“And now, Uncle Francis, do tell us how you came upon those awful brutes, and how you all managed to be together, for when we left you, both parties were separate.”
“Well, I will tell you, my dears, how it happened,” answered the baronet, as he seated himself and accepted from Harry several large strawberries which the lad had plucked and handed to him. “It was in this way. Very soon after we left you, we sighted a splendid herd of deer, who took to the forest the moment they saw us. I sent Coquet and our Indian round to try and get on the other side of them, and drive them our way. While making the wide détour which they found necessary, they came upon your aunt, Freddy, and the other Indians, who, having seen nothing, joined them, and they all seven entered the wood together. The deer were soon sighted, and every effort was being made to drive them to where we lay concealed, when loud yells suddenly startled us out of our senses. Out of the forest, at the very point where we expected to see the herd break, broke a very different sight, in the shape of some fifty or more hideous hairy monsters, which we at once recognised as Andes demons. We held our breath and lay still, but they seemed to divine our whereabouts, for they came straight at us. Seeing this, we sprung up, and fled, making for that part of the forest where the others were beating. We had not gone far when the demons caught sight of us, and set off in hot pursuit. We managed to reach your aunt and Freddy, however, who were hurrying forward to meet us. We at once signed to them to turn and fly with us, having no time in which to explain. Briefly, our pursuers came up with us. We fired several volleys, but these did not stop them from coming on, and we were finally driven into the open space in which you, Aniwee, Chorlo, and El Toro found us. Forming into a large wide circle the demons began to close in upon us, and I was forced to place my little party in a square. Some were armed, some were not. We loaded, and fired as quickly as we could, but the brutes, though they fell in numbers, came slowly on, and indeed would soon have come to close quarters with us, and battered in our brains had you not all arrived in the nick of time.”
“And now, Topsie, it is your turn to tell us how you got the bull,” put in Lady Vane. “Anything to turn one’s thoughts from the horrible trial we have gone through and the fearful danger which we have escaped. Very earnestly should we thank God for His great mercy in delivering us.”
But the Indians had completed their task and loaded up, so that Topsie’s story had to be told as the party tramped along. She spun it out as long as she could, until the jungle slopes were reached, and then they all had their work cut out to make their way through its dense growth. When at length they gained the raft the moon was shedding its soft light on all around.
CHAPTER XXVI.
It was a burning hot day, not a cloud decked the dark blue sky which clothed the heavens, the very water of the river, generally so cool and pleasant, was hot, and muggy, and unrefreshing. An unnatural stillness pervaded the air, and nature seemed to have been metamorphosed into stone. In their voyage up the dark river, the travellers had been amused and interested by the numerous and strange birds which were continually flying overhead. Lovely green woodpeckers, with scarlet heads and waistcoats, parrots of gaudy plumage and impudent ways, tiny parroquets, which sought to ape their superiors in size and cousins in species by many absurd movements, would continually enliven the raft party as they worked their way up stream. But on this occasion, all was still, even the birds being affected by the general oppressiveness.
After the attack by the Andes demons, it had been decided that the whole party should stick to the raft, which had been pushed off and started upon its journey, the morning following upon the events related in the last chapter. For ten days the party had been making its way up the river, landing when possible on the banks at night to sleep and stretch the limbs of those composing it, which could not fail to become cramped in such a situation; and it was on the night of the tenth day that the spot where Sir Harry and Miriam Vane and James Outram lay sleeping, was at length reached, and here the party bivouacked.