Part 3 (2/2)

Camo and the two other natives agreed to accompany our uncle and Arthur.

The latter took his gun with him, but I retained mine.

They had been gone for some hours, when Tim and I agreed to go out into the woods and kill some birds for supper, whilst our father--who had not yet recovered from the fatigue of his journey, and was, besides, sorely distressed at the thought of all his hopes being destroyed--remained in the retreat with Marian. Jose undertook to stop and prepare the meat, which was to be packed up tightly in small bundles, and covered over with leaves.

Tim and I took our way westward. I scarcely know what made us go in that direction; for before we left the camp we had intended to proceed to the river, and had said so in Jose's hearing. We had gone some distance, however, when we caught sight of a small deer known as the ”mangrove stag.” The creature did not perceive us, and we followed it for a considerable distance before I could get a favourable shot. At length, when we were little more than fifty yards off, I fired, and, greatly to my satisfaction, brought it to the ground. Tim having quickly despatched it, next skinned and cut it up; then loading ourselves with as much of the flesh as we could carry, we set off to return to the camp.

We had made some progress on our way home, though with our load we moved but slowly--when we caught sight of Jose in the distance, running rapidly among the trees of the forest. At the same moment an object appeared directly in front of Jose sufficient to fill us with horror.

It was a huge snake. Jose apparently had not seen it; for the next instant the creature seized him, and began to wind its folds around his body. He uttered a dreadful shriek of terror, not knowing that anyone was near. Tim and I rushed forward; he with his axe in his hand, I with a stick I had picked up--for I was afraid, should I fire, of killing the man. Jose had never been a favourite with Tim; indeed, he had suspected him from the first; and the man's appearance at that spot showed pretty clearly that Tim was right in his opinion. He now, however, dashed up to the huge snake in the most gallant way, and struck it a violent blow on the tail, almost severing the end. Still the monster kept firm hold of the terrified Jose, whose fearful shrieks were each instant becoming fainter as the creature pressed his body tighter and tighter in its encircling folds.

”Do you, Master Guy, batter away at its tail, while I take its head,”

cried Tim; and springing towards the neck of the monster, just as it was on the point of seizing Jose's head in its mouth, he struck it a blow with his axe which well-nigh cut it through. Still it kept hold of the wretched man; till Tim repeating his blow, it rolled over to the ground with its victim, who, covered with its blood, presented a horrible spectacle as he lay gasping for breath. The blows had paralysed the serpent; and now, seizing Jose by the shoulders, we dragged him out from between its relaxed folds. We had expected to find every bone in his body broken, but, except that his breath had nearly been squeezed out of him, he did not appear to have suffered much. The anaconda, however, we saw from the movements of its body, still retained sufficient vitality to be mischievous.

”We must finish off this gentleman before we attend to Master Jose,”

cried Tim. ”If he comes to life again, he will be after taking us all three down his ugly mouth, like so many pills, at a gulp.”

”I suspect the gash you gave him must have somewhat spoiled his digestion, though, Tim,” I observed.

”Arrah, then, I will be after giving him another, to make sure,”

exclaimed my companion, severing the snake's head at a blow. ”There!

now I've done for him!” he cried, triumphantly holding up its head.

We measured the anaconda, which was fully thirty feet long; and Tim having cut it open with his axe, we found the body of a young deer, and three pacas, each larger than a hare, perfectly entire, showing that the creature had only just swallowed them. Its appearance was most hideous, the creature being very broad in the middle, and tapering abruptly at both ends. It had probably come up a small stream which ran into the main river, and which pa.s.sed at no great distance from the spot where it had attacked Jose.

I was not before aware that anacondas of any size were to be found in Trinidad; indeed, Camo had told us that he had never seen one, and that at all events they were very rare.

We now turned our attention to Jose, who had not yet recovered from his terror. He sat moaning on the ground, and feeling his limbs, as if still uncertain whether or not they were broken. We at length got him on his legs, and taking him to the water, washed off the serpent's blood, which abundantly besprinkled his face and shoulders.

”And now, Jose, tell me, where were you going when the serpent stopped you?” I asked, when he had recovered sufficiently to speak.

”Oh, don't ask me, Senor Guy! I will go back with you, and remain faithful to the end of my days.”

I thought it best not to put further questions to the man, intending to leave it to my father to do so; but I strongly suspected that had not the anaconda put a stop to his proceedings, we should not have seen him again. Indeed, I may say that I was certain he was on his way to give information to the Inquisition of our place of concealment.

a.s.sisting him along, we reached our sylvan home just as darkness set in.

My father looked sternly at Jose, and asked where he had been going.

The wretched man, falling on his knees, then acknowledged his intended treachery, and, begging my father to forgive him, said he would be faithful in future.

”I will trust you thus far,” said my father: ”you must never leave this retreat while we remain here.”

Jose made no answer, but, sitting down on the ground, groaned as if in great pain. Indeed, the anaconda had given him a greater squeeze than we had at first supposed.

”You may depend on it, your honour, that I will keep an eye on our friend here,” said Tim, glancing at Jose. ”If it had not been for the big serpent, he would have been after getting those 'Inquisitive'

gentlemen down upon us. I will make my s.h.i.+llelagh and his head wonderfully well acquainted, however, if I catch him trying to bolt again.”

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