The Captain resumed his lolling posture, placed another cartridge in
his revolver and lit a fresh cigarette. By and by his eyes closed and
Major Starland saw that he slept. The American arose to his feet,
yawned and stretched his arms over his head, holding the tiller in
place between his knees.
"Unless I am alert I shall fall asleep too, and then the mischief will
be to pay. It isn't prudent to disturb these creatures, but to hold a
position of armed neutrality. If the fools don't know their power, it
isn't wise to set them investigating."
To the right on the mainland, the low flat plain extended to the limit
of vision. The tall, reedy grass came down to the edge of the water,
and the nodding plumes showed for some distance out in the stream.
Several miles in advance, on the same shore, the dark green mass of a
forest buffeted against the soft sky, the species of trees being
innumerable and so closely wedged in many places, that not even the
attenuated Captain Guzman could have forced his way through except by
scrambling from limb to limb.
The southern bank was similar, but far to the westward, the rugged
outline of the Rubio Mountains rose in the sky and wore the soft blue
tint of the sea of clear atmosphere. Beyond the mountains, snuggled
the Republic of Atlamalco which was the destination of the American.
On the northern bank, two-score wild cattle that had been browsing on
the succulent grass, loafed down to the river and waded out till the
current bathed their sides. They sought the water for its coolness at
this oppressive period of the day and to escape the billions of insect
pests that at times make life a torment. Their tails, whose bushy tips
flirted the water in showers over their heads and backs, were never
idle. Some of them kept edging outward until no more than their
spines, horns, ears, and the upper part of their heads remained in
sight.
The leader of the herd was a magnificent black bull, who stood on the
bank and bellowed at the boat sailing past, as if challenging it to a
fight to the finish. He was afraid of nothing on earth and revelled in
a battle which would allow him to display his tremendous prowess,
power and wrath.
Seeing that the boat paid no heed to his thunderous challenge, the
bull galloped sideways and backward to shore, and trotted along its
bank, looking at the craft, thrusting out his snout and calling for it
to come ashore and have it out with him. Major Starland picked up his
Krag-Jorgensen from where it leaned beside his feet and sighted at the
bull, into whose bellowing there seemed to intrude a regretful note
over the ignoring of his challenge.
"It's a pretty good distance, but I can drop you so quickly you would
never know what did it, and, being that you wouldn't know, where's the
satisfaction to either of us? I'll be hanged if I uncrown such a noble
monarch in that pot fashion!"
The weapon was laid down and the Major resumed his seat and care of
the tiller. At this time the bull was standing on a slight rise of
ground, just clear of the water with Major Starland contemplating the
superb fellow. Something dark and sinuous suddenly darted out like a
black streak of lightning from the mud just in front of the animal and
the cry of the bull changed to one of frenzy. He was scared at last.
Still bellowing, he planted his four hoofs rigidly in the mud, and
leaned so far backward that his legs were inclined at a sharp angle.
His feet sank slowly and he yielded a short, reluctant step. Then he
paused and putting forth his great strength gradually moved the hoofs,
one after the other, backward. He strove mightily to continue his
retreat, but the uplifted fore foot was instantly jammed down again,
and the utmost he could do was to hold his own.
The black thing which had flashed out from the mud a few paces away
was the head of a gigantic anaconda that had hidden itself in the
slime and was waiting for cow or bull to come within reach. The
instant the king of the herd did so, the head shot from its
concealment and the teeth were snapped together in the cartilage of
the animal's nose. Then the serpent began drawing its victim forward
with terrific power. The bull knew his peril and resisted to the last
ounce of his strength.
But the reptile was a fool. Had it voluntarily freed itself, or
allowed the bull to get clear of the enveloping mushy earth, it could
have whirled its entire length around the quadruped and mashed it to
pulp. But the Atlamalcan tugboat, if tied by a hawser to the reptile
could not have drawn it forth, for it will allow itself to be pulled
asunder before yielding. Nor can any conceivable power induce the
serpent to let go, its unshakable resolve being to draw its prey
within its folds, instead of meeting its victim.
It was a veritable tug of war, and the sympathies of Major Starland
were wholly on the side of the bull. Slipping a bit of rope over the
tiller to hold it in place, he knelt on one knee and sighted with the
utmost care. The six or eight feet of the reptile which was clear of
the mud had been stretched to nearly double its natural length by the
furious pulling of the bull, and was as tense as a violin string and
so attenuated as to be hardly one-half its ordinary diameter. The
American aimed at a point just back of the head and the bullet sped
true. Perhaps, as is sometimes the case, the serpent's body would have
yielded in the end, but the missile expedited matters. It snapped
apart, the bull with another bellow whirled about and galloped up the
bank and away, with the appendage dangling and flapping from his nose,
there to hang until it sloughed off.
The report of the rifle awakened Captain Guzman, who sat up, but did
not understand all that had taken place until it was explained to him.
Then the two partook of the lunch they had brought with them. When the
brief twilight closed over forest and stream, they had passed
three-fourths of the distance between the respective capitals of the
republics. Night had fully come, however, before the boat was sheered
toward the mainland, and drawing it up the bank beyond the reach of
the current, the two stepped out and walked a short way to a hut that
had caught their notice some time before.
Here, strange to say, the native man and wife had only two children,
both boys, six or eight years of age, naked and not ashamed. Captain
Guzman, who spoke Spanish as well as the American, explained that they
desired food and lodging for the night. The husband told them they
were welcome, while the slatternly helpmate said nothing, but did her
part with commendable diligence. No fire was burning, nor was one
started, though the cinders on the outside showed that food was
sometimes cooked after the manner of civilized peoples. No table,
chairs or furniture were seen, while the floor was of smooth, hard
earth. A large, earthen bowl was nearly filled with a mixture of
tomatoes, onions, olives and several kinds of fruit chopped together.
This was set outside on the ground, between the two guests, who ate
and were filled.