Though we could not see him, guided by his voice we made our way to the
hut. Antonio had already got in and thrown himself on the ground, but
Uncle Richard roused him up, and compelled him to assist in lighting the
fire. We soon had a genial blaze, at which we warmed our chilled limbs.
I saw Lion looking up in my face, as much as to say, "Master, that was
a foolish thing you did just now; in another minute you would have been
dead, had I not kept some warmth in you with my body." I patted his
head, and he wagged his tail, and smiled as dogs can smile when pleased.
In spite of the blazing fire we kept up all night, we felt the cold
greatly. Indeed, I had never felt so chilled in all my life; it seemed
to pierce to the very marrow. Lion lay down close to the fire, and
almost singed his hair, showing that he too was suffering from the cold.
Fearing that the fire might go out, Uncle Richard insisted that one of
us should remain awake; and he himself undertook to keep the first
watch. We first took our supper, but I fell asleep with a piece of food
in my mouth. The training Uncle Richard had had at sea enabled him to
keep awake, although I dare say he was as sleepy as any of us.
He at last aroused me, and charged me not to let the fire get low. "I
can trust you better than I can Antonio or the guide," he observed.
"However strong may be your impulse to sleep, do not yield to it, as our
lives may depend on the fire being kept up."
I promised to keep a faithful watch, and, rising to my feet, began to
walk about. In a moment more Uncle Richard was fast asleep. So strong
was the desire I felt to lie down and close my eyes, that I was afraid
of stopping, and kept pacing up and down the hut, rubbing my hands
together, and every now and then putting on an additional stick, or
scraping up the ashes. The time passed slowly by; the wind moaned amid
the bleak crags which overtopped the hut, and I fancied I heard the
cries of wild beasts. The sleepers, overcome with fatigue, did not even
move, and as I gazed at them they looked as if stretched out in death.
Every now and then, however, Lion lifted up his head, as if to see that
all was right; and just as my watch was over, and I was about to call
Antonio, he got up and stretched himself. "Now, Lion, if Antonio drops
asleep, remember to call me or Uncle Richard. I will trust you, good
dog. You understand?" Lion wagged his tail, and gave a low bark; and I
felt confident that he would do as I had ordered him.
I then called Antonio, and gave him the same instructions and warning
which Uncle Richard had given me.
"Do not fear, senor," he answered--giving, however, an ominous yawn;
"I'll keep my eyes open."
Trusting more to Lion than Antonio, I lay down, and in a few seconds was
again fast asleep. How long I had remained in that state I could not
tell, when I heard Lion bark close to my ear, and felt him pulling at my
clothes. On sitting up, I saw that the fire had burned much lower than
it was when I gave up my watch, and that Antonio was asleep. I quickly
roused him up.
"It was but for a moment, senor; my eyelids are so very heavy."
"Look at the fire!" I exclaimed. "It must have been a very long moment
since you put anything on. Now, help me to make it up."
We soon had the fire blazing brightly again, and Antonio promised to
keep awake until daylight. Had it not been for Lion, I should not have
trusted him. He probably was not aware that the dog had aroused me.
Again I heard Lion bark loudly. The fire, as before, had burned down,
and Antonio was again asleep; but on looking out of the door I found
that day had broken. I was convinced that Lion had been observing the
fire rather than Antonio--considering it his duty to watch it--and that
he had called me simply because he saw that it ought to be made up.
I now awakened the whole party, and by the time we had eaten a hearty
breakfast the light had increased sufficiently to enable us to continue
our journey.
We encountered the same sad sights as on the previous day. There were
fewer animals, but many more dead bodies,--some evidently, from their
dress, being those of women and children.
"They are those of unfortunate people who were attempting to escape from
the Godos," observed Padillo. "The mountains hereabouts are full of the
skeletons of those who have thus perished. But Heaven will punish our
oppressors."
All we saw must have died on their first day's journey across the
Paramo. Those only who had strong mules, or who had found shelter in
the tambo, could have escaped. But it would not do to allow our
thoughts to dwell upon the subject. Our business was to push on as fast
as our legs would carry us. Directly we felt any of the sensations we
had experienced on the previous day, we drank at the nearest stream we
could reach, but we did not stop to take food.
At length the fearful Paramo was passed; and yet this was only half the
size of many which exist in the country. Before dark we reached a tambo
situated at a lower level and exposed to the free air, but even there we
felt it very cold. In a few days we were rapidly descending, and at
last found ourselves almost on a level with the valley of the Cauca,
enjoying a tropical temperature, and on the borders of a dense forest.
By keeping more to our left we should have continued along the road to
Antioquia, but we were uncertain which party then possessed that town.
Padillo, however, volunteered to ascertain this while we remained in the
forest. We had already paid him his well-deserved reward, with which he
seemed highly satisfied.
He had been absent some time, and we were anxiously waiting his return.
"I am afraid he has been seized by the Spaniards, or compelled to
conduct one of their parties over the mountains," I observed.
"He'll not come back, depend on that," remarked Antonio. "He has
fulfilled his engagement, and will not trouble himself further about
us."
"I will trust the man; and if he can, he will return," said Uncle
Richard. "Here he comes, too!"
Presently Padillo was seen hurrying towards us. "The Godos have
possession of all the towns and villages in this neighbourhood," he
said. "If you wish to avoid them, you must keep further down the valley
before you cross the Cauca, and then continue up the other side. I wish
that I could remain with you, but I know nothing of those western
mountains, and should be of no use as a guide."
He now finally took his leave, promising not to forget us.
Following his advice, we commenced our journey through the forest,--
often having to cut our way with our swords, and sometimes to wade
across rapid streams which threatened to carry us off our legs. We ran
a risk, too, of being bitten by serpents; several of those we observed
being of large size, and others of an especially venomous character.
Tribes of monkeys were seen on either side of us, leaping from bough to
bough, and swinging on the sipos--sometimes running forward jabbering
and grinning, as if excited with anger at our daring to invade their
domains. As our food had run short, we were compelled to shoot a couple
of the rogues for supper.
Night approaching, we made preparations for camping. We had to guard
not only against human enemies, but against jaguars, pumas, prowling
bears, and snakes. But having cleared a space of sufficient size, we
ran some sticks into the ground, which were interwoven with smaller
branches, so close together that no jaguar could thrust in its paw, or a
bear its snout, nor could any but the smallest snake crawl in. We then
thatched it over with large leaves of sufficient thickness to keep out
the heaviest rain. As close to the entrance as we dared we piled up
sticks, that we might keep a fire blazing all night. There was
certainly some little risk in having a fire, as it might attract the
attention of any Spaniards in the neighbourhood; but we believed that we
were so far off a highroad that no enemies were likely to discover us.
Uncle Richard and I discussed our plans for the future, leaving Antonio
to go to sleep, that he might be the better able to watch when it came
to his turn. We alternately went to sleep for some hours, until we
thought Antonio could be trusted to keep the regular watch.
I was awakened by Lion's loud bark, and by feeling him pulling at my
clothes. Seeing that I was aroused, he next attacked Uncle Richard in
the same way. On sitting up, what was my dismay to find that we were in
the midst of a bright blaze! The hut was on fire. Antonio, in order to
save himself trouble, had raked the embers close up to the entrance, and
had then fallen asleep. Uncle Richard, seizing him by the shoulders,
dragged him out; while I caught up his gun and the rest of our
possessions, and sprang after him through the flames, followed by Lion,
who would not leave the hut until he saw us in safety. The whole,
however, was the work of a few seconds. Had we remained much longer,
the roof would have come down upon us, and, at all events, have burned
us severely. As it was, we got pretty well singed.
As we looked back and saw the flames ascending, we had good cause to
fear that the trees overhead would catch fire; and if so, a fearful
conflagration might ensue. It would be scarcely possible to cut our way
through the forest so as to escape it. The danger, therefore, was
imminent. Uncle Richard setting the example, we attacked the thatch,
and brought it to the ground; while with our swords we cut the grass
around wherever we saw the fire creeping along the ground.
A few minutes more, and we should have been unable to subdue the fire.
Already some of the shrubs were singed in two opposite directions, but
fortunately we saw the snake-like flames creeping forward in time to
extinguish them.
As there was no appearance of rain, we scraped the ashes of the fire
together, and placing on them a few unburnt sticks, sat ourselves down
close to it to wait until daylight, without which it would be impossible
to travel through the forest.