CHAPTER VI
A TROPICAL FOREST
It took them over three weeks to reach Cuzco. They did not hurry, forthey wished to keep the mules in good condition for the serious workbefore them. They were travelling across a plateau thickly dotted withvillages and small towns, and everywhere richly cultivated. Near thesummit of the mountains large flocks of alpacas were grazing, and lowerdown herds of cattle and sheep, while near the plain were patches ofwheat, barley, and potatoes, which in turn were succeeded by fields ofmaize, apple and peach trees, and prickly-pears. At the foot werefields of sugar-cane, oranges, citron, pine-apples, cacao, and manyother tropical fruits; while in the deeper ravines cotton was grown inabundance for the wants of the population. Here, in fact, were allvarieties of climate, from the perpetual snow on the summits of thelofty mountains to a tropical heat in the valleys.
"If the Incas had been contented with this glorious plateau, which forcenturies constituted their kingdom, and had passed a law against thegathering of gold and the mining for silver, they might still have beenlords here," Harry said one day. "There would have been nothing totempt the avarice of the Spaniards, for owing to the distance of themines from the coast, the cost of carriage would have been immense, andthe long sea journey would have rendered the exportation of the naturalproducts of the country impossible. Some of the more sober-minded ofthe Dons might have settled down here and taken wives from among thedaughters of the nobles, and, bringing with them the civilization ofSpain, become valuable colonists. The Incas, before they extended theirconquest over the whole of the west of South America, must have been acomparatively simple people, and would have had none of the habits ofluxury and magnificence that tempted the Spaniards. The gold of SouthAmerica was the ruin of the Incas, as it was afterwards the chief causeof the ruin of Spain."
"Well, Harry, then I should very strongly advise you to give uptreasure-hunting and to remain poor, for the curse of the gold may nothave worked itself out yet."
"I must risk that, Bertie. I have no desire for luxury or magnificence;it is for a laudable purpose that I seek the gold. However, if you haveany scruples on the subject there is no occasion for you to have anyshare in what I may discover."
"No, I think I will agree with you and risk it; though certainly atpresent I don't see what advantage any amount of money would be to me."
The houses of the peasants were for the most part comfortable, althoughsmall, for since the expulsion of the Spaniards, the people had had noreason to make a pretence of poverty. During the Spanish rule no onedared, by the size of his house or by his mode of living, to show signsof wealth above his fellows, for to do so would be to expose himself tothe cruel exactions of the tax-collectors and local officials; and evennow they had hardly recognized the change that had taken place, andremained wedded to the habits that had become rooted in them bycenturies of oppression.
The travellers had no difficulty whatever in purchasing food and forageon the way. They always slept in their tents now, and preferred DonnaMaria's cooking to that which they could obtain in the small andgenerally dirty inns in the towns.
By the time they reached Cuzco, Bertie was able to converse in Spanishwith some fluency. On the way he rode either beside Dias and his wife,or with Jose; in either case an animated conversation was kept up,sometimes on the stirring events of the war of independence and thesubsequent struggles, sometimes about life in England, its ways andcustoms, concerning which neither Maria nor Jose had any knowledgewhatever. Bertie also endeavoured to gain some information concerningthe history of Peru prior to the rising against Spain; but neither thewoman nor boy knew anything of the subject beyond the fact that theIncas were great people, and that the natives still mourned for them.
"You see that black apron most of the women wear over one hip, as asign of mourning; it is still worn for the Incas. They must have beengood people, and not cruel like the Spanish, or they would not be somuch regretted," Maria said. "I don't wear the apron, because both Diasand I are of mixed blood, descendants on one side of natives, and onthe other of Creoles, that is of Spaniards whose families were settledhere, and who hated their countrymen just as much as we do. Well, thereis Cuzco in sight. I have never seen it, and am glad that we shall staythere for a few days."
The old capital of the Incas lay at the end of a valley about two milesin length, and about a mile in width. To the north of the city rose anabrupt hill, crowned by the great citadel with its three lines ofwalls, the hill being divided from those forming the side of the valleyby two deep ravines, in which flowed little streams that ran throughthe city. The appearance of the town was striking. There were numerouschurches, its streets ran at right angles to each other, and themassive stone houses dated from the early Spanish days, though theywere surmounted for the most part by modern brickwork additions. Wherethe great Temple of the Sun once stood, the church of Santo Domingo hadbeen built, a portion of the splendid building of the old faith beingincorporated in it.
"What is the use of staying here?" Bertie asked his brotherimpatiently, two days after they had arrived at Cuzco. "I dare saythese old ruins and fortresses, and so on, are very interesting topeople who understand all about the Incas; but as I know nothing aboutthem, I don't see how you can expect me to get up any interest in anold wall because you tell me that it is one of the remains of a palacebelonging to some old chap I never heard of. I shall be very glad whenDias says that the mules have had enough rest and that we can set outon our business."
"I am afraid you are a Goth, Bert," Harry said, looking at him with anexpression of pity. "Here you are in one of the most interesting citiesof the world, a place that thousands and thousands of people wouldtravel any distance to investigate, and in forty-eight hours you aretired of it. You have no romance in your nature, no respect for thepast; you are a Goth and a Philistine."
"I am afraid you are mixing up localities, Harry. I may be a Goth or aPhilistine, but perhaps you are not aware that these peoples or tribeshad no connection with each other. Your education in mattersunconnected with the Royal Navy seems to have been even more deplorablyneglected than my own."
"Shut up, youngster!"
"No, Lieutenant Prendergast, you are not on the quarter-deck of one ofHer Majesty's ships at present. You are not even the leader of a smallcaravan on the march. We are in this locanda on terms of perfectequality, save and except in any small advantage that you may possessin the matter of years."
Harry laughed.
"Well, Bertie, I do not altogether disagree with what you say. If I hadcome here to get up the history of the Incas, and investigate the ruinsof their palaces, I should be content to stay here for some weeks; butas it is, I am really just as anxious as you are to be on the move. Iwas speaking to Dias half an hour ago, and he says that in two moredays we shall be able to start again. We have been discussing how muchflour and other things it is absolutely necessary to take. Of coursethe better provided we are the more comfortable we shall be; but on theother hand, as Dias says, it is of great importance that the mulesshould carry as little weight as possible.
"In crossing the passes we shall have the benefit of the old roads ofthe Incas, but once we leave these the difficulties will be enormous.Dias said that it might be better to dispose of our mules altogetherand get trained llamas in their place, as these can climb over rockswhere no mule could obtain a foothold. But then it would be necessaryto take with us one or two natives accustomed to their ways, and thiswould not suit us at all. However, I do think that it would be worthwhile to take two or three of these animals with us. They can carry ahundred pounds apiece; but as we may be going over extraordinarilyrough country, fifty pounds would be sufficient. The advantage would bethat we could establish a sort of central camp at the farthest spot towhich the mules could go, and then make exploring expeditions with thellamas to carry provisions and tools. The llamas are not bad eating, sothat if we found no other use for them they would assist ourcommissariat."
"How far can they go in a day, Harry?"
"Ten or twelve miles, and you may be sure that that is as much as wecan do when we are among the mountains."
"Then I should think they would be very useful. I suppose there will beno difficulty in buying them?"
"None at all. A good many are brought in for sale to the market everyday. Of course it would be necessary to get strong animals accustomedto burdens."
Before starting there was another long consultation between Harry andDias as to which course it would be better to adopt. Themost-frequented pass through the mountains was that to Paucartambo,forty miles north-east from Cuzco, at the mouth of the pass that leadsdown into the plains. Between this town and the Carabaya range, ahundred and fifty miles to the south, was to be found the rich golddeposit to which Dias had referred. So far, however, as the traditionshe had received informed him, it was situated near the slopes of theTinta volcano, and between that and Ayapata. The direct road to thisspot was extremely difficult, and he was of opinion that the journeycould be more easily performed by going to Paucartambo and thenskirting the foot of the mountains.
"You will find no difficulty in obtaining food as you go along," hesaid; "wild turkeys, pheasants, and other birds are to be met with inthat district. Moreover, there are many plantations which have beendeserted owing to the depredations of the Chincas, a tribe who live onthe tributaries of the Pueros, or as it used to be called, Rio Madre deDios. Here you will find fields of maize still growing, sugar-cane,cacao, and rice. One after another the estates have been abandoned; atsome of them the whole of the people on the farms were massacred, andin all the danger was so great that the proprietors found it impossibleto work them. The one drawback to that road is that we may fall in withthe Chincas, in which case they will certainly attack us. However, theyare widely scattered through the forests, and we may not fall in withthem. On the other hand, the track by the Tinta mountain from Sicuaniis extremely difficult and dangerous, We might lose several of ouranimals in traversing it, and should have to depend entirely on what wecarried for food."
"Then by all means let us go the other way, Dias. Were we to lose someof our mules it would be impossible to replace them, and it would beuseless to find gold if we could not carry it away."
Two days later they started, four llamas having been added to thecaravan. Dias explained that it would not be necessary to take anynatives to attend to these animals, as, once started, they would followthe mules without difficulty, especially if they were fed with thembefore starting. Three days' travelling brought them to the littletown, which lay very high up in the hills. The cold here was bitter,and the party needed all their wraps, and were glad to get in motion assoon as it was light. Passing over a range of mountains abovePaucartambo, where a thin layer of snow crunched under their feet, theybegan the tremendous descent into the plain. In a short time themorning mist cleared away. The road led through a tropical forest. Ittook them over three hours to reach the river Chirimayu, a descent ofeleven thousand feet in the course of eight miles.
Here they halted by the side of a splendid waterfall. The hills rose upperpendicularly on every side except where the little river made itsway through the gorge; they were covered with brushwood, ferns, andcreepers, thick with flowers of many colours, while lofty palms andforest trees grew wherever their roots could find a hold. Splendidbutterflies of immense size flitted about; birds of many kinds andbeautiful plumage flew hither and thither among the trees;humming-birds sucked the honey from the bright flowers; parrotschattered and screamed in the upper branches of the trees, and the foamand spray of the torrent sparkled in the sun. Harry and his brotherstood struck with admiration at the loveliness of the scene, even DonnaMaria and Jose ceased their chatter as they looked at a scene such asthey had never before witnessed.
"It is worth coming all the way from England to see this, Bertie."
"It is, indeed. If it is all like this I sha'n't mind how long Diastakes to find the place he is in search of."
At a word from Dias they all set to work to take the burdens off theanimals. A place was cleared for the tents. When these had been erectedJose collected dried sticks. A fire was soon lighted, and Maria beganto prepare breakfast.
"Is it unhealthy here, Dias?"
"Not here, senors; we are still many hundred feet above the plain. Inthe forest there it is unhealthy for whites, the trees grow so thicklythat it is difficult to penetrate them, swamps and morasses lie in manyplaces, and the air is thick and heavy. We shall not go down thereuntil we need. When we must descend we shall find an abundance ofmaize, and fruits of all sorts. The savages kill the people they findon the estates, but do not destroy the crops or devastate the fields.They are wise enough to know that these are useful to them, and thoughthey are too lazy to work themselves they appreciate the good thingsthat others have planted."
"It is rather early to make a halt, Dias."
"We have work to do, senor. In the first place we must find a spotwhere large trees stand on the bank of the torrent. Two or three ofthese must be felled so that they fall across it; then we shall have tochop off the branches, lay them flat side by side, and make a bridgeover which to take animals. After breakfast we must set about thiswork, and it will be too late before we finish to think of goingfarther to-day."
"It is well that we bought four good axes and plenty of rope at Cuzco,"Harry said.
"We shall want them very often, senor. Three large torrents come downbetween this and the Tinta volcano, besides many smaller ones. Somerise from the hills to the north of us. These fall into others, whicheventually combine to make the Madre de Dios. So far as is known boatscan descend the river to the Amazon without meeting with any obstacle,from a point only a few miles from the head of the Pueros, which weshall presently cross. The fact that there are no cataracts during thewhole course from the hills to the junction of the rivers, shows howperfectly flat the great plain is."
"And did either the Incas or the Spaniards ever conquer the Chincas andcultivate these splendid plains?"
"The Incas drove them back some distance, senor, and forced them to paya tribute, but they never conquered them. Doubtless they cultivated theland for some leagues from the foot of the mountains, as did theSpaniards, and it was considered the most fertile part of the Montana,as their possessions this side of the Cordilleras were called. TheSpaniards tried to push farther, but met with such stout opposition bythe savages that they were forced to desist."
All were ready when Maria announced breakfast. After the meal they satsmoking for half an hour, reluctant to commence the heavy work beforethem.
"We had better be moving, senor," Dias said as he rose to his feet, "orwe shall not get the bridge made before dark."
A hundred yards from the camp they found three large trees growingclose to each other near the edge of the stream. Bertie looked at themwith an air of disgust.
"This will be worse for the hands than rowing for twelve hours in aheavy boat."
"I dare say it will," Harry agreed; "but it has got to be done, and thesooner we set about it the better."
"I shall take off my flannel shirt," Bertie said.
"You had better not, senor," Dias said, as he saw what the lad wasabout to do. "There are many insects here that will sting you, and thebites of some of them swell up and turn into sores. Now, senor, I willtake this tree. The next is not quite so large, will you take that? Iwill help you when I am finished with my own. Your brother and Jose canwork by turns at the other."
It was hard work, for the trees were over two feet across near thefoot. Dias had felled his before the others had cut half-way through,and he then lent his aid to Harry, who was streaming with perspiration.
"You are not accustomed to it, senor. You will manage better when youhave had two or three months' practice at the work."
"I did not bargain for this, Harry," Bertie said as he rested for thetwentieth time from his work. "Jaguars and alligators, Indians andbandits, and hard climbing I was prepared for, but I certainly neverexpected that we should have to
turn ourselves into wood-cutters."
"It is hard work, Bertie, but it is useless to grumble, and, as Diassays, we shall become accustomed to it in two or three months."
"Two or three months!" Bertie repeated with a groan; "my hands areregularly blistered already, and my arms and back ache dreadfully."
"Well, fire away! Why, Jose has done twice as much as you have, and hehas hardly turned a hair. I don't suppose that he has had much morepractice than you have had, and he is nothing like so strong."
"Oh, I dare say! if he has never cut, his ancestors have, and I supposeit is hereditary. Anyhow, I have been doing my best. Well, here goes!"
Harry laughed at his brother's theory for explaining why Jose had donemore work than he had. He was himself by no means sorry that Dias hadcome to his assistance, and that his tree was nearly ready to fall.Jose climbed it with the end of a long rope, which he secured to anupper bough. Dias then took the other end of the rope, crossed thetorrent by the tree he had felled, and when Jose had come down andHarry had given a few more cuts with the axe, he was able to guide thetree in its fall almost directly across the stream. Then he tookBertie's tree in hand. In ten minutes this was lying beside the others.It took three hours' more work to cut off the branches and to lay thetrees side by side, which was done with the aid of one of the mules.The smaller logs were packed in between them to make a level road, andwhen this was done the workers went back to the little camp. The sunwas already setting, and Donna Maria had the cooking-pots simmeringover the fire.
"That has been a hard day's work," Harry said, when he and his brotherthrew themselves down on the grass near the fire.
"Hard is no name for it, Harry. I have never been sentenced to work ona tread-mill, but I would cheerfully chance it for a month rather thando another day's work like this. The palms of my hands feel as if theyhad been handling a red-hot iron, my arms and shoulders ache as if Ihad been on a rack. I seem to be in pain from the tips of my toes tothe top of my head."
Harry laughed.
"It is only what every settler who builds himself a hut in thebackwoods must feel, Bert. It is the work of every wood-cutter andcharcoal-burner; it is a good deal like the work of every miner. Youhave been brought up too soft, my boy."
"Soft be hanged!" the lad said indignantly; "it is the first time Ihave heard that the life of an apprentice on board a ship was a softone. I have no doubt you feel just as bad as I do."
"But you don't hear me grumbling, Bert; that is all the difference. Iexpect that, of the two, I am rather the worse, for my bones andmuscles are more set than yours, and it is some years now since Ipulled at either a rope or an oar."
Bertie was silent for a minute or two, and then said ratherapologetically:
"Well, Harry, perhaps I need not have grumbled so much, but you see itis a pretty rough beginning when one is not accustomed to it. We oughtto have had a short job to begin with, and got into it gradually,instead of having six hours on end; and I expect that the backwoodssettler you were talking about does not work for very long when hefirst begins. If he did he would be a fool, for he certainly would notbe fit for work for a week if he kept on till he had nearly broken hisback and taken the whole skin off his hands by working all day thefirst time he tried it."
"There is something in that, Bertie; and as we are in no extraordinaryhurry I do think we might have been satisfied with felling the treesto-day, and cutting off the branches and getting them into placeto-morrow. Still, as Dias seemed to make nothing of it, I did not liketo knock off at the very start."
"The meal is ready, senor," Maria said, "and I think we had better eatit at once, for the sky looks as if we were going to have rain."
"And thunder too," Dias said. "You had better begin; Jose and I willpicket the mules and hobble the llamas. If they were to make off, weshould have a lot of trouble in the morning."
The aspect of the sky had indeed changed. Masses of cloud hung on thetops of the hills, and scud was flying overhead.
Maria placed one of the cooking-pots and two tin plates, knives, andforks beside Harry and his brother, with two flat cakes of ground maize.
"Sit down and have your food at once," Harry said to her. "The rainwill be down in bucketfuls before many minutes."
They were soon joined by Dias and Jose, the latter bringing up a largecan of water from the stream. They had just finished when large dropsof rain began to patter on the ground.
"Never mind the things," Harry said as he leapt to his feet. "Crawlunder shelter at once; it is no use getting a wetting."
All at once made for the tents; and they were but just in time, for therain began to fall in torrents, and a peal of thunder crashed outoverhead as they got under the canvas.
"This is our first experience of this sort of thing," Harry said, as heand his brother lit their pipes half-sitting and half-reclining ontheir beds. "I rather wondered why Dias put the tents on this littlebit of rising ground, which did not look so soft or tempting as thelevel; but I see now that he acted very wisely, for we should have beenflooded in no time if we had been lower down. As it is, I am by nomeans sure that we shan't have the water in. Another time we will takethe precaution to make trenches round the tents when we pitch them.However, we have got a waterproof sheet underneath the beds, so Iexpect it will be all right."
"I hope so. Anyhow, we had better see that the edges are turned up allround, so that the water cannot run over them. By Jove! it does comedown. We can hardly hear each other speak."
Suddenly the entrance to the tent was thrust aside.
"Here is a candle, senors."
It was thrown in, and Dias ran back into his own tent, which was but afew yards away, before Harry could remonstrate at his coming out.
"The candle will be useful, anyhow," Bertie said. "It is almostpitch-dark now. What with the sun going down and the clouds overhead,it has turned from day into night in the past five minutes."
Striking a match he lit the candle, and stuck it in between his shoes,which he took off for the purpose.
"That is more cheerful, Harry."
"Hullo! what is that?"
A deep sound, which was certainly not thunder, rose from the woods. Itwas answered again and again from different directions.
"They must be either pumas or jaguars, which are always called herelions and tigers, and I have no doubt Dias will know by the roar whichit is. I should not mind if it were daylight, for it is not pleasant toknow that there are at least half a dozen of these beasts in theneighbourhood. We may as well drop the cartridges into our rifles andpistols. I believe neither of these beasts often attacks men, but theymight certainly attack our mules."
The storm continued, and each clap of thunder was succeeded by roars,snarls, and hissing, and with strange cries and shrieks. During amomentary lull Harry shouted:
"Is there any fear of these beasts attacking us or the mules, Dias?"
"No, senor, they are too frightened by the thunder and lightning tothink of doing so."
"What are all those cries we hear?"
"Those are monkeys, senor. They are frightened both by the storm and bythe roaring of the lions and tigers."
"Which is the bigger, Harry, the puma or the jaguar?"
"I believe the jaguar is the bigger, but the puma is the moreformidable and fiercer. The latter belongs to the same family as thelion, and the former to that of the leopards. The jaguar is moreheavily built than the leopard, and stronger, with shorter legs, but itis spotted just as the leopard is. The puma is in build like the lion,but has no mane. Both prey on animals of all kinds. The natives saythey catch turtles, turn them over on their backs as a man would do,and tear the shells apart. They will also eat fish; but they are bothscourges to the Indians and white planters, as they will kill sheep,horses, and cattle. Of course, if they are attacked by men and wounded,they will fight desperately, as most wild creatures will; but if mandoes not molest them, they are quite content to leave him alone, unlesshe chances to pass under a tree among the branches of
which they arelying in wait for prey. Both of them can climb trees."
"Well, I thought I should have slept like a log, Harry, after the workthat I have done, but what with the thunder and the patter of the rain,and all those noises of beasts, I don't think I am likely to close myeyes."
"We shall get accustomed to the noises after a time, Bert; but atpresent I feel as if I were in the middle of a travelling menageriewhich had been caught in a thunderstorm. It is curious that all animalsshould be frightened at lightning, for they cannot know that it isreally dangerous."
"Yes, I know. We had two dogs on the last ship I was in. A clap ofthunder would send them flying down the companion into the cabin, andthey would crouch in some dark corner in a state of absolute terror.They would do just the same if cannon were fired in salute, or anythingof that sort. I suppose they thought that was thunder."
In spite, however, of the noises, Harry and his brother both droppedoff to sleep before long, being thoroughly worn out by the day's work.They were awakened by Dias opening the front of their little tent.
"The sun is up, senors, and it is a fine morning after the storm. Mariahas got coffee ready, baked some cakes, and fried some slices of meat."
"All right, Dias! we will be out directly. We will first run up thebank a short distance, and have a dip."
"You won't be able to swim, senor. The bed of the torrent is full, andno swimmer could breast the water."
"All right! we will be careful."
Throwing on their ponchos, they went down to the stream and ran alongthe bank.
"The water is coming down like a race-horse, Bert, but just ahead ithas overflowed its banks. We can have a bath there safely, though it isnot deep enough for swimming."
After ten minutes' absence they returned to the camp, completed theirdressing, and sat down to breakfast.
"What were all those frightful noises, Dias? Were they pumas orjaguars?"
"They were both, senor. You can easily tell the difference in thesounds they make. The jaguar's is between a roar and a snarl, while thepuma's is a sort of a hissing roar."
As soon as breakfast was over, the tents were packed up and the mulesand llamas laden. Dias had given them a feed all round an hour before.The course they should take had been already agreed upon; they mustdescend to the plain, for it would be next to impossible to cross theravines on the mountain-side.
"Each stream coming down from the hills," Dias said, "must be followednearly up to its source, but for the next seventy or eighty miles thesearch need not be so careful as it must be afterwards. The placecannot be far from Tinta, but somewhere this side of it. We need nothurry, for there are two months to spare."
"How do you mean, Dias?"
"On a day that answers to the 21st of March, Coyllur--that is astar--will rise at midnight in a cleft in a peak. It can be seen onlyin the valley in which the stream that contains the gold runs down.This is what my father taught me; therefore there must be mountains tothe south-east, and this can only be where the Cordilleras run east,which is the case at Tinta."
"That is excellent as far as it goes, if we happen to be in the rightvalley at the time, Dias, but it would not help us in the slightest ifwe were in any other valley. And we should have to wait a year beforetrying in another place."
"Yes, senor, but there are marks on the rocks of a particular kind.There are marks on rocks in other valleys, so that these should not bedistinguished by Spaniards searching for the place. I should know themarks when I saw them."
"Then in that case, Dias, the star would not be of much use to us."
"I know not how that might be, senor, but as these instructions havebeen handed down from the time when the Spaniards arrived, it mustsurely in some way be useful, but in what way I cannot say."
"At any rate, Dias, what with those marks you speak of, and the star,it will be hard if we cannot find it. I suppose you are sure that theplace is rich if we do light upon it?"
"Of that there can be no doubt, senor. Tradition says that it was therichest spot in the mountains, and was only worked when the king hadneed of gold, either for equipping an army or on some special occasion.At such a time it would be worked for one month, and then closed untilgold was again required. However, as we go that way we shall exploreother valleys. Gold is found more or less in all of them. Possibly wemay find some rich spot which we can fall back upon if we fail in oursearch."
"But I hardly see how we can fail, with the star and those marks on therocks to aid us."
"The marks may have disappeared, senor, and in that case we may not bein the right spot when the star rises; or again, the Incas may haveclosed the approach in some way to make the matter sure. I cannotpromise that we shall find the gold; but I shall do my best with theknowledge that has come down to me. If I fail, we must try in otherdirections. When the Spaniards came, forty thousand of the Incas'people left Cuzco and the neighbouring towns, and journeyed away downthe mountains and out to the west. Since then no reliable newsconcerning them has been heard, but rumours have from time to time comefrom that direction to the effect that there is a great and wealthycity there. I say not that if we failed here we should attempt to findit. The dangers from the savages would be too great. There would begreat forests to traverse, many rivers to be crossed. We might travelfor years without ever finding their city. When we got there, we mightbe seized and put to death, and if we were spared we might not be ableto make off with the treasure. I mention it to show that gold may befound in many other places besides this valley we are seeking."
"I quite agree with you, Dias, that unless we could get some indicationof the position of this city, if it now exists, it would be madness toattempt to search for it. I want gold badly, but I do not propose thatwe should all throw away our lives in what would be almost a hopelessadventure. Even if I were ready to risk my own life on such a madenterprise, I would not ask others to do the same."
Crossing the stream, they made their way down through the forest. Itwas toilsome work, as they often had to clear a way with axes throughthe undergrowth and tangle of creepers. But at noon they reached levelground. The heat was now intense, even under the trees, and the airclose and oppressive. On the way down Harry shot a wild turkey. Whenthey halted, this was cut up and broiled over a fire, and after it hadbeen eaten all lay down and slept for two or three hours.
"Ought we not to set a guard?" Harry had asked.
"No, senor, I do not think it necessary. Jose will lie down by the sideof the llamas, and even if the mules should not give us a warning ofany man or beast approaching, the llamas will do so. They are theshyest and most timid of creatures, and would detect the slightestmovement."
For the next three weeks they continued their way. During this timefive or six ravines were investigated as far as they could be ascended.Samples were frequently taken from sand and gravel and washed, butthough particles of gold were frequently found, they were not insufficient quantity to promise good results from washing.
"If we had a band of natives with us," Dias said, "we should no doubtget enough to pay well--that is to say, to cover all expenses and leavean ounce or two of profit to every eight or ten men engaged--but asmatters stand we should only be wasting time by remaining here."
They had no difficulty in obtaining sufficient food; turkeys andpheasants were occasionally shot; a tapir was once killed, and, as theyhad brought hooks and lines with them, fish were frequently caught inthe streams. These were of small size, but very good eating. But, asDias said, they could not hope to find larger species, except far outin the plains, where the rivers were deep and sluggish.
The work was hard, but they were now accustomed to it. They often hadto go a considerable distance before they could find trees availablefor bridging the torrents, but, on the other hand, they sometimes cameupon some of much smaller girth than those they had first tackled. Thelabour in getting these down was comparatively slight. Sometimes thesestood a little way from the stream, but after they were felled twomules could easily drag
them to the site of the bridge. When on themarch, Harry and his brother carried their double-barrelled guns, eachwith one barrel charged with shot suitable for pheasants or otherbirds, the other with buck-shot. Dias carried a rifle. Very seldom didthey mount their mules, the ground being so rough and broken, and theboughs of the trees so thick, that it was less trouble to walk at theheads of their animals than to ride.