Rob Harlow's Adventures: A Story of the Grand Chaco

  CHAPTER TWELVE.

  SHADDY'S REMORSE.

  That last movement was not performed without difficulty, for at thisfresh alarm, urged by a desire for self-preservation, the men had thrustthe boat away from the bank, and were actually in the act of unfasteningthe mooring rope, when Rob shouted to Shaddy.

  "What!" he roared, running to the other end where it was fast to abranch, and then yelling out such a furious tirade of words in their owntongue that the men shrank back, and the boat was drawn close in amongthe boughs that were worn sharp by the action of the stream.

  "Lucky for them," growled Shaddy, as he held the boat's gunwale for theothers to get on board, while the singular silence which had followedthe first cry of the beast was again maintained. "I never did break aman's neck yet, Master Rob," he whispered, as they took their places onboard, "and I never mean to if I can help it; but if those fellows hadrun off and left us in the lurch I'd have gone as far as I could withoutdoing it quite."

  "First catch your hare," whispered back Rob, who felt better now he wassafe on board, with the boat gliding outward to the full length of themooring line.

  "Eh! what hare? No hares about here," said Shaddy.

  "I mean, how would you have managed to punish the men if they had goneoff and left us here?"

  "I never thought of that," said Shaddy, shaking his head; and then theyall sat in the boat listening, and thinking that it was a good thingthey had had enough supper before the interruption.

  There was no fresh alarm for awhile. The birds, insects, quadrupeds,and reptiles resumed their performances, the boatmen settled down tosleep, and at last, after watching the fire sinking, rising up as somepiece of wood fell in, and then blazing brightly just beyond the greatroot, the hole from which this had been wrenched having been selected bythe crew of the boat as an excellent place for cooking, Rob suddenlyfell asleep, to dream of huge boa constrictors and anacondas twistingthemselves up into knots which they could not untie.

  It only seemed to be a few minutes since Rob had lain down, when heawoke with a start to gaze about him, wondering where he was and why theawning looked so light. Then coming to the conclusion that it wassunrise, and being still weary and drowsy, he was about to close hiseyes again and follow the example of those about him, when he becameconscious of a peculiar odour and a choking smell of burning.

  This completely aroused him, and hurriedly creeping from beneath theawning without awakening his companions, he found that the boatmen andShaddy were fast asleep and a line of fire was rapidly approaching themfrom the shore; not with any rush of flame, but in a curious sputtering,smouldering way, as the touchwood of which the huge trunk, to which theywere tethered, was composed rapidly burned away.

  It was all plain enough: the root had caught fire at last from theintense heat so near and gradually started the rest, so that as Robgazed shoreward there was a dull incandescent trunk where the previousnight there had been one long line of beautiful orchids and epiphyticplants.

  But there was no time to waste. Waking Shaddy with a sharp slap on theshoulder, that worthy started up, saw the mischief pointed out, andshouting, "Only shut my eye because the fire made it ache," he took up aboat-hook, went right forward, trampling on the boatmen in hiseagerness, and, hauling on the line, drew the boat close up to theglowing trunk, hitching on to one of the neighbouring branches. It wasonly just in time, for the rope gave way, burned through as he got hold,and the smouldering end dropped into the water, giving a hiss like aserpent as the glowing end was quenched.

  Brazier and Giovanni were aroused before this, and were fully alive tothe peril which had been averted by Rob's opportune awakening.

  "Why," cried Brazier, "we should have been drifting down the stream, andbeen carried miles, and in all probability capsized."

  Shaddy made no reply for the moment, but busied himself in altering theposition of the boat before letting go, and then hooking the bough ofanother of the trees, one which did not communicate with the fire, andto this he made fast before rising up in the boat, taking off his cap,and dashing it down.

  "Yes," he said harshly, "right, sir. We should have been carried rightdown the stream--Be off, you brute!"

  This was to an alligator which was approaching the boat with theprotuberances above its eyes just visible, and as he uttered theadjuration he made a stroke with the hitcher harpoon fashion, struck thereptile full on its tough hide, and there was a swirl, a rush, and atremendous splash of water full in Shaddy's face as the creature struckthe surface with its tail and then disappeared.

  "Thank ye," growled Shaddy, wiping his face; "but you got the worst ofit, mate. As aforesaid, maybe, Mr Brazier, sir, we should ha' beencarried right down the stream, and run on a sharp root or trunk as wouldha' drove a hole through the boat or capsized us, and there'd ha' beenthe end."

  "What could you have been thinking of, Naylor?" cried Brazier angrily;while Rob looked pityingly and feeling sorry for the staunch, brave man,who stood there abashed by his position.

  "Warn't thinking at all, sir," he growled. "Only ought to ha' been.There, don't make it worse, sir, by bullying me. You trusted me, and Ithought I was fit to trust, but there's the vanity o' man's natur'. Iarn't fit to trust, so I'd take it kindly if you'd knock me overboard;but you'd better knock my stoopid head off first to save pain."

  This was all spoken with the most utter seriousness, and as Shaddyfinished he slowly laid down the boat-hook and looked full in Brazier'seyes, with the result that Rob burst into a roar of laughter. Joefollowed suit, and after an attempt to master himself and frown Brazierjoined in, the mirth increasing as Shaddy said sternly,--

  "Oh, it arn't nothing to laugh at! If Master Rob there hadn't woke upbefore morning, the 'gators and pirani, without counting the othercritters, would have been having a treat. I tell you I'm ashamed ofmyself, and the sooner an end's made of me the better. Why, you oughtto do it, sir, in self-defence."

  "How near are we to morning?" said Brazier.

  "'Tis morning now, sir. Sun'll be up in less an half an hour. No dawnhere."

  "Then we had better have breakfast at once, and start, for this isanything but a pleasant spot."

  "Ain't you going to knock me overboard, sir?" said Shaddy.

  "No."

  "Well, ain't you going to knock me down?"

  "No; I'm not going to knock you down either, my good fellow. You'vemade a mistake. Over-tired, I suppose, and you dropped asleep. It wasterribly neglectful of you, but I hope and trust that such an error maynot be made again."

  "What?"

  "Surely I need not repeat my words. You were overcome by fatigue andslept. I ask you for all our sakes to be more careful in the future."

  "Here, I say, Master Rob," cried Shaddy huskily, and he gave his eyes arub, "am I still asleep?"

  "No, Shaddy, wide awake, and listening to Mr Brazier."

  "Well, then, it's a rum 'un. But, I say, look here, sir; you're nevergoing to trust me again?"

  "I am going to treat you with full confidence, just as I trusted youbefore, Naylor," replied Brazier.

  "Master Rob's asleep too," growled the man. "It can't be true. Here, Isay, Mr Jovanny, give a look at me and tell me, am I awake or no?"

  "Awake, of course," said Joe.

  "Then all I can say is, Mr Brazier, sir," said the guide, "you've mademe ten times more ashamed of myself than I was before, and that hurt Ican't bear it like."

  "Say no more about it, man," said Brazier. "There, it's all over now.Let's have breakfast, and then start for a long day's collecting."

  "Not say no more about it?" cried Shaddy.

  "Not a word. It is all past and forgotten."

  "Can't be," growled Shaddy.

  "It shall be," said Brazier, turning to get his gun from under thecanvas cabin.

  "One moment--look here, sir," said Shaddy; "do you mean to say that youforgive me?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "And I am not to say another word?"

 
"No."

  "Then I'll think," said Shaddy, "and punish myself that way, Master Rob.I'll always think about it at night when I'm on the watch. It ain'tlikely that I shall ever go to sleep again on dooty with idees like thaton my brain."

  "No more talking; breakfast at once," cried Brazier, issuing from thecabin.

  "Right, sir," said Shaddy, working the boat in close to the bank."Quick, my lads, and get that fire well alight."

  The men were set ashore just as the sun rose and flooded everything withlight, while a quarter of an hour later, as Brazier was patientlywatching one of the tunnel-like openings opposite in the hope of seeinga deer come down to drink and make them a good meal or two for a coupleof days, Shaddy drew Rob's attention to the black-looking forms ofseveral alligators floating about a few feet below.

  "The brutes!" said the lad. "Just like efts in an aquarium at home."

  "Only a little bigger, my lad. I say, there he is--one of 'em."

  He pointed down through the clear water, illumined now by the sun sothat the bottom was visible, and there coiled-up and apparently asleeplay either the anaconda of the previous night or one of its relatives,perfectly motionless and heedless of the boat, which floated like ablack shadow over its head.

  "Might kill it if we had what sailors call the grains to harpoon himwith," said Shaddy; "but I don't know, he'd be an ugly customer totackle. I say, look out, sir," he whispered, "yonder across the river."

  Brazier glanced a little to his left, and directly after his piece rangout with a loud report and a deer fell dead--not having moved an inch,when the boat was with difficulty rowed across, and the welcome additionto their larder secured amidst the chattering of monkeys and thescreaming of great macaws.

  An hour later breakfast was at an end, the boat loosened from themoorings where the anaconda still lay asleep in ten feet of water, andthey glided down the stream to commence another adventurous day, amidstscenery which grew more wondrously beautiful with every mile.