At this moment the
boatmen appeared, and a couple of black women and two or three Hindus came
hurrying from the nearby house,
attracted by the loud words of
Leggett and the revolver shot.
"Wa, la!" exclaimed
the boat captain, as he caught sight
of the little group in the roadway. "Wha' dat randan 'bout, Marster
Marvin? Wha' dis fellah try do fo' you? Hi, yo' Hermanas, yo' stan' from he
now, we-all take care he don' reap up no mo'."
In a few words Mr. Marvin
explained what had taken place, and how the
youth, addressed as Hermanas, had dropped from the
tree in the nick of time. Meanwhile,
the young Indian,—for such he proved
to be,—stood at one side; but maintaining a keen watch on Leggett, who,
surrounded by the stalwart blacks
and unarmed, showed no disposition to attempt escape or resistance, but stood
glowering, scowling and scarlet with suppressed rage, in the
center of the little crowd which had
collected.
"Dis man a mos'
obstropolous buckra," declared the
captain, when he had heard Mr. Marvin's account. "I mighty glad dis Buck
boy drap he down, an' I 'spec he right glad o' de chance to gi'e he a good
clout. Wha' yo' wish fo' to do with he, marster? I'se a cons'able, sah, and I
'spec I bes' comprehend he as a auspicious parson, an' take he to de police at
Bartica, sah."
"Yes," replied Mr.
Marvin, repressing a smile at the
boatman's queer jargon, "he's too dangerous to remain at large. I had not
intended to prosecute him for his dishonesty; but after this attempted assault,
I shall do my best to have him placed behind bars. Take him along to Bartica,
captain, and turn him over to the
police. I'll appear against him with my son and Hermanas as witnesses whenever the case is called."
Turning to his boat's crew, the captain ordered them
to tie Leggett securely, and addressing the
discomfited manager, remarked, "Yo' meet yo' meta to-day fo' surely, mon.
Now, don' yo' go for tryin' any contending 'cause I gwine to fend fo' myself,
an' yo' go to makin' flusteration I bet I mash you' head, yes."
With this parting injunction,
the captain ordered Leggett to the boat, and with no choice left but to obey, the rascal started forward and then, turning towards Mr. Marvin with an oath, he
shouted:
"You think you've got
me, do you? Just wait and see. I'll make you pay for this, you sneakin'
white-livered cur. I'll make you wish you'd never seen Ratura. I'll—"
His threat was interrupted by
a huge, black hand grasping his shoulder and shoving him forcibly forward, and
with a stalwart negro on either side
he marched sullenly off and out of sight.
"Thank goodness, we're
well rid of him," exclaimed Mr. Marvin. Then addressing the boat captain he continued, ''Come up to the house, Glascow, and get Leggett's things. We
have no right to hold his belongings, and you can turn them
over to the police at Bartica."
In the
meantime, Eric had thanked the
Indian boy for his timely intervention, and had already taken a great liking to
the quiet, pleasant-faced aborigine,
who, still shy in the presence of the white boy and his father,
replied to Eric's questions in monosyllables.
Having disposed of Leggett and
the others,
Mr. Marvin now approached Hermanas and extended his hand. "I must thank
you for saving me from Leggett's blow," he said. "I shall be glad to
have a talk with you at the house,
and I've an idea that you can be of great service to my son here. He's fond of
hunting, and is hoping to get out in the
bush. I think you'll make a splendid companion for him. How would that suit
you, Hermanas?"
"Me likeum too
much," replied the Indian, with
a grin. "Me make catchum deer, powis, labba, plenty game when walkum
topside bush."
'' Hurrah! That will be
fine,'' cried Eric. ''You'll be 'guide, philosopher and friend,' as the saying is, find I'll bet we'll be great chums.
But I'll have to learn that funny talk of yours. I wonder if I can get the hang of it,—let's see.—Why, you hideum in
tree?" Eric laughed joyously at his first attempt to speak the "talky-talky," and his father chuckled at his enthusiasm, but the Indian boy took the
matter quite seriously.
"You makeum talky-talky
all same Buckman," he declared. "Me in tree for catchum mango for
cook. When seeum Legett makeum loud talk me hideum. Leggett no good,—plenty bad
man. When seeum make for shoot,—make for mash with stick, must makeum do
something. No gotum bownarrow, no gotum gun, me jump like so; knockum down same
way. Now must catchum mango one time."
"Very well,
Hermanas," said Mr. Marvin. "Go ahead and get the
mangos for the cook and then come to the
house."
With the
agility of a monkey the Indian
scrambled into the tree to resume
his interrupted fruit gathering,
while Mr. Marvin and Eric walked on and entered the
bungalow.
Under Mr. Marvin's direction,
the servant gathered
Leggett's belongings together and
delivered them to the captain, and then,
this matter attended to, Eric and his father
partook of the very welcome
breakfast served by the old black
cook, who seemed highly pleased at her change of masters.
Before breakfast was over
Hermanas appeared and, seating himself in the
doorway, waited silently for Mr. Marvin to finish his meal. Although he spoke
only the queer jargon peculiar to the "buck-men," or Indians of Guiana, yet
Hermanas understood English perfectly and, much to Mr. Marvin's surprise,
declared he could read and write. He was a bright, intelligent boy of about
Eric's age, and was wonderfully respectful and courteous in his manner. He told
Mr. Marvin that his real name was Herman Thomas, which had been contracted to
Hermanas; that he was an Arekuna Indian; that his home was "One hour walk
topside creek"; that his father
was a woodcutter, hunter and balata rubber p gatherer,
and had been employed by Leggett when timber was required, or when the rubber trees were to be tapped, and that he,
Hermanas, had done odd jobs about the
place in return for his food and a few shillings a week.
His eyes brightened
wonderfully when Mr. Marvin promised him regular wages to become Eric's companion
and guide, but he absolutely refused to live at the
bungalow or to sleep indoors. When the
matter of clothing was mentioned he somewhat sheepishly admitted that he preferred
the ragged pair of cotton trousers
that formed his entire costume to any other
garments, and that, were it not for the
missionaries' orders, he would wear nothing but a loin cloth or
"lap."
"S'pose wearum pants,
wearum shirt in bush, getum wet. In bush no can catchum dry. No good like so, make Buckman sick, makeum fever.
S'pose skin catchum wet dryum same way; no makeum sick."
Mr. Marvin and Eric laughed
at the youth's concise explanation.
"Very well,
Hermanas," said Mr. Marvin, "I expect you're quite right. Wet
clothing certainly is unhealthy. If you prefer to go about with only a 'lap,'
as you call it, by all means do so. We shall not object, and as long as you
look after this boy of mine, teach him about the
bush, and keep him from getting lost, bitten by snakes or running risks, I
shall be satisfied. Have you a gun or a boat?"
"No got gun, go turn
bownarrow, go turn blowgun, go turn woodskin."
"What on earth is a
'woodskin' and a 'blowgun'?" asked Eric.
"A blowgun is a hollow
cane through which the Indians blow
darts with which they kill birds and
animals," replied his father,
"and a woodskin is a frail, crude boat or canoe made by stripping a piece
of bark from a tree, and fastening the
ends together. No doubt you'll have
an opportunity of seeing your young Indian friend use them
both."
"Yes, sir, me showum how
shoot blowgun, how paddle woodskin all same Buckman," declared Hermanas.
"Does your father know anything about selecting timber,—how to
tell good crabwood, greenheart and other
woods?" asked Mr. Marvin. Hermanas assured him that he did, that his father was an experienced lumberman, and that he could
get "Plenty timber too easy," if Mr. Marvin desired it.
"In that case,"
said Mr. Marvin, "I shall be glad to employ your father.
I have an order for a large amount of timber to be furnished as soon as
possible. Can you have your father
come to see me and talk matters over?"
"Yes, sir. Me bringum
same day. Must makeum walk this side," replied the
Indian.
"Very well, bring your
father over, then.
We have our hands full to-day, looking over the
place, so Eric will not need you.
Get your breakfast before you start."
The Indian boy hurried off
towards the kitchen and, calling one
of the Hindu laborers to accompany them, Mr. Marvin and Eric started forth to inspect Ratura.
They found the place much neglected, and the
few negro and Hindu field hands doing little else than loaf, although as soon
as they saw Mr. Marvin approaching they seized their
tools and commenced to work diligently.
"See here, my man,"
said Mr. Marvin, addressing a huge black, who appeared to be a sort of foreman
of the gang among the cacao trees, "you can't fool me that way.
We might just as well have an understanding at once. Leggett's gone for good
and all, and I've taken charge of the
estate. I'm willing to pay good wages; but I want returns, and I expect work
when I pay for it. It looks to me as if Leggett had been pretty easy-going and
hadn't given much attention to his laborers. Is this the
way you've been working right along?"
The black man grinned,
fumbled the ragged hat he held in
his hands, and after a moment's hesitation, replied: "I spec' Mister
Leggett don' min' if we works or no, marster. He spen' mos' o' his time
a-settin' inside a-drinkin' swizzles, or a-strollin' off in de bush wif he gun.
Now an' ag'in he take a look in at we all an' calls we a gang o' lazy niggers
an' mebbe gi'es we a clout wif he stick. But, Lor'! we don' pay no 'tention to
such flusteration, an' he allers pay us we money come Sat'day. Looks laik to me
he don't care what we doin', long's he a-pay-in' o' other
folks' money."
"I expect you're
right," said Mr. Marvin, "the
estate has been losing money right along, and Leggett's been pocketing the little profit there
was. I presume he's padded his payroll and only kept enough laborers to make a
showing if any one turned up to see what was going on. But that's over with
now. If you men want to work and work well, I'll keep you on, but any one who
shirks will go at once. I've come here to make Ratura pay, and I intend to make
it do so, if it's possible. You're foreman of this gang, I suppose. Now get
busy, and let me see how much you can really do in a day."
"Yes, boss, I'll see dis
gang wuks right lively, sah."
As Mr. Marvin and Eric turned
away the men were working
industriously, evidently striving to see how good an impression they could make upon their
new employer.
Wherever the two went it was the
same; the men evidently killing
time; weeds and undergrowth overrunning the
cultivation, and the crops neglected
and the trees uncared for.
The limes lay rotting on the ground, the
coffee bushes were covered with vines and choked with parasites, the cacao trees were green with moss and hundreds of
ripe pods were still ungathered,
while the rubber groves resembled miniature
jungles, rather than cultivated
land.
"I cannot understand
Leggett's behavior," remarked Mr. Marvin, as they
started to retrace their way towards
the house. "If he was downright
dishonest, as he seems to have been, I should have expected that he would have
cultivated the place thoroughly and
made a greater profit by his thievery. Instead of that, he has let the place go to ruin. It looks almost as if he was
deliberately trying to make it worthless. I wonder if he is not really mad,—well,
whatever the reason, the company is really to blame for not sending some
one to look after the property
sooner."
"It looks perfectly
hopeless," declared Eric, "I don't see how you are ever going to get the place into good shape again. Why, it will take
years just to cut out the brush and
weeds, it seems to me."
"It's not as bad as all
that," replied his father. ''The
first thing is to hire a large number of efficient laborers, and make them understand that they
must earn their money. There
are crops enough on the place to pay
for the labor for the present, and I hope to commence getting out the timber at once with Hermanas' father's help. If he's like his son, he'll be a real
find. By the way, from what you
learned about rubber, do you think you could manage to tap some of our trees
and gather the
latex? Hermanas can help you, and I'll furnish some laborers in addition. The
trees have been tapped already, so they
must be bearing, and rubber will bring quick returns."
"I'm quite sure I
can," Eric replied. "I'll start at that to-morrow."
When they
reached the house, after visiting the greater part of the
cultivated lands, they found Hermanas
and his father waiting for them. The boy's father
was a small, broad-faced Indian, with the
same quiet, respectful manner of his son, and which, Eric found later, was
characteristic of all the native
Indians. He listened attentively; expressed his willingness to work at timber
cutting, and assured Mr. Marvin there
was enough timber on the estate to
fill the contracts easily and
quickly. He was very intelligent, and Mr. Marvin was surprised at the manner in which he grasped the details of the
contract, and could calculate cubic and square feet from the
figures given. He preferred to work on contract rather
than for daily wages, and declared that he could obtain plenty of his tribesmen
to aid him in the lumbering
operations. He stated that it would be necessary to cut a "road" and
place sticks across it in order to haul the
timber out of the forest, and added,
that if Mr. Marvin would lend him cattle he could work much more rapidly.
"Why, I didn't know we
had any cattle," exclaimed Eric; "I only saw a few cows on the place."
"Gotum plenty cow,
plenty ox," replied the Indian.
"Two, free, hund'ed."
"Well, where are they?" demanded Mr. Marvin. "Two or three
hundred head of cattle can't be hidden very easily."
The Indian then explained that the
cattle were on the
"savanna," at some distance from the
cultivated lands, and that they
practically ran wild, and were seldom used,—save when fresh beef was required
or timber hauling was to be done.
"Very well," said
Mr. Marvin. "Use what cattle you require. I must leave the entire matter in your hands for the present. I have much to attend to here, but
shall try to get into the forest
within a few days, to see what's being done, and what our resources are."
There was much to be done,
and until late afternoon Mr. Marvin and Eric were busily engaged, making an
inventory of supplies, tools and other
articles on the place, making lists
of various objects required, and readjusting and reorganizing the corps of servants, the
laborers and the other employees.
Hermanas proved very useful,
and it soon became evident that he was a youth with a vast amount of hard
common sense and good judgment, and was a born "handy man," and best
of all he was very thorough and painstaking in all he undertook.
He had been so long at the beck and call of all the
Hindu and negro men on the estate,
that the later at first resented
taking orders from him; but instead of lording it over them
and taking undue advantage of his new position, Hermanas repeated Mr. Marvin's
orders respectfully, and did not hesitate to lend a hand to help wherever
required.
Much to Mr. Marvin's
satisfaction, the men and women
seemed anxious to please, and fell to with a will at clearing up and putting the place in order and, ere nightfall, a great deal
had been accomplished, and the house
was habitable.
"How any white man could
live under such conditions and could deliberately see the
place going to pieces under his eyes is incomprehensible," remarked Mr.
Marvin. "But, thank goodness, we arrived in time to save the place, and I am confident we shall succeed. It
will require all our resources, however. The more I investigate, the more I realize what an out-and-out crook Leggett
is. Why, he must simply have pocketed thousands of dollars intended for the estate, and the
worst of it is, I can't find a scrap of paper to prove his rascality. He was
certainly a clever knave, and I'm thankful he's behind bars by now. He'd be a
dangerous enemy to have at large."
Chapter V The Blow Gun
The next morning, as Eric and his father were seated at breakfast, discussing plans for the day, they
were interrupted by hurrying footsteps in the
gallery and the next instant the boat captain, Glascow, appeared.
"What in the world are you doing here?" Mr. Marvin
demanded, and added, "I thought you were in Bartica by now."
"Eh, eh!" exclaimed
the negro. "I's bad noos me
brung, master. Wha' yo' t'ink; dat obstrepolous Leggett he mek he escape,
sah!"
"Leggett escaped!"
cried Mr. Marvin. "How did that happen? Do you mean to say the rascal got away from your eight men?"
"Yassir," replied the captain. "Lis'en, good marster; lis'en de
story how de t'ing happen, an' yo' don' vex wit me, sir."
"It dis a-way," he
continued, "we haf he tie in de corial* all O. K., an' we go ashore for
mek breakfas’. Bimeby I ax de
bowman fo' go to de boat an' take he breakfas'. Jes so he reach fo' han' de
breakfas'—bam!—come paddle on he haid. He bus' out wid big cry an' we-all hear
he bawl, an' run down e'ga' an' we jes' time see dat man swim 'cross de creek
an' dis'pear in de bush topside. I ent know meself hukkum he fin' way fo' come
loose o' do rope. Seems like he jes' stratch out like camudi * an' squeeze tru.
'Tall 'vents, he gone clean 'way, an' we sarch an' we sarch, but no can cotch he
to save weself. De bush plenty thick in dat part, marster, an' it too easy fo'
man to hide heself. Kimeby we mek up we min' 'tain' no mo' use sarchin' de
bush, an' I t'ink bes' fo' retu'n an' 'quaint yo' wid de fac's o' de case,
sah."
"Well, there's no use crying over spilt milk,"
remarked Mr. Marvin, as Glascow finished his tale of the
prisoner's escape. "I suppose he'll be caught sooner or later. Without
food or arms he cannot live in the
bush, and must come out at some settlement. If you report the matter to the
police at Bartica they'll be on the watch throughout the
colony."
* Corial—A dug-out
boat used on Guiana rivers.
* Camudi—Boa
constrictor or anaconda.
"Beggin' yo' pardon, sah,"
said the captain, "I 'spec' dat
Leggett man no gwine fo' to walk in to be cotched, sah. When I tek de t'ing in
consid'ation, I fin' out de cunnin'ess o' de scamp. Wen yo' t'ink he in, he
out; he clean out. He plenty fr'ens 'mong de Bovianders,* sah, an' I 'spec' he
gwine rangin' 'bout 'mong he fr'en's, an' plottin' an' com-plottin' 'gainst
you-all. Yassir, dat what he boun' for do, sah."
* Boviander-—Colored
people who live in the bush along the rivers,— a corruption of "Above
Yonder" ('Bov-Yander).
"In that case, we must
be on the watch," said Mr.
Marvin. "He may attempt to carry out his threats of revenge, although
personally I think he's too much of a coward to do so. However, I'll tell all the men to keep a sharp lookout, for it would not be
beyond him to attempt to burn the
place or destroy property. You should have kept a man constantly on watch over
him; but hindsight is always easier than foresight, and there's
nothing to be done now. However, as long as you are here, I will send a message
to Georgetown,
asking my agent to secure some additional laborers."
With the
letter tucked safely in his deerskin pouch, and with many protestations of
regret and humility at allowing Leggett to escape, Glascow departed, while
Eric, accompanied by Hermanas and with a Hindu carrying latex cups, started for
the rubber groves, and Mr. Marvin
set forth to direct the gathering of the
ripe cacao pods.
Erie had learned quite a little in regard to tapping rubber trees
during the time spent with the experts in the
botanic station, and Hermanas had helped his father
on many a Balata bleeding trip. Thus, the
two boys working together, succeeded
very well, for one possessed scientific knowledge and little experience, while the other
had practical experience, but little scientific knowledge.
There were comparatively few
large trees on the estate, but there were many which were old enough to tap, and
Eric was immensely pleased as he went from tree to tree and saw the thick, milky juice, or latex, trickling into the cups placed below the
V-shaped incisions in the smooth
gray trunks.
His friend in Georgetown had cautioned
him in regard to the care necessary
to avoid injuring the trees, and had
explained how the sap was produced
between the inner and outer barks,
and Eric took every precaution to prevent cutting through the inner bark. Hermanas showed great dexterity in
using the odd hatchet-like tapping
tool, with its double cutting-edge; but the
work was new to Eric, and he soon found that practice was essential, and that
more could be accomplished by leaving this labor to the
Indian and the negro and Hindu
workmen, while he directed operations and saw to removing and emptying the cups as they
became filled with latex.
Although Erie was most impatient to get into the bush and hunt, yet he realized that for the present, at least, pleasure must give way to
business, and he labored diligently until mid-afternoon.
The rubber grove stretched
away to the very edge of the forest, and Eric's eyes often strayed longingly
to the cool, green jungle so close
at hand. Parrots were constantly winging their
noisy flight from tree to tree; the
hoarse cries of macaws could be heard from the
tree tops, and once or twice Eric caught sight of these
great scarlet birds flying laboriously from one part of the
forest to another, their long, pointed tails trailing behind. Again and
again, Eric interrupted his work to watch these
denizens of the bush, or to gaze
with intense interest at the
strange, huge-billed toucans that barked and clattered in the foliage, for he was still new to his
surroundings, and it seemed marvelous and almost unnatural to see parrots,
toucans, macaws and other strange
birds flying about at liberty.
Once, as the party skirted the
edge of the bush, there was a roar of wings and a flock of large
dark-colored birds sprang from the
ferns and whirred into the forest
like a covey of gigantic partridges.
"Marudis,"
exclaimed Harmanas.
Eric remembered that in the museum at Georgetown
he had seen some handsome pheasant-like birds with that name and which the attendant told him were among the finest of Guiana
game birds.
"Oh, I do wish I'd
brought my gun along," he cried, as he gazed after the
Marudis, "I might have got one of those chaps easily."
"S'pose gotum blowgun
mebbe catchum," remarked Hermanas and, without waiting for a reply, he
darted off towards the house.
Presently he returned,
carrying a long, slender tube of cane and a tiny cylindrical box of woven palm
bark.
Eric watched the Indian with interest, as he opened the cartridge-like receptacle, and drew forth a
tiny, pointed stick with a tuft of yellowish-brown, woolly material wrapped
about one end. This he slipped into the
hollow cane and beckoning to Eric to follow, he started into the forest.
"I don't see how you're
going to kill a Marudi with that thing," remarked Eric, and then, remembering his determination to acquire
talky-talky, asked, "How go for catchum Marudi like so?"
Hermanas grinned: "Me
tellum killum Marudi same way. S'pose watchum, you see."
As soon as they reached the
edge of the bush, Hermanas cautioned
Eric to make no noise and, with eyes searching every dim mass of vines and each
tree trunk, he crept stealthily forward. For a short distance they proceeded, and then
Hermanas dropped on his knees, and pointed to a trailing liana a score of yards
distant. Looking in the direction
indicated, Eric saw two handsome birds, about the
size of fowls, where they perched
upon the vine,— turning their heads suspiciously from side to side, and
peering about as if aware of danger.
Cautiously, Hermanas raised the cane tube, placed one end to his lips, pointed
it toward the Marudis, and gave a
sudden puff of breath. There was no sound, but swift as light the tiny dart sped from the
blowgun and true as a bullet struck the
nearest Marudi in its breast. The creature gave a little flutter of surprise,
hopped to a neighboring vine, and plucked at the
spot where the dart had struck. His
companion crouched and raised its wings as if to take flight; but in an instant
the Indian had slipped another dart into his weapon, and before the Marudis realized what had happened the second arrow sped through the
air and found its mark. Instantly the
Marudi took wing, but the one first
struck flapped its pinions once or twice, swayed on the
vine and, losing its foothold, came tumbling to the
ground.
"Hurrah—" commenced
Eric, but his exclamation was cut short by a gesture from Hermanas and, obeying
the Indian's whispered word, Eric
listened intently. A minute passed in silence and then,
from a short distance to the right,
some object fell with a heavy thud from the
tree tops to the ground. Hermanas
rose and hurried to the first
Marudi, which was lying stone dead where it fell.
"Of all wonderful
things!" exclaimed Eric, "I never would have thought that tiny arrow
could kill a bird like that."
Stooping, Hermanas picked up the little pointed stick from where it had fallen to
the ground within a few inches of the stricken Marudi.
"Let me see it,
Hermanas," said Eric. He reached out his hand to take the dart.
"No touchum,"
exclaimed Hermanas, holding the
little object out of reach. "S'pose touchum mebbe catch die all same
Marudi. He gotum Wurali."
"Wurali?" Eric
repeated questioningly, "what's that, and why might I die if I touched
it?"
"Wurali all same
poison," replied the Indian. "Much
bad. S'pose prickum makeum dead like so; likeum same way Marudi. Wurali how
makeum blowgun kill. Wurali make killum all thing—killum bird, killum tiger,
killum man."
"Whew!" exclaimed
Eric, "I understand. You use poisoned arrows. Gee! but that Wurali must be
some poison."
Slipping the poisoned dart into his case, Hermanas picked up the dead Marudi and led the
way through the forest for a few
yards. For a moment, he peered intently about and then,
stepping over a fallen tree, reached down and secured the
second bird, which the terrible
poisoned arrow from his blowgun had killed.
Eric had been thinking and
now he asked, adopting the Indian's
jargon: "S'pose killum Marudi with poison, how you eatum and no die?"
"No poison for
eatum," replied Hermanas. "Poison for getum in blood, no for getum in
mouth."
"Well, it's all beyond
me," declared Eric, "I'll have to ask father
to explain; but, come along, Hermanas, we're neglecting the
rubber." As the two boys
reached the edge of the woods the
Indian stopped and examined several deep marks upon a patch of soft, bare
earth, and then explained to Eric that
they were deer tracks, which had
been made very recently.
Hermanas, who was a born
hunter, was anxious to trail the
deer, but Eric insisted that no more time could be spent in hunting, much as he
would enjoy it, and Hermanas, without a word of protest, continued on his way
to the rubber grove and, hanging the Marudis on a bush, resumed his interrupted work.
When the
day's work at last was done, a large portion of the
bearing trees had been tapped, and Eric was highly elated at the amount of latex he had collected.
Mr. Marvin was also greatly
pleased at his son's success, and complimented him upon the
result of his first day's work. "I think I'll leave rubber cultivation to
you, Eric," he remarked. "I don't know anything about it, and will
have all I can attend to with the
cacao, coffee and fruit; in fact, I must get a good overseer to help me as soon
as the new hands arrive. I'll have
to look after the business end of the estate and the
timber, too,—that is, unless you think you and Hermanas can do as well at
lumbering as at rubber gathering."
"I'll do my best,"
declared Eric, and added, "of course, I don't know much about rubber
yet,—if I hadn't picked up what I did at Georgetown I wouldn't be able to do
anything,—but Hermanas knows a lot, and between us, I'm sure we can look after the rubber, and will have time to help with the timber, too. Hermanas knows all the trees and he's worked with his father at the
timber grants up at Wismar.
I'm sure he can teach me a great deal about it very soon."
"Well, we'll leave that
for later on," declared Mr. Marvin. "I think you two boys have earned
a day off. I know you are wild to get into the
jungle with your gun, even if you haven't mentioned it. A little game will be
welcome for the table, so you can
take to-morrow for your first hunt, Eric."
"Well, it really won't
be my first hunt," said Eric. "Hermanas and I stole a few minutes
from work to-day, and do you know, he killed two big birds he called Marudis
with his blowgun. It was the most
wonderful thing I've ever seen. The birds hardly fluttered, and died almost
instantly. He says his darts were poisoned with something he calls Wurali and
that it will kill anything if it gets in the
blood; but isn't poisonous to eat. Can you tell me anything about it?"
"It's one of the most virulent poisons in the
world," replied Mr. Marvin. "The merest scratch with a weapon dipped
in Wurali will kill any living creature in a few moments and apparently without
pain. It is used by many Indians of Central and South
America, and is called Hurali, Wurali, Wurari, Curare, and various
other names by the different tribes. No one seems to know its exact
composition, for it's prepared by certain experts among the
Indians, and they surround its
manufacture with much secrecy, and a great deal of mummery and hocus-pocus. The
principal ingredients are various poisonous vines belonging to the strychnine family, but ant- and snake-poison,
gums and various other things are
added; many of them probably merely
to conceal its true nature and to impress the
other Indians. Strangely enough, it
is not poisonous when taken internally unless one has a scratch or some other raw spot in the
mouth or throat."
"Isn't there any antidote for it?" asked Eric. "I
should think the Indians would
constantly get killed by accident when using it."
"Yes," replied his
father. "The Indians use cane
juice and common salt to counteract the
effects of Wurali. Many of them
secure live birds and animals by shooting them
with blowgun darts and then, before the creatures die, administering cane juice and
salt. I don't think I'd care to trust to the
remedy and scratch myself with a poisoned arrow, however. I hope you'll be
extremely careful, and that Hermanas will use every precaution when handling the arrows."
"That's mighty
interesting," declared Eric, "but it really gives me the shivers to think of the
stuff. I guess I'll let Hermanas leave his blowgun behind when we go
hunting."
Hermanas was as greatly
pleased as Eric at the prospect of a
hunting trip the next day, and
assured the white boy that if they started for the
bush before dawn they certainly
would secure game of some sort.
"What kind of game you
think we'll find?" asked Eric.
"Mebbe catchum deer,
mebbe powis, mebbe labba, mebbe waterhaas, mebbe acouri, mebbe bush-cow."
Eric laughed. '' You've a
fine lot to choose from,'' he declared. "I don't know what half those are.
Wait a minute till I get the list of
names I made at the museum and I'll
see what sort of beasts we're likely to find."
With the
notes in hand he asked Hermanas to repeat the
native names, and checking them off,
found that Powis were the
great Crested-curassows; Labba was
another name for the big Guinea pig-like creature, otherwise known as the
Paca; that Acouri was synonymous with Agouti, and that Water Haas and
Bushcow were, respectively, Capybara and Tapir.
"You no think mebbe we
shoot jaguar?" asked Eric, whose ambition was to kill one of the great, spotted cats.
Hermanas looked puzzled, and
shook his head. "No sabby jag'ar," he replied.
"They call them 'tigers' down here," remarked Mr. Marvin,
who sat nearby, in the gallery.
Hermanas' face brightened.
"Sabby tiger," he announced. "Me tellum must makeum far walk
topside, want shootum tiger. No catchum this side."
"Well, I'm going to take
a walk 'topside' some day," declared Eric, as he rose to go to bed.
"I mean to kill a jaguar and ever so many times I hear that place
'topside' when I ask about various things. 'Topside' must be a wonderful
spot."
His father
burst out laughing. "'Topside' is no place in particular," he
explained. "It means up river; far away; a long distance,—to find
'topside' would be like seeking the
end of a rainbow—no matter how
far you go 'topside' is ever beyond."
"Well, I'm going to
catchum sleep topside bed," laughed Eric, as he bade his father good night.
Chapter VI In The Jungle
It was still dark when Eric was aroused by
Hermanas, and waiting only for a cup of steaming coffee, the
two boys started for the bush.
Although the sun had not risen the
eastern sky was tinged with pale saffron and pink, the
light, fleecy clouds were edged with gold and above the
river hung a thick white fog. Trees, land and forest were bathed in a soft, gray, mysterious light; every twig,
leaf and blade of grass was dripping with moisture, and on every hand were the myriad sounds of awakening tropical life.
In the
open clearings and cultivated lands it was quite light, but when the two boys reached the
edge of the forest and entered the bush they
were in almost total darkness. Here and there
a gleam of faint light showed upon a tree trunk, far above their heads the
interlaced branches glowed green in the
rays of the invisible sun; but where
they stood all was black with
deepest shadows and even the nearest
objects were indistinguishable.
But Hermanas seemed possessed
of owl-like vision and moved briskly forward, turning and twisting along some
narrow path, now and then slashing
at trailing vines or obtrusive branches with his machete, and ever penetrating
deeper and deeper into the gloomy
recesses of the jungle.
All was silent save for the sharp trill of tree frogs or the faint twitter of birds in the
tree-tops, but presently the sun
rose above the sand hills to the east; cool, soft twilight took the place of darkness in the
forest and instantly the bush burst
into life.
From every side the Wallaba-birds whipped out their
ringing cries of "Whip-whee-weu-oo!" parroquets chattered, parrots
screamed, macaws shrieked, toucans barked and hawks screeched from the trees. From hidden thickets the wonderful silvery notes of the Bell-birds rang, and great, red, howling monkeys
aroused the echoes with their fiendish cries.
Presently Hermanas stopped,
listened intently and then uttered a
low clear call. From a short distance ahead came an answering cry, and, with a
gesture for caution, the Indian
crept stealthily for ward, repeating the
call at intervals, with Eric following close at his heels. Naked, save for his
scarlet loin-cloth or "lap " Hermanas slipped silently as a shadow
among the vines, trees and
undergrowth. Eric found it difficult indeed to keep pace with him without
breaking twigs beneath his heavy boots or catching his khaki clothing on the thorns and razor-grass that beset him at every
step.
At last Hermanas halted
beneath a giant Mora tree, whose huge buttress-like roots spread for a dozen
yards in every direction, and whose enormous brown trunk was half hidden by
great clumps of orchids, vines and air plants. Crouching in the shelter of the
great slabs of living wood the
Indian pointed upward to the tangled
mass of greenery a hundred feet above and whispered:
"Powis! You
shootum!"
Eric peered intently at the indicated spot, but could see nothing aside from
the dark green foliage, the gleaming scarlet orchid flowers and the drooping vines. Then from the
far-off branches a broken golden fruit dropped down and Eric saw a large dark
object moving among the leaves.
Raising his gun he fired, and
at the report pandemonium broke
forth in the tree-tops; hoarse,
frightened cries and screams of scores of birds, the
shrill, terror-stricken chatter of monkeys, and the
roar of great beating wings. But Eric scarcely noticed these,
for with a terrific crash two great, black birds came tumbling downward and
fell almost at the boys' feet.
They were splendid creatures
almost as large as turkeys, shining iridescent black in color, and with
handsome, curled crests above their
bright, orange-yellow beaks. They were Crested-curassows, and Eric felt
immensely proud as he examined the
fine birds—the result of his first
shot.
Cutting a piece of liana, or
"bush rope," Hermanas tied the
two birds together, hung them out of reach of prowling animals, and once more
led the way into the depths of the
forest.
For some time there was no sight nor sound of game, and then as he scrambled over a fallen tree Eric uttered
a startled cry, for he had landed almost on top of a great, shaggy, black
creature as large as a bear.
He was so surprised at the unexpected meeting that he tumbled backwards
into the thicket, while the strange beast—more startled than the boy—reared itself on its hind legs, pawed the air with its enormous front claws, and then wheeling about, scrambled off as fast as its
unwieldy gait could carry it. It was such a remarkable looking beast and Eric
had come upon it so unexpectedly that he quite forgot to shoot, but sat staring
with amazement. With a huge, bushy tail spread like an umbrella above its back,
its coarse, shaggy coat, and stout legs ending in enormous hooked talons, and
with a broad black and white stripe across its shoulders the
animal was most formidable in appearance. But as Eric caught sight of the tiny head, ending in a long, slender, beak-like
snout, he realized that it was only a giant ant-eater, and, picking himself up,
he joined heartily in his companion's laughter at his momentary fright.
An hour's tramp revealed no other game, and Eric was commencing to think that
game was not as abundant in the
jungle as he had imagined, when Hermanas stopped and turning whispered:
"Me tellum shootum labba
same day."
Pointing to the soft earth he showed Eric a number of footprints
and some freshly gnawed roots.
Then, crouching low, and with
a signal for Eric to do the same, he
crept slowly forward towards the
bank of a small creek. Ever and anon he stopped, listened attentively and again
moved onward, inch at a time. At first Eric could hear nothing save the steady dripping of moisture from the leaves, the
sharp, incisive notes of the ever-present
Wallaba birds and the chirp of frogs
and insects.
Then, as he crouched in the shelter of a thicket close to the creek's edge, his ears caught a low grating
noise and occasional subdued grunts. At a gesture from Hermanas he crawled
forward and peered cautiously through an opening of the
thicket.
Before him lay the creek, its dark brown water mirroring the forest that rose above it on every side, and at the foot of the
bank, a few yards from where he was hidden, were two strange animals gnawing at
fruits which had fallen from a tree above.
They were about the size of half-grown pigs; reddish brown in color
and handsomely striped and spotted with pure white. Eric raised his gun with the utmost caution; but, slight as the movement was, one of the
labbas ceased eating, sniffed suspiciously and darted among the roots of the
trees. The other was a second too
late, and at the report of the gun rolled over dead.
Hermanas soon bound the legs of the
labba with bush ropes, and shouldering the
carcass, prepared to continue on the
hunt; but Eric had no wish to kill more game than he could use, and told the Indian to return to the
estate.
"Mebbe like seeum my
house?" suggested Hermanas.
"I certainly
would," declared Eric. "Is it near here?"
"Not too far,"
replied the Indian. "Takeum
walk in woodskin for seeum."
Eric laughed. "That's the funniest thing you've said yet, Hermanas,'' he
exclaimed. "I'll certainly enjoy 'taking a walk' in a canoe."
Hermanas grinned, but said nothing, and, turning to the
right, hurried forward, following the
bank of the creek. They had walked,
perhaps half a mile, when they came
upon a well marked trail, and following this the
boys soon reached a little sheltered cove in the
bank of the stream.
Here, tied to an overhanging
tree, was the queerest craft Eric
had ever seen. It was merely a shell of bark, barely twelve feet in length and
less than eighteen inches in width, and it rested so lightly and one-sidedly
upon the water, that Eric could not
believe it would be possible for any human being to enter it without capsizing.
''Is that your woodskin?"
he asked his companion.
Hermanas, who was searching
for something in a clump of ferns, nodded affirmatively.
"Well, I'll bet if we
get into that thing we'll swim instead of
walk," declared Eric. "It's the
crankiest-looking canoe I've ever seen."
Hermanas had now secured the paddle for which he had been searching, and,
hanging the labba in the shade, he led the
way down the muddy bank, drew his
primitive boat to shore, and holding it steady, invited Eric to enter.
"I guess it's all right
if you say so," Eric remarked, as with great care he stepped into the craft and squatted down at the bow in the
spot indicated by the Indian. Eric's
weight brought the frail craft very
low in the water, and he fully expected
it to sink and fill or to capsize when Hermanas stepped nonchalantly into the stern. Nothing happened, however, and while the tiny canoe rocked slightly, as Hermanas seated
himself, his weight seemed to affect its buoyancy but little. Eric drew a breath
of relief, for he had confidently expected a ducking, and when the Indian drove his paddle into the water and the
woodskin shot forward into the open
creek he was pleasurably surprised to find the
craft fully as steady as the birch
canoes to which he was accustomed.
All about were innumerable
things to interest him and Eric soon forgot all else in admiration of the strange beauties of his surroundings.
Vine-draped trees and graceful palms rose in an impenetrable wall of greenery
on either bank; arches of tangled
lianas and spreading branches met above the
water; mangroves spread their
sprawling roots in the shallows, and
the gigantic lily-like arums or
"mucka-muckas" reared their
thick green stalks and huge, arrow-shaped leaves along the
banks. Strange air plants and brilliant orchids bedecked the
limbs and trunks of trees and festooned the
vines, and great dazzling blue butterflies flitted in and out of the shadows, their
cærulean wings reflected in marvelous manner upon the
dark surface of the stream. Dark,
reddish-brown in color, smooth as glass and with a strange, oily appearance, the water mirrored every object in a wonderful way.
It was as if the canoe were floating
in mid-air suspended between two forests—the
one right side up, the other reversed—and Eric could scarce distinguish
where water ended and land began. Here and there
fallen trees or "tacubas" barred the
way, and with consummate skill Hermanas dodged between the
branches or followed tiny leads into the
jungle and around the obstructions,
and passed through spots where countless water lilies covered the water as with a carpet ablaze with yellow, pink
and purple blooms.
At other
places the great knotted ropes of
vines hung above the waterway and the two boys crouched low as their
little craft darted beneath the
aerial bridges. As they passed under
these the
Indian cautioned Eric not to touch the
mass of vegetation or to allow it to scrape across his back, and explained that
many of the vines and trees were
armed with strong, recurved spines which would inflict terrible wounds or tear
garments to ribbons.
It was very silent on the creek, but there
was plenty of life to be seen by one with keen eyes and a love of nature.
Stately white egrets flapped reluctantly from their
fishing spots in tiny coves; blue and green kingfishers—some large as pigeons,
others scarcely larger than humming
birds—flashed from perches into the
water at sight of passing fish or insect; doves and pigeons cooed softly from the foliage along the
banks; quaint, bright-hued mannakins flitted among the
bushes; gaudy cotingas hopped about 'mid vines and air plants; great
white-headed hawks and broad-winged vultures wheeled majestically overhead;
curious soft, gray, fin-foot birds, purple gallinules, and dainty golden-winged
jacanas ran nimbly across the huge
Victoria Regia leaves, and sun-bitterns spread their
gorgeous wings as they strutted
along the muddy shores.
From the
tranquil water tiny fresh-water flying fish skittered off like skipping stones
as the canoe approached, and curious
"four-eyed fish" scurried away in schools on every hand. Once Eric
caught a glimpse of a great scaly alligator that slipped from a tacuba as the boat rounded a bend in the
stream, and at another time a big
otter swam swiftly across the creek,
leaving a trailing wake of silver upon the
dark water.
It was like navigating a new
world, an undiscovered land, and Eric plied Hermanas with questions as to the various trees and plants, the
insects, the fishes and the birds, to all of which the
Indian replied, telling his white companion their
Indian names, the uses to which they were put and something of their growth or habits.
For nearly two hours they paddled up the
creek and then, swinging around a
sharp bend, came in sight of a little clearing at the
edge of the stream. Moored to the trees and drawn upon the
muddy shores were several woodskins and two or three large dug-out canoes, and
leading from the water's edge to the top of the
steep bank was a crude, primitive ladder made by cutting deep notches in a log.
Here Hermanas ran his canoe onto the
mud, and hopping out, steadied the
craft while Eric stepped ashore and clambered up the
ladder to dry land. Up the hill and
through the clearing ran a narrow,
well marked path, and Hermanas, leading the
way, told Eric that this led to his father's
camp.
As they
reached the summit of the bank they
came face to face with a naked brown boy, who uttered a little cry of fright
and dodged out of view among the
bushes, as he caught sight of the
stranger. Hermanas shouted a few words in his native tongue, however, and the youngster, reassured, came shyly forth and
trotted along beside Hermanas, the
while casting furtive, suspicious glances at Eric. Presently they came to a field covered with banana trees and
cassava plants with the thatched
roofs of the Indians' houses rising
above the greenery.
Eric had expected rude
lean-tos or wigwams and was filled with surprise when, upon reaching the Indian camp, he saw the
neat open houses or "benabs" of the
Arekunas. Supported on stout upright posts were huge, steep-sided roofs of
beautifully thatched palm leaves; hard pounded earth served as the floors and from the
posts swung numerous hammocks. No men were visible; but several girls and women
were busily working at various tasks in the
benabs, and Hermanas greeted them in
Arekuna and then led Eric into the largest benab and invited him to take possession
of a luxurious hammock.
It was very pleasant to lie
here in the shade of the broad roof, for the
open sides allowed a free circulation of air, and the
gentle forest breeze was wonderfully cool. It was interesting, also, for the women went on with their
tasks utterly oblivious to Eric's presence, and he watched them intently as they
pared cassava roots, grated them on
slabs of wood roughened by tiny stones set in gum, and baked the cassava cakes on sheets of iron above a fire of
coals.
Presently the woman who was grating the
roots rose and took a strange six-foot tube of basketwork from where it hung on
a nearby post. Calling another girl
to help her, the flexible tube was then pressed down until it was scarcely two feet in
length while its diameter was almost trebled. Into this the
grated roots were pressed, and then the two women carried the
tube to a tree just outside of the
benab. Here the upper end of the tube was hooked over a branch, a stout lever was
passed through the lower end and
pressing upon this the women exerted
all their strength. At once the tube commenced to lengthen
and become more slender, and from the
interstices of the basketwork liquid
oozed forth.
"What are they doing?" asked Eric of Hermanas.
"Makeum cassava,"
replied the Indian, and he then explained the
whole intricate and wonderful process by which the
poisonous roots of the manioc or
cassava plant are converted into nutritive and wholesome food.
He showed Eric how the roots were pared, how they
were grated, and told him the
poisonous juice was pressed out by means of the
"metapee" as he had seen. He also explained that any remaining traces
of poison were driven off by heat, and handed Eric one of the great flat cakes which had just been baked on the hot iron. Eric thought the
cake had a very pleasant, nutty taste, but was rather
dry, and Hermanas told him it was usually eaten with "pepper pot."
Eric asked what this was and the
Indian informed him it was made of the
cassava juice boiled down until thick and known as "cassareep" and
that into this peppers and bits of meat were thrown, and that a "pepper
pot" was always on hand in every house, and that the
contents kept forever.
"Cassava must be mighty
useful," remarked Eric. "Do you use it for anything else—useum for other thing same way?"
"Makeum piwarrie,"
replied Hermanas, and in answer to Eric's question he stated that
"piwarrie" was an intoxicating drink which was used at the Indian feasts, and was made by the women, who chewed up the
cassava cakes and spat them into a
trough of water where it was left to ferment.
Eric thought this a most
filthy and disgusting method of preparing the
liquor, and was much relieved to find that Hermanas' father
had forbidden the use of the drink in his camp, owing to the debauchery which resulted from drinking it.
An Indian girl now appeared
with breakfast, and the two boys did
ample justice to the meal. There
were cassava cakes and pepper pot, of course; but in addition there were sweet potatoes; fried, boiled and roasted
plantains; yams, and roasted "acourie" or agouti, which Eric declared
excellent. The waitress was a comely girl, fifteen or sixteen years of age; but
her golden-brown skin was disfigured by bright-blue lines tattooed across her
lips and cheeks like a fanciful mustache. Hermanas told Eric she was an Acawoia
girl who had married an Arekuna and, in reply to a question about the tattoo marks, explained that these indicated that she was one of the women selected to chew cassava for making
piwarrie, and that as such she was entitled to certain privileges and respect.
Eric was greatly interested
in this, for it savored of the
primitive aborigine, and he had been quite disappointed in finding the Indians so civilized. He had half expected to
find them garbed in feathers and beads, but instead found them dressed in worn and rather
ragged civilized clothes, and not
until long afterwards did he discover that beneath their
other garments the women still wore their
beautifully woven bead aprons or "queyus"; that the "piaimen" or medicine men still
possessed great influence over their
fellows, and that civilization was scarcely more than a veneer.
But he took a great liking to
the quiet, soft-voiced people and
thought it would not be at all unpleasant to live for some time in their camp here in the
heart of the wilderness.
After breakfast the two boys wandered about the
camp, and Eric found much to interest him and learned a great deal about the arts and crafts of the
Indians. He saw women weaving their
wonderful cotton hammocks, and was filled with admiration at the deftness with which they
spun the strong cotton twine from the raw cotton, using only a rude wooden spindle for
a spinning wheel. He saw others weaving
coarse baskets or "surianas" in which burdens are carried by the women, while still others
were plaiting beautiful "pegalls" or wicker trunks, or snake-like
"metapees." Every one was busily employed at something and all seemed
content and happy. At first the
women and children had been shy and had scarcely spoken; but now they had become accustomed to his presence, they laughed and chattered gayly, and Eric
discovered they could all talk and
understand English.
In every house there was a platform of sticks across the rafters and on these
the Indians kept all their possessions, and Eric was greatly elated when
in one house he saw a number of bows and arrows lying upon the platform above his head.
"Do your people use bows
and arrows?" he asked Hermanas, and added, "I thought you all had
guns."
"Useum bownarrer for
shootum fish, shootum bird. Useum gun for shootum deer, shootum labba, shootum
tiger. S'pose no can buy powder, no can buy shot, useum bownarrer all
time."
Eric examined the bows and arrows with the
most intense interest, for they were
different from anything of the sort
he had ever seen. The bows were very powerful, and about six feet in length,
while the arrows were made of light
cane and were fully five feet long. Most of them
had no feathers and the heads were of various kinds. Some had fixed
steel heads with many barbs; others
ended in broad balls of hard gum, while others
had barbed steel points slipped loosely upon the
end of the arrow and secured by a
long line wrapped about the shaft.
Hermanas explained that each
kind of arrow was used for a definite purpose; that the
fixed heads were used for turtles and birds and small animals; that the blunt heads were used for killing small birds or
stunning creatures to be captured alive, and that the
loose-headed arrows were designed for shooting fish, the
light shaft floating free and acting as a buoy when the
fish was struck and the line serving
as a means for hauling the fish
ashore—in fact, the whole affair
was, in reality, a miniature harpoon shot from a bow.
Eric wanted Hermanas to show
him how the arrows were used, but the Indian said there
were no fish and no game in the
vicinity, but he promised to try and shoot some fish in the
river when they returned to Ratura.
Time passed quickly in the Indian camp, and it was long past noon when
Eric, realizing that several hours were required to reach home, bade good-by to
his Arekuna friends and again embarking in the
woodskin started down the creek.
The labba was found where they had left it, the
two powis were undisturbed, and laden with these
the boys tramped homeward through the forest. To Eric there
was no sign of a trail or mark by which Hermanas found his way through the jungle, but a turned leaf, a bent twig, or a cut
vine left by the boys as they entered the
bush was enough for the Indian's
keen eyes, and he hurried on unerringly and without pause or hesitation. At
last the old trail was reached and a
few minutes later they stepped out
of the forest and into the cultivated land of Ratura.
"You appear to have had
good luck," said Mr. Marvin, as the
two boys arrived at the house late
in the afternoon.
"I expect we could have
killed more if we'd stayed longer," replied Eric, "but I didn't care
to kill things just for sport, and we had enough as it was."
"Quite right,"
agreed his father. "That's the true sportsman's spirit. Destroying life merely
for fun is despicable; but to kill for some purpose—even if not actually
necessary—is quite different, especially if in so doing the
hunter gains accurate knowledge of wild life, acquires woodcraft and self-reliance
and trains eye, ear, brain and muscles by the
chase. How did you enjoy your first experience in the
jungle!"
"It was splendid,"
declared Eric, "and we visited Hermanas' home and had breakfast with the Indians. Everything was so interesting and so
different from anything I imagined. But I never could have done anything
without Hermanas. He showed me all the
game, and it was wonderful how he found his way about. Without him I should
have been lost in a minute and might have tramped for hours without finding
game."
"Well, I expect you are
pretty well tired; what do you say to a good swim? One of the men showed me a fine bathing beach which he says
is perfectly safe."
"I'd like nothing
better," declared Eric. "Come along, Hermanas, I'll bet you swim like
a fish."
Hermanas grinned.
"S'pose takeum bownarrer. Mebbe seeum fish," he remarked.
"Yes, bring the bow and arrows along," replied Eric.
"If you can catch fish that way you're certainly some fisherman."
The beach was a charming
spot, a crescent of golden sand bordering one side of a great pool or basin,
barred from the river by a ledge of
rocks, and safe from the dreaded
Perai fish, electric eels or other
dangerous inhabitants of the river.
The water was pleasantly
cool, and much to Eric's surprise its deep, reddish-brown color left no stain
upon his skin or upon his garments.
Hermanas enjoyed the bath fully as much as his white friends, and won
their admiration by his feats at swimming
and diving, for the Indian appeared
as much at home in water as on land.
After their
bath Hermanas picked up his bow and arrows, and, cautioning Eric and his father to move silently a few yards in the rear, walked slowly along the
shore, peering intently into each rock-bound pool and hole. With arrow fitted
to string and bow ready for instant use he moved onward like a figure of
glowing bronze in the soft rays of the sinking sun. Presently he bent forward, drew his
bow and seemed about to shoot; but in a moment he relaxed, and, standing erect,
commenced beckoning towards the
water, the while uttering a low
whistle.
"He's calling the fish," whispered Mr. Marvin. "I've
heard of it before, but I've never seen it done —it's a most interesting
performance."
"Does he really expect the fish to come to him?" asked Eric, in
surprise.
"He surely does,"
replied Mr. Marvin. "I'm not prepared to say that the
fish do respond to his gestures and whistles, but others have assured me they
do. Ah! he must see one now."
Hermanas had ceased his
gestures, and with a quick motion drew the
bow to his ear; there was a ringing
twang and the long arrow clove the water and disappeared in it with scarce a
splash.
The next moment the shaft bobbed up and instantly Hermanas leaped
forward, and seizing the line
attached to the cane commenced
hauling it in. Eric and his father
hurried forward, and as they reached
the Indian he pulled a great,
flapping, silvery fish onto the
rocks.
"Me tellum shootum fish
same way," he remarked proudly.
Eric clapped Hermanas on his
bare brown back: "Hermanas," he cried, "you're simply a wonder—
I'll believe anything you tell me after this."
"Too easy shootum fish
like so," declared the Indian.
"All Buckman catchum same way."
As the
party walked up the path towards the house Eric was very silent, but presently he
turned to his father and asked:
"Do you suppose Hermanas really called that fish to him?"
Mr. Marvin smiled—"Ask
Hermanas," he replied.
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