“None of your sneering!” said Rob frankly. “I’m not ashamed to say that I was frightened, and very much frightened, too. It was enough to scare any one who did not know what it was.”
“Right, my lad! enough to scare anybody!” said Shaddy, patting Rob on the shoulder. “It made me a bit squeery for a moment or two till I knew what it was. But, I say, when I came softly along to keep you company, you warn’t going to shoot?”
“I’m afraid I was,” said Rob. “It sounded just like some horrible great snake creeping along toward us out of the darkness.”
“Then I’m glad I spoke,” said Shaddy drily, “Spoiled your trip, lad, if you’d shot me, for I must have gone overboard, and if I’d come up again I don’t bleeve as you’d have picked me up. Taken ever so long to get the boat free in the dark, and if you hadn’t picked me up I don’t see how you could have got on in the jungle. Look here, now you two gents have taken to gunning, I wouldn’t shoot if I were you without asking a question or two first.”
“But suppose it is a jaguar coming at us?” said Joe.
“Well, if it’s a jagger he won’t answer, and you had better shoot. Same with the lions or bears.”
“Bears?” said Rob eagerly; “are there bears here?”
“Ay, lad! and plenty of ’em, not your big Uncle Ephrems, like there is in the Rocky Mountains—grizzlies, you know—but black bears, and pretty big, and plenty savage enough to satisfy any reasonable hunter, I mean one who don’t expect too much. Wait a bit, and you’ll get plenty of shooting to keep the pot going without reckoning them other things as Mr Brazier’s come out to hunt. What d’yer call ’em, awk’ards or orchards—which was it?”
“Orchids,” said Rob.
“Oh! ah! yes, orchids. What’s best size shot for bringing o’ them down?”