A NOCTURNAL VISITOR.--THE FALL OF A TREE.--A
FEARFUL NIGHT.--THE MONKEYS.--MASTER JOB.--ALL
RIGHT AT LAST.
After looking at us for a moment, the animal crept cunningly round us,
alternately appearing and disappearing behind the trees. I hastened to
make up the fire, and then sat down near Lucien, who, gun in hand, was
bravely watching the enemy.
"Whatever you do, don't fire," I said.
"If I did, would the animal spring upon us?"
"He would far more likely retreat; but we shall want our ammunition
to-morrow."
For an hour the animal kept prowling round, every now and then bounding
off. At last it came and sat down about twenty paces from the fire, then
stretched itself on the ground and rolled about as if in play; but if we
made the slightest movement it immediately got up, and, laying back its
ears, showed its formidable teeth. Suddenly a noise as if of breaking
branches was heard, followed by reports like those of guns; then came a
horrible roar. Lucien, frightened, rushed into my arms.
"What!" said I to him; "don't you remember the noise made by the fall of
a tree?"
"Oh papa! I have heard nothing like it since the day of the
hurricane."
[Illustration: "We now came upon some creeping plants."]
"That is quite true; but it is an incident to which you will soon be
accustomed, for the first storm will probably overthrow many of these
formidable giants. The tiger is frightened too, for he has made off, you
see. Try and go to sleep, my dear boy, for to-morrow we may perhaps have
to walk a long way."
I leaned my head against that of the child, who soon dropped asleep. The
forest had resumed its majestic silence, which was only disturbed by the
distant fall of another and another colossus.
My anxiety was extreme, and though I knew our friends would range every
way in quest of us, we might so readily wander in opposite directions,
as we had no ammunition to signal with should they come near.
Towards morning, exhausted with fatigue, I fell asleep, and dreamt, in
my feverishness, that we were nearly at the end of our journey, and
close to Orizava, in sight of home. A slender thread of light announcing
the dawn of day awoke us, and we arose.
The clearness of day now broke upon us. For a quarter of an hour I kept
my ear to the earth, listening in the hopes of hearing some signal.
Again and again I cocked my gun with the intention of firing, and as
regularly I laid it down, when I reflected I might only be throwing away
my ammunition.
At length I took observations of the bearings of the ground, and
followed, as far as possible, our trail of the day before.
In this operation we fortunately came upon a pool of water, at which we
quenched our thirst; but though our hunger was excessive, and game
plentiful we dared not discharge at it a single shot.
We hastened forward, and came upon some creeping plants, indications
that we were approaching a glade. Some birds were singing in the
branches as we hurried on, but I had made up my mind to shoot the first
one large enough to make a meal for my brave little companion and self.
In spite of my efforts, I could not succeed in hiding my grave
presentiments; but my son's prattle, which was even gayer than usual,
quite justified the name of "Sunbeam" given him by Sumichrast.
"Don't be so serious," said he to me, suddenly; "you need not be
distressed about me. I have already guessed that we are lost; but I am
with you, and I am not a bit afraid but that we shall soon find our way
again."
The poor child had not the least suspicion of the danger. Every moment,
too, tears came into my eyes, and I felt my courage getting weaker; I
made a strong effort to dispel my thoughts, and vowed that I would
strive on with faith and energy to the last hour.
"L'Encuerado will be sure to find us," said Lucien, with such an air of
conviction that I could not help sharing his confidence.
"Yes," I answered; "Sumichrast and l'Encuerado will find us or die in
the attempt. It can not be possible--" I had not courage to finish my
sentence.
We commenced our march again with increased energy.
"Look out!" cried Lucien, suddenly; "it seems to me as if some one were
moving the branches close by."
[Illustration: "The monkey . . . slid down, and fell dead at our feet."]
"It is a monkey," said I; and off I went in pursuit of the animal,
which, leaping from branch to branch, seemed to set us at defiance.
Suddenly it uttered a guttural cry, and was answered by twenty more. I
hid behind a tree, and told Lucien to keep silent. Two or three times
the active creatures moved farther away, but at last they came so close
that I could fire safely. I never, I think, took more pains with my aim;
the gun went off, and the band scattered in every direction in a most
precipitous flight. The monkey I had aimed at seemed only wounded, when,
as I was going to fire a second time, it slid down and fell dead at our
feet; its young one, which we had not at first perceived, was sitting
upon a limb about ten feet from the ground, uttering low, and almost
inaudible, plaintive cries.
In a quarter of an hour the animal was skinned and hung in front of a
large fire. While I was superintending the cookery, the young one moaned
incessantly, and my companion tried every persuasion to coax it down.
Urged by Lucien, I ascended the tree, and tried to catch hold of the
motherless little creature. No doubt it was paralyzed by fear, for it
only showed its teeth, and allowed me to place it on my shoulder. It
clung to my hair and wound its tail round my neck, as I descended, and I
was in fear every moment of feeling one of my ears bitten. Nothing of
the sort happened, for the poor brute's teeth chattered with fear; I
placed it close to the fire, where it immediately resumed its
lamentations. Then, by means of a flexible creeper, I secured it round
the middle of the body and tied it to a bush.
When we had satisfied our appetite on the dark and tough monkey's flesh,
I proposed to Lucien a fresh start.
"Shall we take our little captive with us?" he asked.
"Yes, certainly. It will be a resource for our supper, in case we do not
fall in with our friends."
"Oh no," cried the boy; "let us at least put off killing it till
to-morrow."
I hastened my pace, carrying on my shoulder our new companion, whom we
at once dubbed "Master Job."
I examined more carefully than ever the ground and the bark of the
trees, seeking for any thing which might direct our course. With a
sickly feeling at my heart, I saw the sun approach the horizon. The
boy, quite broken down with fatigue, looked at me, with his eyes full of
tears. At last I halted, and the dear little fellow stretched himself
beside me and fell asleep.
While listening with ear and eye alike on the watch, I fancied I heard
the distant report of a gun. I jumped up--was it the fall of a tree? or
was it a signal from one of our companions? I seized my gun, but I
hesitated before expending my last cartridge but one. At length I
pressed the trigger, and I listened anxiously as the sound of my shot
died away, alas! without echo. Lucien did not move.
"Jump up! jump up!" I cried; for a dull barking moved the air. Suddenly
I fired my last barrel; then, with eyes shut, mouth open, and nostrils
dilated, I listened intently, almost forgetting to breathe.
Minutes--they seemed ages--elapsed without any thing more interrupting
the silence. Lucien looked at me with a scared face; I pressed my weapon
to me in despair at having expended my last charge, when a gunshot was
heard ringing out clear and close.
"It is l'Encuerado!" cried Lucien.
"Yes, my boy," I said, almost frantic.
"Reply to your friend!" I exclaimed; "one of the barrels of your gun is
still loaded."
Lucien fired, and was answered almost immediately.
"Call out, so as to guide them," said I to the boy; "for we have no more
powder left."
"Ohe, ohe, ohe!" called Lucien.
"Hiou, hiou, hiou!" replied a still distant voice.
At the same moment Gringalet rushed to us as swiftly as an arrow, and
jumped upon his young master. After having overwhelmed us with caresses,
the dog made off again, and ten minutes later the Indian made his
appearance, and, running to the boy, clasped him in his arms, and
rolled with him on the ground in the excess of his wild emotion. I, too,
heartily greeted Sumichrast, but was almost too affected to speak.
All my companion's efforts to discover our trail had been ineffectual;
and Gringalet himself, when put to the task, had hunted in vain round
the thickets. The fact was, they looked for us on the right, while we
had gone to the left; for Sumichrast could not bring his mind to the
idea that we had turned our backs to the stream.
L'Encuerado, after cooking, spread out on the spot his stock of
provisions, to which every one did justice. Master Job was lodged safely
under the shelter of a large branch, and deep sleep took possession of
the whole party.
[Illustration]
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