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

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER SEVEN.

  THE FIRST "TIGER."

  The cry, which thrilled Rob and made Brazier and the young Italian seizetheir weapons, came from one of the Indians, who, axe in hand, had beenabout to cut up a dead bough he had seized for the fire, when somethingdark struck him in the chest, sending him backward amongst the lowgrowth, and a magnificent cat-like animal bounded into the middle of theopening, driving the boatmen among the trees and taking up its positionin the bright sunshine, with its coat glistening and the brown spots onits tawny hide shining with almost metallic lustre.

  And there it stood, with its ears lowered and eyes blazing, looking fromone to another of the occupants of the boat, and from them to Shaddy,who leaped ashore knife in hand, while the brute's tail writhed andtwisted as if it were a serpent.

  "Hadn't one of you better shoot?" said Shaddy calmly. "He's, too muchfor me with only a knife."

  Just then the Indian who had been knocked down began to crawl cautiouslytoward the trees.

  The movement was enough for the jaguar. It was the cat again that hasstricken down a mouse standing perfectly careless till the unfortunatelittle animal begins to stir. The fierce beast turned, gathered itselftogether, and was about to launch itself upon the boatman in onetremendous bound, when simultaneously there was a sharp click fromBrazier's gun, but with no further result, for he had drawn the triggerof his rifled barrel in which there was no cartridge, and a sharp stabon the loins as Shaddy hurled his knife with unerring aim at the savagebeast.

  The jaguar turned with a fierce snarl and struck the knife from where itstuck in its back. Then, seeing in Shaddy its assailant, it crouchedagain to bound upon the guide.

  Once again its aim was spoiled; for with fingers trembling Rob hadcocked his piece and taken aim, being about to fire when the knife wasthrown; but the rapid movement of the animal checked him till itcrouched and he saw it about to spring upon Shaddy.

  This time he pressed the stock firmly to his shoulder, and, taking aimat the jaguar's head, fired twice, the first charge taking effect fullin the creature's back, and, as it sprang up, the second in its flank.

  With a fierce howl it twisted itself round and bit at the side, tearingout the glossy fur in its rage and pain. Then turning sharply it lookedround for its assailant, when Joe's piece rang out, the bad powder withwhich it was heavily loaded making a cloud of dense smoke whichprevented Rob from seeing for a few moments, and when it rose the jaguarhad gone.

  They all busied themselves reloading now, but there was no animal toshoot, and Shaddy picked up his knife, wiping its point carefully on histrousers as he straightened himself.

  "Which way did it go?" cried Brazier.

  "Yonder, sir, through the trees. But it's of no use for you to follow."

  "It must be dangerously wounded."

  "Not it, sir; only a bit tickled. That was only bird shot you fired,was it, my lads?"

  "Number 5," said Rob promptly.

  "Thought so. Best keep a bullet always in your guns, gentlemen, outhere, for you never know what's going to turn up next."

  The Indians were back now, going about picking wood for the fire as ifnothing whatever had happened.

  "But that man," whispered Rob; "isn't he hurt--clawed?"

  "No, sir," replied Shaddy calmly; and he asked a question of the man inthe mixed Indian tongue. Then turning to Brazier, "Only got the windknocked, out of him a bit, sir. No clawing. He don't mind."

  "But the brute may come back," said Rob.

  "Well, Mr Rob, sir, if he do he's a bigger fool than I take him to be.No, there'll be no coming back about him. Just while he was up he wasready to fly at anything, but every one of them little shot will make asore place which it will take him a fortnight to lick quite well again.I daresay they're all lying just under his skin."

  "And what a skin!" cried Rob. "You could have got it off and cured itfor me, couldn't you?"

  "Oh yes, or these chaps here, sir; but if you wants tiger jackets youmustn't try to kill them as wears 'em with Number 5 shot.--Now, lads,more wood," and a good fire was soon burning, over which the kettle washung.

  A meal was quickly prepared, but Shaddy indulged in a bit of a growlover it.

  "And me 'specting pork chops frizzled over that fire on the iron sheet,"he said. "Why it wouldn't have been no good, my lad, going about with apinch of lead snuff in your gun. You want something like small marblesout here, I can tell you, or good buck shot. You'll mind that nexttime."

  "But I want to get some of the birds we see," said Rob, in tones ofremonstrance.

  "That's right, sir; but keep one barrel always for play and one forwork. I don't want to make too much of it, but in a country like thisit must be dangerous sometimes."

  "He is quite right, Rob," said Brazier. "He is giving you a lesson, buthe means some of it for me. Don't you, Naylor?"

  "Well, sir," said Shaddy grimly, "I s'pose you'd like the honest truth?"

  "Of course."

  "Then I'll tell you what I said to myself. How a gentleman at his timeo' life could leave his weepun, as ought to be ready for action, withouta good bullet for wild beast or Indian, I can't think."

  "I have learned my lesson, Naylor," said Brazier, "and you shall nothave an opportunity for reproaching me again."

  "And you ain't offended, sir? In course I'm only like your servant."

  "Give me credit for more sense, my man.--You take it to heart, too, bothof you, and keep a bullet in your left-hand barrel."

  "For food or enemy," said Shaddy in his deep growl.

  "But that's what I meant to do. I thought I had loaded that way," saidRob.

  "Hah--hoo!" ejaculated one of the Indians who was standing with his armsfull of wood close to the spot where the jaguar had disappeared.

  "What's the matter, my lad?" said Shaddy, joining him with the others,when an eager burst of conversation ensued.

  "They say as the tiger's lying wounded not far in among the trees.Bring your guns, gentlemen."

  The pieces were eagerly raised and cartridges examined, so that thereshould be no further mistake, and then, with the Indian who was knockeddown as a guide, Brazier next with Shaddy, who contented himself withhis knife, and then Rob and Joe and the rest of the Indians, the partyentered the forest, which was so dense that they soon had to take toIndian file.

  But they had not far to go, and in spite of the danger that might beahead the leading Indian proved that Shaddy's selection was a good one,for he went straight on, cutting right and left with his heavy knife todivide the growth that was in their way, and so on for about fiftyyards, when he stopped short and said a few words to Shaddy.

  "Yes. Get back," said the latter, after listening. "Now two gunsforward; but I think he has had enough as it is?"

  "Be careful, man!" said Brazier anxiously; "you are unarmed."

  "Not quite, sir!" said Shaddy, showing his big knife. "If he jumps onme he'll jump right on to that point, and if he does, though he may clawme, it will be his last leap. Silence!"

  They all listened, Rob hearing the shriek of some great parrot and thedull heavy throb of his heart, but from out of the dense growth a littleway ahead he could make out a gurgling moan.

  Shaddy gave him a look and a nod.

  "No, my lad," he said, "that isn't a frog, nor anything else, but someanimal as has got his death. It's either that tiger, or else it's adeer he has pulled down on his way. I'll go and see."

  "Let me," said Brazier; "and if it is only wounded I can fire again."

  "Powder and shot's valuable out here, sir," said Shaddy, "and we mustn'twaste a single charge. Stand fast, and if I want help come and give itto me; but I shan't."

  He parted the bushes and creepers with his left hand holding his knifewell before him with the right; but before he had gone six yards withgreat caution there was a horrible cry, and a sound as of a strugglegoing on--a sound which made Rob press forward and thrust the barrel ofhis gun in front of Brazier.

  "Has
he got hold of Shaddy?" he panted, with a chill of horror runningthrough him.

  "No, my lad; I'm all right--it's all over," cried the guide, as thesound ceased. "Ah! I can see him plain now: quite dead."

  "A deer?" said Brazier, eagerly.

  "Deer don't make a noise like that, sir," said Joe from behind.

  "Nay, it's no deer," said Shaddy; "I'll let you see what it is. Hi!" hecalled; and the Indians crowded past through the dense growth, wentboldly right to the front, and Shaddy reappeared smiling.

  "Back again," he said; "they'll bring him along."

  Rob turned back unwillingly, for he was eager to see what the deadanimal might be, Shaddy's mysterious manner suggesting the possibilityof its being something extraordinary. But he followed the others out,the guide seeming to drive them all before him back into the open spotby the fire, while almost directly after the Indian boatmen appeared,half carrying, half dragging--each holding a paw--with his white underfur stained with blood--the great jaguar, perfectly dead.

  "There," cried Shaddy, "now you can have your skin, sir; and you deserveit for those two shots."

  "But I couldn't have--" began Rob.

  "But you did, sir," said Shaddy, who was down on his knees by thebeautiful animal. "Here you are: face and head all full of small shot,and down here right in the loins--yes: back regularly broken by abullet. Your piece was loaded proper after all."

  "A splendid shot, Rob," cried Brazier, and Joe patted his back.

  "But it was quite an accident," said Rob, excitedly.

  "Accident?" growled Shaddy. "If you shot at a man in England and killedhim, do you think the judge would say it was an accident?"

  "Well, no," said Rob, laughing.

  "'Course not. Splendid shot, as the captain says. So now let's finishour bit of eating and have a nap while my chaps here takes off theskin."