A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
There was no necessity for the outcry. The splashing of the water told
Cummings what had happened even before Jake had time to shout, and he
started forward at full speed, carrying with him the materials for
torches.
When Jake and Teddy were in a condition to understand anything, for the
sudden attack had bewildered them to a certain extent, Neal was lying
face downward upon the sand, and being slowly dragged backward.
The alligator had evidently snapped at his leg, and, missing his aim,
had caught the boy's trousers rather than the flesh. Instead of
releasing his hold for a better grip, he was trying to drag Neal into
deeper water, and once there the struggle would have been quickly ended.
Neal had dug his hands into the sand, straining every muscle to prevent
being pulled into the stream; but despite all efforts the monster was
rapidly getting the best of him.
Cummings lost no time after arriving on the scene of action. The boys'
cries had guided him to the exact spot, and he waited only long enough
to kindle a blaze before joining in the fight.
"Teddy, go back to the entrance, get one of the guns, and be sure that
no one comes through, for we are likely to make so much noise here that
if any of the enemy are in the vicinity we shall be discovered. Jake,
you are to hold the torch, and take good care that it burns brightly."
Cummings was armed with nothing but his hunting knife and by this time
the alligator had dragged fully half of Neal's body into the water.
There seemed to be but little hope that the boy could be rescued before
serious injury had been inflicted.
Pulling off his coat and belt Cummings leaped boldly on the back of the
saurian monster, burying the blade of his knife in the alligator's eye
at the same time, and then ensued a most terrific struggle.
Instead of releasing his hold on Neal the reptile held firm, and put
forth every effort to sink in the deeper water to dislodge the more
formidable antagonist who was striking beneath the surface with his
weapon in the hope of hitting some vulnerable spot.
Jake stood on the bank holding the torch high above his head to prevent
it from being extinguished by the showers which were sent up by the
lashing of the monster's tail, and powerless to aid in the fight for
life.
Slowly but surely Neal was being pulled from the shore. With only the
sand to clutch he could retard, not check the saurian's movements, and
work as he might, it seemed impossible for Cummings to strike a fatal
blow.
"Drop your torch and seize the boy by the arms," the latter shouted as
he saw that the battle was going against him. "At this rate I shall soon
be where it will be out of the question to prolong the struggle."
Jake did as he was commanded, and in the darkness the remainder of the
terrible fight was waged.
The engineer pulled until to Neal it seemed as if his arms would be torn
from their sockets, and the alligator retained his hold as he struggled
to throw off Cummings.
The noise of the combat sounded almost deafening to Teddy, who was doing
his best to listen for any unusual disturbance among the foliage
outside, and he felt confident that if the enemy was anywhere in the
vicinity the secret of their hiding place would soon be discovered.
The struggle lasted only five minutes; but Neal would have said an hour
had passed since he was first seized, and then Cummings won the victory
by slipping from the alligator's back regardless of the rapidly moving
tail, and stabbing him under the fore leg.
Even then it appeared as if the victory was to be purchased at a great
cost, for, in order to avoid being killed by the monster's dying
struggles, Cummings was forced to release his hold, and the current
carried him rapidly toward the channel formed by the waters through the
rock.
"Light the torch!" he shouted, putting forth all his strength in order
to breast the tide. "I'm in the middle of the stream, and likely to be
carried through the wall."
Jake had pulled Neal high up out of the water the instant the
alligator's hold was released, and at this appeal he dropped him
suddenly, groping around for the bundle of wood so hurriedly cast aside.
It was several seconds before he could find it, and then much valuable
time was lost in trying to ignite the fuel made damp by the spray which
had been thrown up. It seemed to him that never had he been so clumsy,
and the anxiety to move quickly only served to retard his efforts.
Finally, after what to Teddy appeared to be a very long while, the fat
wood was ignited, and then it could be seen that Cummings was in a most
dangerous position. He was not more than six feet from the aperture
through which the water raced with redoubled force because the opening
was several inches lower than the surface, and swam as if nearly
exhausted.
Jake was the only one who could render any assistance just at this
moment, and he proved to be equal to the occasion.
Seizing one of the guns he waded into the water to his waist, and
succeeded in extending the weapon sufficiently for Cummings to grasp the
end of the barrel.
"Hold on for grim death; I've got to drop the torch!" he shouted,
suiting the action to the words, and Teddy could see no more because the
light was suddenly extinguished.
Now the sentinel forgot that the enemy might creep upon them and running
forward he cried:
"Don't give in, Jake; I'll help you."
Before he could reach the stream the work was accomplished. Jake pulled
Cummings on the bank by the side of Neal, and proceeded to relight the
torch, a difficult matter since the matches in his pocket had been
spoiled by the action of the water.
In this last work Teddy was able to render some assistance, and the
flame had but just sprung up from the wood when Cummings said hurriedly:
"Extinguish that light. If we haven't advertised our whereabouts to the
Indians already there is no reason for taking foolish risks. We'll
attend to matters here, Teddy, and you get back to the entrance."
This command was obeyed at once, and the sentinel heard only a faint
sound from the direction of the stream until his companions rejoined
him, none the worse for the battle except in the respect of being
decidedly wet.
"Have you heard anything suspicious?" Cummings asked anxiously.
"Not the slightest noise. If there had been any Indians in the vicinity
they would surely have made an attempt to enter when all hands was
raising such an uproar."
Cummings crept through the short tunnel and investigated in the
immediate vicinity of the opening before he could believe they had been
so fortunate, and when he returned Jake said:
"I thought you wouldn't find anything. If those imps had had the
slightest inkling of where we are it wouldn't have been necessary to
wait so long as this before the fact was made known."
"It was better to be sure. Poyor was so careful to caution us about a
noise that I was afraid he knew some of them were lurking near by. It is
all right, however, and we can congratulate ourselves on a fortunate
escape from more than one danger."
The weather was so warm that no one felt any serious effects from the
involuntary bath. A portion of the wet clothing was taken off and hung
on the guns set in the sand as stakes, to dry, and since their fears
regarding the proximity of the Indians had been partially set at rest by
Cummings' survey, there was a general disposition to talk of something
foreign to the struggle through which they had just passed.
"You have said very much about the poisoned arrows which the Chan Santa
Cruz Indians use," Neal began, "and I would like to know how they manage
to render them so deadly."
"It is by no means a difficult matter, and as Poyor's people use very
nearly the same method of increasing the death-dealing power of their
weapons, I can describe the process exactly," Cummings replied, speaking
in a whisper, regardless of the Indian's remark that "he who talks
cannot listen." "You have heard me say many times that the nahuyaca is
the most venomous of serpents, and instead of being content with a
single bite, as is the case with snakes in general, he strikes many
times with almost incredible rapidity. When the Indians wish to prepare
the poison for their arrows or spears they first get the liver of a
tapir, or some other animal as large, and then hunt for the species of
serpent I have spoken of. Once found he is pinned to the ground with a
forked stick in such a manner that he can use his head freely; but yet
be unable to escape, and the liver, fastened to a long pole, is held
where he can strike at it.
"When the snake refuses longer to bite he is killed, and the liver
placed where it will decompose without any of the moisture being lost.
You can imagine what a mixture it is when thus prepared, and in it the
weapons are dipped.
"It is said that the venom retains its deadly properties for many weeks,
and, in fact, I know of a native who came very near losing his life by
being scratched with an old arrow that must have been poisoned nearly a
year previous."
"I should think they might make a mistake when shooting game, and use a
doctored arrow rather than one of the ordinary kind," Teddy said.
"That could only result from sheer carelessness. The point of a poisoned
weapon is covered with a reddish brown substance which cannot be
mistaken, and, for greater security, the feathers used for the tip are
invariably green. A Central American Indian never takes a green shafted
arrow, nor a spear on which is painted a band of the same color, when he
goes out to procure food."
"Then if we happen to meet these fellows who are hunting for us, we are
likely to come out second best even though they have only bows with
which to shoot," Jake suggested grimly, and, evading a direct answer,
Cummings replied:
"We will hope that we shan't get near enough to let any such thing as
that trouble us."
Then the conversation gradually ceased. Neal and Teddy, after learning
that Cummings intended to remain on watch until Poyor returned, lay down
together, where for at least the hundredth time they discussed the
chances of reaching home within a reasonable number of days, and,
hopeful though both tried to appear, neither could bring himself to set
any definite day for the end of the dangerous journey which might never
be finished.
"There is so much certain," Neal said decidedly after a short pause,
"once we get out of this section of the country we'll go to the nearest
sea-port and wait there for a steamer or a vessel, without ever setting
our feet outside the town. There'll be no more delays if we get clear of
this scrape."
"You can count me in on that, and now I'm going to sleep. It seems as if
a week had passed since we started from the last cavern."
Jake had already taken advantage of the opportunity to indulge in
slumber, and soon Cummings was the only one on the alert; anxiety kept
his eyes very wide open, for he believed Poyor should have returned some
time before.