CHAPTER ELEVEN.
AN EVENTFUL NIGHT.
"I do like a good fire, Joe," said Rob, as he gazed at the ruddy flamesrushing up.
"Why, you're not cold?"
"No, I'm hot, and this fire brings in a breeze and makes it cooler--onone side. But what I like in a fire of this kind is that you can burnas much wood as you like, and nobody can say it's waste, because it'sdoing good--clearing the ground for the trees around to grow. I say,look at the birds."
"After supper," said Joe, as he watched the actions of the principalboatman, who was head cook, busily preparing the ducks and twogood-sized fish which they had caught by trailing a bait behind the boatas they came.
"Yes, I'm hungry," said Rob. "What's that?"
"It was Shaddy."
"What! tumbled in?" said Rob excitedly.
"No; he took hold of a thick piece of branch and threw it into thewater. What did you do that for?"
"Scare them 'gators, my lad. There's a whole school of 'em out there,and I think they mean coming to supper. And fish too," he added, asthere was another splash and then another.
By this time he was close alongside of the boat, under whose tent MrBrazier was busy by the light of a lanthorn making notes and lists ofthe flowers and orchid bulbs which he had secured that day.
"Hadn't we better put out a line, Shaddy? If we caught a fish or twothe men would be glad of them in the morning."
"No, Mr Rob, sir; I don't suppose they'd bite now, and even if theydid, so sure as you hooked one a smiler would get hold of it, and youdon't want another fight of that sort. I'm beginning to think that we'dbest get our bit o' food, and then drop slowly down the river again."
"What's that?" said Brazier, looking up from his work. "That will notdo, Naylor; we should miss no end of good plants."
"Well, sir, better do that than get into a row with any of the nativeshere," growled Shaddy.
"Why, you said there were no Indians near."
"Tchah! I mean the other natives--'sects and rept'les and what not.But there, if we put a rope to the end of that largest tree and anchorourselves yonder I don't suppose we shall hurt. Eh? All right," hecried, in answer to a hint from the men; "supper's ready, gentlemen."
"And so are we," said Rob with alacrity; and he leaped off the gunwaleon to the tree trunk by whose side it was moored.
To all appearance it was a solid-looking stem of tons in weight, butcovered with mosses, creepers, and orchids, which pretty well hid itsbark.
Rob's intention was to run along it to the root end, which stood upclose to the fire; but, to his intense astonishment, he crashed throughwhat was a mere outer shell of bark into so much dust and touchwoodright up to the armpits, where he stuck, with a hedge of plantshalf-covering his face.
Joe burst out into a fit of laughing, in which Rob joined as soon as thefirst startled sensation was over.
"Who'd have thought of that?" he cried. "But, I say, I'm fast. Comeand lend me a hand. I thought it was a great solid trunk, and allinside here you can see it looks as if it were on fire. Oh! oh! Ah!Help!"
"What's the matter?" cried Brazier excitedly, as Shaddy and he steppedcautiously to the boy's side, Joe having already mounted on the treetrunk. "Not on fire, are you?"
"No, no," gasped Rob in agonised tones; and, speaking in a frightenedwhisper, "There's something alive in here."
"Nippers o' some kind, eh?"
"No, no," cried Rob faintly; "I can feel it moving. Oh! help! It's asnake."
As he spoke there was a curious scuffling noise inside, as if somethingwas struggling to extricate itself, and Shaddy lost no time. Bendingdown, he seized Rob by the chest under the armpits, stooped lower, gaveone heave, and lifted him right out; when, following close upon hislegs, the head of a great serpent was thrust up, to look threateninglyround for a moment. The next, the creature was gliding down through thedense coating of parasitical growth, and before gun could be fetchedfrom the cabin, or weapon raised, the rustling and movement on the sideof the trunk had ceased, and Joe in turn gave a bound to one side.
"It's coming along by here," he cried, as, in full belief that he wouldthe next moment be enveloped in the monster's coils, he made for thefire.
"Where is it now?" cried Shaddy, knife in hand.
"The grass is moving there," said Brazier, pointing a little to theright, where the tree trunks cast a deep shadow.
"Can't see--so plaguey dark," growled the guide; "and it's no good if Icould. Yes, I can see the stuff moving now. He's making for the water.Now, sir, send a charge o' shot where the grass is waving."
But before Brazier could get a sight of the reptile it had glided intothe river, down among the branches of the fallen tree, as if quite usedto the intricate tangle of pointed wood beneath the bank, and accustomedto use it for a home of refuge, or lurking place from which to strike atprey.
"Did it seize you?" said Brazier excitedly.
"No, I only felt it strike against my leg and then press it to the side.I think I trod upon it."
"Made its home, I suppose, in the hollow tree. But you are sure you arenot hurt, my boy--only frightened?"
"I couldn't help being frightened," said Rob, in rather an ill-usedtone.
"Nobody says you could," said Brazier, laughing. "Master Giovanni seemsto have been frightened too. Why, Rob, my lad, it would have almostfrightened me into fits: I have such a horror of serpents. There, Ibelieve after all these things are not so very dangerous."
"Don't know so much about that, sir," said Shaddy. "I've know'd 'emcoil round and squeeze a deer to death, and then swallow it."
"Yes, a small deer perhaps; but the old travellers used to tell us aboutmighty boas and monstrous anacondas which could swallow buffaloes."
"Ah! they don't grow so big as that now, sir. I've seen some pretty bigones, too, in my time, specially on the side of the river and up theAmazons."
"Well, how big--how long have you ever seen one, Naylor?"
"Never see one a hundred foot long," said Shaddy drily.
"No, I suppose not. Come, what was the largest?"
"Largest I ever see, sir, was only the skin, as I telled Mr Rob about.Some half-caste chaps had got it pegged out, and I dessay skinning hadstretched it a bit."
"Well, how long was that, Naylor?"
"That one was twenty-six foot long, sir, and nine foot across; and youmay take my word for it as a thing like that, all muscles like iron--saysix-and-twenty foot long and bigger round than a man--would be anawkward customer to tackle. Big enough for anything."
"Quite, Naylor."
"But how big was this one, do you think?" said Rob, who was getting overthe perturbation caused by his adventure.
"Well, my lad, seeing what a bit of a squint I had of it, I should sayit were thirteen or fourteen foot--p'raps fifteen."
"I thought it was nearer fifty," said Rob.
"Yes, you would then, my lad. But, never mind, it didn't seize you. Idessay you scared it as much as it did you."
"You will not be able to eat any supper, Rob, I suppose?" said Brazierrather maliciously.
Rob looked doubtful, but he smiled; and they went to the clearest placethey could find, but not without sundry misgivings, for another treesheltered them from the fire, which now sent forth a tremendous heat,and a cloud of golden sparks rose eddying and circling up to a densecloud of smoke which glowed as if red-hot where it reflected the flames.This huge trunk, like the one through which Rob had slipped, was coatedwith parasitical growth, and though apparently solid, might, for allthey knew, be hollow, and the nesting-place of half a dozen serpentslarger than the one they had seen.
"Hadn't we better shift our quarters?" said Brazier.
"Yes, do," said Joe eagerly; "I hate snakes."
"Nobody's going to jump through that tree and 'sturb 'em, so I don'ts'pose they'll 'sturb us. You see, they're a curious kind o' beast,which is all alive and twine for a day or two till they get a good meal,and then they go to sleep for
a month before they're hungry again. It'swonderful how stupid and sleepy they are when they're like this. Ittakes some one to jump on 'em to rouse 'em up, like Mr Rob did."
"Well, we must chance it," said Brazier; and they seated themselves totheir _al fresco_ supper, over which Rob forgot his fright--his appetitereturning, and the novelty of the position making everything delightful,in spite of the discomfort of their seat. For all around was so new,and there was a creepy kind of pleasure in sitting there by thatcrackling fire eating the delicious, hot, juicy birds, and all the whilelistening to the weird chorus of the forest, now in full swing.
Rob paused in the picking of a tasty leg, deliciously cooked, and sat ina very unpolished way listening to the curious cries, when, raising hiseyes, they encountered Brazier's, who was similarly occupied.
"We've come to a wild enough place, Rob, my lad," he said; "but I don'tthink we wish to change."
"Oh! no," said Rob, in a whisper. "One can't help being a bitfrightened sometimes, but it is grand even if we see nothing more."
Shaddy uttered a low, jerky sound, which was meant for a laugh.
"See nothing more, lad!" he cried. "Why, look here, you may go hundredsof miles to the south, the west and the north, and it's all savage landthat man has hardly ever crossed. Don't you think there's somethingmore to be seen there? Why, who knows but what we may come upon strangewild beasts such as nobody has ever set eyes on before, and--Why, what'sthe matter with our young skipper?"
Joe was opposite to him, staring wildly, his eyelids so drawn back thathe showed a circle of white around the irises, and his lips were apartfrom his teeth.
"Why, what's the matter, lad? They haven't put any poison stuff in yourvictuals, have they?"
Joe made no reply, but sat staring wildly still, not at Shaddy, but inthe direction of the river beyond.
"What's the matter, my lad?" said Brazier.
"I know!" cried Shaddy; "where's your guns? It's them 'gators coming upout of the water, and it's what I expected."
"No, no," whispered the boy excitedly: "look lower!"
All followed his pointing finger, but for the moment they could seenothing, one of the men having thrown some fresh fuel upon the fire,which was emitting more smoke than blaze.
"Hi! one of you!" cried Shaddy, "stir that fire."
One of the men seized the end of a burning limb, shook it about alittle, and a roar of flame ascended skyward, lighting up the river andthe trees beyond, but above all, striking just upon the rotten trunkthrough which Rob fell. There they saw a something glistening andhorrible, as it swayed and undulated and rose and fell, with its neckall waves and its eyes sparkling in the golden blaze of the fire. Nowit sank down till it was almost hidden among the parasitic plants; nowit slowly rose, arching its neck, and apparently watching the party nearthe fire; while moment by moment its aspect was so menacing that Joethought it would launch itself upon them and seize one to appease itsrage.
"It's--it's come back!" he whispered faintly.
"Not it," growled Shaddy; "this one's twice as big as t'other. It's itsfather or mother, p'r'aps. Better have a shot at it, sir."
"Yes," said Brazier, slowly raising his gun, "but this light is sodeceptive I am not at all sure that I can hit."
"Oh, you'll hit him full enough," said Shaddy. "You must hit it, sir.Why, if you missed, the beast would come down upon us as savage as atiger. Take a good, quiet aim down low so as to hit his neck, if youdon't his head. Are you cocked?"
"Tut! tut!" muttered Brazier, who in his excitement had forgotten thisnecessary preliminary, and making up for the omission.
"Come, Mr Rob, sir, don't miss your chance of having a shot at a'conda. 'Tain't everybody who gets such a shot as that."
Rob mechanically picked up his piece, examined the breech, and thenwaited for Mr Brazier to fire, feeling sure the while that if itdepended upon him the creature would go off scathless.
"Now's your time, sir!" whispered Shaddy. "He is put out, and meansmischief. I'd let him have the small shot just beneath the jaws, if Icould. Wait a moment, till he's quiet. Rather too much waving abouthim yet. Look out, sir! he's getting ready to make a dart at us, I dobelieve!"
But still Brazier did not fire, for the peculiar undulatory motion keptup by the serpent, as seen by the light of the fire, was singularlydeceptive, and again and again the leader of the little expedition feltthat if he fired it would be to miss.
Shaddy drew in a long breath, and gazed impatiently at Brazier, who wasonly moved by one idea--that of making a dead shot, to rid their littlecamp of a horrible-looking enemy.
Then the chance seemed to be gone, for by one quick movement of thelithe body and neck the head dropped down amongst the plants whichclothed the tree trunk.
"Gone!" gasped Rob, with a sigh of satisfaction.
"Eyes right!" cried Shaddy; "he hasn't gone. He'll rise close insomewhere. Look out, gentlemen--look out!"
He was excited, and drew his knife, as if expecting danger. And it wasnot without cause, for almost directly after the keen steel blade hadflashed in the light of the fire, the hideous head of the serpent roseup not ten feet away, with its eyes glittering, the scales burnishedlike bright, many-shaded bronze, and the quick, forked tongue darting inand out from its formidable jaws.
The head kept on rising till it was fully six feet above the growth,when it was rapidly drawn back, as if to be darted forward; but at thatmoment both Rob and Brazier fired together, and as the smoke clearedaway another cloud of something seemed to be playing about on theground, but a solid cloud, before which everything gave way, while somegreat flail-like object rapidly beat down plant and shrub.
All shrank away, and, as if moved by one impulse, took refuge behind theroaring fire, feeling, as they did, that their dangerous visitor wouldnot attempt to pass that in making an attack upon those sheltered by somenacing an outwork.
There was something terribly appalling in the struggles of the silentmonster, as it writhed and twisted itself into knots; then unfolded withthe rapidity of lightning, and waving its tail in the air, again beatdown the bushes and luxuriant growth around.
That it was fearfully wounded was evident, for after a few moments allcould plainly see that it was actuated by a blind fury, and in its agonyvented its rage upon everything around. And as it continued itsstruggles, moment by moment it approached nearer to the blazing fire,till all stood waiting in horror for the moment when one of its foldswould touch the burning embers and the struggles come to a frightfulend.
But all at once the writhings ceased, and the reptile lay undulating andheaving gently among the dense beaten-down growth.
"Stop!" said Brazier sharply, as the guide moved; "what are you going todo?"
"Put him out of his misery," replied Shaddy, quietly. "Hi! you there:give me the axe."
"No," said Brazier, firmly, "it is too risky a task; you shall notattempt it."
Shaddy uttered a low growl, like some thwarted animal, and said, in anill-used tone,--
"Why, I could fetch his head off with one good chop, and--"
"Look, look!" cried Joe. "Mind! Take care!"
"Yes," shouted Rob; "it's coming round this way."
Neither could see the reptile; but the swaying herbage and the rustling,crackling sound showed that it was in rapid motion.
"Nay," growled Shaddy, "he ain't coming this way--onlyright-about-facing. It is his nature to; he's going to make for thewater. That's what those things do: get down to the bottom and liethere, to be out o' danger. Look, Mr Rob, sir; you can see now what alength he is. One part's going one way, and the t'other part t'otherway. Now he's turned the corner, and going straight for the river."
With Shaddy's words to guide them, they could easily make out what wastaking place, as the reptile now made for the place of refuge alreadysought by its companion.
Just then Brazier cocked his piece--_click, click_--and took a few stepsforward to try and get a sight of the creature before it rea
ched theriver bank.
"May as well save your shot, sir," said Shaddy gruffly. "He's goinginto the water bleeding pretty free, I know; and there's them waitingbelow as will be at him as soon as they smell blood."
"How horrible!" cried Rob.
"Ay, 'tis, sir, or seems so to us; but it's nature's way of clearing offall the sickly and wounded things from the face of the earth."
"But what will dare to attack such a terrible beast?"
Shaddy chuckled.
"Anything--everything, sir; little and big. Why, them little piranifishes will be at him in thousands, and there's 'gators enough withinfifty yards to make a supper of him as if he was spitchcocked eel. Ah!there he goes--part of him's in the water already; but I should haveliked the master to have his skin."
Invisible though the serpent was, its course was evident by the rustlingand movement of the growth, and some idea too was gained of thereptile's length.
"There! what did I say?" shouted Shaddy excitedly, as all at once therewas the sound of splashing and agitation in the water down beneath thesubmerged trees; and directly after the serpent's tail rose above thetrunk of one of those lying prone, and gleamed and glistened in theblaze as it undulated and bent and twined about. Then it fell with asplash, and beat the water, rose again quivering seven or eight feet inthe air, while the water all around seemed terribly agitated. There wasa snapping sound, too, horribly ominous in its nature, and the rushingand splashing went on as the tail of the serpent fell suddenly, roseonce more as if the rest of the long lithe body were held below, andfinally disappeared, while the splashing continued for a few minuteslonger before all was silent.
Rob drew a long breath, and Joe shuddered.
"Well," said Shaddy quietly, "that's just how you take it, younggentlemen. Seems so horrible because it was a big serpent. If it hadbeen a worm six inches long you wouldn't have thought anything of it.Look at my four chaps there: they don't take any notice--don't seemhorrid to them. You'll get used to it."
"Impossible!" said Brazier.
"Oh! I don't know, sir," continued Shaddy. "You've come out where youwanted to, in the wildest wilds, where the beasts have it all their ownway, and they do as they always do, go on eating one another up. Why,I've noticed that it isn't only the birds, beasts, and fishes, but eventhe trees out here in the forest do just the same."
"Nonsense!" cried Rob merrily. "Eat one another?"
"Yes, sir; that's it, rum as it sounds to you. I'll tell you how it is.A great ball full of nuts tumbles down from one of the top branches ofa tree, when it's ripe, bang on to the hard ground, splits, and the nutsfly out all round, right amongst the plants and rotten leaves. After abit the nuts begin to swell; then a shoot comes out, and another out ofit. Then one shoot goes down into the ground to make roots, and theother goes up to make a tree. They're all doing the same thing, but oneof 'em happens to have fallen in the place where there's the best soil,and he grows bigger and stronger than the others, and soon begins tosmother them by pushing his branches and leaves over them. Then theyget spindly and weak, and worse and worse, because the big one shoveshis roots among them too; and at last they wither and droop, and die,and rot, and the big strong one regularly eats up with his roots all thestuff of which they were made; and in a few years, instead of therebeing thirty or forty young trees, there's only one, and it gets big."
"Why, Naylor, you are quite a philosopher!" said Brazier, smiling.
"Am I, sir? Didn't know it; but a man like me couldn't be out in thewoods always without seeing that. Why, you'd think, with such thousandsof trees always falling and rotting away, that the ground would be feetdeep in leaf mould and decayed wood; but if you go right in the forestyou'll find how the roots eat it up as fast as it's made."
"But what about these big trunks?" said Joe, pointing to the fallentrees.
"Them? Well, they're going into earth as fast as they can, and in a fewyears there'll be nothing of 'em left. Why, look at that one; it's asif it were burning away now," he continued, pointing to the hole throughwhich Rob had fallen: "that's nature at work making the tree, now it'sdead, turn into useful stuff for the others to feed on."
"Yes," said Brazier, as he broke out a piece of the luminous touchwood,which gleamed in the darkness when it was screened from the fire:"that's a kind of phosphoric fungus, boys."
"Looks as if it would burn one's fingers," said Joe, handling thebeautiful piece of rotten, glowing wood.
"Yes; and so do other things out here," said Shaddy. "There's plenty ofwhat I call cold fire; but you'll soon see enough of that."
Shaddy ceased speaking, for at that moment a strange, thrilling soundcame from the depths of the forest, not more, apparently, than a hundredyards away.
Its effect was electrical.
The half-bred natives who formed Shaddy's crew of boatmen had watchedthe encounters with the two serpents in the most unconcerned way, whilethe weird chorus of sounds from the depths of the forest, with yells,howls, and cries of dangerous beasts, was so much a matter of coursethat they did not turn their heads even at the nearest roar, trusting,as they did, implicitly in the security afforded them by the fire. Butnow, as this strange sound rang out, silencing the chorus of cries, theyleaped up as one man, and made for the boat, hauling on the rope andscrambling in as fast as possible.
Rob's first impulse was to follow suit, especially as Giovanni took afew hurried steps, and tripping over a little bush, fell headlong. Butseeing that Shaddy stood fast, and that Brazier cocked his piece, hestopped where he was, though his heart throbbed heavily, and his breathcame as if there were some strange oppression at his chest.
"What's that?" whispered Brazier, as the thrilling sound died away,leaving the impression behind that some huge creature must beapproaching in a threatening manner, for a curious rustling followed thecry.
"Well, sir," said Shaddy, taking off his cap, and giving his head a rubas if to brighten his brain, "that's what I want to know."
"You don't know?"
"No, sir," said the man, coolly; "I know pretty well every noise as isto be heard out here but that one, and it downright puzzles me. Firsttime I heard it I was sitting by my fire cooking my dinner--a fat, youngturkey I'd shot--and I ups and runs as hard as ever I could, and did notstop till I could go no further. Ah! I rec'lect it now, how hungry andfaint I was, for I dursen't go back, and I dessay whatever the beast waswho made that row ate my turkey. Nex' time I heard it I didn't run. Iwas cooking ducks then, and I says to myself, `I'll take the ducks,' andI did, and walked off as fast as I could to my boat."
"And you did not see it?"
"No, sir. P'r'aps we shall this time; I hope so, for I want to know.Third time never fails, so if you don't mind we'll all be ready with ourguns and wait for him. May be something interesting to a nat'ralhist'ry gent like you, and we may get his head and skin for you to takehome to the Bri'sh Museum. What do you say?"
"Well," said Brazier, drily, "self-preservation's the first law ofnature. I do not want to show the white feather, but really I think wehad better do as the men have done--get on board and wait for our enemythere. What do you say, lads!"
"Decidedly, yes," cried both eagerly.
"But we don't know as it is our enemy yet, sir," replied Shaddy,thoughtfully. "Hah! hark at that!"
They needed no telling, for all shivered slightly, as another cry, verydifferent from the last, rang out from the forest--half roar, half howl,of a most appalling nature.
"Here, let's get on board," said Brazier.
"Not for that, sir," cried Shaddy, with one of his curiously harshlaughs. "Why, that's only one of them big howling monkeys who would gooff among the branches twisting his tail, and scared 'most into fits, ifyou looked at him."
"A monkey!" cried Rob. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, yes, I'm sure enough 'bout that, gentlemen. It's the other thingthat puzzles me."
They ceased speaking and stood watchfully waiting; but after aretrograde movement toward t
he boat, so as to be able to retreat at anymoment. The cry was not repeated, though, and the feeling of awe beganto die off, but only to return on Shaddy continuing,--
"There's a something there, or else that there howler wouldn't havehollered once and then gone off. The lions and tigers, too, haveslinked away. That's a lion--puma you call him--ever so far off; and, Ican hear a couple of tigers quite faint-like; but all the things nearhere have stopped calling, and that shows there's that thing prowlingabout."
"But the men?" whispered Rob. "They ran away as if they knew what itwas."
"Tchah! They don't know. Their heads are full of bogies. Soon as theyhear a noise, and can't tell what it is, they say it's an evil spirit ora goblin or ghost. Babies they are. Why, if I was to go near a lot ofnatives in the dark, hide myself, and let go with Scotch bagpipes,they'd run for miles and never come nigh that part of the forest again."
All at once the chorus in the forest was resumed, with so much forcethat it sounded as if the various creatures had been holding theirnoises back and were now trying hard to make up for the previous check.
That was Rob's opinion, and he gave it in a whisper to his companion.
"Then, it's gone," said Joe. "I say, didn't you feel scared?"
"Horribly."
"Then I'm not such a coward after all. I felt as if I must run."
"So you did when the serpent came."
"Well, isn't it enough to make one? You English fellows have the creditof being so brave that you will face anything without being frightened;but I believe you are frightened all the same."
"Of course we are," said Rob, "only Englishmen will never own they arefrightened, even to themselves, and that's why they face anything."
"Then you are not an Englishman?" said Joe.
"No, only an English boy," said Rob, laughing. "I say, though, nevermind about bragging. I'm precious glad, whatever it was, that it hasgone."
"I remember, now, my father telling me about his hearing some horriblenoise in the Grand Chaco one night when the schooner was at anchor closein shore. He said it gave him quite a chill; but I didn't take any morenotice of it then. It must have been one of those things."
"No doubt," said Brazier, who had overheard his words; "but there, ouradventure is over for this time, and it will be something to think aboutin the future."
"Perhaps we shall see it yet," said Rob.
"I hope not," cried Joe uneasily.
"Gone, Naylor?" continued Brazier.
"Yes, sir, I think so."
"Good job too. Why, Naylor, my man, I never thought you were going tobring us to such a savage, dangerous place as this."
"What? Come, sir, I like that! Says to me, you did, `I want you toguide me to some part of the country where I can enter the primeforest.'"
"Primeval," said Brazier, correctively.
"That's right, sir. `Where,' you says, `the foot of man has never trod,and I may see Natur' just as she is, untouched, unaltered by any one.Do you know such a place?' Them was your very words, and Master Robheered you."
"Quite true, my man."
"And I says to you, `I knows the spot as'll just suit you. Trust tome,' I says, `and I'll take you there, where you may see birds, beasts,and fishes, and as many o' them flowers'--orkards you called 'em--`asgrows on trees, as you like;' and now here you are, sir, and yougrumble."
"Not a bit, Naylor."
"But, begging your pardon, sir, you do; and I appeals to Master Robwhether I arn't done my dooty."
"No need to appeal to Rob, Naylor, for I do not grumble. You have donesplendidly for me. Why, man, I am delighted; but you must not besurprised at my feeling startled when anacondas come to supper, and weare frightened out of our wits by cries that impress even you."
"Then you are satisfied, sir?"
"More than satisfied."
"And you don't want to go back?"
"Of course not. What do you say, Rob? Shall we return?"
"Oh no--not on any account; only let's keep more in the boat."
"Yes, I think we are safer there," said Brazier. "But our friend, orenemy, seems to have gone."
"Wait a bit, sir," replied Shaddy; "and glad I am that you're satisfied.Let me listen awhile."
They were silent, and stood listening as well, and watching the weirdeffects produced by the fire, as from time to time one of the pieces ofwood which the men had planted round the blaze in the shape of a conefell in, sending up a whirl of flame and glittering sparks high in air,lighting up the trees and making them seem to wave with the dancingflames. The wall of forest across the river, too, appeared to bepeopled with strange shadows, and the effect was more strange as thefire approached nearer to the huge butt of the largest tree, throwing upits jagged roots against the dazzling light, so that it was as if somany gigantic stag-horns had been planted at a furnace mouth.
And all the while the fiddling, piping, strumming and hooting, withscreech, yell and howl, went on in the curious chorus, for they wereindeed deep now in one of Nature's fastnesses, where the teeming lifehad remained untouched by man.
"Well," said Brazier at last to the guide, whose figure, seen by thelight of the fire, looked as wild as the surroundings, "had we notbetter get on board? You can hear nothing through that din."
"Oh yes, I can, sir," replied Shaddy. "I've got so used to it o' nightsthat I can pick out any sound I like from the rest. But we may as wellturn in. The fire will burn till morning, and even if it wouldn't,those chaps of mine wouldn't go ashore again to-night; and I certainlydon't feel disposed to go and mend the fire myself, for fear of gettingsomething on my shoulder I don't understand."
"It has gone, though," said Brazier.
"Something moving there," whispered Rob, pointing to the gilded mass offoliage beyond and to the left of the fire.
"Eh! where?" cried Shaddy. "Nay, only the fire making it look as if thetrees were waving. Nothing there, my lad. Whatever it is, it hasslinked off into the forest again. The fire drew it this way, Isuppose. There, we've heard the last of him for to-night. Sings wellwhen he do oblige."
"I should have liked to hear the cry once more, though," said Brazier;and as the words left his lips the horrible noise rang out, apparentlyfrom behind the fire, and without hesitation the little party hurried onboard the boat.