CHAPTER XVI
A MEETING IN THE JUNGLE
Before Tom and Ned reached the place whence Professor Bumper hadcalled, they heard strange noises, other than the imploring voice oftheir friend. It seemed as though some great body was threshing aboutin the jungle, lashing the trees, bushes and leaves about, and when thetwo young men, followed by Mr. Damon, reached the scene they saw that,in a measure, this really accounted for what they heard.
Something like a great whip was beating about close to two trees thatgrew near together. And then, when the storm of twigs, leaves anddirt, caused by the leaping, threshing thing ceased for a moment, theonlookers saw something that filled them with terror.
Between the two trees, and seemingly bound to them by a great coiledrope, spotted and banded, was the body of Professor Bumper. His armswere pinioned to his sides and there was horror and terror on his face,that looked imploringly at the youths from above the topmost coil ofthose encircling him.
"What is it?" cried Mr. Damon, as he ran pantingly up. "What hascaught him? Is it the giant iguana?"
"It's a snake--a great boa!" gasped Tom. "It has him in its coils.But it is wound around the trees, too. That alone prevents it fromcrushing the professor to death.
"Ned, be ready with your rifle. Put in the heaviest charge, and watchyour chance to fire!"
The great, ugly head of the boa reared itself up from the coils whichit had, with the quickness of thought, thrown about the man between thetwo trees. This species of snake is not poisonous, and kills its preyby crushing it to death, making it into a pulpy mass, with scarcely abone left unbroken, after which it swallows its meal. The crushingpower of one of these boas, some of which reach a length of thirtyfeet, with a body as large around as that of a full-grown man, isenormous.
"I'm going to fire!" suddenly cried Tom. He had seen his chance and hetook it. There was the faint report--the crack of the electricrifle--and the folds of the serpent seemed to relax.
"I see a good chance now," added Ned, who had taken the small chargefrom his weapon, replacing it with a heavier one.
His rifle was also discharged in the direction of the snake, and Tomsaw that the hit was a good one, right through the ugly head of thereptile.
"One other will be enough to make him loosen his coils!" cried Tom, ashe fired again, and such was the killing power of the electric bulletsthat the snake, though an immense one, and one that short ofdecapitation could have received many injuries without losing power,seemed to shrivel up.
Its folds relaxed, and the coils of the great body fell in a heap atthe roots of the two trees, between which the scientist had beenstanding.
Professor Bumper seemed to fall backward as the grip of the serpentrelaxed, but Tom, dropping his rifle, and calling to Ned to keep an eyeon the snake, leaped forward and caught his friend.
"Are you hurt?" asked Tom, carrying the limp form over to a grassyplace. There was no answer, the savant's eyes were closed and hebreathed but faintly.
Ned Newton fired two more electric bullets into the still writhing bodyof the boa.
"I guess he's all in," he called to Tom.
"Bless my horseradish! And so our friend seems to be," commented Mr.Damon. "Have you anything with which to revive him, Tom?"
"Yes. Some ammonia. See if you can find a little water."
"I have some in my flask."
Tom mixed a dose of the spirits which he carried with him, and this,forced between the pallid lips of the scientist, revived him.
"What happened?" he asked faintly as he opened his eyes. "Oh, yes, Iremember," he added slowly. "The boa----"
"Don't try to talk," urged Tom. "You're all right. The snake is dead,or dying. Are you much hurt?"
Professor Bumper appeared to be considering. He moved first one limb,then another. He seemed to have the power over all his muscles.
"I see how it happened," he said, as he sat up, after taking a littlemore of the ammonia. "I was following the iguana, and when the biglizard came to a stop, in a little hollow place in the ground, at thefoot of those two trees, I leaned over to slip a noose of rope aboutits neck. Then I felt myself caught, as if in the hands of a giant,and bound fast between the two trees."
"It was the big boa that whipped itself around you, as you leanedover," explained Tom, as Ned came up to announce that the snake was nolonger dangerous. "But when it coiled around you it also coiled aroundthe two trees, you, fortunately slipping between them. Had it not beenthat their trunks took off some of the pressure of the coils youwouldn't have lasted a minute."
"Well, I was pretty badly squeezed as it was," remarked the professor."I hardly had breath enough left to call to you. I tried to fight offthe serpent, but it was of no use."
"I should say not!" cried Mr. Damon. "Bless my circus ring! one mightas well try to combat an elephant! But, my dear professor, are you allright now?"
"I think so--yes. Though I shall be lame and stiff for a few days, Ifear. I can hardly walk."
Professor Bumper was indeed unable to go about much for a few daysafter his encounter with the great serpent. He stretched out in ahammock under trees in the camp clearing, and with his friends waitedfor the possible return of Tolpec and the porters.
Ned and Tom made one or two short hunting trips, and on these occasionsthey kept a lookout in the direction the Indian had taken when he wentaway.
"For he's sure to come back that way--if he comes at all," declaredNed; "which I am beginning to doubt."
"Well, he may not come," agreed Tom, who was beginning to lose some ofhis first hope. "But he won't necessarily come from the same directionhe took. He may have had to go in an entirely different way to gethelp. We'll hope for the best."
A week passed. Professor Bumper was able to be about, and Tom and Nednoticed that there was an anxious look on his face. Was he, too,beginning to despair?
"Well, this isn't hunting for golden idols very fast," said Mr. Damon,the morning of the eighth day after their desertion by the faithlessJacinto. "What do you say, Professor Bumper; ought we not to start offon our own account?"
"We had better if Tolpec does not return today," was the answer.
They had eaten breakfast, had put their camp in order, and were aboutto have a consultation on what was best to do, when Tom suddenly calledto Ned, who was whistling:
"Hark!"
Through the jungle came a faint sound of singing--not a harmonious air,but the somewhat barbaric chant of the natives.
"It is Tolpec coming back!" cried Mr. Damon. "Hurray! Now our troublesare over! Bless my meal ticket! Now we can start!"
"It may be Jacinto," suggested Ned.
"Nonsense! you old cold-water pitcher!" cried Tom. "It's Tolpec! I cansee him! He's a good scout all right!"
And then, walking at the head of a band of Indians who were weirdlychanting while behind them came a train of mules, was Tolpec, acheerful grin covering his honest, if homely, dark face.
"Me come back!" he exclaimed in gutteral English, using about half ofhis foreign vocabulary.
"I see you did," answered Professor Bumper in the man's own tongue."Glad to see you. Is everything all right?"
"All right," was the answer. "These Indians will take you where youwant to go, and will not leave you as Jacinto did."
"We'll start in the morning!" exclaimed the savant his own cheerfulself again, now that there was a prospect of going further into theinterior. "Tell the men to get something to eat, Tolpec. There isplenty for all."
"Good!" grunted the new guide and soon the hungry Indians, who had comefar, were satisfying their hunger.
As they ate Tolpec explained to Professor Bumper, who repeated it tothe youths and Mr. Damon, that it had been necessary to go farther thanhe had intended to get the porters and mules. But the Indians were afriendly tribe, of which he was a member, and could be depended on.
There was a feast and a sort of celebration in camp that night. Tomand Ned shot two deer, and these
formed the main part of the feast andthe Indians made merry about the fire until nearly midnight. They didnot seem to mind in the least the swarms of mosquitoes and other bugsthat flew about, attracted by the light. As for Tom Swift and hisfriends, their nets protected them.
An early start was made the following morning. Such packages of goodsand supplies as could not well be carried by the Indians in their headstraps, were loaded on the backs of the pack-mules. Tolpec explainedthat on reaching the Indian village, where he had secured the porters,they could get some ox-carts which would be a convenience in travelinginto the interior toward the Copan valley.
The march onward for the next two days was tiresome; but the IndiansTolpec had secured were as faithful and efficient as he had describedthem, and good progress was made.
There were a few accidents. One native fell into a swiftly runningstream as they were fording it and lost a box containing somemuch-needed things. But as the man's life was saved Professor Bumpersaid it made up for the other loss. Another accident did not end soauspiciously. One of the bearers was bitten by a poisonous snake, andthough prompt measures were taken, the poison spread so rapidly thatthe man died.
In due season the Indian village was reached, where, after a day spentin holding funeral services over the dead bearer, preparations weremade for proceeding farther.
This time some of the bearers were left behind, and ox-carts weresubstituted for them, as it was possible to carry more goods this way.
"And now we're really off for Copan!" exclaimed Professor Bumper onemorning, when the cavalcade, led by Tolpec in the capacity of headguide, started off. "I hope we have no more delays."
"I hope not, either," agreed Tom. "That Beecher may be there ahead ofus."
Weary marches fell to their portion. There were mountains to climb,streams to ford or swim, sending the carts over on rudely made rafts.There were storms to endure, and the eternal heat to fight.
But finally the party emerged from the lowlands of the coast and wentup in among the hills, where though the going was harder, the climatewas better. It was not so hot and moist.
Not wishing to attract attention in Copan itself, Professor Bumper andhis party made a detour, and finally, after much consultation with Tomover the ancient maps, the scientist announced that he thought theywere in the vicinity of the buried city.
"We will begin test excavations in the morning," he said.
The party was in camp, and preparations were made for spending thenight in the forest, when from among the trees there floated to theears of our friends a queer Indian chant.
"Some one is coming," said Tom to Ned.
Almost as he spoke there filed into the clearing where the camp hadbeen set up, a cavalcade of white men, followed by Indians. And at thesight of one of the white men Tom Swift uttered a cry.
"Professor Beecher!" gasped the young inventor.