured to the ends of short poles,
and thus formed as many rough paddles as we could use.
All was now ready, and Uncle Paul gave the order to prepare for
departure. The smaller raft was first drawn under the bough: Marian was
placed on it as a passenger, Uncle Paul went as captain, Sambo as pilot,
and Arthur and I as the crew. Our father consented to go on the
newly-constructed raft, which was navigated by the three Indians and
Tim. On board neither of them was there much room to spare; and
considerable caution was necessary, when standing up, to avoid falling
off into the water or upsetting it.
All of us having taken our places, Uncle Paul exclaimed, "Now, my
friends, we must commence our voyage; and I pray that we may be
protected from all the dangers we may have to encounter."
The channel, however, was narrow, and we had considerable difficulty in
making our way along it. Our raft, being the smallest, glided very
easily between the overhanging branches and roots; but the people of the
other, with the exception of my father, had several times to jump
overboard to work it through the narrow places. Our progress was thus
but slow. The scenery was very similar to that which we had already
passed; indeed, sometimes I scarcely knew whereabouts we were, so much
did one part resemble another.
We had been going on for some time under thick, overhanging boughs, when
suddenly the bright shining waters of a lake opened out before us; and,
greatly to our satisfaction, shortly afterwards we found ourselves free
of the narrow igarape, or channel, through which we had been so long
passing. The bright sunlight and the free air of the lake raised our
spirits, and made us feel as if all our difficulties were over. Happily
we did not then think of the many we had still to encounter. A slight
breeze was blowing from the northward, and I suggested that we should
try to rig a sail, with one of the poles as a mast and another as a
yard. We had but scanty materials for forming it; but we all
contributed our handkerchiefs, and Sambo offered his shirt! With some
of the line we had prepared for fishing we stitched the whole together,
and then secured it to the yard. A strong breeze would quickly have
blown our sail into its original constituents of shirt and
handkerchiefs; but the gentle air which favoured us served to send on
the raft as fast as we could paddle it. The people on the other raft
followed our example, and we saw two shirts stretched out, with a large
handkerchief to form a topsail. Under this strange sail we glided
smoothly over the calm surface of the lake.
We had carefully preserved our fishing-lines and hooks, and Uncle Paul
now distributed them between the two rafts. We got out ours as we went
along, the rate at which we were moving not preventing us from having
hopes that we might catch some fish. We were not disappointed. Before
long I got a bite. The fish pulled lustily, but as the tackle was
strong, it could not break away; and after it had been pretty well
drowned by being towed, Sambo assisted me to haul it in. When we had
got the fish up to the raft, the black stooped down, and, at no little
risk of toppling off into the water, lifted it on board. It must have
weighed at least several pounds, and it resembled in shape the black
fish of our northern regions. Kallolo afterwards told me that this fish
is called the tambaki, and is one of the best in this part of the world.
The only pity was that we could not cook it till we reached dry land.
As, however, we hoped to do so before long, we again threw out our
lines. In a few minutes we caught another fish of the same species, not
quite so large. The Indians on the other raft had, in the meantime,
caught three fish of similar size, but of a different species; and not
being so particular as we were, they cut one of them up, and, after
having hung the pieces in the sun for a short time, ate it for dinner.
We, however, contented ourselves with the fruits and nuts which had been
collected in the morning. After having rested for some time, we again
took to our paddles, and, the breeze remaining fair, the rafts made good
progress. We earnestly hoped that the wind would continue in the same
quarter, as we might thus before nightfall reach the spot where Captain
van Dunk and Peter had been left.
We now entered the igarape Sambo had described. As it was tolerably
broad, and the wind still favoured us, we quickly got through it, and
entered another lake somewhat similar to the one we had left. With much
satisfaction we heard Sambo announce that in another half hour we should
reach the end of our voyage. We paddled on even more eagerly than
before, hoping soon to be shaking the honest skipper and his mate by the
hand, and thinking how pleasant it would be to sleep comfortably in a
hut, and to sup well-cooked provisions.