The Collected Works of Jules Verne: 36 Novels and Short Stories (Unexpurgated Edition) (Halcyon Classics)

by Jules Verne

  Ibises half-lollingly posed on some old trunk, and gray herons motionless on one leg, solemn flamingoes who from a distance looked like red umbrellas scattered in the foliage, and phenicopters of every color, enlivened the temporary morass.

  And along the top of the water glided long and swiftly-swimming snakes, among them the formidable gymnotus, whose electric discharges successively repeated paralyze the most robust of men or animals, and end by dealing death. Precautions had to be taken against the _"sucurijus"_ serpents, which, coiled round the trunk of some tree, unroll themselves, hang down, seize their prey, and draw it into their rings, which are powerful enough to crush a bullock. Have there not been met with in these Amazonian forests reptiles from thirty to thirty-five feet long? and even, according to M. Carrey, do not some exist whose length reaches forty-seven feet, and whose girth is that of a hogshead?

  Had one of these sucurijus, indeed, got on to the raft he would have proved as formidable as an alligator.

  Very fortunately the travelers had to contend with neither gymnotus nor sucuriju, and the passage across the submerged forest, which lasted about two hours, was effected without accident.

  Three days passed. They neared Manaos. Twenty-four hours more and the raft would be off the mouth of the Rio Negro, before the capital of the province of Amazones.

  In fact, on the 23d of August, at five o'clock in the evening, they stopped at the southern point of Muras Island, on the right bank of the stream. They only had to cross obliquely for a few miles to arrive at the port, but the pilot Araujo very properly would not risk it on that day, as night was coming on. The three miles which remained would take three hours to travel, and to keep to the course of the river it was necessary, above all things, to have a clear outlook.

  This evening the dinner, which promised to be the last of this first part of the voyage, was not served without a certain amount of ceremony. Half the journey on the Amazon had been accomplished, and the task was worthy of a jovial repast. It was fitting to drink to the health of Amazones a few glasses of that generous liquor which comes from the coasts of Oporto and Setubal. Besides, this was, in a way, the betrothal dinner of Fragoso and the charming Lina--that of Manoel and Minha had taken place at the fazenda of Iquitos several weeks before. After the young master and mistress, it was the turn of the faithful couple who were attached to them by so many bonds of gratitude.

  So Lina, who was to remain in the service of Minha, and Fragoso, who was about to enter into that of Manoel Valdez, sat at the common table, and even had the places of honor reserved for them.

  Torres, naturally, was present at the dinner, which was worthy of the larder and kitchen of the jangada.

  The adventurer, seated opposite to Joam Garral, who was always taciturn, listened to all that was said, but took no part in the conversation. Benito quietly and attentively watched him. The eyes of Torres, with a peculiar expression, constantly sought his father. One would have called them the eyes of some wild beast trying to fascinate his prey before he sprang on it.

  Manoel talked mostly with Minha. Between whiles his eyes wandered to Torres, but he acted his part more successfully than Benito in a situation which, if it did not finish at Manaos, would certainly end at Belem.

  The dinner was jolly enough. Lina kept it going with her good humor, Fragoso with his witty repartees.

  The Padre Passanha looked gayly round on the little world he cherished, and on the two young couples which his hands would shortly bless in the waters of Para.

  "Eat, padre," said Benito, who joined in the general conversation; "do honor to this betrothal dinner. You will want some strength to celebrate both marriages at once!"

  "Well, my dear boy," replied Passanha, "seek out some lovely and gentle girl who wishes you well, and you will see that I can marry you at the same time!"

  "Well answered, padre!" exclaimed Manoel. "Let us drink to the coming marriage of Benito."

  "We must look out for some nice young lady at Belem," said Minha. "He should do what everybody else does."

  "To the wedding of Mr. Benito!" said Fragoso, "who ought to wish all the world to marry him!"

  "They are right, sir," said Yaquita. "I also drink to your marriage, and may you be as happy as Minha and Manoel, and as I and your father have been!"

  "As you always will be, it is to be hoped," said Torres, drinking a glass of port without having pledged anybody. "All here have their happiness in their own hands."

  It was difficult to say, but this wish, coming from the adventurer, left an unpleasant impression.

  Manoel felt this, and wishing to destroy its effect, "Look here, padre," said he, "while we are on this subject, are there not any more couples to betroth on the raft?"

  "I do not know," answered Padre Passanha, "unless Torres--you are not married, I believe?"

  "No; I am, and always shall be, a bachelor."

  Benito and Manoel thought that while thus speaking Torres looked toward Minha.

  "And what should prevent you marrying?" replied Padre Passanha; "at Belem you could find a wife whose age would suit yours, and it would be possible perhaps for you to settle in that town. That would be better than this wandering life, of which, up to the present, you have not made so very much."

  "You are right, padre," answered Torres; "I do not say no. Besides the example is contagious. Seeing all these young couples gives me rather a longing for marriage. But I am quite a stranger in Belem, and, for certain reasons, that would make my settlement more difficult."

  "Where do you come from, then?" asked Fragoso, who always had the idea that he had already met Torres somewhere.

  "From the province of Minas Geraes."

  "And you were born----"

  "In the capital of the diamond district, Tijuco."

  Those who had seen Joam Garral at this moment would have been surprised at the fixity of his look which met that of Torres.

  CHAPTER XIX. ANCIENT HISTORY

  BUT THE CONVERSATION was continued by Fragoso, who immediately rejoined:

  "What! you come from Tijuco, from the very capital of the diamond district?"

  "Yes," said Torres. "Do you hail from that province?"

  "No! I come from the Atlantic seaboard in the north of Brazil," replied Fragoso.

  "You do not know this diamond country, Mr. Manoel?" asked Torres.

  A negative shake of the head from the young man was the only reply.

  "And you, Mr. Benito," continued Torres, addressing the younger Garral, whom he evidently wished to join in the conversation; "you have never had curiosity enough to visit the diamond arraval?"

  "Never," dryly replied Benito.

  "Ah! I should like to see that country," said Fragoso, who unconsciously played Torres' game. "It seems to me I should finish by picking up a diamond worth something considerable."

  "And what would you do with this diamond worth something considerable, Fragoso?" queried Lina.

  "Sell it!"

  "Then you would get rich all of a sudden!"

  "Very rich!"

  "Well, if you had been rich three months ago you would never have had the idea of--that liana!"

  "And if I had not had that," exclaimed Fragoso, "I should not have found a charming little wife who--well, assuredly, all is for the best!"

  "You see, Fragoso," said Minha, "when you marry Lina, diamond takes the place of diamond, and you do not lose by the change!"

  "To be sure, Miss Minha," gallantly replied Fragoso; "rather I gain!"

  There could be no doubt that Torres did not want the subject to drop, for he went on with:

  "It is a fact that at Tijuco sudden fortunes are realized enough to turn any man's head! Have you heard tell of the famous diamond of Abaete, which was valued at more than two million contos of reis? Well, this stone, which weighed an ounce, came from the Brazilian mines! And they were three convicts--yes! three men sentenced to transportation for life--who found it by chance in the River Abaete, at ninety leagues from Terro de Frio."<
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  "At a stroke their fortune was made?" asked Fragoso.

  "No," replied Torres; "the diamond was handed over to the governor-general of the mines. The value of the stone was recognized, and King John VI., of Portugal, had it cut, and wore it on his neck on great occasions. As for the convicts, they got their pardon, but that was all, and the cleverest could not get much of an income out of that!"

  "You, doubtless?" said Benito very dryly.

  "Yes--I? Why not?" answered Torres. "Have you ever been to the diamond district?" added he, this time addressing Joam Garral.

  "Never!" said Joam, looking straight at him.

  "That is a pity!" replied he. "You should go there one day. It is a very curious place, I assure you. The diamond valley is an isolated spot in the vast empire of Brazil, something like a park of a dozen leagues in circumference, which in the nature of its soil, its vegetation, and its sandy rocks surrounded by a circle of high mountains, differs considerably from the neighboring provinces. But, as I have told you, it is one of the richest places in the world, for from 1807 to 1817 the annual return was about eighteen thousand carats. Ah! there have been some rare finds there, not only for the climbers who seek the precious stone up to the very tops of the mountains, but also for the smugglers who fraudulently export it. But the work in the mines is not so pleasant, and the two thousand negroes employed in that work by the government are obliged even to divert the watercourses to get at the diamantiferous sand. Formerly it was easier work."

  "In short," said Fragoso, "the good time has gone!"

  "But what is still easy is to get the diamonds in scoundrel-fashion--that is, by theft; and--stop! in 1826, when I was about eight years old, a terrible drama happened at Tijuco, which showed that criminal would recoil from nothing if they could gain a fortune by one bold stroke. But perhaps you are not interested?"

  "On the contrary, Torres; go on," replied Joam Garral, in a singularly calm voice.

  "So be it," answered Torres. "Well, the story is about stealing diamonds, and a handful of those pretty stones is worth a million, sometimes two!"

  And Torres, whose face expressed the vilest sentiments of cupidity, almost unconsciously made a gesture of opening and shutting his hand.

  "This is what happened," he continued. "At Tijuco it is customary to send off in one delivery the diamonds collected during the year. They are divided into two lots, according to their size, after being sorted in a dozen sieves with holes of different dimensions. These lots are put into sacks and forwarded to Rio de Janeiro; but as they are worth many millions you may imagine they are heavily escorted. A workman chosen by the superintendent, four cavalrymen from the district regiment, and ten men on foot, complete the convoy. They first make for Villa Rica, where the commandant puts his seal on the sacks, and then the convoy continues its journey to Rio de Janeiro. I should add that, for the sake of precaution, the start is always kept secret. Well, in 1826, a young fellow named Dacosta, who was about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age, and who for some years had been employed at Tijuco in the offices of the governor-general, devised the following scheme. He leagued himself with a band of smugglers, and informed them of the date of the departure of the convoy. The scoundrels took their measures accordingly. They were numerous and well armed. Close to Villa Rica, during the night of the 22d of January, the gang suddenly attacked the diamond escort, who defended themselves bravely, but were all massacred, with the exception of one man, who, seriously wounded, managed to escape and bring the news of the horrible deed. The workman was not spared any more than the soldiers. He fell beneath he blows of the thieves, and was doubtless dragged away and thrown over some precipice, for his body was never found."

  "And this Dacosta?" asked Joam Garral.

  "Well, his crime did not do him much good, for suspicion soon pointed toward him. He was accused of having got up the affair. In vain he protested that he was innocent. Thanks to the situation he held, he was in a position to know the date on which the convoy's departure was to take place. He alone could have informed the smugglers. He was charged, arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. Such a sentence required his execution in twenty-four hours."

  "Was the fellow executed?" asked Fragoso.

  "No," replied Torres; "they shut him up in the prison at Villa Rica, and during the night, a few hours only before his execution, whether alone or helped by others, he managed to escape."

  "Has this young man been heard of since?" asked Joam Garral.

  "Never," replied Torres. "He probably left Brazil, and now, in some distant land, lives a cheerful life with the proceeds of the robbery which he is sure to have realized."

  "Perhaps, on the other hand, he died miserably!" answered Joam Garral.

  "And, perhaps," added Padre Passanha, "Heaven caused him to feel remorse for his crime."

  Here they all rose from the table, and, having finished their dinner, went out to breathe the evening air. The sun was low on the horizon, but an hour had still to elapse before nightfall.

  "These stories are not very lively," said Fragoso, "and our betrothal dinner was best at the beginning."

  "But it was your fault, Fragoso," answered Lina.

  "How my fault?"

  "It was you who went on talking about the district and the diamonds, when you should not have done so."

  "Well, that's true," replied Fragoso; "but I had no idea we were going to wind up in that fashion."

  "You are the first to blame!"

  "And the first to be punished, Miss Lina; for I did not hear you laugh all through the dessert."

  The whole family strolled toward the bow of the jangada. Manoel and Benito walked one behind the other without speaking. Yaquita and her daughter silently followed, and all felt an unaccountable impression of sadness, as if they had a presentiment of some coming calamity.

  Torres stepped up to Joam Garral, who, with bowed head, seemed to be lost in thought, and putting his hand on his shoulder, said, "Joam Garral, may I have a few minutes' conversation with you?"

  Joam looked at Torres.

  "Here?" he asked.

  "No; in private."

  "Come, then."

  They went toward the house, entered it, and the door was shut on them.

  It would be difficult to depict what every one felt when Joam Garral and Torres disappeared. What could there be in common between the adventurer and the honest fazender of Iquitos? The menace of some frightful misfortune seemed to hang over the whole family, and they scarcely dared speak to each other.

  "Manoel!" said Benito, seizing his friend's arm, "whatever happens, this man must leave us tomorrow at Manaos."

  "Yes! it is imperative!" answered Manoel.

  "And if through him some misfortune happens to my father--I shall kill him!"

  CHAPTER XX. BETWEEN THE TWO MEN

  FOR A MOMENT, alone in the room, where none could see or hear them, Joam Garral and Torres looked at each other without uttering a word. Did the adventurer hesitate to speak? Did he suspect that Joam Garral would only reply to his demands by a scornful silence?

  Yes! Probably so. So Torres did not question him. At the outset of the conversation he took the affirmative, and assumed the part of an accuser.

  "Joam," he said, "your name is not Garral. Your name is Dacosta!"

  At the guilty name which Torres thus gave him, Joam Garral could not repress a slight shudder.

  "You are Joam Dacosta," continued Torres, "who, twenty-five years ago, were a clerk in the governor-general's office at Tijuco, and you are the man who was sentenced to death in this affair of the robbery and murder!"

  No response from Joam Garral, whose strange tranquillity surprised the adventurer. Had he made a mistake in accusing his host? No! For Joam Garral made no start at the terrible accusations. Doubtless he wanted to know to what Torres was coming.

  "Joam Dacosta, I repeat! It was you whom they sought for this diamond affair, whom they convicted of crime and sentenced to death, and it was you who escap
ed from the prison at Villa Rica a few hours before you should have been executed! Do you not answer?"

  Rather a long silence followed this direct question which Torres asked. Joam Garral, still calm, took a seat. His elbow rested on a small table, and he looked fixedly at his accuser without bending his head.

  "Will you reply?" repeated Torres.

  "What reply do you want from me?" said Joam quietly.

  "A reply," slowly answered Torres, "that will keep me from finding out the chief of the police at Manaos, and saying to him, 'A man is there whose identity can easily be established, who can be recognized even after twenty-five years' absence, and this man was the instigator of the diamond robbery at Tijuco. He was the accomplice of the murderers of the soldiers of the escort; he is the man who escaped from execution; he is Joam Garral, whose true name is Joam Dacosta.'"

  "And so, Torres," said Joam Garral, "I shall have nothing to fear from you if I give the answer you require?"

  "Nothing, for neither you nor I will have any interest in talking about the matter."

  "Neither you nor I?" asked Joam Garral. "It is not with money, then, that your silence is to be bought?"

  "No! No matter how much you offered me!"

  "What do you want, then?"

  "Joam Garral," replied Torres, "here is my proposal. Do not be in a hurry to reply by a formal refusal. Remember that you are in my power."

  "What is this proposal?" asked Joam.

  Torres hesitated for a moment.

  The attitude of this guilty man, whose life he held in his hands, was enough to astonish him. He had expected a stormy discussion and prayers and tears. He had before him a man convicted of the most heinous of crimes, and the man never flinched.

  At length, crossing his arms, he said: