Afloat in the Forest; Or, A Voyage among the Tree-Tops

by Mayne Reid

  The opinion of Tom's auditors did not altogether coincide with his. Toset the malocca on fire, even if such a thing were possible, could do nogood. The inhabitants would be in no danger from conflagration. Theywould only have to leap into the flood to save themselves from the fire;and, as they could all swim like water-rats, they would soon recover afooting among the trees. Besides, they had their great rafts andcanoes, that would enable them to go wherever they wished. They couldsoon erect other scaffolds, and construct other huts upon them.Moreover, as Munday and Richard had informed them, the scaffolds of themalocca were placed a score of yards apart. The flames of one would notcommunicate with the other through the green foliage of that humidforest. To fire the whole village with any chance of success, it wouldbe necessary to have an incendiary under each scaffold, all applying thetorch together. It could not be for that purpose the tapuyo had goneforth.

  While engaged in the debate, they got so engrossed by it as to becomeneglectful of a duty enjoined upon them by the tapuyo, to keep a strictwatch over the captive. It was Tipperary Tom and the Mozambique, whohad been charged with this guardianship. Both, however, confident thatit was impossible for the savage to untie himself, had only glanced nowand then to see that he was there, his bronze-coloured body beingscarcely visible in the obscurity.

  As it grew darker, it was at length impossible for them to distinguishthe captive from the brown surface of the ceiba, except by stooping downover him, and this both neglected to do. Little dreamt they of the sortof creature they were dealing with, who could have claimed rivalry withthe most accomplished professors of the famous rope-tricks.

  As soon as he saw that the eyes of his sentinels were no longer uponhim, he wriggled himself out of the sipos with as much ease as if he hadbeen an eel, and, sliding gently from the log, swam off.

  It was a full half-hour after his departure before either of thesentinels thought of giving any attention to the state of theirprisoner. When they did so, it was to find him gone, and the coils oftree-rope lying loosely upon the log. With simultaneous exclamations ofalarm, they turned towards Trevannion, and then all looked in thedirection of the lagoa, thinking they might see a swimmer going out.Instead of that they saw, through the dim light, what appeared to be afleet of canoes, with men in them violently wielding their paddles, anddirecting their crafts right into the arcade!

  CHAPTER EIGHTY NINE.

  SCUTTLING THE CANOES.

  The Mundurucu and his young companion, having paddled their craft out ofthe little creek, turned its head towards the Mura village. Though thefires were no longer blazing so brightly as at an earlier hour of thenight, there was still a red glow seen here and there, that told theposition of the scaffolds, and served as a beacon to direct theircourse. But they needed no such pilotage. The border of the forest wastheir guide, and along this they went, taking care to keep close inunder its shadow. It was dark enough out upon the open water to preventtheir being observed; but the Mundurucu was accustomed to act withextreme circumspection, and more than ever since the mistake we recordedsome time before.

  As the malocca was but a short distance from the forest border, thetree-line would bring them close to its water frontage. Beyond that hecould trust to the guidance of the surrounding fires.

  Less than half an hour's use of the paddle--its blade dipped gently inthe water--brought them within a hundred yards of the outskirts of thevillage. Although the expedition was not to end here, it was not theirdesign to take the canoe any farther. I say _their_ design, for by thistime the young Paraense had been made acquainted with his companion'spurpose. The chief reason why Munday had not disclosed it to Trevannionwas, that the patron, deeming it too dangerous, might have put a vetoupon its execution. What this plan was, will be learnt by a relation ofthe mode in which it was carried out.

  Tying the canoe to a tree in such a way that they could easily detach itagain, the two slipped over the gunwale, and laid themselves silentlyalong the water. Each was provided with a swimming-belt; for the taskthey had undertaken might require them to remain a good while afloat;and, moreover, it would be necessary for them now and then to remainstill, without making any noise by striking the water to sustainthemselves, while, furthermore, they would need at times to have botharms free for a different purpose. Thus accoutred, and Munday armedwith his knife, they swam under the scaffolds.

  They were careful not to cause the slightest commotion,--careful, too,to keep out of the narrow belts of light that fell slantingly from thefires above. These were becoming fewer, and fast fading, as the fires,one after another, went out. It appeared certain that the whole villagewas asleep. No human form was seen, no voice heard; no sign of humanbeings, save the scaffolding that had been constructed by them, and thehalf-score of boats in the water underneath, moored to the trunks of thesupporting trees.

  It was to these vessels that the Mundurucu was directing himself and hiscoadjutor. Though his eyes were everywhere, his mind was fixed uponthem. There were, in all, about half a score of them, six being_igarites_, or canoes rudely constructed of tree-bark, similar in shapeand fashion to that they had just parted from, but three of them oflarger size, each capable of containing about eight men. The otherswere large rafts or punts of rude fabrication, each big enough tosupport a toldo hut, with a whole family, and a number of friends toboot.

  Only to the canoes did the tapuyo direct his attention. On swimmingpast the punts he did not even stay to regard them. To all theigarites, however, except one,--and it the largest,--he paid a visit;stopping a considerable time alongside each, but lying so low in thewater that only his head could have been seen above the surface, andscarcely that through the treble shadow of the night, the scaffolds, andthe tree-tops. It was only visible to his companion, whose face was allthe while within three feet of his own, and whose hands were employed inassisting him in his subtle task. What was this task, so silent andmysterious?

  In each of the five canoes to which the swimmers had paid their silentvisit, and just after their departure from it, could have been heard agurgling sound, as of water gushing up through a hole in the bottom. Itwas heard, but only by him who had made the hole and the companion whohad held the craft in its place while the knife-blade was accomplishingits purpose. To its sharp point the soft tree-bark had yielded, and inten minutes' time the five canoes, one after another, were scuttled,and, if left to themselves, in a fair way of going to the bottom.

  But they were not left to themselves. They would have been, but for thenegligence of Tom and the sable Mozambique. Just as the scuttlers hadconcluded their part of the task, and were about to climb into the sixthcanoe, that had been left seaworthy, a dark form that might have beentaken for some demon of the flood was seen to rise out of the water, andstand dripping upon one of the rafts. It stood only for a second ortwo,--just long enough to draw breath,--and then, laying hold of aknotted lliana that formed a sort of stair, it climbed to thescaffolding above.

  Dim as was the light, the Mundurucu recognised the dripping climber asthe captive he had left on the log. "_Santos dios_!" he muttered, in ahoarse whisper, "'tis the Mura. They've let him escape, and now we'rediscovered. Quick, young master. Into the igarite. All right; thereare two paddles: you take one, I the other. There's not a moment to belost. In ten minutes more we should have been safe; but now--see! theyare filling fast. Good! If he gives us but ten minutes before raisingthe alarm--Ha! there it is. Off! off!"

  While the tapuyo was speaking, still in a muttered undertone, a wildyell was heard upon the scaffolding above. It was a signal sent forthby the returned captive to warn his slumbering nation, not that theirnavy was being scattered in its very dock by an unknown enemy, for hehad neither seen the scuttler nor suspected what had been going on, butsimply to tell his tribe of the adventure that had befallen himself, andconduct them in all haste to the spot where he had parted from hisdetested but careless captors. He had seen the two of them go off inthe igarite, impudently appropriating h
is own vessel before his face.Where could they have gone, but to make a nocturnal investigation of themalocca?

  It was for this reason he had himself approached it so stealthily, notraising any note of alarm until he felt safe upon the scaffolding of hisown habitation. Then did he send forth that horrid haloo-loo.

  Scarce had its echoes ceased to reverberate through the village, when itwas answered by a hundred voices, all shouting in a similar strain, allgiving a response to the tribe's cry of alarm. Men could be heardspringing from their hammocks, and dropping down upon the platforms, thetimbers of which creaked under quick, resonant footsteps. In the dimlight some were seen hastily snatching up their bows, and preparing todescend to their canoes, little suspecting that they would find themscuttled and already half swamped.

  As Munday had said, there was not a moment to be lost; and, acting up tohis words, he did not permit one to be lost. In the large igaritepropelled by the two paddles, he and his assistant stole off among thetrees, and were soon out upon the lagoa, pulling, as fast as theirstrength and skill would permit them, in the direction of the creek.

  CHAPTER NINETY.

  THE LOG LEFT BEHIND.

  The escape of their captive had caused the keenest apprehensions to thepeople upon the raft, which were scarce intensified at the sight of thecanoe entering the arcade.

  By the simplest reasoning they had leaped to the quick conclusion thatthe latter was but the sequence of the former. The Mura had swum backto his malocca. They knew he could easily do it. He had _learned_ hiskindred, and it was they who now manned the igarite that was makingapproach. It was only the first of a whole fleet. No doubt there was ascore of others coming on behind, each containing its complement ofcannibals. The manatee-hunter had got back to his village in time totell of the two who had gone there in his own canoe. These, unaware ofhis escape, had, in all probability, been surprised and taken prisoners.Shouts had been heard from the village just before the man was missed.It was this, in fact, that had caused them to think of their prisoner.On finding that he had given them the slip, they interpreted the shoutsin two ways. They were either salutations of welcome to the returnedcaptive, or cries of triumph over the death or capture of the tapuyo andhis companion.

  More like the latter. So thought they upon the log; and the thought wasstrengthened by the appearance of the big canoe at the entrance of thearcade. Its crew were Mura savages, guided to their place ofconcealment by him who had stolen away.

  These conjectures, varied though they were, passed through their mindswith the rapidity of thought itself; for scarce ten seconds had elapsedfrom the time of their sighting the canoe until it was close up to theceiba.

  Then to their great joy, they saw they had been reasoning wrongly. Thetwo forms had been magnified into ten, partly through the deception ofthe dim light, and partly because they had been springing from side toside while paddling the canoe and steering it into the creek.

  As they drew near, the others could see that they were in a state of thewildest excitement, working with all their strength, and gazinganxiously behind them.

  "Quick, uncle," cried Richard, as the igarite struck against thedead-wood. "Quick! all of you get aboard here."

  "_Pa terra_!" added the tapuyo. "Do as he tells you. By letting yourprisoner get off you've spoiled my plans. There's no time to talk now.Into the igarite! If the others are still afloat--then--then--Haste,patron! Everybody into the igarite!"

  As the Indian gave these directions, he himself sprang on to the log;and tearing down the skin sail, he flung it into the canoe. After it hepitched several pieces of the charqui, and then descended himself.

  By this time all the others had taken their seats in the canoe, Richardhaving caught little Rosa in his arms as she sprang down.

  There was not a moment of delay. The two paddles belonging to theigarite were grasped, one by Munday himself, the other by the negro, whowas next best rower, while the two bladed with the bones of the cow-fishwere in the hands of Trevannion and his nephew.

  There were thus four available oars to the craft, that promised a fairdegree of speed.

  With a last look at the log that had carried them safely, thoughslowly,--a look that, under other circumstances, might have been givenwith regret,--they parted from it, and in a score of seconds they hadcleared the craft from the branches of the trees, and were out upon thebosom of the lagoa.

  "In what direction?" inquired Trevannion, as for a moment their strokeswere suspended.

  "Stay a minute, patron," replied the tapuyo, as he stood up in theigarite and gazed over the water in the direction of the Mura village."Before starting, it's as well to know whether they are able to followus. If not, it's no use killing ourselves by hard work."

  "You think there's a chance they may not come after us?"

  "A chance,--yes. It would have been a certainty if you had not let thatape loose. We should now be as safe from pursuit as if a hundredleagues lay between us and them. As it is, I have my fears; there wasnot time for them to go down,--not all of them. The small ones may, butthe big igarite,--it would be still afloat; they could bale out andcaulk up again. After all, it won't carry the whole tribe, and there'ssomething in that,--there's something in that."

  While the tapuyo thus talked he was standing with his head craned outbeyond the edge of the igarite, scanning the water in the direction ofthe village. His final words were but the involuntary utterance of whatwas passing in his mind, and not addressed to his companions. Richardalone knew the meaning, for as yet the others had received noexplanation of what had passed under the scaffolds. There was no timeto give a detailed account of that. It would be soon enough when theigarite was fairly on its way, and they became assured of their safety.

  No one pressed for an explanation. All, even Trevannion himself, felthumiliated by the thought that they had neglected their duty, and theknowledge that but for that very neglect the danger that threatened themwould have been now at an end.

  The dawn was already beginning to appear along the eastern horizon, andalthough it was far from daylight, there was no longer the deep darknessthat but a short while before shrouded the water. Out on the lagoa, atany point within the circumference of a mile, a large object, such as acanoe, could have been seen. There was none in sight.

  This looked well. Perfect stillness reigned around the Mura village.There was no human voice to be heard, where but the moment before therehad been shouting and loud talking, both men and women taking part inwhat appeared a confused conversation. The fires, too, were out, or atall events no longer visible from the lagoa.

  Munday remarked that the silence augured ill. "I fear they are too busyto be making a noise," said he. "Their keeping quiet argues that theyhave the means, as well as the intention, to come after us. If they hadnot, you would hear their howls of disappointment. Yes: we may be sureof it. They're emptying such of their canoes as may still be abovewater."

  "Emptying their canoes! what mean you by that?"

  Munday then explained the nature of his late expedition, now that itsfailure could no longer be charged upon himself. A few words sufficedto make the whole thing understood, the others admiring the boldingenuity of the plan as strongly as they regretted having given causefor its being frustrated.

  Though no pursuers had as yet appeared, that was no reason why theyshould stay an instant longer by the entrance to the arcade; so, oncemore handling the paddles, they put the great igarite to its best speed.

  CHAPTER NINETY ONE.

  THE ENEMY IN SIGHT.

  There was no debating the question as to the course they should take.This was opposite to the direction in which lay the malocca. In otherwords, they struck out for the open water, almost in the same track bywhich they had come from the other bide while navigating the tree-trunk.

  Trevannion had suggested keeping "in shore" and under the shadow of thetree-tops.

  "No use," said the tapuyo; "in ten minutes more there will be light o
verthe water. We'll be seen all the same, and by following the line of theforest we should give our pursuers the advantage; they, by keepingstraight across, would easily overtake us. The trees go round in acircle, don't you see?"

  "True," replied Trevannion; "I did not think of that. It is to be hopedwe shall not have pursuers."

  "If we have they will soon come up with us, for they have more paddles,and are better skilled in the use of them; if they come after us at all,they will be sure to overtake us."

  "Then we shall be captured,--perhaps destroyed." This was spoken in awhisper in the ear of the tapuyo.

  "It don't follow,--one or the other. If it did, I shouldn't have muchhope in handling this bit of a stick. We may be pursued, overtaken, andstill get off in the end. They may not like close quarters any morethan we. That, you see, depends on how many of their vessels are goneto the bottom, and how many are still afloat. If more than half thatwere scuttled have sunk, we may dread their arrows more than their oars.If more than half are above water, we shall be in more danger fromtheir speed."

  Notwithstanding the enigmatical character of the tapuyo's speeches,Trevannion, as well as the others, was able to understand them. Hesimply meant that, if the enemy were left without a sufficient number ofcanoes to pursue them in large force, they would not think of boarding,but would keep at a distance, using their arrows in the attack.

  It was by no means a pleasant prospect; still, it was pleasanter thanthe thought of coming to close quarters with a crowd of cannibalsavages, and being either hacked to pieces with their knives, clubbed todeath with their _macanas_, or dragged overboard and drowned in thelagoa.