CHAPTER XVI.
After the choice of volunteers had been made another Council of War was called, and it was agreed that the rescue party should start at midday, having in command Sir Francis Vane and Piñone, and that it should consist besides these two of Aniwee, the remainder of our white friends, Graviel, Blancha, the two girl volunteers, and sixteen young Warriors, who had been selected for their skill in the chase, and for their dexterity in handling the bolas, lasso, and rifle. Cuastral, as head Cacique, was to remain behind to watch and safeguard the authority against which Inacayal had plotted, and which he had so nearly succeeded in overthrowing.
At midday, therefore, every one had assembled, and several pack-horses, well loaded with ammunition and necessaries, had been added to the group. Farewells were hastily exchanged, and the rescue party started off, amidst the fervent good wishes of all, Shag of course accompanying the expedition.
It took them four good hours of hard riding before they reached the spot known to the Araucanians asTraucos’ Rest. The place was so called because these hairy people often appeared thereon in small groups at a certain time every year, and seemed to make it a kind of halting or resting-place; but they never remained long, and always took their departure soon after their arrival. Piñone, whose experience amongst them now stood the searchers in good stead, declared that the Traucos were a wandering people, never remaining long in one place, and betaking themselves every year to the dense and lonely forests which bordered the most inaccessible heights of the Cordilleras, to reach which passage was made up a deep river, to whose source he and Cuastral had been able to penetrate; and he was confident that the party of Traucos, into whose hands the little Guardia had fallen, were making their way in that direction. He had little hope, he declared, of overtaking them; for the Trauco travels at great speed, a speed which no civilised or semi-civilised human being could hope to emulate. Nevertheless, he did believe, that with Shag’s sagacious assistance they might be able to push rapidly forward on the track of the captors of his child.
“Well, we are in for a lark, and no mistake,” chuckled Freddy to Harry, as the two cousins rode along side by side, talking over the events of the past few days.
“Yes, indeed,” answered the latter gravely; “but Freddy, old chap, it is just a little awe-inspiring when one realises how we are about to plunge into the unknown, from which who knows if we shall ever return.”
“Oh! I say, Harry, you are gloomy indeed,” laughed his cousin lightly. “For myself I have no misgivings, and I look forward to a very jolly time, and all sorts of exciting adventures; at least, I hope so.”
“What’s that?” inquired Topsie, riding up; “what are you two boys talking about?”
“Men, you mean, Topsie, I suppose?” remarked Harry demurely. “You should never call a spade a shovel.”
“Oh, oh!” laughed Mary, mischievously, who, being in close attendance on Topsie, had overheard the last two remarks. “You a man, indeed, Harry. Funny class of man then, conceited person that you are.”
“Now look here, Miss Mary, I must exact respect,” exclaimed Harry, with a comical attempt to look reproving; but the corners of his mouth twitched, and he was obliged to give way to laughter. It was while joking thus that the whole party arrived at Traucos’ Rest.
It now became a question as to whether they should continue the journey on foot or on horseback. Traucos’ Rest itself consisted of a high plateau, dotted here and there with shady trees, which gradually became less wide apart as they neared the outskirts of the forest. Several well-worn tracks led into this latter at this point, severally formed, no doubt, by wild horses and the migrating Traucos. It was surmised that these tracks led through the forest belts to the open valleys far away below, and it appeared not unlikely that they would be worn enough to permit of easy riding, if they had been traversed by the baguales. In any case, itwas resolved to stick to the horses as long as possible, a horse’s back being second nature to an Araucanian, who finds himself less at home on his legs.
A halt was here called, and the order of march arranged. Harry and Topsie, as experienced in forest travelling, were deputed to head the van, next to them being Aniwee and Piñone. Then followed Sir Francis and Lady Vane, behind whom came Freddy, Willie, and Mary, and next in order Graviel and Blancha. After these followed Coquet and Chorlo, the two girl volunteers, and bringing up the rear, riding two abreast, were the sixteen Araucanian braves, who had been chosen, as aforementioned, to take part in the expedition.
As they entered the forest in the order described, every Indian, including Piñone, bowed his head, and raised his hand to his forehead, saluting thus the Gualichu and hidden spirits, whom they believed haunted the forest, and whom they deemed it necessary to propitiate by acts of obeisance. As they rode along Harry and Topsie kept a sharp look-out, while Shag trotted ahead of them, with his nose to the ground, wise as Solomon, and evidently extremely keen on scent of some kind.
“I wonder if it is Trauco spoor he is on,” remarked Topsie to her brother as they watched the dog’s evident eagerness to get forward. “Look how his bristles are up. It seems uncommonly like as if there was danger ahead. I vote we get our rifles ready, Harry.”
“Right you are, dear,” answered her brother, as he unslung his weapon from off his shoulder, and puthimself into what he called an attention attitude, Topsie doing the same.
Suddenly Shag halted, cocked his ears, sniffed the air two or three times, and growled. Then he looked round rather anxiously at Topsie.
There was clearly something ahead which Shag regarded as disquieting, for he kept on growling and showing his fine white teeth in a most menacing fashion.
“Halt!” called out the girl to those behind her, at the same time raising her hand in a warning attitude.
“Look out for squalls!” shouted Harry, at the same time bringing his rifle to his shoulder. As he did so an angry roar reverberated through the forest, and the next moment a messenger of death pinged forth from the young midshipman’s rifle, which was followed by a roar fiercer and more menacing than the one which had preceded it.
“A black jaguar!” shouted Topsie excitedly. “Have a care, all of you! Harry must have hit him, for he has bolted into the undergrowth. We shall have to be wary, for if he is lying in wait, he will spring out on some one as we ride by, and woe to the person on whom he springs.”
The jaguar had disappeared from view, but Shag’s angry attitude bespoke his near proximity. Topsie had to speak sternly to the dog, to prevent him springing forward in the track of the savage beast, a blow from whose paw, she knew well, would finish Shag’s career for ever, and apart from the great love which she bore the faithful animal, his life was too valuableto the success of the expedition, to permit of his courting the great danger of a personal encounter with the jaguar. Now what was to be done? To advance would be rash, to remain all huddled together in the narrow track impossible. In this dilemma Piñone came to the rescue. During his sojourn amongst the Traucos, he had seen these people attack both the jaguar and the puma, and he determined to copy their tactics on this occasion.
Dismounting from his horse, he handed the reins to Aniwee, and taking his spear out of its rest in the saddle, as well as two short javelin-looking darts, he walked boldly forward in front of the growling Shag. Then he began to limp as if in pain, and to moan pitifully, keeping, however, a sharp look-out in all directions for the sign, which he knew would shortly appear.
It came at last in the shape of two gleaming balls of fire, which showed all the more vividly that they were encased in the gloom of the thick forest. Then at once Piñone sprang to attention, knowing well that the gleaming balls were the jaguar’s eyes, and that if he did not strike quickly, the savage beast would do so instead. Like lightning the young Cacique drew himself up, and poised his darts, one after the other, in quick succession, hurling them with full force at the two gleaming lights. Then he grasped his spear and sprang forward, for the darts, aimed by a master hand, had struck straight home into the jaguar’s eyes. With a savage cry of agony and fury the poor brute reared himself up, every claw distended, and gnashinghis teeth in mad fury, while his tail swept his sides with dull thuds terrible to hear. Yet even as he alighted with a crash amongst the undergrowth, from which he had just sprung, Piñone’s spear struck straight home into his heart, and passing right through his body, pinned him tightly to the earth. A shudder ran through his form as he gave one feeble wriggle and then lay still.
“That is how the Trauco kill the lione,” the Indian observed coolly, as the rest pressed forward to congratulate him on his prowess.
“What! the Traucos have darts, have they?” inquired Lady Vane in some surprise.
“Not so,” replied Piñone, “but they have arrows, which they shoot into the brute’s eyes, even as I flung the darts, and then they advance and stab their victim with their golden knives. It is of them that Piñone learned to kill the lione in this wise.”
“Are there many of these black jaguars about, Piñone?” inquired Topsie, as she knelt beside the splendid beast, and smoothed its soft, glossy skin. “It is the second black jaguar that I have ever seen. Alas! the first one was under circumstances sad enough.”
“Do not talk of it, Topsie,” exclaimed Harry hastily. He could never bear reference being made to the day when, as we have read in “The Young Castaways,” his imprudence brought about the death of his ancient relative Sir Harry Vane, the hermit of the Andes.
Of course a halt had to be called while two of the braves skinned and cut up the lione, a name which theIndians give alike to pumas and jaguars. In point of fierceness, however, the two animals cannot be compared, the latter being far and away the most dangerous to encounter, being more powerful, more determined and brave than their yellowconfrères.
They had been riding almost continuously for five hours, and the sun was beginning to get low, so that when the jaguar had been skinned and cut up, and his meat divided amongst the Indians, it was decided to halt in the very next clearing reached, which was sure to be provided with one of the numerous torrents that hurled their waters forward to the valley far below. They were not long before they came upon one of them, and then the horses were unsaddled, and picketed amongst the rich grass, which they thoroughly appreciated. To have turned them loose would have been dangerous, for the Indian horse has a proclivity for finding his way home, besides which, if a herd of wild horses crossed his path, there would be no hope of ever seeing him again.
Freddy, Willie, and Mary, to whom this wild forest life was quite new, worked hard to make a comfortable bivouac. They collected wood, and helped to light the fires, fetched water from the torrent, got out the maté from the pack-saddles, and made themselves extremely useful. Meat was put on to boil, and soon the whole party were enjoying their evening meal. Then the Indians coiled themselves up in their fur robes, and lit their pipes preparatory to seeking repose. Sentries or watchers had to be set, and Piñone offered to take the first watch along with Aniwee and Sir Francis.Topsie thought this a good opportunity to prefer a request.
“Piñone,” she said, “if we sit around this fire, will you tell me the story of your captivity amongst the Traucos?”
“Hurrah!” shouted Harry, as Piñone gravely assented.