I said at the end of the last chapter that it was like being in the
nightmare of some horrible dream. I repeat that assertion; for as I
recall my sensations I see again the horrible swaying head playing
gently up and down, nearer and nearer, the sun glistening on the
burnished coils, while others were hidden, to have their presence
revealed by the quivering of twig and trembling of leaf, as they passed
fold over fold, the monstrous reptile playing, as it were, with its
victim, and approaching in a slow leisurely manner; but it was with the
sense that in an instant it could fling itself upon its prey with the
speed, force, and certainty of a well-cast lasso. It was the play of
the cat tribe with prey; for I knew the mighty strength and elasticity
of the coils--how they could dart, plunge, and then be rolled one upon
the other round a helpless body in a hideous knot--how the knot would
tighten till bones cracked and splintered, and the victim was reduced to
a shapeless mass, ready to receive the horrible saliva of the monster
previous to deglutition.
I could only stand with tottering knees, parted lips, staring eyes, and
painfully drawn breath, longing to engage in the unequal fight, or to,
at least, make some noise to divert the horrible beast; but my mouth and
throat were dry--I could not utter a sound. I was numbed in body, but
the mental anguish was fearful, for all activity seemed to have fled to
the seat of thought and in imagination I saw all that was to follow.
And all this time--a time whose duration seemed to me hours--Lilla did
not move. At first, while being drawn under the loathsome reptile's
fascination, she had gradually leaned towards it, till, fixed of eye,
she had stopped perfectly motionless, as inch after inch her intended
murderer approached.
I would gladly have closed my eyes, but I could not, any more than I
could afford help. And now, unwilling witness that I was, I saw that
the moment of extreme horror was approaching, for the serpent had drawn
its folds on to a portion of the branch free from foliage; the coils
were bent as if ready for a spring, the head was drawn back, the jaws
distended; and at last I gave utterance to a hoarse cry and sprang
forward, the spell that had held me was broken, and the next instant
Lilla was in my arms, just as I heard a rustle; then there was a rush,
and I was dashed violently to the ground.
But there were no coils round either of us, lashing us in a horrible
embrace--no fangs were fixed in my shoulder; but lashing, darting, and
whipping itself, as it were, in every direction, beating down tall grass
and bushy growth, its horrible eyes flashing with pain and rage, the
serpent was close at hand, while the next instant its coils were wrapt
round a large jaguar, whose teeth and claws were fixed in the thickest
part of the reptile, the creature holding on with all its might, at the
same time that, cat-like in its every act, it tore and ripped away at
its enemy's body with the great talons of its hinder paws.
There was a fierce, savage, worrying growl, the snapping and rustling of
tree and shrub, the lashing about of the serpent's body, as, now coiled
round its assailant, now forced by agony to unwind, the two terrors of
the South American forest continued their struggle. Now they were
half-hidden by the undergrowth, whose disturbance only showed the
changes in the savage warfare; now they struggled into sight, and it was
very evident that the serpent was being worsted in the encounter, the
jaguar having in the first strokes of its powerfully-armed hind paws
inflicted terrible wounds, which incapacitated the reptile from using
its potent weapon--the crushing power of its folds.
For a few minutes I could hardly believe in our escape from so horrible
a peril; but, so far, we were undoubtedly safe, the tide of war now
beginning, indeed, to roll away, it being evident that the jaguar was
thoroughly worsting its enemy. At last I saw the huge tail of the
serpent rise above the long grass, to vibrate and quiver in the air,
twisting as if the horrible beast were in extreme agony; then it
disappeared, and I prepared to try and bear Lilla away, for it was plain
that the long-continued struggle was bringing the combatants back
towards where we crouched.
But they only came near enough for me to catch, amidst the rapid
evolutions, two or three glimpses of the jaguar's glistening, spotted
coat, as he clung, still apparently unharmed, to his long lithe
adversary, whose head was darting here, there, everywhere, in search of
an avenue for escape. Then, again, came a series of writhing
contortions, as the serpent twined itself in its agony round the
quadruped; and over and over, with the foliage crackling and snapping,
they rolled, but ever now farther and farther away, till it was with a
feeling of extreme thankfulness that I knelt there, holding the fainting
girl in my arms, gazing eagerly in her pale face, and thinking of the
fearful fate she had escaped.
Her eyes unclosed the next moment, to gaze in mine with a wild horrified
aspect, till, awaking fully to the fact that she was saved, she flung
her arms tightly round my neck, clinging to me, and then buried her
face, sobbing vehemently, in my bosom.
Lilla had just raised her blushing face to mine, as she tried now,
feebly, to free herself from my protecting arms; and then I started
angrily up, for from close behind came the words:
"Say, Mas'r Harry, is that there the custom of the country?"
"You impertinent dog, how dare you?" I exclaimed angrily. "What do you
mean by spying there, and then asking such a question?"
"Only wanted to know, Mas'r Harry; because if it is the custom it's all
right; if it ain't the custom it's all wrong, and Master Landell and the
Don, who are close behind, might think it queer."
"We've just had a narrow escape from a most horrible death, Tom," I
exclaimed hastily. "Thank you for your warning."
The next moment voices were audible. There was the rustling of the
foliage, and as Lilla stood pale and leaning heavily upon my arm, my
uncle and Garcia came hastily into sight.