in great hopes of being able to reach the latter with his claws, when,
to his astonishment, he felt some hard instrument strike sharply against
his snout, and rattle upon his teeth, while the fire flew from his eyes
at the concussion. Of course it was the _horn_ of the buffalo that had
done this; and now, rendered furious by the pain, the tiger forgot all
about the goat, and turned his attention towards revenging himself upon
the animal who had wounded him. Several times he launched himself
savagely against the bamboos, but the canes resisted all his strength.
Just then it occurred to him that he might effect an entrance by the
top, and with one bound he sprang upon the roof of the enclosure. This
was just what, the buffalo wished, and the broad white belly of his
assailant stretched along the open framework of bamboos, was now a fair
mark for that terrible horn. Like a gleam of lightning it entered
between his ribs; the red blood spouted forth, the huge man-eater
screamed fiercely as he felt the deadly stab, and then, struggling for a
few minutes, his enormous body lay stretched across the rack silent,--
motionless,--dead!
A signal whistle from Ossaroo soon brought the villagers upon the spot.
The shikarree and the goat were set free. The carcass of the man-eater
was dragged into the middle of the village amidst shouts of triumph, and
the rest of the night was devoted to feasting and rejoicing. The
"freedom of the city" was offered to Ossaroo and his companions, and
every hospitality lavished upon them that the grateful inhabitants knew
how to bestow.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
KARL'S ADVENTURE WITH THE LONG-LIPPED BEAR.
Next morning they were _en route_ at an early hour; and having passed
through some cultivated fields, they once more entered the wild primeval
forest which covers most of the hills and valleys of the Terai.
Their road during the whole day was a series of ascents and descents,
now running along the bed of a stream; now upon its high bank, anon over
some projecting ridge, and at intervals crossing the stream, sometimes
by fording, and once or twice by natural bridges formed by the long
trailing roots of various species of fig-trees.
Although they were gradually ascending to a higher elevation, the
vegetation was still of a tropical character. Pothos plants, and
broad-leaved arums, bamboos, wild plantains, and palms, were seen all
along the way, while lovely orchidaceous flowers,--epiphytes and
trailing plants,--hung down from the trunks and branches of the great
trees, forming festoons and natural trellis-work, that stretched across
the path and almost closed it up.
That was a busy day for the botanical collector. Many rare species were
found in seed, and he gathered a load for all three, to be carried on to
their halting place, and stored until their return from the mountains.
Those species that were yet only in flower he noted down in his
memorandum-book. They would be ripe for him on his way back.
About noon they halted to refresh themselves. The spot they had chosen
was in a grove of purple magnolias, whose splendid flowers were in full
bloom, and scented the air around with their sweet perfume. A crystal
stream,--a mere rivulet,--trickled in its deep bed through the midst of
the grove, and the movement of its waters seemed to produce a refreshing
coolness in the surrounding atmosphere.
They had just unbuckled their packs, intending to lunch, and remain an
hour or so on the ground, when some animal was heard moving among the
bushes on the other side of the rivulet.
Caspar and Ossaroo, ever ready for the chase, immediately seized their
weapons; and, crossing the stream, went in search of the animal, which
they supposed would turn out to be a deer. Karl, therefore, was left by
himself.
Now Karl felt very much jaded. He had worked hard in gathering his
seeds, and nuts, and drupes, and berries, and pericarps, and he felt
quite done up, and had some thoughts of remaining upon that spot for the
night. Before giving up, however, he determined to try a refreshing
medicine, which he had brought with him, and in which he had been taught
to have great faith. This medicine was nothing more than a bottle of
hot peppers pickled in vinegar, which Karl had been told by a friend was
one of the finest remedies for fatigue that could be found in the
world,--in fact, the sovereign cure,--far excelling rum or brandy, or
even the potent spirit of his native land, the kirschen-wasser. A drop
or two of it mixed with a cup of water would impart instantaneous relief
to the weary traveller, and enable him to continue his journey like a
new man. So Karl's friend had told him, and he was now determined to
give the pickled peppers a trial.
Taking the bottle in one hand, and his tin drinking-cup in the other, he
descended to the bed of the rivulet to fill the cup with water.
The little stream ran in a deep cut or gully, and its bed was not more
than a yard or two in width, but it was nearly empty--so that Karl as
soon as he had clambered down the steep sloping bank, found dry footing
among the pebbles.
He was just in the act of stooping to fill his cup, when he heard the
voices of Caspar and Ossaroo farther up the stream, as if they were in
pursuit of some animal. Presently a shot rang through the woods. Of
course it was Caspar's gun, for Caspar was heard shouting in the
direction whence the shot came.
Karl had raised himself erect, and was thinking, whether he could give
any help to the hunters, by intercepting the animal if it came his way.
He heard the voice of Caspar crying to him to "look out," and just at
the moment he did "look out," and saw coming right down upon him a large
animal covered with black shaggy hair, and a white patch upon its
breast. At the first glance it had the look of a bear, but Karl noticed
a hunch upon its back, which gave it a very peculiar appearance, and
rendered him doubtful as to what sort of beast it was. He had no time
to examine it very minutely--although it was close enough, for when he
first set eyes upon it, it was within six paces of where he stood. It
was altogether too close to him, Karl thought; and so far from
endeavouring to intercept it, he tried with all his might to get out of
its way.
His first impulse was to rush up the bank. He saw that the bear, or
whatever it was, was resolved to keep right on; and the only way to
avoid an encounter would be to leave the channel free. He therefore
made a dash at the bank, and tried to clamber out. The clayey slope,
however, chanced to be wet and slippery, and before Karl could reach the
top his feet flew from under him, and he came back to the bottom faster
than he had gone up.
He now found himself face to face with the bear--for it _was_ a bear--
and not six feet separated them from each other. Neither could pass the
other in the narrow channel, and Karl knew that by turning down he would
soon be overtaken, and perhaps hugged to death. He had no weapon--
nothing in his hand but the bottle of red peppers--what could he do?
There was not a moment left for reflection. The bear reared upward with
a savage growl, and rushed forward to the attack. He had almost got his
claws upon the plant-hunter, when the latter mechanically struck forward
with the battle, and, as good luck guided it, hit his assailant fair
upon the snout. A loud smash, and the rattling of glass among the
pebbles, announced the fate of the bottle, and the red peppers, vinegar,
and all, went streaming about the head of the bear.
The brute uttered a scream of terror--such as bears will do when badly
frightened--and, wheeling away from the conflict, headed up the sloping
bank. He succeeded in his climbing better than Karl had done; for, in
the twinkling of an eye, he had reached the top of the slope, and in the
twinkling of another eye would have disappeared among the bushes, had
not Caspar at this moment arrived upon the ground, and with his second
barrel brought him rolling back into the channel.
The bear fell dead almost at Karl's feet, and the latter stepped forward
to examine the carcass. What was his astonishment on perceiving that
what he had taken for a hunch on the bear's back was a brace of young
cubs, that had now rolled off, and were running round the body of their
dam, whining, and snarling, and snapping like a pair of vixens! But
Fritz at this moment rushed forward, and, after a short fierce struggle,
put an end to their lively demonstrations.
Caspar now related that when he and Ossaroo first came in sight of the
bear the cubs were upon the ground playing; but the moment he fired the
first shot--which had not hit the old bear withal--she seized the cubs
one after the other in her mouth, flung them upon her shoulders, and
then made off!
The animal that had fallen before the bullet of Caspar's gun was the
"long-lipped," or sloth-bear (_Ursus labiatus_). The first name has
been given to this species on account of the capability it possesses of
protruding the cartilage of its nose and its lips far in advance of its
teeth, and by this means seizing its food. It is called "sloth" bear,
because when first known it was supposed to belong to the sloths; and
its long shaggy hair, its rounded back, and the apparently unwieldy and
deformed contour of its whole body, gave some colour to the idea. These
marks of ugliness, combined with its sagacity--which enables the Indian
jugglers to train it to a variety of tricks--render this species of bear
a favourite with them, and on this account it is also known by the name
of the "Ours de jongleurs," or "Jugglers' bear."
The sloth-bear is long-haired and shaggy, of a deep black colour, except
under the throat, where there is a white mark shaped like the letter Y.
It is nearly as large as the black bear of America, and its habits in a
state of nature are very similar to this species. It will not attack
man unless closely pressed or wounded; and had Karl been able to get out
of her way, the old she would not have followed him, savage as she was
from being shot at by Caspar.
No doubt the "pickle" had helped him out of a worse pickle. The peppery
vinegar getting into the eyes of the bear quite confounded her, and
caused her to turn tail. But for that Karl might have undergone a hug
and a sharp scratch or two, and he might well be thankful--as he was--
that he had escaped with no more serious damage than the loss of his
precious peppers.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
OSSAROO IN TROUBLE.
Fritz had scarce finished his battle with the young bears, with Karl and
Caspar standing over him, when a loud shouting drew the attention of all
to another quarter. The shouting evidently proceeded from Ossaroo, as
the boys could distinguish his voice. The shikarree was in trouble--as
they could easily understand by his shrill continued screams--and the
words "Help! Sahibs, help!" which he repeatedly uttered.
What could be the matter with Ossaroo? Had another bear attacked him?
Maybe a panther, or a lion, or a tiger? No matter what it was, both
Karl and Caspar felt it to be their duty to hasten to his assistance;
and without more ado both of them started off in the direction whence
came the shouts. Karl had got possession of his rifle, and Caspar
hastily rammed a load into the right-hand barrel, so that both were in
readiness to offer good help to the guide, if it should turn out to be a
wild beast that was his assailant.
In a few moments, they came in sight of Ossaroo; and, to their great
relief, saw that no animal was near him. Neither bear nor panther, nor
lion nor tiger, appeared upon the spot Ossaroo, however still continued
his noisy cries for help; and, to the astonishment of the boys, they saw
him dancing about over the ground, now stooping his head downwards, now
leaping up several feet, his arms all the while playing about, and
striking out as if at some imaginary enemy!
What could it all mean? Had Ossaroo gone mad? Or had he become
suddenly afflicted with the malady of Saint Vitus? His movements were
altogether of a comical nature; no mountebank could have danced about
with more agility; and, but for the earnestness of his cries, evidently
forced from him by fear, both Karl and Caspar would have burst out into
a fit of laughter. They saw, however, that the shikarree was in some
danger--from what, they could not tell; but they very naturally
suspected that he had been attacked by a venomous serpent, and, perhaps,
already bitten by it. It might still be attacking him, _perhaps under
his clothes_, and that was why they could not perceive it.
This idea restrained them from laughter, for, if their conjecture proved
correct, it would be no laughing matter for poor Ossaroo; and, with fear
in their hearts, both the boys rushed forward to the spot.
On getting nearer, however, the odd behaviour of the shikarree was
explained, and the enemy with which he was contending, and which had
hitherto remained invisible, came under their view. Around the head of
Ossaroo there appeared a sort of misty halo, encircling him like a
glory; which, on closer view, the boys perceived was neither more nor
less than a _swarm of bees_!
The whole matter was cleared up. Ossaroo had been assailed by bees; and
it was they that were making him dance and fling his arms about in so
wild a manner!
Karl and Caspar had forborne to laugh, so long as they believed their
guide to be in real danger; but now that they saw what it was, they
could no more restrain their mirth, and both simultaneously broke out
into a fit of cachinnation, that caused the woods to ring again.
On seeing how his young companions sympathised with his distress,
Ossaroo was by no means pleased. The stings of the bees had nettled the
Hindoo's temper, and the laughter of the boys exasperated him still
more. He resolved, therefore, that they should both have a taste of the
same trouble; and, without saying another word, he rushed between the
two; of course, carrying the swarm of bees along with him.
This unexpected manoeuvre on the part of the guide, at once put, an end
to the merriment of his companions; and the next moment, instead of
enjoying a laugh at Ossaroo's expense, both of themselves exhibited a
spectacle equally ludicrous. The bees, on perceiving these new enemies,
at once separated into three distinct swarms, each swarm selecting its
victim; so that not only Ossaroo, but Karl and Caspar as well, now
danced over the ground like acrobats. Even Fritz was attacked by a
few--enough to make him scamper around, and snap at his own legs as if
he had suddenly gone mad!
Karl and Caspar soon learnt, that what had so lately amused them was by
no means a thing to be amused at. They were stung about the face, and
found the stings to be exceedingly virulent and painful. Besides, the
number of their assailants rendered the affair one of considerable
danger. They began to feel that there was peril as well as pain.
Where was it to end? All their demonstrations failed to drive off the
bees. Run where they would, the enraged insects followed them, buzzing
about their ears, and alighting whenever an opportunity offered. Where
was it to end?
It was difficult to tell when and how the scene would have been brought
to a termination, had it not been for Ossaroo himself. The cunning
Hindoo had bethought him of a plan, and, calling to the others to follow
him, was seen to run forward in a direct line through the woods.
Karl and Caspar started after, in hopes of finding relief from their
tormentors.
In a few minutes, Ossaroo approached the bank of the stream, at a place
where it was dammed up, and formed a reach of deep water--a pool.
Without hesitating a moment, the Hindoo plunged into the water. The
boys, flinging down their guns, imitated his example; and all three
stood side by side, neck-deep in the pool. They now commenced ducking
their heads under, and continued this, at intervals; until at length the
bees, finding themselves in danger of being drowned, gave up the attack,
and, one after another, winged their way back into the woods.
After remaining long enough in the pool, to make sure that their enemies
had gone quite away, the three smarting hunters climbed out, and stood
dripping upon the bank. They would have laughed at the whole adventure,
but the pain of the stings put them out of all humour for enjoying a
joke; and, out of sorts altogether, they quietly wended their way back
to the place of their temporary encampment.
On their way, Ossaroo explained how he had chanced to provoke the attack
of the bees. On hearing the report of Caspar's gun, and the noise of
the conflict between Fritz and the bears, he had started in great haste
to get up to the spot, and give assistance. In running forward, he
scarce looked before him; and was dashing recklessly through among
trees, when his head came in contact with a large bees' nest, which was
suspended upon a vine that stretched across the path. The nest was
constructed out of agglutinated mud, and attached only slightly to the
vine; and Ossaroo, having become entangled in the latter, shook it so
violently that the nest fell down, broke into pieces, and set the whole
swarm of angry bees about his ears. It was just then that he had been
heard crying out, and that Karl and Caspar had run to his rescue; which
act both of them now said they very much regretted. They were hardly in
earnest, however; and Ossaroo, having procured an herb from the woods,
the sap of which soon alleviated the pain of the stings, in a short time
the tempers of all three were restored to their usual equanimity.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE AXIS AND PANTHER.
The maternal solicitude displayed by the bear in endeavouring to carry
her young out of danger, had quite won the admiration of the
plant-hunters; and now that the excitement of the conflict was over,
they experienced some pangs of regret at having killed the creature.
But the thing was done, and could not be helped. Besides, as Ossaroo
informed them, these bears are esteemed a great nuisance in the country.
Descending from their mountain retreats, or issuing out of the jungle
during the season of the crops, they commit very destructive
depredations upon the produce of the farmer, often entering his very
garden without fear, and in a single night laying waste the contents of
a whole enclosure. On hearing this, both Karl and Caspar were more
contented with what they had done. Perhaps, reflected they, had these
two cubs lived to grow up, they or their mother might have devastated
the paddy-field of some poor jemindar, or farmer, and he and his family
might have been put to great distress by it.
Whether or not their reasoning was correct, it satisfied the two boys,
and quieted their consciences about the killing of the bears. But as
they continued their journey, they still conversed of the curious
circumstance of the old one carrying off her cubs in the manner she was
doing. Karl had read of such a habit in animals--which is common to
many other sorts along with the bears--such as the great ant-eater of
South America, the opossum, and most kinds of monkeys. Both agreed that
it was a pretty trait in the character of the lower animals, and proved
even the most savage of them capable of tender affection.
It chanced that upon that same day they had another illustration of this
very nature, and one that by good fortune did not have so tragical an
ending.
They had finished their day's journey, and were reclining under a great
_talauma_ tree--a species of magnolia, with very large leaves--by the
edge of a little glade. They had not yet made any preparations for
their camp. The day's march had been a severe one, for they were now
among the foot-hills of the great Himalaya chain; and though they
appeared to travel as much down hill as up they were in reality
ascending, and by evening they were really more than five thousand feet
above the plains of India. They had arrived in a new zone of
vegetation, among the great forests of magnolias which gird the middle
parts of the mountains. It is in this part of the world that the
remarkable genus of magnolia is found in its greatest vigour and
variety; and many species of these trees, in forests of vast extent,
cover and adorn the declivities of the lower Himalayas. There are the
white-flowered magnolias, at an elevation of from four thousand to eight
thousand feet, which are then replaced by the still more gorgeous purple
magnolia (_Magnolia Campbellia_)--the latter being the most superb
species known, its brilliant corollas often arraying the sloping sides
of the hills as with a robe of purple. Here, too, our travellers
observed chestnut-trees of rare species, and several kinds of oak--
laurels also, not in the form of humble shrubs, but rising as tall
trees, with straight smooth boles, to the height of the oaks themselves.
Maples, too, were seen mingling in the forest, and the tree
rhododendrons growing forty feet high!
What appeared singular to the eyes of the botanist, was the mingling of
many European forms of plants among those of a strictly tropical
character. For instance, there were birches, willows, alders, and
walnut-trees, growing side by side with the wild plantain, the Wallich
palm, and gigantic bamboos; while the great _Cedrela Toona_, figs of
several species, _melastomas_, balsams, _pothos_ plants, peppers, and
gigantic climbing vines and orchids, were intermixed with speedwell,
common bramble, forget-me-not, and stinging-nettles, just such as might
have been met with in a European field! Tree ferns were seen rising up
and towering high above the common brake-fern of the English moors;
while the wild strawberry of Britain was seen covering the ground in
patches of large extent. Its fruit, however, in the Himalayas is quite
insipid, but a fine yellow raspberry--one of the most luscious fruits
met with in these mountains--was found growing in the same districts, as
if to compensate for the absence of flavour in the strawberry.
Under one of these magnificent magnolias, whose large wax-like corollas
filled the air with their odorous perfume, our travellers had just
stretched themselves--intending, after a few minutes of rest, to make
the necessary arrangements for passing the night there.
Ossaroo was chewing his betel-nut, and Karl and Caspar, both very tired,
were doing nothing and saying as little. Fritz, too, lay along the
ground, with his tongue out, and panting after the hot day's rambling
among the bushes.
Just at that moment, Caspar, whose sharp hunter eye was always on the
alert, caught Karl by the sleeve, and in a hurried whisper, said--
"See, Karl! see!--Isn't it a beauty?"
As Caspar said this, he pointed to an animal that had just come out of
the jungle, and stood within a few feet of its edge. The creature in
question had the shape, size, and general appearance of a fallow-deer,
and its slender limbs and well proportioned body bespoke it to be a near
kin to that animal. In colour, however, it essentially differed from
the fallow-deer. Its ground-colour was much the same, but it was
spotted all over with snow-white spots that gave it a very beautiful
appearance. It looked somewhat like the young of the fallow-deer, and
might have been taken for an overgrown fawn. Karl, however, knew what
it was.
"A spotted deer," he replied, also in a whisper. "It is the _axis_.
Hold back Fritz, and let us watch it a moment."
Karl had guessed correctly what kind of animal it was. It was the axis,
one of the best known of the Indian deer, and closely allied to the
_linsa_ group of Asia as well as to the fallow-deer of Europe. There
are several species of the axis in eastern Asia, more or less marked
with spots, and in no part are they more common than in the country
through which the plant-hunters were passing--the country of the Ganges
and the Burrampooter.
Caspar caught Fritz as desired, and held him fast; and the travellers,
without making any noise, sat watching the movements of the axis.
To their surprise, another axis now showed itself upon the ground, but
this one was of such small dimensions that they saw at once it was the
young of the first. It was a tiny little fawn, but a few days old, and
speckled all over with similar snow-white spots.