Wilson, of the _Cotopaxi_, to decide him to return to England in that
ship. It was, indeed, the only thing for him to do; he had no business
in New York; while, on the other hand, there would, of course, be a
judicial inquiry into the circumstances connected with the loss of the
_Everest_, at which his presence, as the sole surviving officer of the
ship, would be imperatively required. He communicated his decision to
Earle immediately that the question was raised, and was surprised, and
not a little pleased, when the American announced his intention to also
return to England.
"You see," the latter explained, "my only, or at least my principal,
reason for going to New York fizzled out when the _Everest_ took my
collection of hunting trophies with her to the bottom of the Atlantic.
If I went on to New York there would be nothing for me to do, while I
have a scheme in my head that can be worked out in Europe as well as, or
better than, in New York. Besides, to be quite frank with you,
Cavendish, I've taken a very strong liking for you altogether, apart
from the fact that you saved my life, and I guess I don't want to lose
sight of you. And I'll tell you why. If this scheme of mine--which I
have had in my mind for a long time--should eventuate, as I guess it
will, I shall want you to take a hand in it. You are exactly the sort
of young fellow that I have been looking for, and I guess I can make it
quite worth your while to chip in with me. But I won't say any more
about it just now--there will be plenty of time to talk matters over
later on. Now let us go ahead and get aboard the _Cotopaxi_."
It was well on toward noon of that day before all the arrangements made
were completed, and the several ships proceeded towards their respective
destinations. But long before that the wireless operators had been
busily engaged in transmitting the intelligence of the disaster to the
two hemispheres; and by the time that the ships were dipping their
ensigns to each other in farewell the newsboys of Europe and America
were charging through the streets of hundreds of cities and towns,
yelling in a dozen different languages, "Spechul edition! Wreck of the
_Everest_! Fearful loss of life! Full partic'lars and list of the
saved! Spechul!"
It was not until the Fastnet lighthouse showed above the horizon on the
_Cotopaxi's_ port bow that Earle reverted to the topic of his "scheme,"
although there had been ample opportunity for him to do so during the
eastward run, he having privately so arranged matters with the purser
that he and Cavendish were berthed in the same cabin during the voyage.
But for reasons best known to himself he had devoted the opportunity
thus afforded him to elicit as much as he possibly could of Dick's
previous history; and Dick, open and candid as the day, and with nothing
to conceal, had told a great deal more than perhaps some people would
have considered quite prudent; so that when the Fastnet hove in sight,
Earle knew practically all that there was to know about Dick, including
even the fact that the latter had a sister, who, Earle gathered, from a
number of cursory and incidental remarks, must be a girl very well worth
knowing.
On this particular morning, however, when, after breakfast, the pair
snugly ensconced themselves in a couple of deck chairs on the boat deck,
which just then happened to be clear of other occupants than themselves,
Earle suddenly broke ground with:
"Say! Cavendish, have you ever heard of the city of Manoa?"
"The _City of Manoa_!" repeated Dick. "Is she a steamer, or a sailing
ship? I know the _City of Paris_, of course, and the--"
"No, no," interrupted Earle with a laugh. "Can't you get ships out of
your head anyway? I'm not talking now about a ship, but about a genuine
sure-'nough city, the Golden City of Manoa, to be precise. Ever heard
of it?"
"Can't say I have," returned Dick, "excepting, of course, the fabled
city of that name, supposed to be ruled over by a certain El Dorado, who
was so enormously rich that he used to gild himself--"
"Exactly," agreed Earle. "That's the guy. And it is his city that I am
trying to talk to you about. You--in common with almost everybody
else--speak of it as the `fabled' city, because, although it has been
much talked about and eagerly sought, the fact that it was actually
found has never been conclusively demonstrated. The story of its
existence originated of course with those old Spanish conquistadors who,
under that king of freebooters, Pizarro, conquered the Incas, and
thereby amassed incalculable wealth. You have, of course, heard the
story of his treacherous capture of the Inca Atahualpa, and of how the
latter, having noticed the Spaniard's greed of gold, offered to ransom
himself by filling with gold to as high as a man could reach, the room
in which he was confined. That offer it was that seems to have fully
opened the eyes of Pizarro and his followers to the enormous potential
wealth of the country; and when, through their treacherous murder of
Atahualpa, they had to a considerable extent cut off from themselves the
supply of further enormous contributions, they naturally began to hunt
about for the source of the wealth that had already fallen into their
hands.
"It was through the inquiries thus instituted that the story of El
Dorado and his golden city first came to their ears. They were told
that far away in the north there lived a people called the Chibchas, a
people as civilised as, and far more wealthy than, the Incas. They were
given to understand that the Chibcha country abounded not only in gold
but also in gems, especially emeralds, and in illustration of the
bounteousness of this wealth certain customs of the Chibchas were
described. The particular custom which gave rise to the legend of El
Dorado was that which was observed on the occasion of the accession of a
new monarch to the throne; and it was carried out somewhat after this
fashion:--
"The proceedings began with elaborate religious ceremonies, including a
long and rigorous fast, which was observed by the entire nation. This
period of penance over, the inhabitants proceeded to the shores of Lake
Guatabita, where, upon the day arranged for his coronation, the new
ruler was brought forth from his place of penance, and, escorted by the
priests, was led down through the assembled multitude to the margin of
the lake, where the priests first smeared his body from head to foot
with a certain sticky kind of earth, powdered him all over with gold
dust, and then dressed him in his coronation robes, which were stiff
with golden decorations and gems. This done, the new monarch entered a
vessel loaded with costly ornaments of gold, emeralds, and other
precious stones, where he was received by the four most important
caciques, who were also clad in their most gorgeous dress, and the craft
was forthwith rowed out toward the middle of the lake. Arrived here,
the freight of gold and precious stones was solemnly thrown overboard as
an offering to the gods who were supposed to inhabit the depths of the
lake, the people ashore meanwhile celebrating the sacrifice by dancing
to the accompaniment of musical instruments until the monarch returned
to the shore.
"Guatabita was a sacred lake, and was the recognised receptacle for
votive offerings of enormous value upon every possible occasion, and it
must therefore at this day contain wealth beyond the dreams of avarice,
several attempts to secure which have already been made; and it was on
the shore of this lake that the golden city of Manoa was at first
supposed to be situated.
"Of course, we know now that such was not the case, for the lake has
been often visited, and no traces of the city have been found; but
Guatabita was the original objective of the seekers of El Dorado.
"When at length it was conclusively demonstrated that Manoa was not
situated upon the shore of Lake Guatabita, its existence began to be
doubted for a while; but the belief, and the desire to discover it, were
revived somewhere about the middle of the 16th century by a
circumstantial story related by one Martinez, a lieutenant of Diego de
Ordaz, who declared that, having been shipwrecked, he was taken inland
to the city--which he called Omoa--and there entertained in regal
fashion by El Dorado himself. So circumstantial and full of gorgeous
detail was his story, that his chief Ordaz himself undertook the quest;
but the search resulted only in disappointment, as did that of many
others, including your own Sir Walter Raleigh.
"Now, the mistake made by all those people was, to my mind, that they
did not look for Manoa in the right place. Their very eagerness misled
them. So hungry were they for wealth that any old story was good enough
to start them off upon a wild goose chase. I am not hungry for wealth;
I have more of it than, with my moderate desires, I know what to do
with. I am not a multi-millionaire, but I have quite enough to enable
me to gratify all my cravings, of which the predominant ones are
exploration and hunting. I also have a hankering to ferret out secrets;
and the secret, which has haunted me for years is that connected with
the city of Manoa. Did or did it not exist? That is what I want to
find out. For years I have been digging and delving after every scrap
of information that I could possibly get track of upon the subject; and
you would be surprised if you could see what a mass I have accumulated.
But it was not until about a fortnight ago that, in your British Museum,
I unearthed a certain manuscript which furnished me with the one
definite and decisive clue I wanted. I won't bore you with details, but
will just mention that with the help of this clue I have been able to
worry out the situation of the much sought city within a hundred miles
or so; and I have come to the definite conclusion that it lies within
the territory of Peru, on the eastern slope of the Andes. And, having
told you that much, I suppose you will not be greatly surprised to learn
that I have determined to seek for it; for by so doing I shall be able
at one and the same time to gratify my state for exploration and my love
of hunting.
"You will remember, perhaps, that on the morning when we were picked up
by the _Bolivia_, I told you that I had a certain scheme in my head.
Well, that's the scheme. You will also probably remember that I said,
if the scheme should eventuate I should want you to take a hand in it.
The scheme is going to eventuate--I've taken time to think it over and
make up my mind--and the question now is: Will you take a hand in it?
Stop a bit, I don't want you to answer off-hand. Let me just tell you
the nature of my proposition first.
"There will be plenty of danger attaching to the expedition, and that is
one reason why I want you to become a member of it, because I noted your
behaviour aboard the _Everest_ while she was sinking. I had my eye upon
you for some time before you became aware of my existence, and I could
not avoid being impressed by the coolness and firmness which you
displayed at a moment when those two qualities were essential to prevent
the breaking out of a desperate and disastrous panic. Then you saved my
life; and I confess to being a bit superstitious on that point. I have
the conviction that the individual who has saved one's life is a good
friend to have, and likely to bring one luck. Finally, what I have seen
of you since has caused me to conceive a strong admiration of and liking
for you--three good reasons, I think, for my desire that you should
become a member of my party.
"Now, as to the terms which I am prepared to offer you. I shall, of
course, defray all the costs of the expedition, including outfit, so
that you will not be put to a cent of expense. And I will enter into a
contract with you, engaging you for a definite period of three years,
even though the expedition should, not last for so long as that; while,
should it last longer, you will be paid full salary for the whole of the
time. And I will pay you at the rate of one hundred and fifty dollars--
or thirty British pounds, if you prefer it--per month, arranging with my
bankers to pay in that sum every month for three years, to any bank in
the United States or England that you choose to name. Now, my friend,
what do you say? Will you come?"
"Do you require an answer at once?" demanded Dick.
"No, I don't," answered Earle. "Take time to think it over, if you
like, between now and our arrival at Liverpool."
"Yes," said Dick. "I should like a few hours to consider the matter.
For, you see, your proposal has come upon me quite unexpectedly; and it
involves a break of something like three years in my career as a sailor,
which may make it a bit difficult for me to take up the life again just
where I lay it down. And, quite apart from that, there is the matter of
the inquiry into the loss of the _Everest_. That may not come on for
some time, and when it does it may be a lengthy affair. That would
probably mean some months of delay; while, of course, you will be
anxious to start at once, now that you have made up your mind to go."
"No," answered Earle. "I am in no hurry at all; on the contrary, two or
three months of delay would be welcome rather than otherwise to me,
because it would afford me time to extend my investigations a bit, with
the possibility of securing further and still more definite clues."
"Then, in that case," said Dick, "I will give your proposal my most
careful consideration, and let you have a definite reply before we
land."
And so the matter was left, for the moment. But the proposal appealed
very strongly to Dick for a variety of reasons, the chief of which was
that his acceptance of it would enable him to provide for his sister
Grace for at least three years. The flavour of adventure attached to
the enterprise also powerfully appealed to him, for adventure was the
very breath of life to him; and as for the rest--well, like all
adventurous spirits, he was disposed to let the future take care of
itself. Therefore, he did not wait for the arrival of the _Cotopaxi_ at
Liverpool, but, having thought the matter carefully over, informed
Earle, on the evening of the same day, that he gratefully and gladly
accepted his proposal.
The following day saw the arrival of the _Cotopaxi_ at Liverpool, and
as, of course, it had been known for several days beforehand that
certain survivors from the _Everest_ were on board her, and as, thanks
to frequent wireless communications with her, the time of her arrival
was known almost to a minute, and had been made public, the landing
stage was packed with people when the ship drew alongside, most of them,
it is true, animated by nothing more than mere morbid curiosity to gaze
upon those who had recently passed through a very terrible experience,
but among them were a few who had come down to welcome back to life the
relatives or friends who had escaped. And among these were Mr James
McGregor, the manager of the Mount S.S. Company; and with him, Grace
Cavendish, the purpose of the latter being, of course, to welcome her
brother, while Mr Mcgregor's business was to see that Dick did not
prematurely fall into the hands of the reporters. Dick and Earle, being
both destitute of baggage, were among the first to cross the gang plank,
landing together; and thus it came about that Earle naturally saw Grace
Cavendish, and was introduced to her, with results that may hereafter be
disclosed. And it is significant that whereas Earle's original
intention had been to proceed direct to London he now somewhat surprised
Dick by informing him that he intended to take up his abode in the
Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, for the present.
The events of the ensuing two months, during which period the judicial
inquiry into the loss of the _Everest_ was prepared for and carried out,
have very little to do with this story, and they may, therefore, be
dismissed in a few words. It was, of course, only natural that Mr
McGregor, in his capacity of manager to the company owning the lost
liner, should have frequent and long interviews with Dick and Earle, for
the purpose of eliciting information upon various points connected with
the disaster, as they were raised by the company's counsel, and those
interviews soon resulted in the development of a strong mutual
friendship between the trio, in consequence of which Dick and Earle
became frequent visitors at the manager's house overlooking Prince's
Park. And, quite as naturally, it soon came about that Dick informed
Mr McGregor of Earle's proposal, and invited the manager's opinion as
to the effect which his acceptance of it would have upon his future
prospects. The result was that, after the three had fully talked the
matter over together, the manager came to the conclusion that not only
was the proposal much too advantageous for Dick to refuse, but that his
acceptance of it would not very materially affect his maritime career,
should he determine to resume it upon the termination of the adventure,
ending up with the assurance that Dick might always count upon his (the
manager's) influence and help.
For the rest, Dick arranged with Earle that the former's salary should
be paid in monthly to Grace's credit, in a Liverpool bank, so that his
sister might be effectively protected against any unforeseen reverse of
fortune; while Grace made it clear that she was so happy in her present
position that she would continue in it so long as the Mcgregors had any
need of her; thus, when at length the inquiry was over and Dick was once
more free, he was able to bid his sister farewell with the pleasant
consciousness that her future was as secure as human foresight could
make it.
The first week of August witnessed the arrival of Dick and Earle in New
York, where the pair took up their abode in the latter's comfortable
home in Fifth Avenue during the progress of their preparations for the
great adventure. The precise nature of these preparations need not be
revealed at this point of the story, since the details will appear as
the narrative proceeds; the only fact that need now be mentioned being
that, after long and anxious consideration of the question, Earle had
finally determined that the starting point of the expedition should be
the junction of the river Tecuachy with the Javari, a tributary of the
Amazon, to which point he and Dick would proceed in the former's steam
yacht _Mohawk_, a comfortable little craft of two hundred and fifty tons
register. At this point, on the left, or northern, bank of the
tributary, stands, on Peruvian soil, a small town called Conceicao, and
abreast of this town the _Mohawk_ came to an anchor about mid-afternoon
of a certain day in the month of November, not so very many years ago.
At the moment when the yacht came to an anchor, her deck was encumbered
with two long canoe-shaped craft, each measuring six feet beam by thirty
feet in length. They were practically flat-bottomed, to ensure light
draught, and were built in sections, to provide the maximum of
portability, which quality was further ensured by the fact that the
material of which they were constructed was an amalgam largely composed
of aluminium. They were completely decked from stem to stern with a
light covering of the same material, rendering them absolutely
watertight; but by an ingenious arrangement of wing nuts these decks
could be removed in a few minutes; while, by a similar arrangement, the
hulls could almost as quickly be taken apart.
No sooner was the _Mohawk's_ anchor down and the craft riding stem-on to
the current than the crew proceeded to launch the two canoes overboard,
when proof of their extreme lightness became manifest in the fact that
it needed the strength of only ten men to lift each of them and heave
them bodily over the rail, after which they were passed astern and
secured by a painter. A number of beams and planks, all carefully cut,
fitted and marked, were then brought on deck, after which half a dozen
men descended to the two canoes; the beams and planks were passed down
to them as required, and within an hour the whole was fitted together in
the form of a double canoe, twenty feet broad, with a space of eight
feet between the two hulls--with a plank deck of twenty feet width in
the middle and twenty feet long. This curious looking craft was next
fitted with two masts and a bowsprit, arranged to carry two standing
lugs and a jib, and by the time that this was done the tropical night
was descending upon the workers, and their labours for the day came to
an end.
Meanwhile, an official visit had been paid to the yacht by the Inspector
of Customs of Conceicao, who inquired into the reasons for the visit of
the yacht, inspected her papers, and--upon learning that hunting and
exploration were the objects of the expedition--levied a substantial
amount in the shape of duty upon the guns, ammunition and general
equipment of the party, notwithstanding the fact that the Tecuachy
flowed through Brazilian territory; after which he dropped his official
attitude and offered his services--for a consideration--in furthering
the objects of the expedition. All that Earle needed at the moment,
however, was to engage the services of a dozen natives possessing some
knowledge of the country to be traversed--and also a knowledge of the
Spanish language, of which the American was a fluent linguist--and these
the inspector faithfully promised to produce on the morrow.
It was past the hour of noon on the following day when the inspector
turned up aboard the _Mohawk_ with his dozen recruits. Earle and Dick
were sitting down to luncheon on the after deck, beneath the awning when
they arrived; but subsequent inspection of the party seemed to justify
the delay, for, so far at least as physique was concerned, the men
appeared to be everything that could be desired. They were all
full-blooded Indians--which Earle pronounced to be infinitely preferable
to half-breeds--and seemed, so far as might be judged from appearances,
to be civil, capable, and fairly intelligent fellows. They all
understood Spanish, although they spoke the language but imperfectly;
but when it came to questioning them upon their knowledge of the country
which they would be called upon to pass through, they all frankly
confessed utter ignorance of it, beyond the fact that from hearsay they
understood it to be full of perils of every imaginable description. But
this, they explained, had not deterred them from enlisting when they
learned that their leaders were to be two white men, for they had heard
that white men were possessed of strange powers, enabling them to
conquer every conceivable kind of peril, while, as for themselves, they
were quite willing to work hard, and fight hard, too, provided that the
pay was good.
By that time the fitting and equipment of the double canoe had been
completed and she was ready for an immediate start; as soon, therefore,
as the new hands had been paid three months' wages in advance, which
they entrusted to the inspector to transmit to their relatives, and as
soon also as the inspector had been paid a certain sum as head money for
his services in finding the men, the whole party quitted the yacht and
got under way, heading across the river for the mouth of the Tecuachy,
before entering which they saw the _Mohawk_ heave up her anchor and
start upon her return journey to New York.
CHAPTER FOUR.
THE QUEST BEGINS.
The expedition consisted of fifteen persons all told, namely, Wilfrid
Earle, the chief and leader; Dick Cavendish, his lieutenant; Peter,
Earle's negro cook and a _chef_ of surpassing skill, capable of
concocting appetising dishes out of the most meagre and unpromising
materials; and the twelve recruits from Conceicao, one of whom, named
Inaguy, at once the most masterful and intelligent of them, Earle
immediately appointed headman of the gang, with a small increase of pay,
at the same time making him responsible for the good behaviour of those
under him.