CHAPTER FOUR.
ADVENTURES AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
We had been travelling on for many days, yet had made but slow progress.This was not surprising, considering that we had to climb up steepmountains and to descend again into deep valleys, to cross rapid streamsand wade through morasses, again to mount upwards and wind round andround numberless rugged heights, with perpendicular precipices, now onone side, now on the other, and gulfs below so profound that often oureyes, when we unwisely made the attempt, could scarcely fathom them.Still almost interminable ranges of mountains appeared to the east. Aswe looked back, we could see the lofty heights of Pichincha, Corazon,Ruminagui, Cotopaxi, Antisana, and many others.
We had a mountain before us. Our patient mules slowly climbed up it.The summit reached, the ridge was so narrow that parts of the same rocksmight have been hurled, the one down into the valley towards the settingsun, the other in the direction of the Atlantic. We there stood fifteenthousand feet at least above the ocean, our animals panting with theexertion, and we ourselves, though inured to the air of the mountains,breathing with difficulty. Still before us there was a scene of wildgrandeur,--mountain rising beyond mountain, with deep valleysintervening, their bottoms and sides clothed with a dense unbroken massof foliage.
"I fear beyond this we shall find no pathway for our mules," observedDon Jose, as we were descending the height; "but we will endeavour toprocure bearers for the luggage, and will, in the meantime, encamp insome sheltered spot, and try and ascertain in which direction my friend,your father, and his party have gone."
We were nearly an hour descending, our mules carefully picking their wayamong the rocks and lofty trees, and along the edges of yawning chasms,which threatened to swallow us up. Sometimes we passed through woodedregions, where the giant trees, falling from age, remained suspended inthe network of sipos or wild vines, which hung from the branches oftheir neighbours. Now we had to make our way round the trunks, now topass beneath them. As I looked up, I could not help dreading that thecordage which held them might give way, and allow them to fall at thatinstant and crush us. At last we reached a level spot or terrace on themountain-side, but still the bottom of the valley seemed far down belowus.
"We will encamp here," said our friend, "and remain till we canascertain the direction we must pursue to come up with our friends. Weare here above the damp and close air of the valley. From yondertorrent we can obtain the water we require," (he pointed to a cascadewhich came rushing and foaming down, at a little distance, through acleft in the mountain), "while the forest around will afford an amplesupply of provision. We are at such a distance from the usual track,that we shall not, I hope, be discovered, should any of our enemiesventure in this direction."
John at once agreed to our friend's proposal.
"Our mules," continued Don Jose, "are of no further use, for it would bealmost impossible for them to make their way amid the tangled forestthrough which we must pass. We will therefore send them back to asolitary rancho or farm, the proprietor of which is my friend, wherethey will remain in safety till better times, when they can be forwardedto their owners."
This plan being agreed on, the animals were unloaded, and our nativeattendants set to work to build huts, which might afford us sufficientshelter for the night. We all helped; but we found that they were somuch more expert, that they had erected three huts while we had notfinished one. Long stakes were first cut down. Two of them were driveninto the ground and joined at their top, and about twelve feet beyondthem, other two were driven in, and connected by a long pole. Againstthis a number of stakes were arranged to serve as rafters. Meantime aquantity of large palm-leaves had been procured, which were attached tothe rafters by thin sipos or vines, beginning at the bottom, so thatthey overlapped each other in the fashion of tiles. They were so neatlyand securely fastened, that it was evident the heaviest shower would notpenetrate them. In a short time we had seven or eight of these huts up,sufficient to accommodate the whole of the party. The natives thendescending into the forest, brought back a quantity of wood, which theyhad cut from a tree which they called _sindicaspi_, which means the"wood that burns." We found it answer its character; for though it wasperfectly green, and just brought out of the damp forest, no sooner wasfire put to it than it blazed up as if it had been long dried in thesun.
We were still at a considerable elevation, where there was but little ofanimal life. Even here, however, beautiful humming-birds flew among thebushes. They seemed very like the hill-stars we had seen atChimborazo--wonderful little feathered gems; but they flew so rapidlyabout that it was difficult to distinguish their appearance. Now agleam of one bright colour caught the eye, now another. Now, as theypassed, all their hues were blended into one.
"I should so like to have some of those beautiful little creatures aspets," said Ellen. "I wonder if they could be tamed!"
"No doubt about it," said Don Jose. "The difficulty is to catch themfirst. But, small as they are, they are in no degree timid; and if youcould take some of them young, you would find that they would willinglyfeed off your hand; but, bold and brave, they love freedom, and will notconsent to live in captivity. Perhaps Isoro may catch some for you. Heknows all the birds and beasts of this region, and trees and herbs, as,at one time, did all the people of our race. The study of God's worksis a truly noble one, and such the enlightened Incas considered it; andtherefore it was the especial study of young chiefs in bygone days.But, alas! in these times of our degeneracy, in that, as in many otherpoints, we are grievously deficient compared to our ancestors."
"Oh, thank you," said Ellen. "I shall indeed be obliged to Isoro if hecan show me how to tame some of these beautiful little birds."
"I would rather have one of those fellows I see perched on yonderpinnacle," observed Arthur, pointing to a rock at some distance, whencea huge condor, with outspread wings, was about to take flight. "What agrand thing it would be to get on his back, and make him fly with oneover the mountain-tops. He looks big and strong enough to do it."
"I am afraid that, with all his strength, he would find it a hard matterto lift a heavy youth like you from the ground," observed Don Jose."Yet even a condor can be tamed, and if he is well fed, becomessatisfied with his lot. Large as he is, he is a mean creature, and acoward."
While Don Jose was speaking, the condor came flying by. Not a movementof his wings was perceptible. We hallooed and clapped our hands.
"He seems not to hear our voices," I observed.
"He is too far off for that," said our companion. "Though we see himclearly, he is at a greater distance than you suppose. In this pureatmosphere, objects appear much nearer than they really are; indeed,even with long practice, it is difficult to ascertain distances by theeye alone. See there, on yonder slope! It would take an active man anhour or more to reach the height over which these vicunas are bounding,and yet they seem almost within reach of our rifles."
He pointed to a shoulder of the mountain which projected some distanceinto the valley, over which several animals were making their way,scrambling up rocks which I should have thought the most agile deercould scarcely have attempted to scale.
Isoro had received a hint from his master; and after being absent fromthe camp for some time, returned with a beautiful little live bird,which he presented, greatly to her delight, to Ellen. Though itsbright, sharp specks of eyes were glancing about in every direction, itremained quietly in her hand, without attempting to escape. The greaterportion of its body was light green, bronzed on the side of the neck andface, and the lower part of the back was of a deep crimson red. Thewings were purple-brown, and the throat metallic green; but the tail wasits most remarkable feature. That was very long, brown at the base, andthe greater part of its length of the brightest fiery red, tipped with avelvety black band.
"Why, its tail is a perfect comet," exclaimed Ellen, who had been forsome time admiring it.
She had given it the name by which it is chiefly known--
the Sapphocomet, or bar-tailed humming-bird. It is a migratory bird, seldom,however, found so far north. It is a native of Bolivia, where it isfound in gardens, and near the abodes of men, of whom it seems to haveno fear. In the winter it flies off to the warm regions of easternPeru, so Isoro told us.
"I am afraid that it will not live in captivity," he remarked. "Shall Ikill it for you, senora?"
"Oh no! no!" exclaimed Ellen. "On no account. If I cannot make a petof it, I would not keep it even as an unwilling captive. Pray, let itgo at once."
Isoro let the bird perch on his finger. It looked about for an instant,and then expanding its glossy wings, off it flew, its long tail gleaminglike a flash of lightning in the air, and was in an instant lost tosight. Isoro had, I believe, caught the little creature by the bill,with a sort of bird-lime, placed in the lower part of a flower, where itwas held captive long enough to enable him to seize it.
We did not fail to keep up a large fire in the centre of our camp duringthe night, lest any prowling puma might venture to pay us a visit. Thewarmth, also, which it afforded in that keen mountain air was grateful.
After Ellen and Maria had retired to their hut, which had been made ascomfortable for them as circumstances would allow, we sat up discussingour plans. I found that Don Jose and John had become anxious at notfinding our father. Our friend had sent out several Indians indifferent directions to search for him, with orders to come back to thespot where we were now encamped. I was surprised to find the influencehe possessed among all the natives we had met.
As soon as we had encamped, Isoro and two other Indians set off toforage in the neighbourhood, as well as to obtain information. Theycame back late in the evening, driving before them three hogs, whichthey had purchased at a native hut some distance off. A pen was soonbuilt, in which to confine the animals: one of them was destined to beturned into pork the following morning. The mules had already been sentaway, and True and the pigs were the only four-footed animals in thecamp.
Our whole party had been for some time asleep, when I was aroused by ahorrible squeaking, followed by a loud bark from True, who was sleepingunder my hammock. The squeaks and a few spasmodic grunts whichsucceeded them soon ceased. The voices of my companions outside the hutshowed me that they were on the alert; and knowing that True wouldattack our visitor, whether puma or jaguar, I tied him to one of theposts of the hut before I went out--a proceeding of which he did not atall approve.
"Cuguacuara! cuguacuara!" I heard the Indians exclaiming.
"A puma has carried off one of the hogs," said John, who appeared withhis gun ready for action.
"Where has it gone?" I asked.
"That is what we are going to ascertain," he answered.
We set out with Don Jose, Isoro, and several of the Indians, the latterarmed only with their spears. There was a bright moon, so we had nogreat difficulty in seeing our way, though in that region of precipicesit was necessary to be cautious. Isoro and the Indians led the way,tracing the puma by the blood which their keen sight discovered on theground. We had not gone far when they stopped and signified that thebeast was near. Turning a point of rock, we saw before us, in a hollowon the side of the mountain--a shallow cavern overgrown with shrubs,into which the moon shone brightly--not only one, but two huge pumas,the nearest with its paws on the hog it had just stolen. We had formedour camp close to their lair. The savage brutes, thus brought to bay,and unable to escape, snarled fiercely at us. No animal is more hatedby the Indians than the puma, on account of the depredations it commitson their flocks and herds. They had little chance, therefore, of beingallowed to escape. I expected, moreover, at any moment to see themspring at us.
"Do you take the nearest," said Don Jose, calmly, to John; "I will takethe other. Reserve your fire, Harry, in case one of them shouldspring."
He and John fired. The nearest puma gave a tremendous spring forward.I had my weapon ready, and drew the trigger. The bullet struck him,and, first rising in the air, he fell backwards, and lay without moving.The Indians rushed forward, and, with shouts of triumph, soon knockedout any sparks of life which remained in the animals. They then,fastening some sipos round the bodies, dragged them and the hog to thecamp.
I had just time to measure one of them, before they were skinned and cutup. It had a body four feet in length; and a tail two and a half feetlong, black at the tip, but without the characteristic tuft of the lion.Its limbs were very thick and muscular, to enable it to climb trees andspring a great distance. Its coat was of a light tawny tint, and of agreyish-white below.
The Indians, delighted with their prize, sat up the rest of the nightcooking and eating the flesh, and telling anecdotes about the creatures.The puma (_Leopardus concolor_) will seldom face a man when encounteredboldly. It attacks his flocks, however; and hunts deer, vicunas,llamas, and, indeed, all animals it meets with except its rival, thejaguar. It takes post on the branch of a tree, pressing itself soclosely along it as scarcely to be distinguished; and from thencesprings down on a passing deer or other animal, seizing it by the head,which it draws back till the neck is broken. I shall have by-and-by torecount another adventure with pumas of a far more terrific character;so will say no more about them at present, except that we found theflesh very white, and much like veal.
We spent three days at the encampment. At length one evening Don Josedeclared his intention of setting forth himself with Isoro. I beggedthat I might accompany him, and John also seemed anxious to go.
"No, Senor John," said our friend; "it is your duty to remain and takecare of your young sister. But I will consent to take Harry with me,and we will set forth to-morrow morning by daybreak. John, Arthur, andyour servants will be sufficient to guard the camp; but do not move outbeyond the point which intervenes between this and the pass, lest youmay be perceived by any enemy travelling on it. And let me advise youalso to be cautious how you receive any stranger who may perchance findhis way here. At night be careful to keep a fire burning, and to set awatch. If you strictly follow my injunctions, I shall have no fear. Ineed not remind you of your young sister, whom it is your duty to watchover; and the consequences to her, as indeed to us all, would be sadthrough any carelessness."
John, though evidently disappointed, promised to follow our friend'sadvice. Next morning, even before the sun had risen above the tops ofthe eastern mountains, while the valley was concealed by a dense mist,which looked as if a sheet had been drawn across it, we were on foot,and had finished breakfast. Don Jose, Isoro, and I were each providedwith long, stout staves. Our rifles were slung at our backs; walletscontaining our provisions were hung over our shoulders; and our feetwere shod with alpargates, which are sandals made of aloe fibres. Theyare invariably worn by the natives, as any ordinary boots wouldimmediately be cut to pieces by the rocky ground. These, indeed, didnot last more than three or four days. We had supplied ourselves,however, with a considerable number at one of the last places at whichwe had stopped, as well as with axes and wood-knives, and several otherarticles which we should require in our journey through the forest. Wehad obtained also two bales of cloth, some clasp-knives, glass beads,and trinkets, with which to pay the Indians for the services we mightrequire of them.
Ellen came out of her hut just as we were ready to start. She seemedvery anxious when she heard that I was to be one of the party. DonJose, however, assured her that he would run into no unnecessary danger,and that our journey was absolutely necessary to ascertain whether ourfather had passed by that way, or was still in the mountains behind us."I, too, am well acquainted with the country," he added; "and evenshould any of our enemies come in this direction, I shall easily be ableto elude them."
I wished to take True with me; but Don Jose said that he would be ofmore use at the camp,--that he might possibly betray us where we weregoing, and insisted on his being left behind. Poor fellow, he gazedinquiringly into my face when I tied him up, to know why he was thustreated, and seemed to say, I thought, "You know
I shall watch over youbetter than any one else, and you may be sorry you left me behind." Ourfriend was, however, so peremptory in the matter, that I was compelledto yield to his wishes.
Bidding farewell to our friends, we took our way for some littledistance along the path we had come, and then, turning off, proceedednorthward, by which we should intersect, Don Jose said, another passageacross the mountains. Had I not been in active exercise every day forso long, I should have found great difficulty in scaling those mountainheights; but my nerves were firm, and from so frequently looking downprecipices, I no longer felt any dizziness, even when standing on theedge of the deepest.
We travelled on for several days--sometimes through forests, at othersalong the bare mountain-sides, above the region of vegetation. Somenights were spent in huts, which we erected for ourselves, such as thoseI have just described. The natives, when we stopped at their abodes,always received our friend with great respect and attention. Theaccommodation they could afford, however, was but scanty. They werebuilt of reeds thatched with palm, and consisted of but one room.
I have not yet described the natives of this region. They were of abronzed colour, with a sad and serious expression of countenance. Theywere seldom five feet high, and the women were even shorter. They hadsomewhat broad foreheads; their heads covered with thick, straight,coarse, yet soft, jet-black hair, which hung down their backs. Theirmouths were large, but their lips were not thicker than those ofEuropeans, and their teeth were invariably fine. They had large,well-formed chins; cheek-bones rounded; their eyes somewhat small, withblack eyebrows; and little or no beard. They had broad chests andsquare shoulders, and well-made backs and legs, which showed thestrength possessed by them. They were pleasant-looking people. The menwore a short kilt, with a poncho over their shoulders; the women, apetticoat of larger dimensions.
They offered us, on entering their huts, cups of the _guayusa_ tea. Itis an infusion of the large leaf of a tall shrub which grows wild inthat region. We found it very refreshing: though not so powerful astimulant as coca, it supports the strength, as do the leaves of thatplant, and we found it enable us to go for a considerable time withoutfood. The cleanest corner of the hut was assigned us for oursleeping-place at night, with mats and dried leaves in the place ofmattresses. Our friend made inquiries as to whether any white peoplehad passed in that direction; and, by his orders, the natives were sentout to gain information. I saw that he was uneasy, though he did notexplain to me the reason.
One morning we were on the point of again setting forward, when anative, with a long mountain-staff in his hand, entered the hut. Heexchanged a few words with Don Jose.
"We must hasten away, Harry," said our friend; "there is not a moment tobe lost. The enemy have been tracking us, I find; but I trust that yourfather has escaped them, and will ere long gain the banks of the Napo,down which he may voyage to the Amazon. We shall be able to reach thesame river by a longer route, along which there will be less fear ofbeing followed."
He made these remarks as we were throwing our wallets over our backs.Taking our staves, he leading, we hurried from the hut, following anarrow path which led up the side of the mountain. We had approachedthe hut by a lower and more frequented path than we were now taking; butwe were, I found, going in the direction from which we had come on theprevious day. Don Jose went first, I followed, and Isoro brought up therear. Though I exerted all my strength, I had some difficulty inkeeping up with my friend. Anxious as I was to obtain more particularsof what had occurred, we could not exchange words at the rate we weregoing. Every now and then, as we were climbing the cliffs, whenever Ihappened to look back I saw Isoro turning an uneasy glance over hisshoulder. It was evident that we were pursued. We reached the edge ofa deep ravine, which appeared to bar our further progress. Don Jose,however, without making any remark, continued climbing on along it; andat length I saw what appeared to be a rope stretched across the chasm.
"Hasten, master! hasten!" I heard Isoro cry out: I knew enough of theQuichua language to understand him.
We continued on till we reached the end of the rope, fastened to thestump of a tree, and stretched across the chasm to the opposite side,where it was secured in the same manner, a platform being raised to thesame elevation as the rock on which we stood.
"Harry," said my friend, turning to me for the first time, "I have seenyour nerves thoroughly tried, and I know your muscles are well-knit, orI would not ask you to pass along this perilous bridge."
The rope was formed of the tough fibres of the maguey--an osier whichgrows in the moist ground of that region. It possesses a great degreeof tenacity and strength.
"Master, let me go first," exclaimed Isoro, springing forward. "If itbreaks with me it will matter little, and you will have still a chancefor life."
Without waiting for Don Jose's answer, Isoro threw himself upon therope, and, holding on by hands and feet, began to work himself along. Iwatched him anxiously. It was indeed a fearful mode of crossing thatawful gulf; and yet I knew that I must pass as he was doing. I wasthankful that the distance was not great, at all events. I breathedmore freely when at length I saw him alight on the platform. Ientreated Don Jose to go next. "It will give me more courage," I said."As you wish," he replied. "Let me caution you, only before I go, toshut your eyes, and not to think of the gulf below you. You will thenfind the passage perfectly easy."
Saying this, he took hold of the rope, and began to work his way across.Scarcely, however, had he got into the centre, when I saw Isoropointing in the direction we had come from.
"Hasten! hasten!" he shouted out.
I looked round, and caught sight of two enormous hounds approaching atfull speed. I could hear their loud, baying voices as they came onpanting up the mountain-side. I did not hesitate a moment, when urgedby Isoro to cross at once. "The rope will bear you," he shoutedout--"not a moment is to be lost!"
Seizing the rope, I shut my eyes and began the awful passage; for awfulit was, as, in spite of my resolution, I could not help thinking of thedeep chasm over which I was making my way. I should be unwilling againto attempt so fearful a passage; and yet, perhaps, once accustomed toit, I should have thought nothing of the undertaking. I was surprisedwhen I felt my friend take my arm.
"You are safe," he said; "lower your feet;"--and I found myself standingon the platform.
On opening my eyes, and looking towards the cliff from which we hadcome, I saw two huge blood-hounds, with open mouths, baying at us.Isoro, I should have said, had taken my rifle as well as his own, andplaced it against the tree.
"We must get rid of these animals," said Don Jose, "or they will betraythe road we have taken."
Saying this, he levelled his piece, and one of the dogs, as it sprungforward on receiving the bullet, fell over the chasm into the depthsbelow. Isoro followed his master's example. His bullet took effect;but the blood-hound, though wounded, was not killed outright, andretreated a few paces. I was afraid he would have escaped; but beforehe had gone far, he fell over, and after a few struggles, was dead.
"The animal must not remain there," observed Isoro, throwing himselfupon the rope; and in a few minutes he had again crossed the chasm.
Seizing the dog by the legs, he drew it to the edge, and hurled it afterits companion. Then, searching about in the crevices of the rocks formoss and lichens, he strewed them over the ground where the dog hadfallen, so as to obliterate the traces of blood. He was some time thusoccupied before he had performed the operation to his satisfaction; andthen he once more crossed the chasm, with as much unconcern as if he hadbeen passing along an ordinary road. I proposed letting go the rope toprevent our pursuers following.
"That is not necessary," said Don Jose. "It would cause trouble to ourfriends, and I doubt whether our enemies will venture to cross. At allevents, the so doing would betray the route we have taken, and they mayfind the means of crossing some leagues further down the stream."
We accordingly proceed
ed as before. We now came to a track, which, hadI been alone, I could not have followed, as it was generally, to myeyes, altogether undistinguishable; yet Don Jose and Isoro traced itwithout difficulty. It now led us along the edge of a precipice, where,it seemed to me, so narrow was the space between the cliff on one sideand the fearful gulf on the other, that we could not possibly get by.Our leader, however, went on without hesitation. At length he appearedto reflect that my nerves might not be as firm as his.
"Here, Harry," he said, "take hold of the centre of my staff; Isoro willhold the other end, and you may pass without risk."
I did as he directed, keeping my eyes away from the gulf as much aspossible. Now and then the path became somewhat wider; then again itnarrowed, affording just space to support our feet. I leaned againstthe cliff, unwilling to throw more weight than I could possibly help onthe staff. I breathed more freely when we were once more ascending themountain-side. We were making our way round a rugged point of rock, andDon Jose's head had just risen above it, when he called to us to stop.
"I see some people coming this way," he observed. "They may be friends,but they may be foes. Harry, I am sorry to have exposed you to thisdanger; for it is me they seek, not you. However, they have not seenus, and we have yet time to conceal ourselves. Fortunately I know of aplace near here where we shall be able to do so; and unless yonder bandhave these savage blood-hounds with them, we may yet escape capture."
Saying this, he began rapidly to ascend the mountain-side among the wildand rugged rocks with which it was covered. After climbing up for somedistance, we saw before us a small opening in the rocks.
"This is the spot I was seeking," observed our friend; "and unless it isknown to our pursuers, we shall here remain in security till they havepassed by."
He leading the way, we all entered the cavern. It soon opened out intoa large chamber with rugged sides. The passage to it also had severalbuttresses or projecting rocks, behind which we might take post, andcould have fired down without being seen on any one approaching. Fromthe entrance, also, we could watch the pathway by which we had come; andit was so small and overgrown with shrubs that it could not be perceivedat any distance. Don Jose told me to climb up behind one of the rocks,while he and Isoro took post behind others. So completely were theyconcealed, that I could not discover where they were except by theirvoices. We waited anxiously, till at length a band of armed men wasseen winding round the hill. Already they had passed under the cave.
"We might follow, and without difficulty hurl every one of those fellowsinto the abyss below," observed Don Jose. "But we will spare them; theyobey but the orders of their superiors."
After waiting a little time longer, Don Jose emerged from the cavern,and looking about, told us that the road was clear. We accordinglydescended, though it required great caution to avoid making a rapiddescent into the deep ravine below us. For the greater part of the daywe continued toiling on, supported by the coca with which weoccasionally replenished our mouths. At length, towards evening, wemade our way to a native hut, where we were received as usual. Herehammocks were slung for us between the pole on which the roof rested,our hosts undertaking to keep careful watch to prevent surprise.
I had become very anxious about the rest of our party, fearing that theymight have been discovered. At the end of two more days I recognisedthe features of the spot where we had left them. No one was to be seen.My heart sank. Had they been seized and carried off to Quito, or hadthey made their escape? Great was my satisfaction when, on rounding arocky point, I caught sight of the huts, and saw Arthur running towardsus. "We are all well--very thankful to see you return!" he exclaimed,"for we began to fear that you might have been lost." Directlyafterwards John and Ellen emerged from their huts, and now all the partywere gathered round us. Poor dear Ellen welcomed me with tears in hereyes. Her spirits revived when Don Jose told her he had reason tobelieve that our parents were in safety. True could not restrain hisjoy, but kept leaping up and licking my hands and face, and jumpinground and round me. Wherever I went he closely followed, determined notagain to lose sight of me. At supper he sat by my side watching myface, nor would he leave me even though John and Arthur tried to tempthim away with offers of bits of pork or parrots' legs.
All the party were eager to set out at once, but it was necessary beforewe could do so to procure bearers to convey our luggage along the longand intricate path we had to take through the forest. This our friendundertook to do by the following day from a village at no great distanceoff.
The next morning a dozen stout natives--young, active men--made theirappearance. They all had at their backs large baskets bound by withespassing across the forehead and chest. They were but lightly clothed.A small poncho covered their shoulders, and the usual cloth and kilt wasworn round the loins, a wisp of leaves preventing their backs beingchafed by their burdens. Each man also carried a long staff in hishand, and a bag of roasted corn as provision for the journey. Theburdens were soon adjusted. One of them had a sort of chair at hisback, which Don Jose had ordered to carry the senora, as Ellen wasdenominated. She insisted, however, that she was well able to walk, andnot without difficulty we persuaded her to take advantage of theconveyance which had been provided.
We forthwith set out, and descending the mountain, were soon in themidst of the thick forest. Two of the Indians, who carried lighterburdens than the rest, went ahead with axes in their hands to clear theway. It was extraordinary with what rapidity they cut through thesipos, or hanging vines, which threw their serpent-like coils from treeto tree. So quick is their growth in that moist region, that othertravellers following in a few weeks would have to perform the sameoperation, our friend told us. As we advanced the forest became thickerand thicker, the dark foliage forming a lofty vault through which nosunlight can ever enter. The air felt cool and excessively damp,compared to the exposed sides of the mountains. A constant mist seemedto hang on the branches. Not a sound was to be heard; scarcely a birddid we see in the swampy shades. The stillness and gloom, indeed,became almost painful. From the lofty trees hung down thousands oflianas, or air-roots, some forming thick festoons, others perfectlystraight, of all lengths, many reaching almost down to our heads, othersagain touching the ground and taking root in the soft earth. Here andthere some giant of the forest, decayed by age, had fallen, to remainsuspended in the loops of the sipos. Thus we went on, following inIndian file. I kept near Ellen to cheer her up, while True followedclose at my heels, every now and then licking my hands and jumping up,as if to ask me what I thought of the strange region we had entered. Wefound it rather difficult to converse. Sometimes we walked on for aconsiderable distance in silence.
We had thus been progressing for some time, the only sound heard beingthat of our footsteps on the rustling leaves, or that produced by thesharp axes of our pioneers, when suddenly our ears were startled by aloud crash, which, contrasted with the previous silence, made it seem asif the whole forest was coming down together. Ellen gave way to aslight cry of alarm. "Do not be afraid, my young friends!" shouted DonJose. "It is only an ancient tree, weary of standing so long." In ashort time the crashing sound ceased, and directly afterwards we came insight of a vast trunk, which had fallen across the path we were about topass along. We had to make a circuit therefore to avoid it. We couldnot but feel thankful that it had not delayed its fall till we werepassing beneath, although we might possibly have had time to escape, inconsequence of its being upheld for a few seconds by the sipos, till itsvast weight had dragged them down.
On the Banks of the Amazon Page 4
