“Why are they so persistent in refusing to talk to us?” asked Harry.
“We cannot understand the conditions under which these people have been conducting their warfares. It is obvious that neither regards the word of the other, and are ready at the first sign to open hostilities.”
“It appears to me,” remarked John, “that our only remedy in this matter is, if we make any further attempt at the rescue of our companions, to invade their country, and give them to understand that unless they return such captives as they have, we will fight them to the bitter end. They seem to have no idea that we desire peace, rather than war.”
The commotion among the warriors was now pronounced. The consultations were continuous, and they were not by any means harmonious. John took the two captives into consultation, in order to endeavor to find some means by which he could communicate through them with the besiegers.
One of the warriors shot was still moving, and John, beckoning to Ralph and Harry, opened the door, and said: “If we can get the badly wounded one in here, we may be able to open up a door of communication, as the savages we have here are certainly acquainted with each other’s language.”
They moved out to the open space, and the conferences of the savages beyond, instantly ceased. Without waiting for an examination he was lifted up and brought into the house, where the Professor examined the wounds.
Two shots had struck him, one through the groin, and the other in the arm. The Professor shook his head seriously. “I am afraid he is hopeless. It is a case of internal bleeding. Still it is our duty to aid him to the best of our ability. A wound in this place is not necessarily fatal, and the only danger is in the hemorrhages which, if unchecked, cause death.”
“A bullet wound,” added John, “is not as likely to be fatal as a knife wound.”
The boys looked at John in surprise, and, noticing it, continued: “The remark may seem strange to you, but when I referred to this I had reference only to the fear from hemorrhages, and my reason for saying so is, that in a rough or jagged wound the blood forms clots quicker than where there is a smooth cut; and where the injury is internal, or where it is impossible to manually check the flow of blood, the natural process of repair in the human body, by the formation of coagulated blood, frequently stops the flow.”
“What is it that causes the blood to thicken at the wound?”