"This will cure the wound on your face," the latter said to Jake as he held out a branch covered with small, glossy green leaves. "Take off the cloth that I may see it."
While Jake obeyed, Cummings was kindling a fresh torch, and as the light fell upon the engineer's cheek both the boys uttered exclamations of surprise.
It was certainly a terrible looking wound, the dried blood causing it to appear even larger than it really was; but Poyor set about dressing it with the utmost indifference, perhaps because he thought Jake deserved it for having been so stubborn and criminally foolish.
The Indian chewed the leaves to a pulp, and then spread them thickly on the wound, after which Cummings replaced the cloth, and Jake declared that the pain had subsided instantly.
"I must remember the name of that plant if it can be found in a dried state at home," he said, "and there are many times when such a poultice would come in mighty handy."
"He has only bound on leaves from a shrub called guaco; but you needn't try to remember the name, for they are efficacious only while green. Now that the surgeon's duties have been performed we will get some water, and then set about cooking breakfast. Poyor, bring in plenty of wood, and then try to find another toh."
At the swiftly running stream nothing resembling an alligator was seen, and the white members of the party enjoyed to the utmost copious draughts of the ice-cold liquid.
Meanwhile the Indian was rapidly obeying Cummings' orders. He built a fire near the water, and by the light which the white stones reflected in every direction, had but little difficulty in knocking over three more of what Teddy persisted in calling "chickens."
Leaving the cave again he soon returned with a lot of clay which he pasted over the tohs without removing the feathers or intestines, and thus prepared one would have supposed they were nothing more than so many balls of mud.
These he put into the fire, piled the wood over and around them, and then sat down to wait for the fruits of his labor.