So he hauled a rug and a blanket to the roof of the cabin and composed himself to slumber. The boys on the deck were asleep almost as soon as he was, and the alligators in the Amazon sported on without a human audience.
But the long silence of the boat seemed to attract the attention of the huge reptiles, and they soon began to nose about the sides of the Rambler. Pretty soon a whole school of the big fellows were swimming close to the sides, evidently attracted by the odor of the supper which had been eaten there.
Presently a huge fellow bunted into another huge fellow in what seemed to be defiance of the rules of river etiquette, and a battle was the result. In the squabble one was forced with a bunt against the boat, and the craft rocked perilously. Another bunt, and the top of the cabin stood at an angle of about 75 degrees. The sleeper rolled off his blanket and tumbled overboard, striking one of the fighters squarely on the nose.
The alligators seemed to be as much surprised at the sudden visitation as Jule was to find himself floundering in the water, with the cold noses of the ’gators touching his bare flesh. He let out a cry which brought the boys out of their hammocks with their guns in their hands, and directly a shower of lead fell into the river.
When the boy was finally pulled on deck he looked at both legs and both arms, and felt of the back of his head to see if he was all there. Alex tried to convince him that one of the river “birds” had amputated his intelligence, but Jule chased him away and lay down on his blanket again.
“You’re a nice fisherman!” Case cried. “Trying to catch an alligator by the tail! We’ll have to tie you up!”
Even Captain Joe seemed to be inclined to laugh at the lad for his accident, but quiet was soon restored, and the boat was sent up the river at great speed, Jule declaring that he would sit up and run her in order to get out of that part of the country. Its snakes and alligators, he intimated, were too numerous for him!
For two days and nights they kept on their way, stopping once to replenish their gasoline tanks. Then, on the morning of the third day, a cloud lifted from the river and Frank pointed to it with a sigh of relief. As he did so the wreck of a steamer floated past—a steamer which had been the Señorita, and which had evidently been blown up with dynamite. What had taken place, the boys asked, and where was the crew?
CHAPTER XXIII.—CLOUD ISLAND
Cloud Island was just a bulk of mist when the lads came opposite it. The outlines of the shore were not to be seen, for steam pouring out of the fissures in the rocks clouded everything. To the west, however, a small hut was to be seen on the narrow rim which lay between the river and the mountains. While they looked, checking the speed of the Rambler until it just held against the current, two figures moved out of the structure and motioned to the boat.