For the instant the youth was almost paralyzed with fright. But mechanically he discharged his pistol a second time and the bullet lodged in the coendoo’s breast. With a howl of pain it fell back, caught at the tree branch with its tail and missed it, and went plunging out of sight into the foliage and vines below.
“Did you kill it?” called out Frank.
“I don’t know. It fell down. Look out it don’t come on your head,” answered Mark.
Frank already had his gun in hand, ready to be of service to his chum if possible. But the porcupine failed to appear and he called back that it must still be in the foliage of the tree.
With great caution Mark descended one branch after another. Presently he caught sight of the animal, hanging from a limb by its tail, an appendage which in the coendoo is unusually strong and long. The beast was plainly dying but to make certain Mark put another bullet through it. Then with the butt of the pistol he unwound the tail and the carcass fell to the ground with a thud.
“That was a surprise party I didn’t expect,” said Mark, when he was once more beside Frank. “How he scared me when he leaped at me! See, his quills drew blood,” and he showed the back of his pricked hand.
“Wonder if the porcupine is good eating?”
“I’ve been told the meat is like that of a suckling pig. We’ll skin him and take him along. Who knows but what we may need the meat badly before we get out of our mess.”
It was a difficult task to skin the coendoo and it caused them more than one wound. But at last it was finished, and with their game over their shoulders and their guns in hand, they started out in the direction of the stream Mark had located from the tree top.
The day proved an extremely hot one and the boys had not covered half the distance when they found they had to sit down and rest. On all sides was the trackless jungle: trees, bushes and vines, with an occasional opening, where grew the most gorgeous of ferns and flowers. Where the ground was damp, monstrous toadstools reared their umbrella-like heads and the moss was six to eight inches deep. Insects of a hundred varieties were numerous and among them crawled lizards and other small creatures for which they could find no name. Orchids abounded, some entwining around the trees to a great height. The odor was so strong at times as to be positively sickening.