CHAPTER XIV
A NEW GUIDE
In spite of Ned Newton's cry, Tom's finger pressed the switch-triggerof the electric rifle, for previous experience had taught him that itwas sometimes the best thing to awe the natives in out-of-the-waycorners of the earth. But the young inventor quickly elevated themuzzle, and the deadly missile went hissing through the air over thehead of a native Indian who, at that moment, stepped from the bush.
The man, startled and alarmed, shrank back and was about to run intothe jungle whence he had emerged. Small wonder if he had, consideringthe reception he so unwittingly met with. But Tom, aware of thenecessity for making inquiries of one who knew that part of the jungle,quickly called to him.
"Hold on!" he shouted. "Wait a minute. I didn't mean that. I thoughtat first you were a tapir or a tiger. No harm intended. I say,Professor," Tom called back to the savant, "you'd better speak to himin his lingo, I can't manage it. He may be useful in guiding us tothat Indian village Jacinto told us of."
This Professor Bumper did, being able to make himself understood in thequeer part-Spanish dialect used by the native Hondurians, though hecould not, of course, speak it as fluently as had Jacinto.
Professor Bumper had made only a few remarks to the man who had sounexpectedly appeared out of the jungle when the scientist gave anexclamation of surprise at some of the answers made.
"Bless my moving picture!" cried Mr. Damon.
"What's the matter now? Is anything wrong? Does he refuse to help us?"
"No, it isn't that," was the answer. "In fact he came here to help us.Tom, this is the brother of the Indian who fell overboard and who waseaten by the alligators. He says you were very kind to try to save hisbrother with your rifle, and for that reason he has come back to helpus."
"Come back?" queried Tom.
"Yes, he went off with the rest of the Indians when Jacinto desertedus, but he could not stand being a traitor, after you had tried to savehis brother's life. These Indians are queer people. They don't showmuch emotion, but they have deep feelings. This one says he willdevote himself to your service from now on. I believe we can count onhim. He is deeply grateful to you, Tom."
"I'm glad of that for all our sakes. But what does he say aboutJacinto?"
The professor asked some more questions, receiving answers, and thentranslated them.
"This Indian, whose name is Tolpec, says Jacinto is a fraud," exclaimedProfessor Bumper. "He made all the Indians leave us in the night,though many of them were willing to stay and fill the contract they hadmade. But Jacinto would not let them, making them desert. Tolpec wentaway with the others, but because of what Tom had done he planned tocome back at the first chance and be our guide. Accordingly he jumpedashore from one of the canoes, and made his way to our camp. He gotthere, found it deserted and followed us, coming up just now."
"Well I'm glad I didn't frighten him off with my gun," remarked Tomgrimly. "So he agrees with us that Jacinto is a scoundrel, does he? Iguess he might as well classify Professor Beecher in the same way."
"I am not quite so sure of that," said Professor Bumper slowly. "I cannot believe Beecher would play such a trick as this, though someover-zealous friend of his might."
"Oh, of course Beecher did it!" cried Tom. "He heard we were cominghere, figured out that we'd start ahead of him, and he wanted toside-track us. Well, he did it all right," and Tom's voice was bitter.
"He has only side-tracked us for a while," announced Professor Bumperin cheerful tones.
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Damon.
"I mean that this Indian comes just in the nick of time. He is wellacquainted with this part of the jungle, having lived here all hislife, and he offers to guide us to a place where we can get mules totransport ourselves and our baggage to Copan."
"Fine!" cried Ned. "When can we start?"
Once more the professor and the native conversed in the strange tongue,and then Professor Bumper announced:
"He says it will be better for us to go back where we left our thingsand camp there. He will stay with us to-night and in the morning go onto the nearest Indian town and come back with porters and helpers."
"I think that is good advice to follow," put in Tom, "for we do needour goods; and if we reached the settlement ourselves, we would have tosend back for our things, with the uncertainty of getting them all."
So it was agreed that they would make a forced march back through thejungle to where they had been deserted by Jacinto. There they wouldmake camp for the night, and until such time as Tolpec could returnwith a force of porters.
It was not easy, that backward tramp through the jungle, especially asnight had fallen. But the new Indian guide could see like a cat, andled the party along paths they never could have found by themselves.The use of their pocket electric lights was a great help, and possiblyserved to ward off the attacks of jungle beasts, for as they trampedalong they could hear stealthy sounds in the underbush on either sideof the path, as though tigers were stalking them. For there was in thewoods an animal of the leopard family, called tiger or "tigre" by thenatives, that was exceedingly fierce and dangerous. But watchfulnessprevented any accident, and eventually the party reached the placewhere they had left their goods. Nothing had been disturbed, andfinally a fire was made, the tents set up and a light meal, with hottea served.
"We'll get ahead of Beecher yet," said Tom.
"You seem as anxious as Professor Bumper," observed Mr. Damon.
"I guess I am," admitted Tom. "I want to see that idol of gold in thepossession of our party."
The night passed without incident, and then, telling his new friendsthat he would return as soon as possible with help, Tolpec, taking asmall supply of food with him, set out through the jungle again.
As the green vines and creepers closed after him, and the explorerswere left alone with their possessions piled around them, Ned remarked:
"After all, I wonder if it was wise to let him go?"
"Why not?" asked Tom.
"Well, maybe he only wanted to get us back here, and then he'll desert,too. Maybe that's what he's done now, making us lose two or three daysby inducing us to return, waiting for what will never happen--hisreturn with other natives."
A silence followed Ned's intimation.