upon his sister's face, was half inclined to rush down the tree, and
give battle to the jararaca; and Tipperary Tom--whose general hostility
to snakes and reptiles had a national and hereditary origin--purposed
doing something to avert the paroquet's fast-approaching fate.
Trevannion, however, was too prudent to permit any interference, while
the negro appeared only anxious that the magic spectacle should reach
its termination. It was not cruelty on his part. Mozey had his
motives, which were soon after revealed, proving that the brain of the
African is at times capable of conception equal, if not superior, to his
boasted Caucasian brother. There was no interruption. The end was not
far off. By slow degrees, the bird appeared to grow exhausted, until
its wings could no longer sustain it. Then, as if paralysed by a final
despair, it pitched itself right into the mouth of the reptile, whose
jaws had been suddenly extended to receive it! There was a slight
flutter of the wings, a tremulous motion of the body, and the
self-immolated creature appeared to be dead. The serpent, half
uncoiling itself, turned its head towards the tree, and, once more
opening its jaws, permitted the now lifeless paroquet to escape from
their clasp, and drop quietly into the crotch formed by the forking of
the stem.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE LLIANA UNLOOSED.
The spectators of this little tragedy of animal life had hitherto
prudently refrained from taking part in it. Curiosity now exerted an
equal effect in preventing their interference; and without speech or
motion they sat on their respective perches to observe the _finale_ of
the drama, which evidently had not ended with the death of the paroquet.
That was but the beginning of the end, for the prey was yet to be
devoured. Though provided with a double row of teeth, it is well-known
that animals of the reptile kind do not masticate their food. These
teeth, set trenchantly, as is commonly the case, are intended only to
capture the living prey, which enters the stomach afterwards by a
process termed deglutition. At the spectacle of just such a process,
with all its preliminary preparations, were the group in the sapucaya
now to be present,--the principal performer being apparently unconscious
of, or at all events unconcerned at, their presence.
Having deposited the dead bird in the fork of the tree, the serpent
changed its coiled attitude into one that would give it a chance of
filling its belly with less inconvenience. There was not room for it to
extend itself fully; and, in default of this, the tail was allowed to
drop down along the stem of the tree, at least two thirds of the body
remaining in a horizontal position. Having arranged itself apparently
to its satisfaction, it now directed its attention to the paroquet.
Once more taking the dead bird between its teeth, it turned it over and
over until the head lay opposite to its own, the body aligned in a
longitudinal direction. The jaws of the snake were now widely extended,
while the tongue, loaded with saliva, was protruded and retracted with
great rapidity. The serpent continued this licking process until the
short feathers covering the head of the bird, as also its neck and
shoulders, seemed to be saturated with a substance resembling soap or
starch. When a sufficient coating had been laid on to satisfy the
instincts of the serpent, the creature once more opened its jaws, and,
making a sudden gulp, took in the head of the paroquet, with the neck
and shoulders. For a time no further action was perceptible. Yet a
movement was going on: and it was to assure himself of this that the
Mozambique was so attentive.
We have said that he had a motive for permitting the pet to be
sacrificed, which was now on the eve of being revealed to his
companions. They all saw that there was something upon his mind, and
eagerly anticipated the revelation. Just as the jararaca had succeeded
in bolting the anterior portion of the paroquet,--that is, the head,
neck, and shoulders,--Mozey rose from his seat, stole towards the stem
of the tree, and let himself down toward the fork, without saying a
word. His purpose, however, was manifest the moment after, for he
stretched out his right hand, clutched the jararaca around the small of
the neck, and flung the serpent--no longer capable of defending itself--
far out into the waters of the Gapo! The monster, with its feathered
morsel still in its mouth, sank instantly, to be seen no more; so
thought Mozey and his associates in the sapucaya.
But, as the event proved, they had hastened to an erroneous conclusion.
Scarce had their triumphant cheer echoed across the silent bosom of the
Gapo, when the paroquet was observed floating upon the water; and the
snake, having ejected the half-swallowed pill, was once more upon the
surface, swimming with sinuous but brisk rendings of its body in rapid
return to the tree. The situation seemed more alarming than ever. The
fiend himself could hardly have shown a more implacable determination.
To all appearance the jararaca was now returning to take revenge for the
insult and disappointment to which it had been subjected. Mozey, losing
confidence in his own cunning, retreated up the tree. He perceived, now
that it was too late, the imprudence of which he had been guilty. He
should have permitted the snake to proceed a step further in the process
of deglutition, until the disgorging of the paroquet, against the grain
of its feathers, should have become impossible. He had been too hasty,
and must now answer the consequences. Sure enough, the serpent returned
to the sapucaya and commenced reascending, availing itself of the
lliana, by which all of its enemies had effected their ascent. In a few
seconds it had mounted into the fork, and, still adhering to the
parasite, was continuing its upward way.
"O heavens!" ejaculated Trevannion, "one of us must become the prey of
this pitiless monster! What can be done to destroy it?"
"Dar's a chance yet, Mass'r," cried Mozey, who had suddenly conceived a
splendid thought. "Dar's a chance yet. All ob you lay hold on de
creepin' vine, an' pull um out from de tree. We chuck de varmint back
into the water. Now den,--all togedder! Pull like good uns!"
As the negro spoke, he seized the lliana, by which the serpent was
making its spiral ascent, and put out all his strength to detach it from
the trunk of the sapucaya. The others instantly understood his design,
and grasping the parasite, with a simultaneous effort tried to tear it
off. A quick jerk broke the lliana loose; and the jararaca, shaken from
its hold, was sent whirling and writhing through the air, till it fell
with a plunging noise upon the water below. Once more a triumphant
cheer went up through the sapucaya branches, once more to be stifled ere
it had received the answer of its own echoes; for the jararaca was again
seen upon the surface, as before, determinedly approaching the tree.
It was a sight for despair. There was something supernatural in the
behaviour of the snake. It was a monster not to be conquered by human
strength, nor circumvented by human cunning. Was there any use in
continuing the attempt to subdue it? Mozey, a fatalist, felt half
disposed to submit to a destiny that could not be averted; and even
Tipperary Tom began to despair of the power of his prayers to Saint
Patrick. The ex-miner, however, as well acquainted with the
subterraneous regions as with upper earth, had no superstition to hinder
him from action, and, instead of desponding he at once adopted the
proper course. Catching hold of the creeper, that had already been
loosened from the trunk, and calling upon the others to assist him, he
tore the creeper entirely from the tree, flinging its severed stem far
out upon the water. In a moment after, the snake came up, intending to
climb into the sapucaya, as no doubt it had often done before. We
wonder what were its feelings on finding that the ladder had been
removed, and that an ascent of the smooth trunk of the sapucaya was no
longer possible, even to a tree snake! After swimming round and round,
and trying a variety of places, the discomfited jararaca turned away in
apparent disgust; and, launching out on the bosom of the Gapo, swam off
in the direction of the thicket,--on the identical track that had been
taken by Richard and the Mundurucu.
CHAPTER NINETEEN.
SERPENT FASCINATION.
It was some time before Trevannion and his companions in misfortune
could recover from the excitement and awe of their adventure. They
began to believe that the strange tales told them of the Gapo and its
denizens had more than a substratum of truth; for the protracted and
implacable hostility shown by the snake, and its mysterious power over
the bird, seemed surely supernatural. Trevannion reflected on the
singular behaviour of the jararaca. That a reptile of such contemptible
dimensions should exhibit so much cunning and courage as to return to
the attack after being repeatedly foiled, and by an enemy so far its
superior in strength and numbers, together with its hideous aspect,
could not fail to impress him with a feeling akin to horror, in which
all those around him shared. The very monkeys and birds must have felt
it; for when in the presence of snakes, they had never before exhibited
such trepidation and excitement. Long after the serpent had been
pitched for the second time into the water, the coaita kept up its
terrified gibbering, the macaw screamed, and the tiny ouistiti,
returning to Rosa's protection,--no longer to be shared with its late
rival,--sat trembling in her lap, as if the dreaded reptile were still
within dangerous proximity.
This feeling was but temporary, however. Trevannion was a man of strong
intellect, trained and cultivated by experience and education; and after
a rational review of the circumstances, he became convinced that there
was nothing very extraordinary, certainly nothing supernatural, in what
transpired. The jararaca--as he had heard, and as everybody living on
the Amazon knew--was one of the most venomous of serpents, if not the
most venomous of all. Even the birds and beasts were acquainted with
this common fact, and dreaded the reptile accordingly, not from mere
_instinct_, but from actual knowledge possessed and communicated in some
mysterious way to one another. This would account for the wild terror
just exhibited, which in the case of the paroquet had come to a fatal
end. There was a mystery about this for which Trevannion could not
account. The power which the serpent appeared to have obtained over the
bird, controlling its movements without any apparent action of its own,
was beyond comprehension. Whether or not it be entitled to the name
given it,--_fascination_, certainly it is a fact,--one that has been
repeatedly observed, and to which not only birds, but quadrupeds, have
been the victims; and not only by ordinary observers, but by men skilled
in the knowledge of nature, who have been equally at a loss to account
for it by natural causes. But this link in the chain of incidents,
though mysterious, was not new nor peculiar to this situation. It had
been known to occur in all countries and climes, and so soon ceased to
excite any weird influence on the mind of Trevannion.
For the other circumstances that had occurred there was an explanation
still more natural. The jararaca, peculiarly an inhabitant of the Gapo
lands, had simply been sunning itself upon the sapucaya. It may have
been prowling about in the water when overtaken by the tornado; and, not
wishing to be carried away from its haunt, had sought a temporary
shelter in the tree, to which an unlucky chance had guided the galatea.
Its descent was due to the behaviour of the birds, which, after having
for a time tantalised it,--provoking its spite, and in all likelihood
its hungry appetite,--had temporarily suspended their attack, returning
down the tree with Ralph and the negro. It was in pursuit of them,
therefore, it had forsaken its original perch. The commotion caused by
its descent, but more especially the ducking it had received, and the
presence of the two human forms in the water below, had induced it to
halt in the forking of the tree, where shortly after its natural prey
again presented itself,--ending in an episode that was to it an ordinary
occurrence. The choking it had received in the hands of the negro, and
its unexpected immersion, had caused the involuntary rejection of the
half-swallowed morsel. In the opaque water it had lost sight of the
bird, and was returning to the sapucaya either in search of its food, or
to reoccupy its resting-place.
It is well-known that the jararaca has no fear of man, but will attack
him whenever he intrudes upon its domain. The Indians assert that it
will even go out of its way for this purpose, unlike the rattlesnake and
other venomous reptiles, which rarely exert their dangerous power except
in self-defence. So this jararaca reascended the sapucaya undismayed by
the human enemies it saw there, one or more of whom might have become
its victims but for the timely removal of the lliana ladder.
On this review of facts and fancies, the equanimity of our adventurers
was nearly restored. At all events, they were relieved from the
horrible thoughts of the supernatural, that for a time held ascendancy
over them. Their hunger and thirst again manifested themselves, though
little Rosa and her preserver no longer suffered from the last. In
their short excursion both had been repeatedly under water, and had
swallowed enough to last them for that day at least. Yet they were in
want of food, and Ralph once more climbed the tree to obtain it. He
soon possessed himself of half a dozen of the huge nut capsules, which
were tossed into the hands of those below, and, water being drawn up in
one of the emptied shells, a meal was made, which if not hearty, was
satisfactory. The group could do no more than await the return of their
absent companions; and with eyes fixed intently and anxiously upon the
dark water, and beneath the close-growing trees, they watched for the
first ripple that might betoken their coming.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
THE WATER ARCADE.
We must leave for a time the castaways in the tree-top, and follow the
fortunes of the two swimmers on their exploring expedition.
On reaching the edge of the submerged forest, their first thought was to
clutch the nearest branch, and rest themselves by clinging to it. They
were no longer in doubt as to the character of the scene that surrounded
them, for their experience enabled them to comprehend it.
"The Gapo!" muttered Munday, as they glided in under the shadows. "No
dry land here, young master," he added, clutching hold of a lliana. "We
may as well look out for a roost, and rest ourselves. It's full ten
fathoms deep. The Mundurucu can tell that by the sort of trees rising
over it."
"I didn't expect anything else," rejoined young Trevannion, imitating
his companion by taking hold of a branch and climbing up. "My only hope
is that we may find some float timber to ferry the others across. Not
that there's much in it if we do. How we're to find our way out of this
mess is more than either you or I can tell."
"The Mundurucu never despairs,--not even in the middle of the Gapo," was
the Indian's proud reply.
"You have hope, then? You think we shall find timber enough for a raft
to carry us clear of the inundation."
"No!" answered the Indian. "We have got too far from the channel of the
big river. We shall see no floating trees here,--nothing to make a raft
that would carry us."
"Why then did we come here, if not for the purpose of finding dead
timber for that object?"
"Dead timber? No! If that was our errand, we might go back as we've
come,--empty-handed. We shall float all the people over here without
that. Follow me, young master. We must go farther into the Gapo. Let
old Munday show you how to construct a raft without trees, only making
use of their fruit."
"Lead on!" cried the Paraense. "I'm ready to assist you; though I
haven't the slightest conception of what you mean to do."
"You shall see presently, young master," rejoined Munday, once more
spreading himself to swim. "Come on! follow me! If I'm not mistaken,
we'll soon find the materials for a raft,--or something that will answer
as well for the present. Come along, there! Come!"--and he launched
himself into the water.
Trevannion followed his example, and, once more consigning himself to
the flood, he swam on in the Indian's wake. Through aisles dimmed with
a twilight like that of approaching night, along arcades covered with
foliage so luxuriant as to be scarce penetrable by the rays of a tropic
sun, the two swimmers, the Indian ever in advance, held their way.
To Richard Trevannion the Mundurucu was comparatively a stranger, known
only as a _tapuyo_ employed by his uncle in the management of the
galatea. He knew the tribe by rumours even more than sinister. They
were reputed in Para to be the most bloodthirsty of savages, who took
delight not only in the destruction of their enemies, but in keeping up
a ghastly souvenir of hostility by preserving their heads. In the
company of a Mundurucu, especially in such a place,--swimming under the
sombre shadows of a submerged forest,--it can scarce be wondered at that
the youth felt suspicion, if not actual fear. But Richard Trevannion
was a boy of bold heart, and bravely awaited the _denouement_ of the
dismal journey.
Their swim terminated at length, and the Indian, pointing to a tree,
cried out: "Yonder--yonder is the very thing of which I was in search.
Hoo-hoo! Covered with sipos too,--another thing we stand in need of,--
cord and pitch both growing together. The Great Spirit is kind to us,
young master."
"What is it?" demanded Richard. "I see a great tree, loaded with
climbers as you say. But what of that? It is green, and growing. The
wood is full of sap, and would scarce float itself; you can't construct
a raft out of that. The sipos might serve well enough for rope; but the
timber won't do, even if we had an axe to cut it down."
"The Mundurucu needs no axe, nor yet timber to construct his raft. All
he wants here is the sap of that tree, and some of the sipos clinging to
its branches. The timber we shall find on the sapucaya, after we go
back. Look at the tree, young master! Do you not know it?"
The Paraense, thus appealed to, turned his eyes toward the tree, and
scanned it more carefully. Festooned by many kinds of climbing plants,
it was not so easy to distinguish its foliage from that of the parasites
it upheld; enough of the leaves, however, appeared conspicuous to enable
him to recognise the tree as one of the best known and most valuable to
the inhabitants, not only of his native Para, but of all the Amazonian
region, "Certainly," he replied, "I see what sort of tree it is. It's
the _Seringa_,--the tree from which they obtain caoutchouc. But what do
you want with that? You can't make a raft out of India-rubber, can
you?"
"You shall see, young master; you shall see!"
During this conversation the Mundurucu had mounted among the branches of
the seringa, calling upon his companion to come after him, who hastily
responded to the call.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
THE SYRINGE-TREE.
The tree into whose top the swimmers had ascended was, as Richard had
rightly stated, that from which the caoutchouc, or India-rubber, is
obtained. It was the _Siphonia elastica_, of the order _Euphorbiaceae_,
of the Amazonian valley. Not that the _Siphonia_ is the only tree which
produces the world-renowned substance, which has of late years effected
almost a revolution in many arts, manufactures, and domestic economies
of civilised life. There are numerous other trees, both in the Old and
New World, most of them belonging to the famed family of the figs, which
in some degree afford the caoutchouc of commerce. Of all, however, that
yielded by the _Siphonia elastica_ is the best, and commands the highest
price among dealers. The young Paraense called it _Seringa_, and this
is the name he had been accustomed to hear given to it. _Seringa_ is
simply the Portuguese for syringe, and the name has attached itself to
the tree, because the use which the aborigines were first observed to
make of the elastic tubes of the caoutchouc was that of squirts or
syringes, the idea being suggested by their noticing the natural tubes
formed by the sap around twigs, when flowing spontaneously from the
tree. For syringes it is employed extensively to this day by Brazilians
of all classes, who construct them by moulding the sap, while in its
fluid state, into pear-shaped bottles, and inserting a piece of cane in
the long neck.
The caoutchouc is collected in the simplest way, which affords a regular
business to many Amazonians, chiefly native Indians, who dispose of it
to the Portuguese or Brazilian traders. The time is in August, when the
subsidence of the annual inundation permits approach to the trees; for
the _Seringa_ is one of those species that prefer the low flooded lands,
though it is not altogether peculiar to the Gapo. It grows throughout
the whole region of the Amazon, wherever the soil is alluvial and
marshy. The India-rubber harvest, if we may use the term, continues
throughout the dry months, during which time very large quantities of
the sap are collected, and carried over to the export market of Para. A
number of trees growing within a prescribed circle are allotted to each
individual, whose business it is--man, woman, or boy--to attend to the
assigned set of trees; and this is the routine of their day's duty.
In the evening the trees are tapped; that is, a gash or incision is made
in the bark,--each evening in a fresh place,--and under each is
carefully placed a little clay cup, or else the shell of an
_Ampullasia_, to catch the milky sap that oozes from the wound. After
sunrise in the morning, the "milkers" again revisit the scene of
operations, and empty all the cups into a large vessel, which is carried
to one common receptacle. By this time the sap, which is still of a
white colour, is of the consistency of cream, and ready for moulding.
The collectors have already provided themselves with moulds of many
kinds, according to the shape they wish the caoutchouc to assume, such
as shoes, round balls, bottles with long necks, and the like. These are
dipped into the liquid, a thin stratum of which adheres to them, to be
made thicker by repeated immersions, until the proper dimensions are
obtained. After the last coat has been laid on, lines and ornamental
tracings are made upon the surface, while still in a soft state; and a
rich brown colour is obtained by passing the articles repeatedly through
a thick black smoke, given out by a fire of palm-wood,--several species
of these trees being specially employed for this purpose. As the moulds
are usually solid substances, and the shoes, balls, and bottles are cast
_on_, and not _in_ them, it may be wondered how the latter can be taken
off, or the former got out. King George would have been as badly
puzzled about this, as he was in regard to the apples in the pudding.
The idea of the Amazonian aboriginal, though far more ingenious, is
equally easy of explanation. His bottle-moulds are no better than balls
of dried mud, or clay; and so too, the lasts upon which he fashions the
India-rubber shoes. Half an hour's immersion in water is sufficient to
restore them to their original condition of soft mud; when a little
scraping and washing completes the manufacture, and leaves the commodity
in readiness for the merchant and the market.
The _Seringa_ is not a tree of very distinguished appearance, and but
for its valuable sap might be passed in a forest of Amazonia, where so
many magnificent trees meet the eye, without eliciting a remark. Both
in the colour of its bark and the outline of its leaves it bears a
considerable resemblance to the European ash,--only that it grows to a
far greater size, and with a stem that is branchless, often to the
height of thirty or forty feet above the ground. The trunk of that on
which the Mundurucu and his companion had climbed was under water to
that depth, else they could not so easily have ascended. It was growing
in its favourite situation,--the Gapo,--its top festooned, as we have
said, with scores of parasitical plants, of many different species,
forming a complete labyrinth of limbs, leaves, fruits, and flowers.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
A BATTLE WITH BIRDS.
Scarce had the Paraense succeeded in establishing himself on the tree,
when an exclamation from his companion, higher up among the branches,
caused him to look aloft. "Hoo-hoo!" was the cry that came from the
lips of the Mundurucu, in a tone of gratification.
"What is it, Munday?"
"Something good to eat, master?"