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

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  A TERRIBLE SURPRISE.

  Shaddy looked sharply round as they crossed the clearing, all threebreathing more freely at being once more in the open and without theoppression of being completely shut in by trees on all sides, while thedense foliage overhead completely hid the sky. This was now oneglorious suffusion of amber and gold, for the sun was below the horizon,and night close at hand, though, after the gloom of the primeval forest,it seemed to Rob and his companions as if they had just stepped out intothe beginning of a glorious day.

  "Don't see no fire," growled Shaddy. "We're all horribly down aboutlosing poor Mr Jovanni. But we must have rest and food, or we can'twork. Here, my lads, where are you?" he shouted in the dialect the menbest understood.

  They were about half-way across the opening in the forest as he shoutedto the men, and the river was running like a stream of molten gold; butthe boat had been probably moored somewhere among the trees, so as to besafer than in the swift current, for it was not visible.

  "D'ye hear, you?" roared Shaddy fiercely, for he was out of temper fromweariness with his exertions during the day. "Are you all asleep?There's going to be about the hottest row over this, Mr Brazier, asever them lazy half-breed dogs got into. You pay them well to work, andinstead of there being a good fire, and cooked meat and fish, and hotcake, and boiling water, they're all fast asleep in that boat."

  He stopped short and looked about him; then, placing both hands to hismouth to make a trumpet, he uttered a stentorian roar, which echoed fromthe tall bank of trees on the opposite side of the river.

  The only answer was the shriek of a macaw from across the water, where apair of the long-tailed birds rose from a tall tree and winged their wayover the tops. Directly after there was a sharp yell, evidently thecall of some cat-like beast.

  "I'll go over yonder and look among the trees, Mr Brazier, sir," saidShaddy, after waiting for some more satisfactory reply, "and I'll takeit kindly if you and Mr Rob will have a look among them standing in thewater that side. I dessay the boat's run up close as they can get itone side or the other."

  Brazier nodded, and went to one side of the clearing, while Shaddyforced his way through the low growth toward the other, Rob followingclose upon his leader's steps till they reached the submerged trees andworked along their edge, peering in amongst them as rapidly as theycould, for there was no time to be lost. Night was coming on withtropical swiftness, and already the glorious amber tint was paling inthe sky, and the water beneath the trees looking black.

  "See anything of them, Rob?" cried Brazier again and again; but theanswer was always the same: a low despondent "No."

  All at once there was a loud shout, and they looked back to see Shaddywaving his cap and beckoning to them.

  "Found them?" cried Rob as he ran to meet their guide.

  "No, my lad; they're not here. Might have known it by there being nofire. Hi, Mr Brazier, sir!"

  The latter came panting up, for it required no little exertion to getthrough the dense bushes and thick grass.

  "What is it? Where are they?"

  "That's what I want to know, sir. But look here, I'm so fagged out thatmy head won't go properly. I mean I can't think straight."

  "What do you mean, man?"

  "This, sir: look round, both of you, 'fore it gets darker. I'm alldoubty, and I've got thinking that we've come to the wrong place."

  "What?" cried Rob excitedly.

  "I say I've got a fancy that this ain't the right place, for there's noone here, and no boat, and there ain't been no fire."

  "How do you know, Shaddy?"

  "'Cause, if the boys had made a fire, they would nat'rally have put itthere under that patch of bushes near the trees."

  "Why there, and not anywhere else?"

  "'Cause that's the place any one used to making fires on the riverswould pick at once. It's shaded from the wind, handy to the trees, soas to get plenty of dead wood, and nigh the river to fetch water."

  "But the other side would have done as well," said Rob excitedly.

  "No, it wouldn't, sir, for the wind ketches there, and the sparks andsmoke would be blowing all over the place. I say, is this the placewhere we left the boat this morning?"

  "I--I dare not say, Naylor," replied Brazier, after a little hesitation."I am so faint and worn-out that I too cannot be certain."

  "I'm sure it is," said Rob quickly.

  "There's some one who can think, then," cried Shaddy. "Stop a moment,though, Mr Rob, sir. Tell me how is it you are sure?"

  "Because I noticed that big tree on the other side of the water--thatone out of which those two big birds flew. There, you can see itplainly against the sky."

  "Bah! nonsense, my lad! There are thousands of those great treesabout."

  "But not like that, Shaddy," said Rob eagerly. "Look there against thelight. It's just like a man's face, a giant's, as if he were lying onhis back, and you can see the forehead, nose, and chin, and a big beardquite plainly."

  "Well, it do look like it, cert'nly," growled Shaddy.

  "Then, too, I remember the shape of the bank, and look how the riverbends round and comes in a curve. Of course this is the place; I'mquite sure it is."

  "Right, my lad! so was I, quite sure," cried Shaddy dismally; "but I washoping and praying that I might be wrong, because if you are right,sir--No, I won't say it."

  "Yes, you will, Naylor," cried Brazier sternly. "Speak out."

  "What! if it's very bad, sir?"

  "Yes, my man; this is no time for trifling. Tell me the worst."

  "There's Mr Rob here, sir," said the guide, in a tone full of protest.

  "I want to know the worst, too, Shaddy," said Rob resignedly.

  "Then I'll tell you, gentlemen, only don't blame me for making yourhearts as sore as mine is now."

  "Tell us everything, my man. For bad or good, in this journey we mustwork together for our mutual help and protection, not merely as masterand paid servant, but as Englishmen in a strange country, as brothers ina foreign land."

  "And that's how I'm trying to work for you, Mr Brazier, sir," saidShaddy huskily, "and it goes hard with me to tell you what I'm 'fraidon."

  "And that is?" said Brazier, while Rob bent forward listening withthrobbing heart.

  "Either those lads of mine have met with a bad accident, or they havegone off with the boat and left us to starve and die."

  "Taken--the boat--the stores--the guns?" faltered Rob.

  "My collection and the means of prosecuting my researches?" criedBrazier.

  "Yes, sir; that's it, I'm afraid, but I hope I'm wrong."

  The two collectors stood silent for a few moments, for the announcementwas appalling, and it took time to grasp all the horrors of theirposition. For to all intents and purposes they were as much cut offfrom help as if they had been upon some tiny islet in mid-ocean, theriver being useless without a boat, and three days' experience alonesufficient to show them the madness of attempting to travel through theforest. In addition they were without food and wanting in the means ofobtaining a meal, let alone subsistence from day to day.

  Silence then, and with it darkness, fell upon the startled group, tillRob said sturdily,--

  "We're all too tired to do anything or think anything till we haverested and had some food. I'm ready to drop."

  "Them's wise words," said Shaddy. "No one could have said better. Thisway, gen'lemen, please!"

  He turned sharply round and led them toward the side of the opening inthe forest which had been the scene of his search.

  "What are you going to do, Naylor?" asked Brazier.

  "What every man does first, sir, when night comes on in the wilds: lighta fire to keep off the wild beasts."

  A thrill of dread passed through Rob at this, for he had been too intentupon the discovery they had made to think anything of their danger. Butnow he glanced uneasily round, and saw the eyes of wild beasts glaringat them from the dense forest in all dire
ctions, till he was ready tolaugh at his folly, for the gleaming eyes were fire-flies.

  Meanwhile Shaddy led them straight to the spot he had notified as beingthe one likely to be selected by a halting party for their fire, andhere, with the help of the others, sufficient dead wood was collected tostart a very small blaze, by whose light they proceeded to collect moreand more from the edge of the forest beyond where the river had risen.But it was slow and arduous work for weary people, and they wereconstantly finding wood that was too small or else that which was tooheavy to stir. Still they persevered, and at last so good a fire wasburning that there was no fear of an attack by any prowling beast, andas its flames rose higher their task grew less difficult, and by joininghands a good pile of dead limbs was laid ready for keeping up the blaze.

  "Something cheery 'bout a fire!" said Shaddy when it was decided thatthey had enough wood to last the night. "Next thing ought to be supper,gentlemen."

  "And we have nothing," said Rob despairingly.

  "On'y water," said Shaddy, "plenty of that."

  "_Qui dort dine_, Rob," said Brazier quietly.

  "Speak to me, sir?" said Shaddy.

  "No, but I will, my man," replied Brazier. "The French say that he whosleeps dines."

  "That's true, sir," said Shaddy, "on'y it's disappointing when you wake.I've lain down to go to sleep lots of times like this, tired out andhungry, and dropped asleep directly; and as soon as I've been asleepI've begun to dream about eating all kinds of good things. It's verynice in the dreaming, but it don't keep up your courage."

  "There is nothing that we could possibly get to eat, is there, Shaddy,"said Rob,--"no berries nor fruit?"

  "Couldn't find 'em to-night, sir. In the morning I daresay I can getsome berries; might manage a fish, too, to roast at daybreak."

  "But the ground! it is so damp," said Rob.

  "A few boughs will keep off the damp, Mr Rob, sir; so I say, let's allsleep."

  "But oughtn't we to keep watch in turns, Naylor?" said Brazier.

  "In an ordinary way, sir, yes, one would say it's a duty--what a manshould do," replied the guide gravely; "and I don't deny there's dangersabout. But we've done all we can do, as men without weapons, bylighting that fire. I shall wake up now and then to throw on somebranches and then lie down again. We can do no good more than we havedone, and at a time like this I always think it is a man's duty to say,`Can I do anything else?' and, if he feels he can't, just say his bit ofprayer and leave it to One above to watch over him through the darkhours of the night."

  "Amen," said Brazier solemnly, and half an hour after, a pile of freshlybroken-off boughs had been laid near the fire, and all lay down inperfect faith and trust to sleep and wait for the next day.

  Shaddy dropped off at once, while Brazier lay talking in a low tone toRob, trying to instil some hopefulness.

  "Please God," he said at last, "day will bring us help and counsel, mylad, and perhaps give prospects of finding poor Joe."

  He ceased speaking, and directly after Rob knew by his regular breathingthat he too was asleep. But that greatest blessing would not come tothe boy, and he lay gazing now at the dancing flames, now trying topierce the darkness beyond, and ever and again seeing dangers in theapparently moving shadows cast by the fire.

  There were the noises, too, in the forest and along the river bank,sounding more appalling than ever, and as he listened and tried topicture the various creatures that howled, shrieked, and uttered thosecurious cries, he fully expected to hear that peculiar terror-inspiringsound which had puzzled even Shaddy, the old traveller and sojourner inthe forest wilds.

  The horrible cry did not come, but as Rob lay there, too weary to sleep,too much agitated by the events of the day to grow calm and fit forrest, that sound always seemed to the lad as if it were about to breakout close to where he lay, and the fancy made his breath come short andthick, till the remembrance of his boy-comrade once more filled hismind, and he lay trying to think out some way by which it was possiblethat Joe had escaped that day. These thoughts stayed in his mind as thefire died out from before his heavy eyes, and at last, in spite of all,he too slept heavily, and dreamed of the young Italian coming to himholding out his hand frankly and then in foreign fashion leaning towardhim and kissing him on the cheek.

  At the touch Rob leaped back into wakefulness, rose to his elbow, andlooked sharply round, perfectly convinced that his cheek had beentouched, and that, though in his sleep, he had felt warm breath acrosshis face.

  But there was nothing to see save the blazing fire, whose snapping andcrackling mingled with the croaking, hissing, and strange cries from theforest. Fire-flies glided here and there, and scintillated about thebushes; Brazier and Shaddy both slept hard; and the peculiar cry of ajaguar or other cat-like animal came softly from somewhere at adistance.

  "Fancy!" said Rob softly as he sank down, thinking of Shaddy's lastwords that night. The troubles of the day died away, and he dropped offfast asleep again, to begin once more dreaming of Joe, and that theywere together in the cabin of the boat side by side.

  And it all seemed so real, that dream; he could feel the warmth from theyoung Italian's body in the narrow space, and it appeared to him thatJoe moved uneasily when there was a louder cry than usual in the forestand crept closer to him for protection, even going so far as to lay anarm across his chest, inconveniencing him and feeling hot and heavy, buthe refrained from stirring, for fear of waking him up.

  Then the dream passed away, and he was awake, wondering whether hereally was in the cabin again, with Joe beside him. No; he was lying onthe boughs beside the fire, but so real had that dream seemed that thefancy was on him still that he could feel the warmth of Joe's body andthe boy's arm across his chest.

  "And it was all a dream," thought Rob, with the bitter tears rising tohis eyes, as he gazed upward at the trees, "a dream--a dream!"

  No, it was no dream. He was awake now, and there was a heavy arm acrosshis chest and a head by his side.

  "Joe! Oh, Joe!" cried Rob aloud; and he grasped at the arm, touched it,felt its pressure for an instant, and then it was gone, while at his cryboth Shaddy and Brazier sprang up.

  "What is it?"

  "I--I--think I must have been dreaming," said Rob excitedly. "I wokewith a start, fancying Joe had come back, and that he was lying downbeside me."

  "A dream, Rob, my lad!" said Brazier, with a sigh. "Lie down again,boy; your brain is over-excited. Try once more to sleep."

  Rob obeyed, feeling weak and hysterical; but after a few minutes sleepcame once more, and it was morning when he reopened his eyes.