CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
SWIMMING IN SHADOW.
Silently and swiftly the two swimmers continued their course through theshadowy aisles of the forest. Twilight, almost darkness, was above andaround them; for the trees meeting overhead caused an obscurity sombreas night itself. No ray of sunlight ever danced upon the surface ofthat dismal lagoon.
They would have lost their way, had not the noises guided them. Shouldthese be discontinued, their exertions might be all in vain.
They thought of this as they proceeded, and reflected also on the courseto be adopted when they reached the rendezvous of the gorillas.Supposing there could be no footing found, how were they to use eithergun or sumpitan?
The question passed between them in a whisper as they swam side by side.Neither knew how to answer it.
Saloo only expressed a hope that they might get upon the limb of a treenear enough to send a bullet or arrow into the body of the mias, andterminate his career.
There seemed no other chance, and they swam on, keeping it before theirminds.
About the direction, they had no difficulty whatever. Although thesurface of the water was of inky blackness, from the shadowing treesabove, and the huge trunks standing out of it now and then forced theminto an occasional deviation, they advanced without any greatdifficulty.
They swam around the tree trunks, and, guided by the voices of thegorillas, easily regained their course. The noises were no longer sharpscreams or hoarse coughs, but a kind of jabbering jargon, as if the apeswere engaged in a family confabulation.
The swimmers at length arrived so near, that they no longer felt anyfear about finding the way to the place where the reunion of the_quadrumana_ was being held; and which could not be more than a hundredyards distant.
Silently gliding through the water, the eyes of both peered intentlyforward, in an endeavour to pierce the obscurity, and, if possible,discover some low limb of a tree, or projecting buttress, on which theymight find a foothold. They had good hope of success, for they had seenmany such since starting from the shore. Had rest been necessary, theymight have obtained it more than once by grasping a branch above, orclinging to one of the great trunks, whose gnarled and knotted sideswould have afforded sufficient support.
But they were both strong swimmers, and needed no rest. There was nonefor the bereaved father--could be none--till he should reach thetermination of their strange enterprise, and know what was to be itsresult.
As they swam onward, now proceeding with increased caution, their eyesscanning the dark surface before them, both all of a sudden andsimultaneously came to a stop. It was just as if something underneaththe water had laid hold of them by the legs, checking them at the sameinstant of time.
And something _had_ impeded their farther progress, but not from behind.In front was the obstruction, which proved to be a bank of earth, that,though under the water, rose within a few inches of its surface. Thebreast of each swimmer had struck against it, the shock raising theminto a half-erect attitude, from which they had no need to return to thehorizontal. On the contrary, they now rose upon their feet, which theyfelt to be resting on a firm hard bottom.
Standing in pleased surprise, they could better survey the prospectbefore them; and after a minute spent in gazing through the gloom, theysaw that dry land was close to the spot where they had been so abruptlyarrested.
It appeared only a low-lying islet, scarce rising above the level of thelagoon, and of limited extent--only a few rods in superficial area. Itwas thickly covered with trees; but, unlike those standing in the water,which were tall and with single stems, those upon the islet weresupported by many trunks, proclaiming them to be some species of theIndian fig or _banyan_.
One near the centre, from its greater width and more numerous supportingpillars, seemed the patriarch of the tribe; and to this their eyes wereespecially directed. For out of its leafy shadows came the strangesounds which had hitherto guided them.
Among its branches, without any doubt, the red gorilla had his home; andthere he would be found in the bosom of his family.
Grasping his gun, and whispering to Saloo to follow him, Captain Redwoodstarted towards the tree so clearly indicated as the goal of theirexpedition.