“I wish I’d gone along with them,” muttered Raynor to himself as he
slipped on his socks and boots so as to be ready instantly in case of
alarm. “I don’t like the look of this thing at all.”
For some minutes he sat there listening intently. But no sound came from
outside.
“I guess I’ll just join them anyhow,” he resolved to himself, getting on
his feet. “This waiting is too nerve-racking. I’ll——”
The boy halted where he stood. A loud shout from the jungle reached his
ears.
“Something has happened!” cried the boy.
He reached for his pistol, and hastily buckling it on, he was about to
rush out of the hostelry when a wild figure appeared.
“Help! There’s murther goin’ on. Help!”
It was Muldoon, fleeing before three of Broom’s followers. But as the
pursuers came in sight of the hotel they halted. The next moment they
were in active retreat.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” gasped Raynor.
“Those spalpeens out yonder. They’ve captured Misther Jukes and Jack
Riddy.”
“We must rouse the others at once and go in pursuit,” decided Billy.
He hurried off to awaken Captain Sparhawk, while Muldoon aroused Salloo,
who in turn, soon had his native followers astir. It did not take
Captain Sparhawk much longer to get into his clothes when he heard
Billy’s alarming news than it did for the natives, who were not
embarrassed by garments, to adjust what few they did wear.
It was well they had hastened, for the rascally landlord of the place
had, by this time, aroused all the half-castes in the place and as,
headed by Captain Sparhawk, they set off into the jungle, there was a
scattering firing of shots behind them. Nobody was hurt, however, and
they hastened forward to the place where Muldoon told them the capture
had taken place.
Salloo was consulted and he made a careful examination of the
surroundings. It was considered quite safe to make this halt, as the
tumult behind them had died out and was probably only incited by the
hotel owner in order to get them out of the village.
“Must wait till light come,” decided Salloo at last, “no can make out
trail in dark.”
It seemed a whole eternity till dawn, but at last it grew light and the
Malay darted hither and thither in the vicinity. At last he announced to
Captain Sparhawk that he thought he knew, from the direction the trail
took, the place to which the prisoners had been conveyed.
“Me think they take um to old fort on river,” he declared.
“Then let us go there at once,” said Captain Sparhawk eagerly. “Is it
far?”
“No velly far through jungle. But Salloo no know trail. Velly bad swamp
in there and if no know trail get in tlubble plenty quick.”
“Then we can’t reach them,” said Billy with a groan.
“Salloo know other way,” was the reply, “we go round by ribber. Then
climbee cliff, find fort at top.”
“Then let’s start at once,” said Captain Sparhawk. “I don’t want to lose
a second of time.”
“No, begorry, those spalpeens may have taken them further on by the time
we git there if we don’t put a good foot forward,” said Muldoon.
Salloo glanced up at the sky. A light, fleecy haze overspread it.
“Nuther reason we hully,” he said. “Salloo think big storm come
to-mollow. Rain washee out the tlacks.”
They set off along a narrow track that Salloo said would bring them to
the river, whose course they must follow to the deserted fort. The
jungle contained every kind of tropical growth, and huge ferns as big as
trees waved over the path. But the atmosphere was close and feverish,
with a humid heat that was very tiring. At times they encountered vines
which had grown across the trail and had to be cut. Some of these were
thin and wiry and could cut like a knife; others were as thick as a
man’s arm and bore brilliant, though poisonous-looking blossoms of every
color.
“Bad traveling,” remarked Captain Sparhawk, “still I suppose we must
expect that on a seldomly frequented trail.”
“Him get velly bad further on,” was all the comfort Salloo could offer,
“but not velly far to ribber once we strike udder trail.”
Before long they came to the track he had referred to which branched off
at right angles to the one along which they had been traveling.
Several miles were covered, however, when it became time to halt for
lunch. They made a hasty meal of canned goods instead of stopping to
light fires, as Salloo thought it would be inadvisable to advertise
their whereabouts by smoke columns in case the “enemy” had scouts out.
They had hardly resumed their wearisome journey when they were startled
by hearing a cry from a distance. Salloo came to an instant halt.
“Keep out ob sight, all of you,” he said, “Salloo go see what makee
noise.”
He glided off into the dense vegetation with the silent, undulatory
movements of a snake.
“Begorry, I wonder what that critter was?” said Muldoon in a low voice.
“I don’t know. I only hope it wasn’t a band of natives who might prove
unfriendly,” muttered Billy.
“Well, so far we have had more trouble with white men than with
natives,” said Captain Sparhawk, a remark of which they all felt the
truth.
“It might have been monkeys chattering,” suggested Raynor, after a
pause, during which they all listened for some sign of Salloo.
“And spaking of the divil,” exclaimed Muldoon, “look, there’s a monkey
looking at us now. See those two black oys back in the threes?”
He pointed with his forefinger and they all gazed in that direction. It
was Billy who first discovered the nature of Muldoon’s monkey.
“That’s not a monkey. It’s a big snake! Look out for yourselves!” he
yelled.
“A python!” cried Captain Sparhawk.
He started back and the others did the same. But Muldoon tripped over a
bow and fell sprawling headlong. As he scrambled to his feet a serpent’s
form appeared above him as it swung from a big tree. The next instant
there was a cry of horror from them all.
The serpent had made a sudden lunge and a cry broke from Muldoon as,
before he could make a move to help himself, he was enwrapped in the
spiral folds of the great python.
Captain Sparhawk seized his revolver from his belt and leveled the
weapon. But the next moment he lowered it. To have fired would have been
to imperil Muldoon’s life, and there might still be a chance of saving
him.
The monstrous reptile that had the unfortunate boatswain in its grip was
large, even judged by the standards of the immense pythons of the New
Guinea and Borneo forests. It must have been fully thirty-five feet
long.
Billy could not endure the sight and put his hands in front of his eyes.
When he removed them it was to behold a stirring sight.