It had been the original intention to enter the jungle as far as the boat light could be seen, but now the necessity of remaining where they were, or close to the shore, was apparent, as they had no means of knowing in which direction either of the boys had gone, and there were three wanderers to watch for instead of only two. If they followed in the direction supposed to have been taken by Frank and Case, they would be apt to get farther and farther from Jule, and if they tried to follow the latter, it would be the two who would be farthest from their help, should help be required.
The only course to pursue, then, with reference to boys who were in the dark forest, was to remain where they were, guard the boat, and be prepared to get back to the Rambler in quick time should necessity demand such action.
The boys waited with premonitions of approaching evil in their minds. Now and then Captain Joe, disgusted with the conduct of his master, sent out a call for sympathy and liberty, and the voice of the dog sounded cheerful and friendly to the anxious lads.
Small creatures of air and thicket were talking all around them, and now and then a gruffer utterance in the distance told of larger denizens of the forest aroused by the visit of the boys. After a time a crunching in the undergrowth warned the listeners that some creature of large size was approaching them on a visit of inspection.
“It may be an Indian!” Alex whispered, when the sounds were very close indeed.
“An Indian wouldn’t advance in the midst of a racket like that,” Clay reasoned. “It is probably some wild animal coming up to see what all this row is about. Keep your automatic and your flashlight ready.”
Alex did not need any such warning, for he stood with the automatic in one hand and the dark flashlight in the other.
The trampling came on, closer and closer, and the boys involuntarily drew nearer together. They could hear shrubs cracking and breaking under the heavy tread of their approaching visitor.
“It must be a jaguar!” whispered Alex. “Shall I turn on my light before he gets up to us?”
“More likely a peccary, or wild hog,” Clay suggested. “They are dangerous only when attacked.”