MONKEYS AND A CANOE
After the bringing down of the ocelot several days passed without
anything unusual happening. The boys went hunting and fishing to their
heart’s content and brought down many small animals, but nothing of
great importance outside of a pair of peccaries, which were found in
a hollow tree by Sam and brought down by him and Darry. The peccary
proved to be sweet eating, and Cubara was particularly pleased to get
the meat.
“Werry nice him,” he said. “Love him werry much. Eat him ev’ry day fo’
many, many moons.”
“Perhaps you could,” answered Darry. “But I’d get mighty sick of it in
a couple of days.”
Frank and Mark had been planning to go hunting on their own account,
further up the river, and at last obtained the professor’s permission
to use the canoe for that purpose.
“But you must be very careful, boys,” said Professor Strong. “Do not
go ashore unless you are sure of your ground, and come back before
sunset.”
“We’ll remember,” said Frank. “We only want to go along the river bank
for a mile or two.”
In coming up to the camp both Frank and Mark had taken instructions
from Cubara concerning the handling of the canoe, so they had no
difficulty in embarking and paddling up the river, which so far as eye
could reach was as smooth as a mill-pond excepting where the mountain
torrent ran into it over the bluff.
“If only we can bring down a puma or something like that,” said Frank,
as they left the camp behind. “Won’t the others be envious!”
“We’d have our hands full with a puma I’m thinking,” returned Mark.
“Why they are just like the panthers of our own country. We had better
try for something smaller first.”
The camp was soon out of sight, around a turn of the stream, and then
they pulled in close to shore, to see if they could find any trace of
something worth shooting.
“This is slow,” remarked Mark, after a long silence, during which they
had paddled the best part of a mile. “I haven’t seen a single thing
worth mentioning.”
“Nor I. I have half a mind to throw a line overboard and go fishing,”
replied Frank.
“All right, do so, and I’ll paddle for awhile.”
The line was baited and thrown into the water. Scarcely had it sunk a
yard when there came a nibble and a pull which almost caused Frank to
go overboard.
“I’ve got something big now!” gasped Frank, holding on to the line with
one hand and the canoe seat with the other.
“What is it?” questioned Mark, quickly.
“I don’t know, but it pulls like a whale.”
“Let me help you,” continued Mark, and dropped the paddle on the bottom
of the canoe. Then both tried to haul in the line, but before they
could do so there was a swish in the water and a big, black object
appeared for a moment, a black object with a greenish head and sharp
greenish eyes. At this both lads fell back in dismay.
“A water snake!” cried Mark. “And a big one, too. Better cut him loose.”
The canoe was now spinning up the stream, dragged by the snake who
showed his head with the fishhook caught in one side close to the eye.
That the reptile was angry and ready to fight there could be no doubt.
As quickly as he could Frank brought out his knife and sawed away at
the line. As it parted the snake came up again, lifting his head into
the canoe and hissing viciously. Then he glided along the side of the
craft, bent upon attacking Frank.
Mark had his gun handy and quick as a flash he caught up the weapon.
Bang! went the gun, and the water snake caught the charge full in the
face. With a wild flapping he arose in the air, whipped his slimy body
across Frank’s leg and sank out of sight into the river.
For the moment the boys gazed after the reptile in a horror that no
words can express. Frank had sunk on the seat trembling in every joint
and Mark was equally affected.
“Is he--he dead?” came at last from the younger youth.
“Guess he is,” answered Mark, in a hoarse voice. “Anyway he’s gone, and
so is the fishing line.”
“I don’t care about the line, Mark. Wasn’t he awful?”
“That’s what he was, Frank--the nastiest thing I ever saw in my life.”
“That settles fishing for me. I wouldn’t want to catch another water
snake for a million dollars!”
It was fully five minutes before they continued on their way, and then
they did so quietly, as if afraid a noise might bring the reptile after
them again. But the snake failed to re-appear and soon they were a mile
or more away from the spot.
Just before encountering the snake they had noticed a tribe of monkeys
on the shore, watching them intently. The monkeys had followed them
for a short distance but had dropped out of sight as soon as the water
snake appeared.
“There come the monkeys again,” said Mark, presently, and he was right.
With a strange shrieking and howling they pushed some brushwood aside
and came close to the water’s edge, where they squatted in a long row,
eyeing the canoe in a wondering manner and occasionally reaching out a
paw as if beckoning the craft to come closer.
“No, thank you,” said Frank, mockingly. “We don’t care to trust
ourselves in your hands.”
As they pushed up the river the monkeys followed them, still howling,
sometimes singly and then in a deafening chorus.
“There is this much about it,” said Frank, as he gazed at the
creatures, which numbered fully a hundred. “I don’t want to land while
they are around.”
“Nor I,” answered his chum. “But we’ve got to land soon, or else go
back. We’re at least six or seven miles from camp now, and that’s far
enough.”
“Supposing I give them a shot?”
“All right, blaze away, but don’t hurt too many of them.”
The shotgun was discharged and one monkey was killed and several
wounded. Instantly the others set up a fearful screeching and fled
in dismay, through the jungle, until their howling was lost in the
distance.
Pushing up the river a little further, the two boys landed and pulled
their craft partly out of the water. They looked around cautiously but
the only living creatures that appeared were a few birds and they kept
at a safe distance.
“There seems to be a sort of open trail to the northward,” said Mark.
“Supposing we follow that? I haven’t any fancy for the jungle itself.”
Frank was willing, and soon they were tramping the trail, which led up
a hill and around a series of rocks overgrown with gigantic ferns and
vines.
“What a peculiar smell,” said Mark, after they had passed the rocks.
“Smells for all the world like the root beer we drink at home.”
“I know what it is,” answered his chum. “It’s a sassafras grove we are
entering. The professor was telling me of them. They are common here
and so are other barks that druggists use.”
A little while later they sighted several small animals, not unlike
hares, which crossed their pathway so rapidly that they could not get
a shot at the creatures. Then they came to a flock of curassows and by
skillful maneuvering got so close that they brought down three before
the birds knew enough to take to flight.
“Anyway we’ve got something for our trouble,” said Frank. “I was
beginning to think we’d have to go back empty-handed. If we---- What’s
that?”
The youth broke off short and looked inquiringly at his chum. From a
distance had come a peculiar roar, not unlike that of a lion or tiger.
“Perhaps it’s a puma,” said Mark. “Hark! It’s coming closer!”
They listened once more, and as the sound was repeated, each drew up
his gun in readiness to fire. Then they heard a savage snarl, followed
by a screeching and yelping.
“Two wild animals fighting,” said Frank. “My how they must be chewing
each other up!”
They continued to listen and gradually the sounds became fainter and
fainter. Then came a final roar and all became quiet.
“One of them has been killed,” said Mark.
“Yes, and the roaring beast is the victor,” answered Frank. “Shall we
go ahead and try to find out what it is?”
“I’d like to know what it is, but I don’t want to run any risk. If it’s
a lion--”
“There are no lions here, Frank. But it may be a jaguar, and they are
almost as dangerous.”
“In that case we had better be careful. We don’t want to be chewed up.
Let us rest here in the open for a bit and see if he comes this way.”
This was agreed to, and sitting on a rock they waited, each with his
gun ready for use. Quarter of an hour slipped by, which seemed much
longer to both boys. Then came a howling from the direction of the
river.
“Those rascally monkeys are coming back!” exclaimed Mark. “I hope they
don’t come this way. We might have lots of trouble with them if they
got to throwing stones at us.”
“Oh, we can give them a shot or two if they do that.”
“They seem to be having quite a time of it along the river. By ginger!
do you think they’d bother our canoe?”
“Perhaps so! Let’s go down and see if the boat is safe!”
Much alarmed the two boys caught up the birds they had shot and started
down the hill on the back trail. The road was plain so there was no
danger of getting lost. Mark ran ahead and was the first to catch sight
of the Orinoco at the spot where they had left their craft.
The sight that met his gaze filled him with dismay. The shore was lined
with howling monkeys who filled the air with their noise. Out in the
stream were a score of the creatures on the canoe, howling with equal
vigor. The paddles to the craft had been dropped overboard and the
canoe was floating at the mercy of the wind and current.