CHAPTER IX.
Our last glimpse of poor Topsie previous to the episode related in the chapter just terminated, was when she and her hairy companion had been suddenly joined by two other hairy beings.
Though her first feeling had been one of horror at seeing them, her second had been one of relief. After all, it was better to be in the company of three beings, however strange, than in that of one; and in spite of the miserable position in which she was situated, the girl eyed the new arrivals with curiosity. One of them was nearly as tall as her companion, but of slighter and more delicate build, while the other was quite a wee creature, not anything like so big as Topsie herself. This latter at once concluded that the three apes, baboons, or wild human beings, whatever they were, must be husband, wife, and child, as in reality they were.
Though the wife took good stock of Topsie, she did not appear to be overwhelmed by any great surprise at seeing her, but the joy of the child was excessive. A little female one, she danced round Topsie uttering strange cries of delight, sounds in which reigned amixture of laughter and a peculiar cooing noise, something between the purring of a cat and the cooing of a dove. Both she and her mother possessed beautiful eyes, large and languishing, like those of a guanaco or gazelle, and with the same gentle look in them as had the father’s.
For a short time, the wild young lady of the forest did not venture too near to the strange being whom her father had brought captive to his stronghold; but gradually taking heart, she approached nearer and nearer to Topsie, at length venturing to touch her sleeve. Then she sprang back, frightened, no doubt, at her own temerity, and still overcome with awe and wonder at the figure before her. But taking courage again, she soon approached once more, intent on a farther examination. As there was nothing repulsive in the little creature, and as Topsie judged it to be good policy to appear friendly, she tried to smile through her tears, and held out her hand to the curious child. This latter appeared to appreciate and understand Topsie’s attitude, for with a low cry she sprang forward, seized the proffered hand, and began to kiss it gently, purring and cooing loudly all the time. Next she stroked it, as also the arm belonging to it, and finally ventured to touch Topsie’s face. After this she was altogether friendly, and every fear became quickly dispelled.
Pleased, no doubt, by the conciliatory attitude of the girl, the mother advanced and stroked her face and hands, examined the texture of her clothes, and appeared full of wonder at the cartridge belt; but theman remained silent and motionless in his apparently favourite attitude, with his arm round a tree and his large dark eyes fixed upon his captive, whom he had evidently no intention of losing sight of.
One thing appeared certain to Topsie, and that was, that the beings amongst whom she found herself, intended her no harm. She felt perfectly sure that if poor Shag was alive, he would come to her rescue, and she tried to believe that he had gone back in search of Harry and the others. But then, again, she had not the slightest notion where she was. She had no doubt been insensible a long time, for the sun was high in the heavens when she dashed into the forest in her forced pursuit of the wild horse, and now it was well along on its daily course.
If she had hoped that their journey was at an end for the day, her hope was quickly dispelled, for the hairy captor suddenly advanced towards her, lifted her in his arms again, and began striding through the dense forest. As he held her in a sort of upright position she was able to look back over his shoulder, and she then perceived that the other big creature was following close behind, with the child in her arms, carrying it in the same way as the hairy man carried his burden. The going was rough, the undergrowth of the forest thick and resisting. It was astonishing, however, to see the way in which these powerful wild beings of the forest trampled every obstacle down with their broad, flat feet. At length Topsie felt that they were beginning to descend to the plain below, a glimpse of which she had lately caught sight of whilecrossing one of the natural clearings, which have been already referred to as occasionally occurring.
On reaching the plain, Topsie’s captor halted and set her on her feet. Then he took her very gently by the hand, and led her by his side, endeavouring to accommodate his giant strides to her shorter and more civilised ones. Released from her mother’s arms, the little wild child ran joyfully on ahead, laughing and clapping her hands, purring and cooing, but never uttering a word; and it was plain to Topsie, that if these hairy beings were human, they could not speak. That was quite certain.
Suddenly the wee creature came to a full stop, stared across the valley plain, and then dropping on all fours, came wriggling back to her father. Both the latter and the mother, on seeing their child in this position, dropped into the same attitude; and Topsie, judging it best to copy them, went down too. Then she cast her eyes forward, to see what it was that had thus attracted their attention. Filing out of the forest on the opposite hillside, and feeding head to wind as they came, Topsie made out a herd of some twenty deer; and as the setting sun cast its light upon them, their rich red coats gleamed like burnished gold.
What followed filled her with astonishment and amazement, and more than ever confirmed her in her suspicions as to the humane genus of her captors.
The hairy man, who had never relaxed his grasp of her, now held out her hand to the female, who, wriggling forward, received it from him; and thus Topsie found herself made over to the care of the hairywoman. But the husband seemed suddenly to change his mind in this respect, and once more taking her hand in his, he handed over to his wife the bow and arrows which Topsie had noticed him carrying that morning, and which he had never relaxed his hold of throughout the march.
No sooner had this strange species of woman received the weapons of destruction, than she began to creep forward on her hands and knees in the direction of the feeding deer, every now and then bending her face to the ground, as if she, too, was browsing, and looking for all the world like some four-footed animal busy with its evening meal.
In this manner she managed to come quite close to the herd, without frightening the members thereof; when, suddenly pausing in her four-legged perambulations, she fitted an arrow to her bow, and rising to her full height, sent the shaft winging with true and deadly precision at a fine monarch of the glen that was standing a little distance apart from the other deer.
Bounding forward about twenty paces, the noble animal reared straight on end, and fell back with a crash. There was a slight struggle, and then all was still. At the same time the members of the herd, wheeling round in a semicircle, gazed first affrightedly upon their dead leader, and the next moment fled precipitately towards the forest which they had but lately quitted.
No sooner had the hairy woman drawn her bow than her husband jumped up from his crouching attitude, and still holding Topsie with one hand, caught hold ofthat of his child, and began hurrying across the plain to where the dead deer lay. Already the hairy woman was by its side, abstracting from its heart the golden-pointed arrow which had wrought its death.
Topsie was amazed at the dexterity with which the bow had been handled and the arrow aimed. Truly the skill of these wild denizens of the Andes was marvellous! But she was still full of curiosity to learn how they would skin and cut up the deer, having perceived no knife of any description about them.
But she quickly learnt that such implements were not lacking amongst the possessions of her captors. Diving their hands into a slit in front of the fur kilt or short skirt which each wore, both man and woman produced knives, the blades of which were made of pure gold, and set strongly in thick wooden handles, black as ivory. With these they proceeded to skilfully skin and cut up the deer, reserving only the choicest portions for consumption, and leaving the remainder for the condors to feast upon, numbers of which were already beginning to hover like specks far up in the sky. But the deer’s skin was carefully preserved, rolled up, and tied round with a thin strip of hide, cut from around the neck, doubtless to serve as clothing on some future occasion.
At this juncture the sound of a distant bell, apparently tolling far up the mountain side, came floating into the valley beneath, striking Topsie dumb with astonishment. But her surprise increased when the three hairy beings threw themselves flat on the ground, and bowed their faces in the long grass with both handsflat, outstretched, and held just above the back of their heads. What could they be doing, and what on earth were the mysterious sounds which had, as it were, so suddenly bound them by its spell, and prostrated them in this attitude of humble obeisance and apparent adoration?
As abruptly as they had begun the bell sounds ceased, and then the hairy beings arose from the ground, and went on as unconcernedly as before with their work. The meat was divided into three bundles, the two heaviest being set aside as the portions for the grown-up beings, while a lighter consignment was awarded to the child as its fair share in the labour.
Topsie, wishing to gain the confidence of her hairy companions, at once stooped down and selected some of the meat from each of the bundles, making signs to the man that she would undertake the porterage thereof herself. A diplomatic act assuredly, for it evidently ingratiated her in the good opinion of Madame Hairy Being, who smiled and showed her white teeth, and cooed approvingly. Then a start was made, and for the first time since her capture, Topsie was allowed liberty to walk alone, without being held by the hand.
They entered the forest not far from the spot where the herd of deer had first filed out into the valley plain, and then the ascent of the hillside was begun. After about half-an-hour’s climb they emerged into a natural clearing, and thereon Topsie perceived several huts made of poles and green boughs standing. Uttering a shrill whistle, the hairy man threw down his meat burden, an act in which he was imitated by his wifeand child, and Topsie was not slow to follow their example, for she was not a little blown after the climb. At the same time several beings emerged from the huts, three of which, hairy like her captors, came running to meet them grinning and laughing, and clapping their hands.
But it was not upon these creatures that Topsie’s eyes were fixed, nor were they the cause of their dilated surprise. She was staring at two other figures, tall copper-coloured ones, not hairy like the others, but perfectly human in appearance, who had come out of the huts, and were standing side by side watching the arrival of Topsie and her companions.
For a few seconds the girl stood as one turned to stone. Then she recovered from her surprise. With a low cry she sprung forward, and in another moment her hands were grasping those of Piñone and Cuastral, the former the husband of Aniwee, whom the Warrior Queen accounted dead, and the latter his father, the great Cuastral, Lord of the Araucanians, both of whom Inacayal had sworn to seeing lifeless in the hands of the Cristianos. Topsie could not be mistaken. Her intimate acquaintance with both, a circumstance with which readers of “The Young Castaways” will be acquainted, ensured a certain recognition.
“Piñone,” she cried, “how came you here? Aniwee thinks you and Cuastral dead. Did not Inacayal, Quintuhual’s son, swear it?”
“Aniwee, is she well?” burst from the Cacique’s lips; but even as he spoke Topsie’s captor was by her side, and seizing her hand drew her hastily away fromthe two Araucanian chiefs. The girl knew it was useless to resist, and with great presence of mind appeared to obey willingly, stroking the hairy being’s hand with her free one, and testifying by every means in her power her friendliness and good will.
And so well did she act her part that she managed to allay his suspicions, so that after a few minutes he released her, and allowed her to wander about, keeping, however, a good watch upon her movements.
Gradually, and by degrees, Topsie worked her way back to the two Araucanians. These, divining the object of her manœuvres, had thrown themselves on the ground, and were apparently paying no attention to her whatever. But the girl knew better; and when at length she sat herself down beside them she inquired quickly: “Who are these people, Piñone? Are they men or beasts?”
“They are men,” answered the Cacique. “They are the Trauco people.”