"Beck-ee! Beck-ee! Beck-ee!"
"What in the nation was that?" cried Billy, considerably startled.
"Somebody calling for 'Becky,'" laughed Jack, "but Rebecca won't answer.Go to sleep, Billy, if you can, on these miserable beds. It must be someinsect."
"I hope it isn't anything venomous," muttered Raynor.
"Better keep your curtains close drawn and then it can't get at you,anyhow," advised Jack.
"But then it shuts out all the air and I almost suffocate," complainedBilly.
"Wow!" he yelled a moment later, in a tone that roused Jack, who wasalmost asleep.
"What's the matter, Billy?" he asked anxiously.
"Ugh, something soft with legs on it just ran over my face," criedRaynor. "For goodness' sake get up and get a light. It may be somethingthat bites or stings."
Jack lost no time in getting hurriedly out of his bed, and as he shookthe curtains something was dislodged from them and went whirring andbanging round the room, blundering heavily against the ceiling.
"What the dickens----!" exclaimed the boy, considerably startled, whenanother cry from Billy split the air.
"Ouch, for the love of Mike. A light, quick. Something just nipped mytoe."
Jack fumbled for the matches; but, as is usual in such cases, he locatedevery object in the room before he found them, finally colliding withthe washstand and sending it with a crash to the ground floor. Aninstant later there was the noise of slamming doors below and thelandlord came racing up the stairs to the boys' room.
"Ciel! What is zee mattaire zees time? First you try drown me, zen youmake zee beeg crash like zee tonnaire!"
"It's all the fault of your old hotel," exclaimed Jack angrily, going tothe door. "This room is full of some kind of animals. It's a regularmenagerie."
He opened the door and the landlord, with a curious-looking night-light,composed of a wick floating in a tumbler full of some strong-smellingoil that gave out a powerful odor of sandal wood, came inside. Instantlythere was a mighty scuffling and several ugly looking lizards darted offacross the floor and a huge bat (no doubt the creature that had vacatedJack's bed-curtains with such a prodigious flapping) went soaring outthrough the open lattice-work doors which led out on the verandah, butwhich the boys had left open for coolness. There were also a dozen otherspecimens of unclassified insects, both winged and legged, which wentscuttling off at the sight of the light. Then the landlord's eye fell onthe open doors.
"Sacre!" he cried, "nevaire did I such a foolishness see."
"What's the matter now?" demanded Jack. "The only foolishness I can seeis in our coming to this hotel."
The landlord shrugged his shoulders as if in despair.
"What else do you expect but zee bat, zee scorpion, zee centipede, zeeleezard, zee chigre, zee----"
"What makes a noise like 'becky, becky, becky'?" asked Billy, breakingin on the catalogue.
"Ah! Zee biting leezard 'ee do zat."
"Then that fellow that nipped my toe and the one that sang out forRebecca must be the same individual," cried Billy indignantly, "but goon with your catalogue."
The landlord looked puzzled.
"Zere was zee cat and zee dog 'ere, too?" he demanded.
"No, I said the catalogue. The list of insects you were rattling off."
"Oh, well, I was going to say to you not to leave zee porch doors openin zee night. And also nevaire go to bed wizout lighting one of zeeslights." He tapped the peculiar-smelling night-light he held. "See, hereeez one 'ere on zees table."
"Well, you can't blame us for not knowing what it was," protested Jack,as he lighted it. "I thought it was some peculiar kind of drink. It'sthe first time I ever saw light served in a tumbler."
"Zee light veree good," said the landlord, as he was leaving the room."Zee animal no like zee light, also they no like zee smell."
"I don't blame them," said Jack, after the man had left, and the oddtumbler lamp was burning with a sputtering, smoking flame, "especiallythe smell part."
"Anyhow, anything is better than sharing your bed withyou-don't-know-what creepy-crawly things," declared Raynor.
"Yes, and lizards that go round hollering girls' names," agreed Jack. "Ifancy we'll sleep better now. But, after all, we've got to get used toit all for we may meet worse in the jungle."
CHAPTER XXII.--INTO THE JUNGLE.
The next day was busily spent by the boys. Jack had his portablewireless to assemble. Raynor was assigned as "chief of baggage," andCaptain Sparhawk and Mr. Jukes, with Muldoon, who spoke the Papuandialect after a fashion, occupied the time rounding up the nativebearers and finding a suitable "head man." The latter was very importantto the success of the expedition, both to keep the other natives up totheir work and to find trails and, if necessary, act as interpreter.Through the good offices of Jabez Hook, a "smart Yankee" who ran a"general store" at Bomobori, and was a warm friend of CaptainSparhawk's, they finally found just the man they wanted. He was a tall,up-right Papuan with an exceptionally intelligent face, who spoke fairEnglish, knew the country thoroughly and appeared about thirty yearsold. Salloo, as he called himself, agreed to have everything inreadiness for a start into the interior by the next morning. He held outhopes that from some of the interior tribes they would get news of thelost ones, for among the natives news travels fast, and if 'Bully' Broomhad conveyed prisoners into the inland some of the tribesmen would besure to know about it.
When Jack returned from the _Sea Gypsy_, where he had set up hisapparatus, he reported that all was well on board and everything goingforward smoothly under the command of the first officer. Thurmanappeared to be delighted with his chance to vindicate himself, butacting under Mr. Jukes' advice, it had been deemed prudent to refuse himshore liberty till the party returned. Thurman did not seem to resentthis, and told Jack that after all he had gone through, a "soft berth"and good meals on the yacht appealed to him. He had seen enough of thetropics, so he declared, to have no especial desire to go ashore atBomobori.
It was not till eleven o'clock that night that they turned in. But whenthey did so it was with a satisfied feeling that every detail had beenattended to. Not the least satisfactory result of the day had beenJack's achievement of perfecting the portable wireless which would keepthem at all times in touch with the yacht.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. The boys were up before any ofthe rest of the party, dressed in khaki suits, sun helmets and stoutleggings, for much of the way would lie through ragged bush. Each ladcarried a water canteen, a pocket filter, compass, knife, and wore aservice revolver attached to a cartridge belt. In these "uniforms" theylooked very business-like, and capable of giving a good account ofthemselves in any emergency. Soon after the other members of the partyappeared somewhat similarly attired. Mr. Jukes' pockets bulged withboxes of dyspepsia pills, and Muldoon wore his sailor uniform with theaddition of leggings and a sun helmet.
"Shure I look like a sea soldier no liss," was the way he summed up hisappearance, and the boys couldn't help agreeing with him.
While they were at breakfast, Salloo and his "bearers" presentedthemselves.
Salloo greeted them with a low "salaam," and volunteered the informationthat:
"Him welly good day for makum start. Go many miles. Good trail for firstpart of journey."
"Well, the further we go, the quicker we'll get back," commented Muldoonin true Irish style.
At eight o'clock they were off. Nobody in the town knew the true objectof their expedition, but supposed they were off on a hunt forentomological specimens, for New Guinea swarms with rare forms of insectlife and many intrepid collectors have found it a happy hunting ground,some of them paying for their devotion to science with their lives.
At first the question of traveling on horse-back had been mooted. ButSalloo promptly vetoed this. The country was too rough and thickly grownto make horse-back travel feasible for more than a few miles, hedeclared. They might have used the river, but it was only navigable fora sho
rt distance when the swift current and the shoals made it dangerousfor up-stream travel. Natives coming down it always abandoned theirdugouts, which were simply hollow trees, at Bomobori, and went back totheir villages on foot.
The town was soon left behind and they struck into a trail which wasbroad and well trodden. On all sides were dense groves of tropicalvegetation, towering palms, spreading mangoes laden with golden fruit,that ever-present banana and fragrant guava and lemon trees. From thetall lance-wood and cotton trees great creepers and lianas, looking likeserpents, twined and coiled. There was a moist, steaming heat in theair.
"It's just like being in a big conservatory at home," said Jack, andindeed the air had just the odor and closeness of a glass-house.
"This is fever territory," declared Mr. Jukes, administering a largedose of quinine to himself. "There is to be no sleeping on the ground,remember."
"I guess not, after the experience we had in our room at the hotel lastnight," said Raynor, and amidst much laughter he narrated the details oftheir uncomfortable night.
As they pushed onward, there came from the river, which glinted likemolten lead in the sunshine at their left, a long-drawn cry whichstartled all the white members of the expedition. It resembled the humanvoice and appeared to be the appeal of someone in agony.
"Shure there's some poor soul in throuble over yonder forninst theriver," declared Muldoon, and before any one could stop him he had leftthe trail and was making for the water.
"Hi you white man, you comee back," cried Salloo.
But he was too late. Hardly had Muldoon left the trail than he sank upto his knees in black, oozy mud which held him like liquid glue.
His struggles only made matters worse, and soon he was up to his kneesin the evil-smelling, glutinous mass which bubbled about him as itsucked him down.
"Help! Murther! Shure, O'im kilt intirely!" cried the frightened man,waving his arms frantically.
CHAPTER XXIII.--A DANGEROUS TREE.
All this time, from the river, came the same weird cries that hadmystified them. What with these cries and Muldoon's lusty yells forhelp, had there been an enemy within a mile they must have heard them,but luckily they were in a territory known to be peaceable, althoughSalloo was not quite so sure of some of the tribes who had a badreputation as "head hunters."
"He's stuck in the mud!" exclaimed Jack, and was starting forward toMuldoon's assistance when Salloo grabbed his arm.
"No go," he warned, "him mud velly bad. Make drown in mud plitty quickno get helpee."
The native began making his way by a circuitous route toward theluckless Muldoon. In his hand he had a long rope. He leaped from tuft totuft of the hummocks that appeared above the black soil. As soon as hegot close enough to Muldoon he threw the struggling boatswain the end ofthe line, which Muldoon had presence of mind enough to place under hisarm-pits. Then Salloo skipped nimbly back to the trail and all layinghold with a will they soon hauled Muldoon out of his disagreeablepredicament, although he was a sorry sight to look at.
"But faith," he exclaimed, "it's glad enough I am to know O'im not deadintirely. A little mud will soon dry and clean off, begob."
"Tropical places are full of just such treacherous swamps," declaredCaptain Sparhawk. "It will be well for all of us to be very careful andnot leave the trail except by Salloo's advice."
But now the strange wailing sound which they had for the momentforgotten in the excitement of Muldoon's rescue again startled them. Thecause of it was quickly explained by Salloo.
"Him _dugong_, allee samee sea-cow," he said.
"Oh, I know now--like the manitou they have in Florida," cried Jack.
"Me no know 'bout man or two," said Salloo, "but him big an'mul. Live inriver. Makee noise like heap cryee allee timee."
"It sounds as if somebody was being murdered," commented Raynor."However, I guess we're not the first people to be scared by thedinner-gong, or whatever you call it."
The halt for the noon-day meal was made in a pleasant grove of tropicaltrees which stood on safe rising ground to one side of the trail. Allthe white members of the party were glad enough of the chance to take arest, but the wiry natives appeared to be perfectly fresh and strong aswhen they set out, despite their heavy burdens. While the natives begancooking their rice and salted fish, with a sort of curry sauce, Sallooset about making a fire for the whites. With marvelous dexterity hetwirled a stick between his outspread hands against some dry tinder andsoon had a good blaze going. The boys scattered to get wood, of whichthey soon had a sufficient quantity. Then, determined to make the mostof their halt, they flung themselves down under a peculiarly fine treewith wide, dark green leaves, glossy as polished leather.
They were chatting about the incidents of the trip so far when Jack allat once felt something strike him on the arm. His first impression wasthat it was a stone. But on looking at the place where he had beenstruck he saw that the sleeve of his shirt, for he had laid aside hiskhaki coat, had been ripped in parallel lines as if a curry comb, withsharp teeth, had been drawn down it. He felt a sharp pain moreover, andthen he saw blood on his arm.
Billy had sprung up in alarm at his sharp exclamation of pain, and waspeering into the brush in the dread of seeing savage faces peering atthem. His shout of alarm brought them all, including Salloo, on the runto Jack's side. The boy explained what had occurred and the faces of thewhites grew grave. If they were attacked at this early stage of thejourney it augured ill for the remainder of their adventure.
But Salloo speedily solved the mystery. Lying on the ground beside Jackwas a green, oval-shaped ball, about the size of those projectiles thatone sees stacked by memorial cannons in our country. But this missilewas covered with sharp spikes like the spines of a hedgehog. Salloopointed up into the beautiful tree under which they had cast themselvesdown to rest.
"Nobody throw him," he explained, "him big fruit, some callum Durionnut. You comee way from there. One hittee you headee your blains geteeknocked out."
"They deserve to be for getting up a scare like that," laughed Jack,who, like Billy, stepped hastily from under the dangerous tree. "Itseems to be a pretty good idea in this country to be always on the lookout. Even nature seems to have it in for you."
Jack's arm was doctored by Captain Sparhawk, for it was quite painful,but luckily the spines of the durion, sometimes called the Jack fruit,are not poisonous and it was soon all right again. But during thenoon-day meal, which was then ready, when they heard the crashing of nutafter nut from the durion tree, both boys felt they had had a very luckyescape from having their skulls fractured.
"Be jabers," commented Muldoon, "shure o'ive been in a hurricane wherethe blocks and tackle that was ripped from aloft made yez skip aroundloively to dodge thim, but this is the first toime thot iver I heard ofa three throwing things at yez as if ye was a nigger dodger at a fair."
"You'll discover stranger things than that, Muldoon, before we have beenvery long in New Guinea," said Captain Sparhawk.
"Faith, so long as they're not snakes, oi dunno thot I care much," saidthe Irishman. "Begob, o'im thinking that St. Pathrick would be a goodman to have along in a counthry where the craturs are. Wun wave uv hissthick and away they'd all go, bad luck to thim."
CHAPTER XXIV.--WIRELESS AT WORK.
For two days they traveled thus, making fresh discoveries constantly.Once, for instance, Billy triumphantly pounced on what seemed like afine bit of fire-wood for the noon-day halt. But he dropped it with ayell, as the "stick" suddenly developed legs and on being dropped walkedoff.
"Begorrah, there's a shillalegh come to loife, so it has," yelledMuldoon, as he observed the phenomenon; but the "shillalegh" was onlyone of those strange "stick insects" that abound in that part of theworld and sometimes fool even the natives.
At noon of the third day they found themselves approaching a settlement,as cleared ground, where grew maize, sugar cane, yams and other plants,testified. The village proved to be a large one whe
re white traders andanimal collectors often stopped and there was a native hostelry in itconducted by a greasy-looking Frenchman who had a native wife asdirty-looking as he was. The native huts were all of bamboo hung withcocoanut mats. Natives squatted in front of them chewing betel nuts, thejuice crimsoning their lips and chins. All ages and both sexes indulgedin the habit, which is universal throughout Polynesia and the South Seasgenerally.
There appeared to be a lot of rivalry among the men as to who could growthe fuzziest, most outstanding crop of hair.
"Faith, a barber would starve to death in this country," declaredMuldoon.
Just then a young woman came down the "street," if such the muddy trackbetween the huts could be called. She held something in her arms thatthey thought at first was a baby. But it turned out to be a young pig!
"We'll rest at the hotel here," said Mr. Jukes, "till it grows cooler.My dyspepsia is bad again. It comes from traveling during the heat ofthe day as we have been doing."
The mid-day meal was cooked on a sort of altar built of stones. The boyswatched the operations in this open-air kitchen with interest. At leasttwenty natives assisted in the culinary demonstration and the chatterand laughter was deafening. They made a hearty meal on the native fare,which they were astonished to find was quite as good as anything theyhad tasted at home.