by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
IN FEAR AND TREMBLING.
The kiss which Henry gave his little sister was not one ofcongratulation. He was not yet sure of her safety, or of his own. Thehairy monster was still in sight--not more than a hundred yards off--andthough apparently busy with his banquet on the tender shoots of thewater-plants, might at any moment discontinue it, and spring upon them.
What was the best thing to be done in order to escape him? Run off intothe forest, and try to find their father and Saloo? They might go thewrong way, and by so doing make things worse. The great ape itselfwould soon be returning among the trees, and might meet them in theteeth; there would then be no chance of avoiding an encounter.
To go after Murtagh would be an equally doubtful proceeding; they wereignorant of the direction the ship-carpenter had taken.
Young as they were, a moment's reflection admonished them not to stirfrom the spot.
But what, then? Cry out, so that the absent ones might hear them? No;for this might also attract the attention of the ourang-outang, andbring it upon them. Besides, Helen had shrieked loudly on the firstalarm. If any of the hunters had been within hearing, they would haveneeded no further signal to tell them that some danger threatened her.If not within hearing, it would be worse than idle for either of them tocry out again. They determined, therefore, to remain silent, and keepto their position, in the hope that either their father, the Malay, orMurtagh, might come to their speedy relief.
But they were prudent enough not to expose themselves to any wanderingglance of the red gorilla's. The moment Henry had joined his sister hehad hurried her behind the trunk of the tree, and they were now on theside facing toward the forest. There, by looking through the leaves ofsome orchideous creepers that wreathed the great stem, they could seethe dreaded creature without being seen by it. Hand in hand, stilltrembling, they stood silently and cautiously regarding the gorilla andits movements.
Under other and safer circumstances it would have been a curious andinteresting spectacle: this gigantic, human-like ape, stretching forthits hairy arms, each full four feet in length--gathering in the heads ofthe tall water-plants, and munching them in great mouthfuls, thenletting the stalks go and sweeping round to collect a fresh sheaf, atintervals wading a pace or two to reach some that were more tempting toits taste. For several minutes they remained looking at this raresight, which would have absorbed the attention of the spectators couldit have been witnessed in a menagerie.
But they regarded it with fear and awe. Their eyes and ears were at thesame time more occupied in looking and listening for some sign thatmight veil them of the return of their protectors.
Time passed; none was seen, none heard.
A long time passed, and no sound from the forest; no murmur of men'svoices, or cry of scared bird, to proclaim that any one was approachingthe spot.
The brute was still browsing, but with less apparent voracity. He drewthe shoots toward him with a gentler sweep of his arms, selecting onlythe most succulent. His appetite was on the wane; it was evident hewould soon leave off eating and return to his roosting or resting-place.In the forest, of course, though they knew not where. It might be onthe tree over their heads, or on one close at hand; or it might be afaroff. In any case, they felt that a crisis was approaching.
Both trembled, as they thought how soon they might be face to face withthe hideous creature--confronting it, or perhaps enfolded in its longhairy arms. And in such an embrace, how would it fare with them? Whatchance of escape from it? None! They would be crushed, helpless asflies in the grasp of a gigantic spider. If the creature should comethat way, and resolve upon assailing them, one or other, or both ofthem, would surely be destroyed.
If only one, Henry had fully made up his mind who it should be. Thebrave boy had determined to sacrifice his own life, if need be, to savehis sister. Firmly grasping the great musket, he said:--
"Sister Nell, if it come this way and offer to attack us, you keep outof the scrape. Leave everything to me. Go a good way off when you seeme preparing to fire. I shan't draw trigger till it is close up to themuzzle of the gun. Then there'll be no fear of missing it. To misswould only make it all the madder. Saloo said so. If the shotshouldn't kill it right off, don't mind me. The report may be heard,and bring father or some of the others to our assistance. Dear sis, nomatter what happens, keep out of the way, and wait till they come up.Promise me you will do so!"
"Henry! I will not leave you. Dear, dear brother, if you should bekilled I would not care to live longer. Henry! I will die with you!"
"Don't talk that way, sis. I'm not going to be killed; for I fancy thatwe can run faster than it can. It don't appear to make much speed--atleast along the ground; and I think we might both escape it if we onlyknew which way it was going to take. At any rate, you do as I say, andleave the rest to me."
While they were thus discussing the course to be pursued--Henry urginghis sister to retreat in the event of his being attacked, and Helentearfully protesting against leaving him--a movement on the part of themias claimed all their attention. It was not a movement indicating anydesign to leave the spot where it had been browsing; but rather a start,as if something caused it a surprise. The start was quickly followed bya gesture, not of alarm, but one that plainly betokened anger. Indeed,it spoke audibly of this, being accompanied by a fierce growl, andsucceeded by a series of hoarse barkings, just like those of a bull-dogor angry mastiff, whose mouth, confined in a muzzle, hinders him fromgiving full vent to his anger. At the same time, instead of risingerect, as a human being under similar circumstances would have done, thefrightful ape, that had been already in the most upright positionpossible to it, dropped down upon all fours, which still, however, fromthe great length of its arms, enabled it to preserve a semi-erectattitude.
With its huge cheek callosities puffed out beyond their naturaldimensions--(they far exceed a foot in breadth)--its crested hair thrownforward in a stiff coronal ruff; underneath a pair of eyes, gleaminglike two coals of fire, and, further down, its mouth wide agape,displaying two rows of great glistening teeth, it stood--or rathercrouched--as if awaiting for the onset of some well-known enemy; adangerous enemy, but yet not so dangerous that it need be avoided. Onthe contrary, the attitude now assumed by the red gorilla, as also itsvoice and gestures, told them that it was affected by no fear, butbreathed only fury and defiance.
Why should it fear? Was there any living thing in the forests ofBorneo--biped, quadruped, or reptile possessed of sufficient powers tocope with the hairy colossus now before their eyes, which seemed topartake of the characters of all three, and twice the strength of any ofthem individually? Saloo had said there was none.
But it was not from the forests of Borneo its enemy was to come. Out ofits waters was approaching the antagonist that had caused it to assumeits attitude of angry defiance; and the spectators now saw thisantagonist in the shape of an enormous lizard--a crocodile larger thanthey had ever seen before.
