Part 56 (2/2)

The next morning the wind again set up the river, and the _Supplejack_ continued her course. No enemy appeared, but occasionally a few country people were seen on the banks, who seemed, simply from curiosity, to be watching the brig as she glided by.

A vigilant lookout was kept, on the bare possibility that the mids.h.i.+pmen might have made their escape, and gained the bank, in the hopes of being taken off by any pa.s.sing vessel. Jose, however, was still confident that they had been carried off to the north, and were not likely to be found in that part of the country.

The current being strong, and the wind light, the _Supplejack_ made but slow progress. At last she reached a place at which Jose had desired to be landed; he had friends in the neighbourhood, he said, and felt confident that he should gain tidings of the mids.h.i.+pmen.

The river was here wide, and as she kept close on the opposite sh.o.r.e, even should the enemy appear their field-pieces were not likely to do much harm to the brig. The wind had again fallen, and the delay, indeed, had there not been an important object to be obtained, could not have been avoided. Farther on, where the river narrowed at Rosario, Jose told them that they might expect to meet with considerable opposition. Perhaps that was his reason for not desiring to accompany them further. As soon as the brig had brought up, a boat was lowered, and Adair conveyed their very doubtful friend to the sh.o.r.e. He took ten men, armed with muskets, beside the crew, in case the boat should be attacked.

”Set your mind at ease on that point,” said Jose ”they are my friends hereabouts, and bear no enmity to the English.”

As the boat approached, several country people were seen coming down the steep bank with fowls and vegetables, which they were perfectly ready to sell. Jose was recognised by several persons, who seemed surprised at seeing him, but he had a talk with them, after which they became thoroughly friendly and willing to communicate information. Terence learnt from them that the squadron had pa.s.sed up, and had already got considerably higher than Rosario, where Jose had told Jack that he might expect to be attacked.

”Probably Rosas, after the lesson he received at Obligado, is unwilling again to interfere with us,” thought Terence. ”Perhaps, however, he expects by allowing us to pa.s.s up, to catch us all in a net, and so prevent our return. If he does that same he will find that he is mistaken, and that he has not yet learnt what British seamen are made of.”

Terence, with his stock of fresh provisions, was heartily welcomed on board. He and Jack only hoped that they might be detained for want of wind where they were till the return of Jose, with any information he might collect; they had agreed at all events to wait for him till the following morning. He was, he had said, certain that Rosas must have pa.s.sed either through the village, or at no great distance from the river, and he hoped to hear that the young mids.h.i.+pmen had been seen with his troops.

Next morning at daybreak, Terence taking the same precaution as before, returned to the sh.o.r.e. He had not been there long before several country people appeared, but nothing was seen of Jose Gonzalves. Adair, after waiting some time, began to fear that he had either been captured, or was playing them false. He was about to return on board, to let the men have their breakfasts, when the spy was seen, his horse, in a foam, galloping down the hill towards the boat.

”Any news of the young officers?” asked Adair, eagerly.

”Yes, senor, important news. They were alive a week ago, and though I don't know what the general might have done with them, had his anger been aroused, they were not ill-treated, but I find that they made their escape at the time I mention, and have not since been heard of. I am afraid, therefore,” and Jose shook his head, ”that they may have been overtaken by some of the gaucho cavalry, who would not scruple to run them through with their lances, or they may have been seized by a jaguar, and we have not a few man-eaters in these parts, fierce creatures, who would quickly put an end to a couple of lads. Not long since one leaped on board a vessel moored to the banks, and carried off a man asleep on the deck; there is no telling what they will not do, or, if the young officers have escaped the gauchos and jaguars, they may have wandered far away from any habitation, and have been starved to death. The country people would not hurt them, and would provide them with food, but as I say, I have been unable to obtain any further tidings of them, which makes me fear the worst.”

”Well, come on board, and give your information to the commander; we will then consult what is to be done,” said Adair; ”you have taken a great deal of trouble without having gained your reward.”

Jose shrugged his shoulders. ”Paciencia, senor, I am an unfortunate man, I know, but if you will excuse me, I will continue the search; it is possible, that none of the accidents I have mentioned may have happened to the young officers, and perhaps they are hiding in some rancho, or have managed to find subsistence by themselves. You Englishmen do wondrous things, only as they have no guns, and cannot, I conclude, use a la.s.so, even if they have one, they will have been unable to catch game, or obtain any other food.”

Terence, after due consideration, seeing that there would be no great use in taking Jose with him, and that he might be of more service by remaining on sh.o.r.e, returned on board with the unsatisfactory information, as he believed it, which he had obtained.

”As to its being unsatisfactory, I am not so sure of that,” observed Jack. ”As the lads escaped being killed at first, and were not, as Jose said, ill-treated, we may hope that they have found the means of supporting themselves in their wanderings, and that they have either made their way back to Obligado, or have reached the banks of the river.

As they decidedly have their wits about them, they may have found subsistence where others might have starved. Indeed, as I think of it, though you have to share my anxiety, I cannot help feeling glad that Desmond was with Tom; had he been alone, the case would have been different. Youngsters may occasionally lead one another into sc.r.a.pes, but they are as sure to help each other out of them.”

The calm still continued, and thus a longer time was given to Jose to continue his search for the mids.h.i.+pmen. In the afternoon smoke was seen in the distance, up the river; Jack guessing that it proceeded from the funnel of a steamer, sent Terence in a boat to intercept her and learn the news.

She brought the satisfactory intelligence that the squadron had reached Baxadar de Santa Fe without molestation, with their convoy of merchantmen, of which there were upwards of one hundred sail, collected off the place.

The commodore had gone up the river some hundred miles farther, to Corrientes, the capital of the province of that name, to communicate with the government on diplomatic matters. The town is situated near the spot where the river Paraguay falls into the Parna.

”At first it was believed that Rosas, after the lesson which had just been given him at Obligado, would not venture to interfere with us again, and would be ready to sue for peace,” observed the commander of the steamer. ”But he has made us no overtures, and from the information we have gained he seems as determined as at first to hold out.”

”I suppose there is but little chance of our being molested, however, as we go up?” said Adair.

”I am not quite so certain of that,” was the answer. ”Rosas thinks he has got us in a trap; and as I pa.s.sed the cliffs of San Lorenzo I observed a large number of men a.s.sembled, who quickly got out of the way as I came within shot of them; they were evidently at work throwing up batteries, and had their guns been ready, depend on it they would not have allowed me to pa.s.s so easily; I can promise that you will not get up without some warm work, here and there.”

”Well, we must be prepared for them,” said Adair; ”we have a good supply of rockets, and our carronades will pepper them with grape and canister, while Long Tom will play his part as he always does.”

”I would advise you not to expose your men more than you can help,”

observed the commander of the steamer; ”a sailing vessel would have but a poor chance when going up the river, should the wind fail her under a battery.”

<script>