CHAPTER XXIV
The Hideous Village
"Oh!" groaned Bob hopelessly. "Guess it's all up with us."
"No, it isn't," the other youth retorted. "You remember what we saidto do in such an emergency, don't you? Act extremely exhausted, as ifwe couldn't move another foot. Lie on the ground--do anything to makethem feel sorry for us. They will if the thing is carried out right."
The cries were gradually getting louder, indicating that the Indianswere coming closer. Occasionally some savage would chant louder thanthe others, and then there would be a grand chorus of shouts andyells.
"They're getting nearer," muttered Joe. "Come on, let's lie on theground. Act as if you're half dead."
The youths threw themselves on the soft grass and awaiteddevelopments.
They had not long to wait.
A figure burst into view from around a bend in the trail. Another,followed by fully twenty other savages, their gruesome faces showingsurprise and bewilderment at sight of the youths.
Who were these persons--persons of a strange color? Were they enemies?Were they on the ground waiting for a chance to kill? What was thatstrange long thing that was beside them? What were they doing here?Had they been sent down from the sky to bring destruction to villages,or had they wandered from an unknown region in the remote beyond?
For fully ten minutes the savages were silent. Then they beganchattering loudly and moved stealthily up to the boys, bows and arrowsand blowguns in readiness.
Bob and Joe waited in terrible suspense, half expecting to be piercedby deadly weapons. The youths longed to move about, if only for amoment. Once Joe felt an itching along his back, and the desire toscratch was almost uncontrollable, but he finally managed to remainquiet.
An Indian that was evidently the chief felt of the boys' bodies andlimbs carefully, while his men looked on, ready to send an arrow atonce if necessary. At last, after feeling the beating of the boys'hearts, the native regained his feet and conversed with the others.
Then Bob and Joe were picked up by strong arms and carried through thejungle.
Where would they be taken? What was to be their fate? Could they gainthe friendship of the savages? These questions were in the youths'minds as they were being carried along the trail.
"Maybe they're going to put us in boiling water," thought Joe, and heshuddered in spite of himself. "But then," he finally reasoned, "theyprobably won't do that. After all, very few tribes are cannibalistic."
How long the tramp continued, Bob and Joe did not know, but at last,after what seemed several hours, they came to a spot where the pathbroadened into twice the original width, and a few minutes later theyparted the bushes and came to a large native village, where at leastsixty wild Indians were walking about. At sight of the warriors andtheir burdens the Indians rushed forward and crowded around, theireagerness to get a view of the strange people resembling that ofsmall children at a circus.
There was a turmoil of excited chattering, in which everyone tookpart. Questions flew thick and fast, and it was all the warriors coulddo to answer them.
Bob and Joe were placed in one of the native huts and for a short timeleft to themselves. There was a crude door at the entrance, and thiswas shut to keep out the curious.
Then for the first time they opened their eyes and looked about.
"We're in a fairly large hut," whispered Bob, glancing about. "Andthere are several pieces of furniture to keep us company. Over thereis a kind of a table, laden down with pots and---- Hurrah! There's ourrifle. What do you know about that!"
"They're certainly generous," admitted Joe. "It's a wonder they didn'ttake it and start pulling the trigger, which would no doubt haveresulted in five or ten of them getting their brains blown out."
"But now," mused Bob, "what do you think? What'll they do with us?"
"I don't happen to know," was the response. "But we'll----"
He ceased abruptly, as he noticed that the door was opening. Theyouths took a sitting position and tried to act as innocent as theycould.
A second later the chief entered, followed by ten others. They stoppedshort when they noticed that the boys were sitting up, and stared inwonder.
Bob and Joe threw their hands apart in a gesture of helplessness andsmiled gratefully. Bob beckoned the men to come in the hut.
They stood undecidedly at first, but finally, convinced that thesestrangers meant no harm, moved on in the dwelling.
Then the boys did all they could to convey the idea that they werethankful to the Indians for saving them from death from exhaustion,and in the end it looked as if they had succeeded. Not until the bigchief smiled, however, did they feel secure, for there were grim lookson the faces of all the savages. But when the chief showed his teethin friendship, the youths felt that the battle was won. With the headnative on their side things looked a great deal brighter.
"Now for something to eat," said Bob to his chum. "I'm not particularwhat it is, just so it's nourishing."
He put his hands to his mouth, and began working his jaws as ifchewing. Then he imitated drinking. The chief understood, and he gavedirections to one of his men, who dashed off to another part of thevillage.
Meanwhile the others stood gazing at the youths, who in theirsun-tanned condition were scarcely less dark than the Indiansthemselves.
In a short time the Indian returned with plates and pots of food,which he placed on the ground beside them.
"Do you suppose the stuff's all right?" asked Joe, hesitating to begineating.
"Don't know why it wouldn't be," Bob returned. "Why should they poisonus? At present we're too much of a curiosity to kill. They'll at leastwait for the novelty to wear off."
The food tasted good despite the fact that the boys were ignorant asto what it was. They ate heartily, and in a very short time theirstrength was restored.
Then by signs they asked permission to walk around the village. Atfirst the natives hesitated, but at last the chief nodded in approval,and the youths got to their feet.
"If we could just speak some of their language," said Bob, as theywent out of the thatched house.
"Be easy then," affirmed Joe. "But maybe we can get them to take us tothe river, and then Professor Bigelow can talk with them."
The chief led the way around the settlement, pointing with pride tomany articles that were the results of the Indians' handiwork. Manyobjects were totally new to the boys, and they viewed them withinterest. But when they came to one large hut they saw something thatturned their blood cold with horror.
Hanging thickly on the walls were scores of dried human heads, theirfeatures perfectly preserved. In fact the ghastly trophies were sothick that there were no cracks between them.
Bob and Joe glanced around the room in terrible awe. Suddenly, as theyturned about, their eyes fell on something that again caused them tobe horror-stricken, this time more than before.
Near the corner were two heads that were--white!
"Explorers," breathed Bob, rather nervously. "Or were theymissionaries? At any rate these heads were those of white men--andthey've been killed for their heads!"
The youths felt fairly sick, and once Joe reeled as if to fall. But hegot a grip on himself and resolved to take matters as they were. Atpresent they were in no danger. The terrible and yet genial chiefseemed to be their friend. But how soon his lust to kill would come tothe surface they did not know.
They spent no more time at the horrible trophy house, for it containedsuch things as one might see in a nightmare. Bob and Joe made up theirminds to seek out something more pleasant.
They found it in a large board that had lines crossing andcrisscrossing from one side to the other. The chief got out a box andtook out several wooden pegs, which he placed in the spaces on theboard. He moved them back and forth and laughed.
"Must be some kind of a game," concluded Bob, thoroughly interested.
The boys spent several hours in touring the village, and although theywere constantly enfolded by the cr
owd of curious savages, theyenjoyed the experience. It was unique and different, but they feltsome repulsion for the various activities carried on by these heathenpeople.
"All right for a visit," mused Joe, "but I don't think I'd care tolive here."
"I'd feel a whole lot safer back in the boats with our dads and theprofessor," said Bob, as he thought of the hideous dried human heads."Still," he went on, "I suppose we should do all we can to helpProfessor Bigelow. Here is a chance for him to get plenty ofinformation of the kind that he wants most."
Late that afternoon Bob and Joe took the rifle and, motioning for thechief to follow, started into the jungle just back of the village.They intended to give the native a real surprise and thrill, such ashe had never before had.
At last he went with them, probably wondering what the strange whiteshad in mind, but willing to find out.
"Maybe we can show him how to kill a jaguar," said Joe, keeping asharp watch over the forest.
No game was in the immediate vicinity of the village, owing to thefrequent hunting trips made by the savages. But when they had goneseveral miles there came fresh signs that wild creatures were closeby.
Suddenly they caught sight of a large tapir rooting in the tall grass.
Bob took the rifle and, motioning to the Indian, he pointed to the gunand then to the animal.
A moment later he pulled the trigger.
At the report of the weapon the big Indian jumped in fright and was onthe verge of running back to the village, when Bob pointed again tothe gun and then to the tapir, which was now dead. Then for the firsttime the chief caught the meaning, and he looked at the boys withsomething like worship in his eyes.
What strange magic was this? A long thing that spouted fire had killeda tapir instantly, without a struggle. These people must be gods.
From that moment on, the chief's friendship for the youths increasedto devotion, which at times promised to be embarrassing. But Bob andJoe did not care. This would be all the better opportunity forProfessor Bigelow to secure information on the savages' daily life andcustoms.
The three hunters trudged on farther, hoping to stir up more game.The boys wished particularly to get a shot at a jaguar, so that thepower of the gun could be demonstrated still further.
"The old boy'd just about throw a fit if he saw the rifle pot off theking of Brazilian wild beasts," smiled Joe.
At last they burst through a thick mass of vegetation and foundthemselves on the bank of a small stream.
At once Bob and Joe were wild with delight, for this stream evidentlywas a tributary of the river. And the river was what they wanted tofind above all else.
"Hurrah!" cried Joe, overwhelmed with delight. "We've as good as foundour party already!"