June 21.—After the morning meal a majority of the women and children were brought on board of the steamer, and of the males all that would be likely to impede the progress of the land party having in charge the horses and mules. When ready for the start, the doctor joined the shore party equipped in naturalistic costume, which, in defiance of the recent sad experiences of the Bamboyle women, excited a mirthful inclination; even the more sedate demeanor of Correliana was moved in despite of her efforts to suppress her risible emotions. With his nether bifurcations disappearing, in extremity, within the capacious leg receptacles of boots, a blouse surcoat, or smock frock, elaborately supplied with Sanskrit labeled pockets, depended loosely from his shoulders, reaching to his knees, his head being surmounted with a bell-crowned hat, bestudded with impaling pins, technically called the kaleidoscope. Protruding from the larger pockets were seen the mouths of a pistol barrel, powder and drinking horns, with various articles for insect preservation.
Aware of his uncouth presentment, he pleaded that its adoption combined usefulness with policy, for he had noted in his travels that all tribes and nations bowed down in reverential worship and awe to ugliness; and he felt certain that he had often been indebted to the contributions of his costume for the preservation of his life, while sojourning among the natives of the Polynesian and Ladrone Islands. When fairly mounted upon a mule, who seemed to be affected with emotions peculiar to his species, but seemingly averse to awe and worshipful respect, Mr. Welson could not refrain from commending the happy conjunction as talismanic for the rider’s preservation from savage attacks.
It required much coaxing on the part of the mayorong to reconcile the mule to the novel eccentricities of its rider, but in the course of the forenoon he seemed to enter into the humor of his direction with unusual zest. When fully reconciled to the swaying of the doctor’s net, with the sharp turns and checks to which he was subjected in the chase of insects, the Bamboyles left them to the full sway of their own moods. Fortunately the saddle was well adapted to secure the safety of its occupant. As they were crossing the opening of a glade, when the day was well advanced, a splendid specimen of the pampa Nyctaloide hovered over the cavalada long enough to attract the doctor’s attention, then floated away, leisurely, over the plain. In a moment the insect-hunter’s net was in hand and, before he could be checked with warning caution, was under full headway in pursuit, and, when fully engaged in following the doublings of his quarry, he became deaf to the mayorong’s calls. Feeling secure in being able to keep within hail of the boat, the erratic movements of the doctor had been a source of amusement to the Bamboyles, but as the distance was narrowing between the foot-hills and the river, and withal hummocky, his danger increased. Still he was armed, and little fear was entertained for his safety, for while within call his mule could be brought back with a whistle. As he still kept heedlessly on, the mayorong sent a party of young men to bring him back. They had scarcely started, when a shrill shout from the mayorong urged them on, he and Mr. Dow following at full speed. The cause of these movements was a pursuing Indian close in the wake of the doctor. Unheedful of the danger, the doctor and his mule—who seemed to enjoy the novelty of the chase with his rider’s gusto—neared the foot-hills, where a band of Indians were seen watching the strange scene. His frantic gesticulations had undoubtedly impressed them with the belief that he was bestraught with madness; a condition held in especial reverence by aboriginals,—as they continued to regard the movements of the Indian in pursuit with negligent indifference; indeed, from his frequent hesitations, when within the cast of a spear, he seemed to be subject to the restraining influence of the same fear. The mayorong, who had allowed Mr. Dow to overtake him, had twice discharged his rifle in hopes that the report would apprise the doctor of his danger, so that he might use his pistol. But these offensive demonstrations only aggravated his danger, for the band of Indians moved rapidly forward for the rescue of their scout; he at the same time, warned by the rifle reports, cast a calculating glance backward to determine the extent of his own danger. At this juncture the butterfly rose and doubled just without the range of the distracted enthusiast’s net, then coquetted backward and forward with all the instinctive blandishments of its human type, showing as little concern for threatened danger as its pursuer. This tack brought the doctor face to face with his foe, who had sprung upright upon the croup of his horse, holding his spear poised ready for the cast. The cool indifference of the doctor to this offensive act, although within reach of the spear’s thrust, caused the savage to pause, backing his horse out of the way, as if still doubting the sanity of his meditated victim’s self-possession. In this act a bullet with the mayorong’s novice aim startled the savage from the close proximity of its whizz, as he started suddenly aside. A quick glance turned toward us determined the doctor’s fate just as he succeeded in capturing the tantalizing object of his chase. While in the act of lowering the staff of his net to remove his prize, he received the blow from the cast of the spear aimed at the unprotected portion of his head; the point glancing upward upon the skull divided the scalp on the forehead, reflecting it backward over the crown. The blow forced him backward from the saddle to the ground; at this stage Mr. Dow brought his rifle to bear, which caused the savage to bite the dust, just as he was about to finish his victim with a spear thrust. The blow and report brought back the doctor’s scattered senses in time to anticipate with his pistol an attempt upon his throat from the teeth of the Indian’s no less savage horse, for the completion of his dead master’s unfinished work. This instinctive impulse of self-preservation announced the presence of the doctor’s mind, and that he still survived, but the horse, deprived of life, fell forward over his prostrate body, as if to accomplish in death his defunct master’s intention. When dragged from beneath the horse Dr. Baāhar looked as if he had been resurrected from a slaughter-house, but he was a naturalist still, for his first thoughts were directed to his captured butterfly. A more striking contrast could scarcely be imagined than that presented by the captor and captured, the former being clothed in blood and the latter in beauty, for it had escaped injury in the conflict. After the doctor had examined the condition of his hat with its contents and garnish of insects, he submitted his head to the mayorong’s treatment, with the proviso that his restored scalp should be swathed without washing. When mounted on his mule his appearance was as fruitful of humorous mirth as those attending the most ludicrous mishaps of the valorous knight of La Mancha. The Indians, after the mayorong’s party left, held a consultation over the dead body of their scout, which seemed to result in a determination to avenge his death, for the main body, which outnumbered ours in the ratio of three to one, followed, standing on croup in a menacing attitude, occasionally making a dash forward, and as suddenly retreating. These maneuvers were continued for an hour or more, serving to retard the progress of the cavalada, until Mr. Dow, our rear guard, getting out of patience with their annoyance, proposed a long shot with his Spencer rifle which in effect astonished the Indians by dismounting one of the most defiant. This caused evident dismay, for they immediately retreated with all speed to the foot-hills, leaving us unmolested for the rest of the day’s stage. Notwithstanding the delays of the land party, they were obliged to wait at the first open glade until night-fall for the arrival of the steamer. After the doctor had submitted to a thorough ablution of body and head, administered by the Bamboyle women, the cause of the steamer’s delay was explained.
The steamer, after an hour’s progress from her night’s moorage, entered a broad expanse of water of lake-like dimensions formed by a confluent tributary from the west. The strong eddy caused by the making out of a spit from the eastern bank forced the boat to the opposite shore covered with the rank growths common to extensive alluvial deposits in semi-tropical latitudes. While the engine was exerting its utmost power to stem the current and cross the walled strength of the combined streams, Waantha, who was at his post with his canine friends, called Mr. Welson’s attention by signs to a broad spreading mangrove banian peculiar to the tributary deltas of the large South American rivers, which bear a strong resemblance to kindred growths in India. Among the pendant hybrid limbs, which had taken root in the muddy deposit, there appeared one that seemed to vibrate to and fro, coiling upon itself. With the glass the captain discovered that it was a huge amphibious anaconda hanging pendant from one of the horizontal branches by the prehensile attachment of its tail. The waving excitement of its corrugations and swaying reflection of its head from side to side, within circumscribed limits, aroused the spectators’ curiosity to learn the nature of its attraction. A nearer approach discovered, prone upon the interwoven platform of mangrove branches, a huge alligator with his head inward from the river. The reptile relation of the parties foreboded an instinctive encounter of sagacity and strength, which excited in Mr. Welson a strong repulsive desire to witness, as a comparative study, the result of a duel between individual representatives of species so nearly allied on the cold blooded verge of vitality. The captain, in order to afford him the privilege of recording the result for future reference, directed the bow of the boat cautiously toward the scene of encounter.
When sufficiently near to witness the movements of the monsters, who were engaged in preliminary tactics, one to prevent insinuating surprise; for the alligator, from his shrinking contractions, was evidently aware of the impending danger, if his foe was allowed to gain his object, and the other to excite the advantage he wished to gain, the headway of the boat was checked. As the distance intervening was shortened, the scaly tail, back, and immense snout of the alligator, were exposed to view in sidelong reflection within the umbrageous shadow, proclaiming him the patriarchal champion of his species, and well matched in strength to contend with his ophidian foe, should he, from tantalizing banter, proceed to actual hostilities. Gradually the serpent’s curves and retractions grew more energetic in gliding movement as its head darted hither and thither, now disappearing on one side of the saurian, then retracting over his back for an investigation of the opposite side, with the evident object of seeking a passage beneath. The alligator, although passive in his defensive movements, was observed to crouch closer to the underlying branches whenever the head of his foe touched a part beneath the scales of his armor, his apprehension being made manifest by a nervous twitching of his tail, as if aware of the fatal vantage sought.
The captain had requested the engineer to keep the steamer in position until the victor in the duelistic contest was determined; but the wariness of the alligator, who was not in a position to accept the wager of battle, made the result of the siege doubtful, as it might be prolonged until they had tested their respective powers of total abstinence to the extent of endurance. With the thought of his own culpability should the gratification of Mr. Welson’s curiosity prove fatal to the hopes of Correliana, who had placed her reliance in his direction for the relief of her kindred, he was about to request the engineer, who acted as pilot, to proceed, when the pagan exclamation proh Jupiter! from the object of his thoughts called attention to the cause. The alligator had attempted to gain the advantage of his preferred element by a backward movement, this act had opened to the head of his foe the sought for advantage, which had already passed underneath his body between his dwarfed legs before his hind quarters reached the water. In a twinkling two coils had involved the saurian’s body just behind his fore legs, the part most susceptible to wounds and compression. Then came a fearful struggle that swayed the tree attachments through the wide expanse of its reach, causing in the minds of the beholders a loathsome interest devoid of sympathy, offering the test of instinctive strength and endurance as a meagre source of gratification. Still, to Mr. Welson, the contest was not altogether devoid of useful application for parallel deduction when compared with the animal traits of human instinct. The tightening of the prehensile coil of the anaconda’s tail on the limb of its attachment, and upward retractile corrugations of his body with corresponding attenuation, disclosed the difficulty he encountered from the elasticity of his leverage, which prevented the concentration of muscular strength necessary for the strangulation of his victim. To the elasticity of the limb the alligator owed his prolonged existence and chance of advantageous retrieval. At this stage of doubtful emergency the instinctive “wisdom” of the serpent became meditatively apparent in the darting movements of his head and gleam of his watchful eyes, which were engaged in alert study to advantage his position, while guarding his straining body from the frantic strokes of the tail and distended jaws of his antagonist. The anaconda’s intention was soon made manifest, for we could plainly see his corkscrew tail traveling with insidious progress toward one of the main trunks of the tree; this once gained the moments of the saurian’s existence could be numbered, for it would afford the required resistance for crushing his body in its armor of proof. The “spectators” had watched the conflict with a superlative degree of indifference, inasmuch as favor for either of the contestants was concerned, hoping that both would be fatally disabled. But the moment the alligator began to manifest symptoms of exhaustion in the weakened strokes of its tail, and gasping throes, the human instinct of a guacho fireman sided with the weaker party in the struggle. Yet the object of his championship was scarcely a shade less repulsive than the symbolic cause of man’s squirming meanness and disposition to involve in his folds of treachery all that adventure within the reach of his cupidity. The alligator’s champion, born and nursed in the saddle with the lariat and bola for his rattle, asked the captain, in an undertone, for the skiff, with permission to terminate the combat. This granted he soon gained a footing upon the mangrove thicket and in a few seconds the quick gleam of a machéte was seen, then with the accompaniment of a prolonged hiss the serpent’s writhing body fell separated from its tail. Relaxing the portion inclosing his nearly lifeless victim, he strove with instinctive energy to release his folds, but his efforts were vain, for the retractile power of his muscles had departed with his tail. Helplessly retained by the dead weight of the alligator’s body, the serpent seemed at a loss to account for the futile result of his efforts, for he continued to retract his bereaved stump, while investigating with darting head the progress effected by vermicular contraction beneath. The reviving spasms of the alligator increased the anxious rapidity of the anaconda’s movements, but as with the fabled flight of Samson’s strength shorn of his locks, he was held for sacrifice bound in the toils of his own instinctive intention. His helpless condition was aggravated by the guacho, who, after cutting away the intervening branches, was seen struggling with the writhing tail until he had drawn it to an overreaching limb, from which he dropped it within reach of the head of its late owner. Its detached appearance seemed to impress upon the majority, of the relict anaconda, the diminished extent of his misfortune, for it was seized with its late mouth and bitten with impotent rage. While engaged in inflicting punishment upon its supposed traitorous tail, instinctive caution was made blind with rage, and its coils, released by the recovered consciousness of the alligator, convolved athwart between his open jaws which seized and severed the serpent’s body while its head was endeavoring to execute ultimate vengeance by swallowing its recreant tail. M. Hollydorf and Mr. Welson closed the scene and the alligator’s repast with their rifles, the bullets taking effect in the soft parts which were exposed in his endeavors to regain the water. With this humane addenda to the reptile duel, the serpent’s head was left to shuffle off from its mortal coil. Correliana Adinope and the Bamboyle women had screened themselves from the revolting sight under the awning aft, from which they could not be induced to look backward until the scene of the duel was left far behind. The steamer, to make good the time lost, was urged to her best speed. With the relation of these retarding incidents of the day, Antonio announced his readiness to serve the evening meal.
CHAPTER VI.
Cleorita Arcos, at the request of her grandfather, the mayorong, gave the following relation of the causes that led to their exile:—
“As Aabrawa has informed you, our people have received the name of Bamboyles from the Aurancanoes. This was derived from the noise of our workmen’s hammers in mending their utensils. But our transmitted, and more pleasing name of designation, which we hold in reverence as an evidence of remote ancestry, is Kyronese. Our late place of residence is called Pompolio, which is also of remote hereditary origin. Mendoza was said to have been founded by our ancestors, from which their more recent descendants were driven by the Spanish half-breeds who coveted their vineyards, which produced excellent grapes for the manufacture of wine, of which they were fond to excess. Their envious hatred followed the victims of displacement to Pompolio, their new home, and still continues. Our ancestors were also beset by wandering tribes of savages in their new home, as determined for our destruction as those from which we were rescued by your timely arrival. But as they were constantly at war among themselves it gave our people an opportunity to build walls and gates to defend the passes.
“The Aurancanians were always friendly, for our people never exacted more for their labors than their employers were pleased to give in exchange; and until the event occurred that caused us to become outcasts from our dearly loved homes, they were ever more ready to bestow than we were to accept. But the same cause, from the same source, has reduced them to a condition worse than our own, for they can no longer command themselves in their own country, being constantly at variance in their own households. We are so unlike our neighbors, and their visitors from other nations, in personal appearance, habits, and customs, our curiosity has labored long and patiently with the transmitted emblems, but they refuse to unravel the secrets of the past.