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Gift of
Dr. Hiram Bingham
ofthe Class of 1898
1907

THE SIEGE.

' GREA T RIVER SERIES."— No. 2.

UP THE TAPAJOS

OR

ADVENTURES IN BRAZIL

BY

EDWARD S. ELLIS

AUTHOR OF "THE YOUTHS' HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES,"
"YOUNG PIONEER SERIES," " LOG CABIN SERIES,"
" DEERFOOT SERIES," ETC., ETC.

CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited
739 & 741 Broadway, New York

Copyright, 1886,
By O. M. DUNHAM.

All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER. PAGE.'
I. Lost in the Woods, - - - 5
II. Disputed Quaetees, 17
HI. Walled in, ... 30
IV. How it Ended, 42
V. Adeift, - 54
VI. The Poeoeoca,  63
VII. " Jack is Gone ! " - - - - 71
VIII. A Point of Light, . ... 80
IX. The Smoke of a Steamee,- 89
X. The Explobek, - 98
XI. The Amazon, - - - - 107
XII. Aedaea, - - - 114
XIII. Haeet Takes a. Shot, - - - 123
XIV. Night on the Amazon, ... 129
XV. Santaeem,  136
XVI. Up the Tapajos, .... 145
XVII. A Mishap,  151
XVIII. Gatheeing Wood, -- - - - 157
- XIX. Fiee Ants, ----- 167

IV CONTENTS.
CHAPTER. PAGE.
XX. Above Cupaeay, - - 172
XXI. AtItaituba, 179
XXII. How Rubber is Gathered, - 185
XXIII. In the Woods, ' 196
XXIV. Pushing Theough the Rapids, 202
XXV. Strange Indians, - 214
XXVI. Howly Dao, Beuddee, - 220
XXVII. Jack as a Musician, - 226
XXVIII. A Break for Liberty, 238
XXIX. A Forlorn Refuge, - - - 244
XXX. Besieged, - - - - 250
XXXI. Poisoned Arrows, - - 262
XXXII. The Last Chance, - - - 268
XXXIII. The Close of Day, - - 277
XXXIV. "Good-by," - - 283
XXXV. Through the Woods,- 29,1
XXXVI. The Signal, - - - 299
XXXVII. Missing, - - - 307
XXXVHI. Conclusion,  316

UP THE TAPAJOS.

CHAPTER I.

LOST IN THE WOODS.

" ~| FABRY, there is some animal follow
_Ll ing us."
"What makes you think so ? "
" I hear its footsteps on the leaves—
Hark ! "
The cousins stood still and listened for a full
minute, without stirring or speaking. But the
only sound was the dismal sighing of the
autumn wind among the trees around them.
Otherwise the stillness was like that of the
tomb. " You must be mistaken," said Harry in a
low voice, moving forward again ; ' ' but keep
your ears and eye's open,"

6 UP THE TAPAJOS.
The two boys were making their way through
one of the wildest portions of Pike County,
Pennsylvania, and night was closing in. They
had started on a hunt, early that morning,
and were now tramping back to the cabin of
"Aunt Maggie."
Ned Livingston was a mild, scholarly lad of
fifteen, while his cousin, Harry Norwood, was
a year older. Their home was in Philadelphia,
where their fathers were partners in business.
They had gone on a hunting excursion to the
rugged section of the state, though it must be
said that the feelings of the lads were very dif
ferent, when they left the Quaker City for the
primitive section. Ned would have preferred
to spend his time with his books, but Harry
set out with the keen zest of an amateur sports
man, for no one enjoyed such jaunts more
than he.
They went in the company of Jack Blockley,
a rough, bearded and bronzed sailor, who had
spent a score and a half years on the ocean.
It must not be thought that the same errand
took him into western Pennsylvania : far from
it. He had no relish for such sports, but the

LOST IN THE WOODS. 7
Aunt Maggie that I have referred to, was
his aged mother, of whom Jack was very fond.
Only at long intervals, could he gain the
chance to spend a few days with her, but he
never let that chance pass unimproved. He
had returned a few days before from a voyage
to China, and, as soon as he could do so, he
started on his visit to his loved parent.
He had known Harry and Ned almost from
infancy, and, on his urgent invitation, they went
with him. They had already gone on several
hunts among the wild solitudes of that section,
and once or twice Jack kept them company ; _
but, as I have said, there was nothing to his
liking in such sport, and he preferred to stay
with his mother and tell her about his many
adventures since he had last seen her.
On the morning to which I specially refer,
the lads had decided to engage in a more
extended jaunt than any in which they had yet
taken part. They were to start with Jaqk for
home the next morning, and they meant that
this should be a memorable tramp— as it indeed
proved to be.
\ They took a substantial lunch with them,

8 UP THE TAPAJ0S.
for though a professional sportsman might have
scorned to confess such distrust of his own skill
with the gun, they knew that unless they did
so, they were likely to go hungry.
It was a wise act, for they needed every
mouthful of food that was eaten long before
the sun sank in the horizon. They gained a
shot at a deer, but the animal was so far off
that it is not likely he received a scratch. At
any rate, they saw nothing more of him.
Some time afterward, when the boys were sep
arated by a hundred yards or more, Ned caught
a glimpse of a bear, lumbering through the
undergrowth, but, as the brute did not disturb
him, Ned was equally chivalrous and let him
alone. He thought it prudent to tell his cousin
nothing of his unsportsmanlike behavior.
However, the keen, bracing air and the rugged
exercise did them good, and the day was far
spent before they noticed it. Then they set
out for home with some dread that they would
not be able .to reach it before night set in.
Furthermore, since they were following no
path or trail, and amid the rocks, declivities,
ahd dense woods, were unable to catch the

LOST IN THE WOODS. 9
.first sign of a settler's cabin, they were uneasy
over the likelihood of spending the. night away
from home.
The prospect was certainly uninviting. The
air was chilly, with promise of becoming
colder, and one or two eddying flakes of snow
suggested that they might be exposed to a
danger before which many a strong man has
been forced to succumb.
It was while they were pushing through the
woods in the direction, as they hoped rather than
believed, of Jack's home, that Ned Livingston,
who was slightly in the rear, uttered the
exclamation with which my story opens.
Now, if there is any thing more discomforting1
than the well founded belief that a dangerous
animal is stealthily following you in the dark,
I am sure I can not imagine what it is. The
fear that he will suddenly dart out of the
gloom and pounce upon you unaware will
cause you to glance around many times and to
take all possible care to ward off the peril. ,
It certainly was not fancy that first awoke
the suspicion of Ned ; for he was trudging
along with no thought of any thing of the kind,

10 UP THE TAPAJOS.
when the soft pat, pat on the leaves caused
him to start and turn like a flash. He saw
naught to explain the sound and said nothing
to Harry, who was giving all his energies to the
search for the right course back to the cabin
of their friend.
But, as you may well suppose, Ned was now
on the alert, and he paid far more attention to
the rear than to the front. He knew that his
cousin needed no aid from him, while, unless
he was vigilant, the wild beast, or whatever
it was, might make a fierce attack before
any thing could be done to prevent.
The second time Ned caught the faint foot
fall, he uttered the alarming words and the two
stopped and listened.
"I wonder whether it could be a man,"
said Harry, after they had walked a few rods
beside each other. "Halloo, there!" he
called out, looking back in the deepening
gloom. There was no answer, and-they agreed that
whatever creature it might be, it did not
belong to their own species.
"I'll have to depend on you," added

LOST IN THE WOODS. 11
Harry, ' ' for I must look to where we are going.
To tell the truth, I fear we shall have to spend
the night in the woods — "
What other words he might have added were
drowned by the resounding report of Ned's
gun, whose flash was almost in Harry's eyes.
The youth had caught sight of a dark body
gliding toward them, with its belly close to the
ground, and quickly bringing his gun to his
shoulder, he let fly.
Not only that, but he hit the creature, which
emitted a snarling screech and made a terrific
bound from the earth straight at the lad that
had wounded it. With a quickness that was
surprising, Ned leaped back several steps. It
was an instinctive effort on his part, and had
he not made it, the brute would have landed on.
his shoulders and played sad havoc with him.
But as it left the ground and rose in the
air, it was seen more distinctly. Harry Nor
wood had. cocked his rifle, and he instantly
raised it and fired at the brute, which resembled
a lank, wiry dog.
This shot settled matters. The leaden mis
sile bored its way through the tough skull of

12 UP THE TAPATOS.
the beast, which, falling to the ground, rolled
over and over, snapping, snarling and scratch
ing viciously. The leaves were scattered in all
directions, but the boys were wise enough to
keep out of reach of the fierce creature, whose
struggles soon ceased.
' ' He' s dead, ' ' said Harry, a minute later ; "I
wonder what sort of an animal he was."
" We can soon find out," replied Ned, draw
ing his small rubber safe from his pocket and
striking a match. Holding the tiny twist of
flame above their heads, they bent over the
frightful beast, which lay flat on its back, with
its legs upturned and its white, sharp teeth
stained with its own life blood.
"A wild cat," remarked Harry, "and he's
a big fellow, too."
"He is indeed ; he would have made it lively
for us if he had got the chance."
" He came mighty nigh getting the chance;
I wonder whether his mate is near us."
The match went out, and standing motionless
they again listened. Nothing, however, of an
alarming nature was heard.
" The first thing that a wise hunter does after

LOST IN THE WOODS. 13
firing his gun is to reload it," remarked Harry;
"it isn't the handiest thing in the world to' do
just now, and if you will strike a match or two
I'll be obliged."
By the help of the bits of burning pine, the
lads soon had their weapons ready for use.
Their rifles were excellent pieces, though not
of the breech-loading pattern. They had used
them many times before, and the skill of the
lads was considerable.
" Well," said Harry, after picking their way
fully a quarter of a mile further, " I would be
mighty glad if I could believe we were not lost,
but the only thing that will change my mind is
the light in Aunt Maggie's window. Do you
see any thing, Ned?"
' ' Nothing but blank darkness on every hand ;
we're lost as sure as a gun."
The night was cloudy and quite dark, though
in the open places, where there were no trees,
objects could be seen at a distance of perhaps
a dozen yards. Now and then a snowflake
fluttered against the cheek of one of the lads,
but -the particles were so few that none as yet
showed on the ground. The storm still held

14 i UP THE TAPAJ0S.
off, though it threatened to come at any
moment. The section through which the boys were
making their way with so much toil was, as I
have said, in the wildest part of Pike County,
famous for its savage solitudes, deadly serpents
and wild beasts. The neighborhood was not so
mountainous as many others, but there were
more abrupt slopes, craggy rocks, deep ravines,
dense woods and undergrowth than was agree
able to the boys. They had labored hard dur
ing the day to make their way through the
country, but when darkness came the difficulty
was increased tenfold. In fact, nothing was
clearer than that they were progressing at the
risk of their lives. They were liable to fall
over the precipices that more than once were
not seen until they were on the very edge of
them. But their dread of staying in the wilds all
night, and the hope that a little further
advance would bring them in sight of the star
like twinkle of light from the window of Aunt
Maggie's cabin, led them further than they at
first meant to go. They had shouted and hal-

LOST IN THE WOODS. 15
looed and fired off their rifles in the hope of
attracting the notice of their friend, Jack
Blockley, who would be on the lookout for
them as soon as the sun went down. But noth
ing in the way of reply greeted eye or ear, and
at last the point was reached when they
decided to push the search no further.
They did not forget to keep watch for the
mate of the wild cat that had been shot, and
indeed for all kinds of wild beasts found in that
section, but after the affray that I have
. described, they were molested no more.
Although clothed in coarse, strong clothing
and shoes, they had nothing in the way of extra
covering. When they set out in the morning,
nothing was further from their thoughts than
that of camping out over night. An overcoat
or blanket, therefore, would have been a bur
den to each, and indeed, during the day, would
have become oppressive. With the increasing
coldness of night, such clothing would have
been more than welcome ; but, having it not,
they felt the need of making their quarters in
some place that would give them shelter from
the raw, cutting wind.

16 UP THE TAPAJ0S.
" There must be plenty of caves," said Ned,
who was tired and disgusted ; ' * and we ought
to be able to find one with little trouble."
' ' That' s what I' ve been looking for ever since
we shot that wild cat," said Harry, " and if I
ain't mistaken, we have struck it at last."
"How is that?"
He extended his arm to the left. In the
gloom nothing could be seen except a dark
towering mass that appeared to be overgrown
with creeping vines, and could only be reached
by picking their way through and around the
rocks in front.
"Of course, I ain't sure of anything of the
kind being there," explained Harry, "but I'm
hopeful that we shall find a place where we
can kindle a fire and get through the night
with something like comfort. Come on, we
shall soon know."

CHAPTER II.

DISPUTED QUAETEBS.

THE best of fortune followed. The lads
had not pressed far, when they came upon
the very refuge for which they were looking
with so much eagerness. An irregular open
ing some six feet in diameter at its largest
part, yawned before them, and no doubt led to
a cavern of greater or less extent beyond.
An exclamation of delight came from both,
as they halted in front of the dark opening,
which they wished to enter at once, though too
wise to do so.
"I guess it's just the place we want," said
Harry, "though we can't be sure without an
examination, and how are we going to make
that?" "I think I hear the sound of running water,"
said Ned, standing close to the entrance and

18 UP THE TAPAJOS.
leaning forward. After listening awhile, how
ever, they decided that it was nothing more
than the hollow roar which seems to come in a
less degree from a sea-shell when held to the
ear, and which in reality is, instead of a sound,
the absence of sound.
The matches were once more called into use.
Each lad ignited one and held it above his head,
while he peered into the gloom that was partly
lit up by the feeble glow. So far as they could
make out, they stood in a cavern which may be
roughly described as varying from five to
twenty feet in height, with the same width.
They were unable to see how far back it ex
tended, but afterward learned that they could
walk and creep for fully twenty yards from the
mouth. "This is lucky," exclaimed Harry ; "all we
need is some wood for a fire."
"We can soon gather that," said Ned, turn
ing about to leave the cavern, his cousin directly
behind him.
On the outside, they set down their guns, so
as to give them the free use of their arms, and
then separated to gather the much-needed- fuel.

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 19
There was an abundance of stunted pines near,
and they collected from them. In addition to
the dried and decayed branches, they broke off
limbs and dragged them into the cavern, until •
it looked as if they had enough to last a week.
As soon as he could, Harry started a blaze a
dozen feet or so from the mouth, but the smoke
bothered them so much that he moved the
burning wood nearer the opening. They were
still coughing and rubbing their smarting eyes,
when, to their delight, a draught started, in
ward ; the vapor cleared, and their situation
became pleasant.
"I wonder whether we hadn't better gather
some more wood," said Ned, looking doubtfully
at the pile in the other part of the cavern ; ' ' that
seems large, but I don't believe it will last till
morning." "Hike the suggestion," said Harry; "I've
had a little doubt myself on that point ; you
will stay here and keep the blaze going, while
I gather several armfuls more."
The truth was Harry saw that his cousin was
worn out. He was not as strong as himself,
and he made this excuse so as not to disturb.

20 UP THE TAPAJOS.
his rest. Ned saw through the little subter
fuge and did not object.
"This whole idiotic business is his idea,"
thought Ned, " and he ought to pay for it."
Harry brought in three armfuls, and in going
for the fourth and last, he moved to the right,
thereby following a slightly different course
from that taken before. At the second step he
was startled almost out of his senses. He
placed his hand on the jagged side of a rock
weighing many tons, in the instinctive effort to
steady himself, and, as he did so, felt the solid
mass move away from him !
"My gracious! what can be the meaning of
that?" he gasped, leaping back as if from be
fore another crouching wild cat; "Ned, come
here !"
His cousin hurried out, asking the cause of
the excitement.
" There's something wrong ; I touched that
rock and it moved back as if it wanted to get
out of my way."
"Maybe it did," said Ned, with a laugh ;
"but you and I ain't superstitious, and we'll
soon find the explanation."

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 21
The mass of stone to which Harry alluded,
towered above him, and was of a rough, irregu
lar spherical shape. It was so close to the face
of the stone pierced by the entrance to the
cavern, that there was barely room for the lad
to push his body between. It was while he
was trying to do so, that he was startled by
the moving of the enormous bulk.
Ned reached out his hand in a gingerly way
and pressed at first gently and then mOre
strongly against the solid body. To his sur
prise, it yielded to the extent of several
inches, instantly returning and vibrating a
number of times before it settled to rest.
The boys now understood that it was one of
those curiosities found in different parts of the
world and known as "Rocking Stones." The
immense rock was so evenly poised, on its cen
ter of gravity, that a slight push set it oscilla-.1
ting like a pendulum.
"We have read of such things," said Ned ;
" they are singular, and it is hard to under
stand how they came to be balanced so evenly ;
but after all there is nothing so very wonder
ful about them."

22 UP THE TAPAJOS.
They amused themselves for some minutes in
rocking the huge bowlder, which was made to
sway several times to an extent that it seemed
must end in its toppling over. It soon settled
back, however, as before, and they returned to
their place in the cavern.
"There is one thing certain," remarked
Harry, throwing himself down on the fragrant
boughs ©f pine; "the inward draught shows
' that there is an opening somewhere in the rear
for the smoke to escape. I have a mind to ex
plore it further."
"Oh, stay where you are," said his wearied
cousin; "after our long tramp, what can be
more pleasant than to stretch out in this fash
ion and rest?"
" If you would not pore over your books so
much, and would frolic out doors more than you
do, you would be a great deal stronger, Ned,
than you are, besides feeling much better."
"I couldn't feel any better than I do now,"
replied his cousin, with a laugh, "unless I had
some of Aunt Maggie's short cake and maple
syrup." " There isn't much chance of our getting any

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 23
of that to-night ; I am just as hungry as I can
be, but we shall have to stand it till morning.
I am thankful that we were able to find such a
,good place to protect us from the cold."
"We were fortunate, indeed; already the
fire has made this part of the cave so warm that
we shall be quite comfortable."
" Provided we don't let the fire go out, and
the only way for us to do that is to take turns
in watching."
" Why not sleep until awakened by the
cold, when we can throw on more wood ? "
"That might do," remarked Harry thought
fully ; "but, when we stood outside by the
swinging rock, it struck me that I saw some
kind of a path leading to the mouth of the
cave." "What of that?"
"That makes it possible that we may have
visitors in the night; and, if so, it isn't best
that they should find us asleep."
* ' Visitors, ' ' repeated Ned. ' ' Who could they
be ? There are no signs of anyone else having
been here before us."
"There may be signs further back in the

24 UP THE TAPAJOS.
cave. I am sure, too," added the elder lad ;
" that there is a rank smell inside which the
smoke doesn't carry off, that is caused by wild
animals." i
"Bears, for instance," suggested Ned, from
his couch of pine boughs, on the other side of
the fire.
" Exactly what I have been thinking ; you
know that bruin is fond of making his home in
hollow trees' and caves, and it would be singu
lar if one or more of them did not take pos
session of this place."
It was a rather alarming theory of Harry
Norwood — so much so indeed that the two
thought it best to investigate further. Each
drew a piece of burning wood from the flames,
and swinging it about his head, until it was
fanned into a flaring blaze, walked slowly back
toward the rear, peering into the gloom as they
went. The smoke from the fire annoyed them, but
they pushed on, and did not need to go far
before they saw evidences that at no remote
date some wild animal had spent a good part
of his time within the cavern. An examina-

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 25
tion of the long, black hairs that were quite
abundant left no doubt that the former occu
pant belonged to the Ursus species. In the
extreme rear, was a mass of dried leaves and
twigs that had formed his couch ; and where
probably he had slept not only at night but all
through the long winter, his only nourishment
being the store of fat in his system and that
which he could get by sucking his fore paw.
The lads not only made this discovery but
learned by what means the smoke from the
fire reached the open air. A long ways above
their heads, they saw a faintly marked and
irregular circle, less than a foot in diameter. It
was the dim light from the sky which revealed
the opening of the chimney that carried off the
vapor, which otherwise would have been more
than the boys could stand. The draught up
ward was so strong that the torches crackled
and blazed as though held in the throat
of a powerfully drawing chimney.
They had learned all that they had set out to
learn, and, assuring themselves that the cave
reached no further back, they returned to the
camp-fire, threw on more wood, and again

26 UP THE TAPAJOS.
stretched out on the pleasant couches of pine
boughs. "What we have found settles one question,"
said Harry decisively ; " it won't do for us to
get out of fuel, and we must not allow ourselves
to sleep at the same time."
" There's no disputing that ; if you will go
to sleep, I'll agree to keep watch till midnight,
when I'll awake you and you can take my
place as sentinel."
" I would prefer the other arrangement,
Ned ; I do not feel sleepy ; if you will take a
nap, I'll promise to wake you when I become
drowsy." "Anything to oblige you," muttered the
other, who was so wearied that his eyelids
were already heavy; "if I don't wake when
the night is half gone, be sure to rouse me."
Harry smiled and said nothing. The eyes of
his companion slowly closed and opened sev
eral times ; there was a weak smile ; some
thickly muttered words without any meaning,
and then Ned Livingston drifted into the land
of dreams.
, "Poor fellow," said his cousin to himself,

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 27
" he can't stand half as much as I; he is pale
and soon gives out ; a good many times I had
to walk slower on his account than I wanted to,
though I did not let him know it. He will
study all day and all night, if he is allowed to,
and he would not consent to take this excur
sion until his parents almost ordered him to do
so. If he could stay in the woods a month
or through the winter, it would make another
fellow of him. His folks worry about him,
and they will have to do something before long.
I tried to get him to join our base ball nine,
but he wouldn't, and it was hard work to coax
him out to see us play a game. He went one
day and had hardly taken a seat, when a foul
ball landed alongside his head, and he could
never be persuaded to be a spectator again. I
wonder how it looks outside."
Throwing some wood on the flames, that
really did not need it, Harry Norwood walked
to the opening of the cave and peered out into
the night. The picture was impressive, though
there was little that could be seen. Only the
nearest rocks, bowlders and stunted pines were
visible. Not a star twinkled in the sky* -Once

28 UP THE TAPAJOS.
he thought he caught a glimmer in the valley
below ; but though he waited and watched for
a quarter of an hour, he did not see it again,
and concluded that he was mistaken.
Something soft and cold touched his hand.
Reaching out, he found it was snowing. No
wind was blowing, but millions of flakes were
falling without the least sound, and already a
white thin mantle covered every thing.
"If this lasts long," was his thought, "and
we are very far from the house, we shall have
a tough time getting back  "
Could he be mistaken? Something in
front of him moved. The gloom was such
that he could not make it out, though it was
only a few yards distant. It was as if one of
the rocks was rolled aside ; but, while he was
peering as best he could into the obscurity, he
saw it again. It was closer than before and
was laboring toward him.
There was no doubt now in the mind of
Harry Norwood ; the bear, that had probably
left the cave some time during the day, was
coming back. The youth tarried long enough
to see that he was of enormous size, when he

DISPUTED QUARTERS. 29
hurriedly withdrew within the cavern to secure
his rifle, as well as the protection of the fire.
His first purpose was to rouse his cousin,
but when he saw how soundly he was sleeping,
he changed his mind.
" It will be time enough to wake you, when
I find myself unable to manage this fellow
without help."

CHAPTER III.

WALLED IN.

IF a big black bear can feel surprise, the
huge fellow that was lumbering homeward
that snowy night, through the mountains of
Pike County, Pennsylvania, must have been
astonished, when he waddled up to the entrance
to his quarters and caught sight of the fire burn
ing there, not to mention the two youngsters,
one of whom was very sound asleep and the
other very wide awake. He stopped short and
stood a minute with his snout in the air, and
his piggish eyes fixed on the amazing sight :
* ' Well, if that don' t beat all creation ! ' ' seemed
to be the exclamation that was striving to
escape him.
The next occurrence astonished him still
more. Harry Norwood knew there is no better pro-

WALLED IN. 31
tection against wild beasts than a blazing fire :
it is something that will always keep the most
courageous animal at bay. When, therefore,
he looked across and over the crackling pieces
of wood at the brute that seemed to fill the
whole entrance, he did not feel any personal
fear. The sight, even under such circumstances,
was not calculated to soothe the nerves of a
timid person. The firelight falling on the ani
mal showed him plainly. His shaggy coat
glistened with the snowfiakes it had caught, and
which looked as though the beast had suddenly
turned half gray in color, and his long claws
rattled on the flinty floor, as he shifted his po
sition. He did not rear on his hind legs, as his
kind is inclined to do on slight provocation ; but
he stood squarely on his feet, with his mouth
open, so that his teeth showed. The eyes reflect
ed the glow in a way that added to the fierceness
Of his looks, and the low, cavernous growl that
came through the massive jaws was a fit accom
paniment to his terrifying appearance.
It took Harry Norwood a very brief time to
gather all these points. While doing so, he

32 UP THE TAPAJOS.
slowly drew his rifle to his shoulder, aimed
carefully at the huge head, and pulled the trig
ger. In the hollowness of the cavern, the report
was deafening, and Ned Livingston sat bolt
upright, stared wildly around, and gasped,
"What' under the sun is the matter,
Harry?" " Oh, nothing ; only a big bear wanted to
chew you up, but before he could get your head
in his mouth I plugged him ; I think he has con
cluded to withdraw."
"That was all, eh?" said Ned, quick to
catch the point ; " I thought maybe you had
struck your toe against something and was call
ing out with pain ? What was the use of wak
ing me ? "
The lads were now on their feet ; Harry busy
reloading his piece, while Ned looked for a
chance to shoot at something. The elder had
intended to give the intruder a second shot from
his companion's rifle, but before he could do so,
the owner himself grasped it.
Meanwhile the bear had retreated. Undoubt
edly he was hit hard, for the space between
himself and the young hunter was so short that

WALLED IN. 33
amiss was impossible. The bullet bored its
way into his huge skull, and with a sniffing
snort, he wheeled half way round and went
tumbling, scrambling, rolling and clawing out
of the cavern.
On the outside, his struggles became still more
furious. The boys listened for a few seconds,
and then Harry, who had finished reloading his
gun, said,
"Let's go out and give him the finishing
touch." "I guess you have done it already," was the
truthful remark of Ned, as he walked by his
side, toward the opening of the cavern, through
which, it is safe to say, the brute withdrew in
more of a hurry than ever before.
They lacked a step only of the opening when
it seemed to them that half the mountain had
fallen. A mass of rock came down with a crash
that jarred the solid stone on which they stood,
and almost lifted them from their feet. The con
cussion blew some of the smaller brands clean
away from the rest of the fire, and caused a
ringing in their ears for some minutes after
ward.

34 UP THE TAPAJOS. '
Harry and Ned were startled, as they might
well be. They stood bewildered for a few
moments, and then Harry, whose high spirits
led him at times to see humor where it was
invisible to others, said :
" The bear has rolled that rocking stone over
the mouth of the cave, so as to keep us here till he
can get some one to come back and finish us."
These words, uttered in jest, contained an
alarming amount of fact. The huge beast, in
his dying struggles, had managed to throw him
self against the rocking stone with such vio
lence that it was pushed beyond its center of
gravity and toppled over in front of the
entrance. There might be something in the idea sug
gested by Harry to cause a smile, but when the
lads came to investigate, they felt little incli
nation to laugh. The ponderous stone, in going
over, had crashed down directly in front of the
only way by which anyone could enter or leave
the cavern. Harry Norwood and Ned Living
ston were walled in as securely as if placed
in the lowermost vaults of a prison cut into the
.solid rock.

WALLED IN. 35
It did not take them long to find out the fear-.
fui truth. They- looked in each other's white
faces and were speechless for a minute. Ne,d
felt so faint that he sat down on the pile of
boughs and held his head in his hands until he
could recover his strength.
Convinced that there was no help, Harry
could not do like his cousin ; he must keep to
work in the effort to do something or to find
some means of getting themselves out. Inas
much as the rock had been poised so long on a
point that allowed it to swing back and forth,
he wondered whether it was not possible that
it still rested on a new support, in such a way
that a strong effort would push it over.
He placed both hands against it and shoved
gently, then harder, and then spitefully and
with might and main. He might as well have
sought to topple over one of the Pyramids of
Egypt. Then he tried it from different points,
but with the same result, or rather with no
result at all.
The mass entirely blocked up the path. Of
course the irregularities prevented the stoppage
being air-tight. There were openings at the

36 UP THE TAPAJOS.
sides, many of which were large enough for
them to shove their hands through, and which
admitted a strong current of air that kept up
the draught over the fire and through the open
ing at the rear ; but there was none through
which Tom Thumb (before the bloat and cor
pulency of his later days) could have squeezed
his way.
By the time Harry had finished his brief but
complete survey, Ned had rallied from his
extreme dejection. He walked to where his
cousin stood surveying the flinty bulk, as
though he still hoped to find something in
nature of an "Open Sesame," that would clear
the passage for them to the outer world.
"Well, Harry," said he; "it is a very
strange scrape the bear has gotten us into ; I
hear nothing more of him."
"No ; he must be dead ; I guess that was
the last thing he did, when he gave the rock a
push that brought it down in front of the pas
sage. I don't see any way by which we can
ever force ourselves through. Can it be that
there is some opening in the back of the
cavern that we did not discover ?"

WALLED IN. 37
"lam afraid not, but let us find out ; any
thing is better than to sit down in despair as
we may have to do."
Picking up a torch apiece they once more
moved toward the other part of the cavern. They
walked more quickly than before, because they
had gained a fuller knowledge of the interior,
and they were now impelled by a dread that
crowded out all other emotions.
Back and forth they passed, swaying the
flaming torches and examining every foot of tha
rocky sides, floor, and roof. They were able
to swing the brands into such a flaring flame
that no part of the interior escaped their
scrutiny. Had the noonday sun lit up the
gloomy recesses, the search could not have
been more thorough. After making a complete
survey, they turned about and went over it^
again, as a person will do when searching a
room for some article that can not be found.
All in vain : the result was the same each
time : there was no outlet to the cavern, nor
could there be any until the stone which
blocked the entrance was rolled aside. The
conclusion was enough to overwhelm them with

38 UP THE TAPAJOS.
despair, but in their case it did not do so.
They were greatly depressed, as was inevitable;
but a couple of lads of their age are the last
ones to sit down, fold their hands, and sigh away
their lives.
The time, however, came when both were
worn out, and they seated themselves once
more by the fire which had been kept burning
brightly. They had said little, but they felt
now as though it would be a relief to express
their feelings, so far as it was possible to do
so. " I tell you, Ned, it looks pretty rough and
no mistake."
" So it does, indeed ; if I live to get out of
this fix, you can make sure I shall never
trouble this outlandish country again. But
there is no use of thinking what we will do
hereafter until we find the chance to do
it." " True; and I must own that I see no hope
at all."
"It is a waste of time to look anywhere
except there," said Ned, pointing to the pas
sage. " If we ever escape from this cavern, jt

WALLED IN. 39
must be by the same way that we entered. If we
had a good strong lever, I wonder whether we
could do anything to help ourselves."
" Not unless it was that of Archimedes.
When I tried to push the rock aside, it was
under the foolish hope that it might be resting
on a point similar to that on which it was
poised before. You can see that it must weigh
a good many tons."
"That goes to show that there is no help for
us except it comes from the outside."
" And there is no man on the outside and
within miles of us except Jack Blockley."
" Unless some hunter or settler may wander
this way, and I suppose there is about one
chance in ten thousand million of that coming
to pass. Besides, we have no way of signaling s
to Jack, if he should approach within a hundred
yards of the cave."
Por several hours the cousins reclined on the
pine boughs, while they talked and talked in
the vain effort to think of some method of
freeing themselves from the prison in which
they had become immured by one of the
strangest accidents .that imagination can con-

40 UP THE NAPAJOS.
cei've. Finally they grew weary, and, ceasing
their conversation, fell into a slumber which
lasted until morning.
Ned was the first to awake, and the moment
he stirred Harry rose to a sitting position,
rubbed his eyes and looked around. The fire
had smoldered to a few embers, and both
were chilled. They gaped, stretched their
arms, kicked, stamped and jumped about until
their blood circulated again. The embers were
heaped together, more wood was thrown on,
and the crackling flames soon sent out a vol
ume of grateful warmth in which it may be
said the two (after a few minutes spent in devo
tions), bathed themselves.
They were hungry and thirsty. There was
no means of satisfying the appetite, but there
was a way of quenching their thirst. A small
pile of snow lay under the chimney, through
which it had sifted during the night. It gen
erally increases one's thirst to take snow in the
mouth, but the lads got enough to feel relieved.
In addition, considerable had drifted through
the crevices and openings around the "Rock
ing Stone," so that the cousins were not

WALLED IN. 41
likely for a considerable time to suffer from
thirst. Their hunger was not as ravening as on the
evening before, but they felt weak. Besides,,
they missed their morning ablutions, the tooth
brush, ,the comb, and the other little luxuries
that had become a second nature to them.
Altogether, their situation was uncomfortable,
which is stating the case as mildly as possible.
Both peered out from the front. They saw
the country everywhere, so far as their vision
extended, covered with snow. The pine trees
drooped with it, the rocks were hidden from
sight, and not a sign of their own footprints
was visible. Some three or four inches of the
spotless mantle had fallen, but the sky had
cleared and the sun was now shining brightly.

CHAPTER IV.

HOW IT ENDED.

THERE was one place between the
Rocking Stone and the side of the
entrance where each boy in turn could force his
head a few inches further than at any other
point. By doing so they were able to catch
sight of the snout and a part of the two fore
paws of the bear that had shut them in prison.
They were coated with snow, and doubtless
bruin had been stone dead for hours.
"Harry," said Ned, when they had replaced
their caps and stood erect again within the
cavern, "have you thought of any means of
helping ourselves ? "
" I have tried to think of something, and
have had all sorts of dreams, but I am just as
much at a loss as I was last night ; 1 suspect
that you have something to propose."

HOW IT ENDED. 43
"There are one or two things that I have
thought of, but I am afraid to name them."
" Name one."
1 ' I have wondered whether we could use our
knives to cut away enough of the rock to
widen that passage into which we shoved our
heads." " It isn't likely, but we will soon find out."
Both whipped ,out their jack-knives and went
to work with a will. It was a painful discov
ery to make, but by the time they had worn
the edges from all the blades they had not
chipped off an ounce of stone between them.
Its fiber, so to speak, was of the hardest kind,
and fifty knives would have done them no
good ; they sighed and gave it up.
"No use," said Harry; "we have simply
ruined our knives — that's all. Can't you sug
gest something else, Ned, while the fit is on
you?" " Have we enough powder between us to blast
off any of the rock ? "
Harry started at the proposition, and was
inclined to believe in it. Their powder-flasks
were nearly full, and it would seem that with

44 UP THE TAPAJOS.
its tremendous power the compound ought to
be available.
Sad to say, however, it very soon became clear
that gunpowder could not aid them in the
slightest degree — that is, so long as they them
selves were forced to apply it. There was no
crevice into which the explosive could be
poured, and they could not drill a hole.
" Another failure," said Harry, with a half
laugh; "you'll have to do better than that,
Ned ; what is the next scheme ?"
"You can beat the world at finding some
thing to laugh at," remarked his cousin impa-,
tiently ; "I don't see why you smile."
"A fellow can't cry all the time, anymore
than he can laugh all the time. I do feel blue,
indeed, but I'm bound to seize every chance to
grin when I feel like it. It struck me just then
as rather odd that you should think of the
schemes while I tried them. Come ; I'm ready
for the next ; I can tell by your looks that it is
something brilliant this time."
Ned was thoughtful a minute, and then
reaching down he drew out a piece of burning
wqod which he was about to circle around his

HOW IT ENDED. 45
head, so as to increase its illuminating power,
when he changed his mind and threw it back
again. "I forgot that the sun is shining outside and
we don't need it. Come along, Harry."
They had to walk only a short distance, when
they stood underneath the opening to which I
I have referred as the one through which the
smoke left the cavern.
"I have asked myself once or twice," said
Ned in explanation, " whether it is possible to
make use of that."
Before replying, Harry stepped back several
feet, so that he could look aloft without caus
ing his neck to hurt him, and then folding his
arms, he gazed upward. The blue patch of sky
seen through the opening never looked so
lovely to him, and alas, never was it so far
away. "Ned, I'm sorry to say that there are two
fatal defects in that plan. So much sunlight
finds its way through the opening that we have
as fair a view of this part of the cavern as we
had last night. You observe that in their
irregular way the rough sides slope upward to-

46 UP THE TAPAJOS.
ward the opening, after the fashion of the in-
side of a bottle, so that to reach that outlet,
you would have to travel after the manner of
a fly when he creeps along the ceiling.
"Then, again, the opening passes through
several feet of rock, and is too narrow for the
smallest child to force his way through. Having
shown you, therefore, that it is absolutely im
possible to reach that outlet, and that if we
could succeed in reaching it, it is absolutely
useless, you are prepared to admit that the
scheme isn't worth much."
' ' I had very little faith in it myself, and,
when we came out here, saw that there was
nothing in it."
"I am ready to test the next plan you have
in mind."
"I haven't any more," said Ned, sadly.
Harry was silent. He had no disposition
now to laugh. By a common impulse, they
walked back to the entrance and stopped in
front of the cruel mass which stood immova
bly between them and freedom.
" Jack must have been worried, because we
failed to get home last night," said Harry ; " I

HOW IT ENDED. 47
don't believe he or Aunt Maggie has slept a
wink> and he has been hunting for us from the
first streak of daylight."
" There is no doubt of that, but what is there
to guide him ? Jack ran off to sea when he.
was a small boy, and he knows nothing about
the woods. Even if he was able to follow a
trail as well as an Indian, he could not do so
now, because all this snow has fallen since we
entered the cave."
" And he has no dog."
"If he had, it would be of no use, for the
snow would hide our trail from him, unless he
belonged to that wonderful breed I've read
about in Georgia, which will stick to a man' s
foot-prints, when he uses the same kind of
shoes that hundreds of others do, who have
tramped over his trail before the dog set out to
follow it. They don't have such dogs in Pike
county, and I' ve sometimes wondered whether
they have them in Georgia."
" Then it would seem that we must depend
upon chance for Jack to find us."
"I can't see where there is any chance at
all," replied Ned, with another long-drawn sigh

48 UP THE TAPAJOS,
that showed that about every particle of hope
had left him.
Strange that there was a method which never
occurred to these two bright lads and by
which their faithful friend might be depended
upon to discover their prison.
"You speak, Ned, as though you had given
up all hope," said Harry deeply grieved by
the despondent frame of his cousin. " We can
fire off our guns at the opening and shout."
" It will do no good ; I don't believe we shall
ever get out of this cave ; it may be that years
from now some party may force away the
stone from our sepulcher and find our bones,
while no one will ever explain the mystery of
our taking off ; for who can believe the story
that we were imprisoned by a bear ? We shall
never see home or friends again, but shall die
the slow, dreadful death of starvation and
thirst ; we may as well make up our minds — "
" Helloa, you land lubbers ! are you. in
there?" The broad, honest face of Jack Blockley
appeared in front of the largest opening beside
the Rocking Stone, as he squinted his eyes in

HOW IT ENDED. 49
the vain-effort to peer into the gloom of the
cavern ; ' ' because if you are in there, say so,
and if you ain' 1 1' 11 be obleeged for the informa
tion. Helloa! why don't you answer, you
lubbers? Helloa! helloa! HEL-L-O-A! "
"Yes; we're in here, — God be praised ! "
shouted back Ned Livingston, whose feelings,
I need not say, had undergone a change within
the last few seconds.
"I s'pose you like this place better than
Aunt Maggie's, " added the sailor, in a voice
which it is safe to say could be heard a mile
away on that crisp, autumn morning ; " which
is why you stayed here and let the one hun
dred arid eighty-four short-cake biscuits that
she had cooked for you sp'il ; what the mis
chief do you think of yourselves?" roared
Jack. "I was so distressed last night that I
didn't gain more than 'leven hours sleep
altogether ; say, how do you get into this
blamed thing? I don't see any door-bell or
knocker, and this big b'ar looks as though he
had butted out his brains while tryin' to push
the door in ; say, where is the door ? Shiver
my timbers ! but I can't get any answer out of

50 UP THE TAPAJOS.
you at all ; what's the matter and why don't
you tell me what you think of yourselves ? "
By and by, the jolly sailor gave them the
chance, and the boys told their story. When
they tried to explain that the wounded bear
had rolled the enormous mass of stone in front
of the entrance, Jack roared his disbelief ; but
it so happened that he remembered this cave,
which he had visited when a small boy, and as
a consequence knew of the Rocking Stone that
had played the lads such a trick.
"Now, Jack," said Harry, when at last he
expressed a willingness to accept their state
ment ; ' ' tell us how it was you knew where to
look: for us ; Ned was in the act of declaring
that there was not the slightest chance of our
getting out alive, when we heard your voice.
We were going to fire off our guns and shout
through the entrance in the faint hope that
somebody might hear us, but we hadn't done
so yet."
"Why in the fust place," said the sailor,
" you're about two hundred yards — mebbe not
quite so much — from our house."
"Is it possible!" exclaimed Ned; "how

HOW rr ENDED. 51
was it we didn't see the light from the
window ? "
" You would, if you had climbed up the
ridge right back of the cave, which shuts it
out ; the candles was lit airly last night, for
mother was afraid you had lost your way, and,
if you had only given one of your ,yells we
would have heard you."
"Strange, that after shouting and firing off
our guns early in the evening, we forgot to do
so, when we reached a point where you would
have heard it. But you haven't told us how
you came to look in the cave for us." .
' ' Why the first thing that I seed this morn
ing, when I come to the door and looked out, -
was the smoke curling up from the ridge ; I
knowed that nobody lived in there, though
I've been inside a good may times ; I said to
mother, ' Do you know that them two lubberin'
fools has crawled into that cave and built a fire ?
It must be them ' cause nobody else was in
these parts last night, 'cause if they were
they'd knowed enough to come to our house.'
Well, mother came to the door, and shaded
her eyes, and said she reckoned as how it was

52 UP THE TAPAJOS.
you, and she hustled around to get some flap
jacks ready while I came here to hurry you to
breakfast." "That's all very well," said the happy
Harry, "and we'll be there as quickly as we
know, if you will show us some way of getting
out of this prison."
The boys could feel no misgivings, now that
their dilemma was known, but it was no easy
matter to extricate them. After carefully
examining the rock from the outside, Jack
said he could do nothing without help, and in
such a sparsely settled section it would take a
number of hours to get it.
In the meantime, Aunt Maggie, when matters
were explained to her, brought her flap-jacks,
fried eggs and hot coffee to the lads and passed
them throagh the openings to them. It cer:
tainly was a novel meal, but I am safe in say
ing they never enjoyed a feast more than that
one. It was not until the middle of the afternoon,
that Jack Blockley, with the help of two set
tlers, was able after great labor to pry the
Rocking Stone far enough to one side to allow

HOW IT ENDED. ' 53
the lads to crawl out. It was done, however,
at last, and two more delighted youngsters were
never seen than they when they emerged into
the bright sunshine and received the congratu
lations of their friends.
And now, having introduced Jack Blockley,
Harry Norwood and Ned Livingston to you
under somewhat peculiar circumstances, it
becomes my duty to introduce them a second
time, but in another part of the world, and
amid a series of incidents whose narration I
trust will not prove uninteresting to you.

CHAPTER V.

ADRIFT.

" "T^ES, I'm free to own that this is the
-L worst scrape of my life I've been
caught in a cyclone in the Indian Ocean, was
wrecked in the Pacific, and was on the Sally
Jane of New Bedford when we were attacked
by pirates in the Yellow Sea, and me and two
others was all that got away with our lives.
That was pretty rough, too, in Baffin Bay,
when a whale towed us three miles, and night
came on and we got lost from the ship, and
wasn't picked up for four days ; but this
is worse than that."
" That must have been a pretty strong whale,
Jack, to drag you such a distance through the
water." "There wasn't any thing oncommonly strong
about him ; leastways he didn't serve us as bad

ADRIFT. 55
as this whale that was the means of getting- us
into this trouble."
" I agree with Jack as to the viciousness of
this particular fish, or animal, as I believe it is
proper to call a whale ; I'm sure, Harry, you
and I never saw any thing of the kind."
"We didn't see this one, Ned, you must
remember, though he gave us a blow that must-
have been terrible. If there are such things as
mad whales, I should say this was one of that
kind." "There are mad whales, boys, as almost any
old whaler will tell you ; more than one vessel
has been sent to the bottom by these savage
creatures. I've seen 'em myself: I don't
know whether the one that got us into this fix
was mad until we struck him, but he behaved
very much like it. Howsumever, there ain' t any
use of talking of such things at this time ; the^
question is whether we shall ever live to tell of
this adventur'."
"When that bear imprisoned Ned and me
in the cave last fall," said Harry, "we thought
it was all over with us ; but what is your belief,
Jack?"

56 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"I don't like to say, but there's no use of
"denyin' that the chances are much agin it."
' The foregoing conversation took place one
moonless night, in longitude 26 deg. 30 min.
east from Washington, and latitude about one
degree north. It will be a profitable and easy
exercise for my readers to locate the spot on
their maps.
The words which I have given were spoken
by our three friends, whose acquaintance the
reader made in the preceding pages : — Jack
Blockley, the sailor, Ned Livingston and Harry
Norwood. Jack had served as second and first
mate, and had had more than one chance to
act as captain ; but, like all of his class, he was
superstitious, and it was this weakness that
restrained him. When a young man, a fortune
teller, while scrutinizing the lines in the palm
of his hand, told him that the first voyage on
which he sailed in command of a ship would be
his last. Jack could not rid himself of a belief
in the idle words, and it was that cause alone,
which prevented the promotion he had earned
long before the time of which I speak.
You have already learned something about

ADRIFT. 57
the two boys, Ned Livingston and Harry-Nor
wood, in- the account given of their adventure
in the wilds of western Pennsylvania. It was
during the succeeding year that they and their
sailor friend Jack Blockley were floating on a
raft barely sufficient to hold their weight, with
not the slightest idea of the direction they were
drifting. They had not a particle of food or a
drop of fresh water; there was not a star
twinkling in the black vault overhead, nor
could the straining eye, as it swept the inky
horizon, catch the first sign of a point of
light. It was like the darkness of Egypt, above,
below, and all around them ; and the only
sound that came to their ears was the hollow
booming of the ocean, the wash of the waves
against the frail craft, and the whistling of the
wind that had been blowing almost a gale for
hours. How it was Jack Blockley and the two boys
came to be placed in this dreadful situation, I
shall tell in as few words as possible.
The schooner Robinson Crusoe, in the month
of June, 1880, left the city of Philadelphia for

58 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Para, which, all my readers know, is a large
city some distance up the Para River, South
America. She had been sent by several
capitalists for a cargo of raw rubber, which is
largely exported from that country.
One of the gentlemen who chartered the
Robinson Crusoe was Russel Livingston, whose
son Ned was in rather delicate health from long
application to his books. Indeed, he had read
and studied so much that he was far in advance
of his class, and his father became alarmed.
He was growing hollow-chested; his cheeks
were often flushed, and he complained of loss
of appetite and frequent headache.
The family physician said the cause was
plain : want of exercise and too much work of
the brain.
• "If he will throw away his books for the
rest of the summer; join a base-ball club; row
a shell up and down the Schuylkill an hour or
two each day; go to Atlantic City and boat and
fish in a coarse flannel suit, he will soon come
all right. He is naturally strong and healthy,
but he needs to keep this up only a year or two
longer to die."

ADRIFT. 59.
The father and mother sighed, the former
saying :
"It seems impossible to interest Ned in any
thing except his books. If I would allow him,
he would sit up every night until one or two
o'clock over his geometry or history or Latin.
He is obedient, and will do every thing that his
parents wish, except play. Last fall I almost
jdrove him from home, with his cousin Harry,
who went on a hunting excursion into western
Pennsylvania with a sailor friend. He had
been there before, but this venture came near
being his last. The boys were caught in a cave,
from which they were rescued just in time to
save their lives."
" Can't you interest him in the cultivation of
fruit ?" asked the medical man.
" I have tried it, but it is punishment."
"Don't he like to go out to the athletic
grounds and look at the games of base
ball?" " He would rather be whipped."
" So would I, but some folks find enjoyment
in it. I wonder  "
The physician stopped and thought a minute

60 UP THE TAPAJOS.
or two. He was serious, for none appreciated
more than he the gravity of the matter.
"Exercise does little good unless one is in
terested in it ; we must take radical measures
with Ned ; you must send him on a sea voyage,
where he will become delighted with what he
sees ; he must be absent from home for weeks ;
he must not be allowed any books or studies,
and he will quickly build up. Let me see, Mr.
Livingston, I believe you are part owner of a
vessel going to South America for India-
rubber." "lam." "That is providential; send your boy on
that ; secure a companion near his own age —
one fond of play, and turn 'em loose for
several months."
The plan of the wise doctor was carried out
in spirit and letter. The father of Harry Nor
wood was also interested in the rubber enter
prise, and though there was no need for Harry
to take a vacation, yet when the two boys and
the parents of one pleaded with Mr. Norwood,
he was obliged to give his consent.
There was no danger of Harry hurting Mm-

ADRIFT. 61
self with study. He belonged to two base-ball
clubs, one cricket, and was captain of a boat
club. He was fond of hunting and fishing,
was a capital shot, could sail his yacht up and
down Barnegat Bay as well as the old seamen
who live in that neighborhood, and there was
none of his age who could beat him in running,
skating, wrestling, or any of the boyish sports.
It is more than likely that some parents will
doubt me when I say Harry was an excellent
scholar in school, but such was the fact. So
long as a boy does not carry his outdoor sports
-too far, they are of vast benefit to him. Brain
and muscle should be cultivated together, and
" a sound mind in a sound body " is what the
Creator intended each of us should have.
Thus it came about that Harry and Ned
sailed from Philadelphia on the schooner
Robinson Crusoe, under charge of skipper
Dave Lamokin and eight seamen. The ex
pectation was to be gone two or three months,
and the captain understood that there was no
call upon him to hurry matters at all.
Off Hatteras, the vessel was caught in a
tempest, which wrenched her frightfully and

62 UP THE TAPAJOS.
came near sending her to the bottom. The
boys were never so terrified in all their lives,
and wished themselves home a hundred times.
The schooner, however, pulled through all
right, though she leaked pretty badly for
several days. She would have reached her
destination without further trouble but for a
most remarkable accident, of which I have
already hinted.
When near the equator, one night she struck
an immense whale, that was probably sleeping
near the surface. Maddened with pain the
enormous animal retreated several hundred
yards, then suddenly wheeled and rushed with
full speed at the.schooner.
The captain and crew saw their peril, but
there was no escape. The side of the vessel
was smashed in like that of the Oregon by the
mysterious schooner, and the sea poured
through. The greatest consternation prevailed,
for it was certain the schooner must speedily
sink. The captain lost his head, and, hastily
lowering the boat, sprang in, followed by several
of his crew, and pushed off.

CHAPTER VI.
THE POROROCA.
JACK BLOCKLEY could have made his
escape with the others, but to do so would
have compelled him to desert the two boys, who
stood no chance in the fierce struggle of the
sailors to leave the sinking ship. The honest
fellow would have died before committing such
a cowardly act, and he stayed behind, bestow
ing some vigorous language on Captain
Lamokin and the others for their desertion of
the boys.
But before the boat had pulled away in the
darkness, Jack was working might and main
'at his raft, for he felt there was not a moment.
to lose. Indeed, he and his young friends
would have been in a desperate strait had the
Robinson Crusoe gone down as early as all
believed it would do, a moment after the acci
dent ; but, providentially, the schooner set-

64 UP THE TAPAJOS. -
tied so slowly that plenty of time was given
the deft Jack to finish the craft on which he
and the boys were to trust themselves.
It was a rough structure of spars, hencoops,
and whatever buoyant substance he could lay
hands on. Ned and Harry did their utmost
to help, but it was little. The sailor was an
expert in tying knots, and in a short while he
had the pieces lashed together, and, as the gun
wales of the schooner were very low, not a
minute was lost in embarking.
Jack had his sheath-knife at his waist, and
he caught up a gun, which was presented to
him by Mr. Livingston before the sailor left
Philadelphia. He had not used it as yet, but
it was a valuable weapon, and naturally he
was anxious to save it. Besides this, Jack
tossed a bag of provisions and placed a jug of
fresh water on the raft.
Ned and Harry each made sure he had his rifle
and plenty of ammunition, though they might
well doubt the use to which they could be put ;
then the three carefully stepped on the raft,
that sank quite low with their weight, and
Jack pushed off with his improvised paddle.

THE POROROCA. 65
" The schooner is ready to go down," said
the sailor, " and it won't do for us to be too
close." "Why not?"
" We may be drawn into the whirlpool and
be pulled down with it."
"There she goes ! "
The vessel seemed to yield to the forces tug- '
ging at her vitals ; she had sailed over many a
sea, but the grim enemy, which is always
reaching after every thing, had secured his
death grip at last. The career of the Robin
son Crusoe was ended.
Suddenly the bow rose, as if it felt the spur of
the merciless rider — it remained motionless, as
though glaring for one moment at the chasm
into which it was about to plunge, and then it
bounded forward and went down into the ocean
caverns, which have received so many multi
tudes of human beings and such boundless
treasures of wealth in the past, and which still
yawn for more.
A peculiar swish and hiss followed, as the
topmasts glided under and the waves rushed
together over the grave of the vessel which, after

66 UP THE TAPAJOS.
fighting the storms and tempests so gallantly,
was destined to die such an unworthy death.
"Lookout!"
The swirl made in the sea by such a sudden
submergence struck the raft, on which all three
were silently standing watching the impressive
sight through the gloom, and the structure was
tossed about with such force that both lads
were thrown down. At the same instant the
bag of provisions and the jug of water rolled
over-board, and Harry Norwood narrowly
missed losing his gun — a disaster that he would
have mourned tenfold more than the loss of
their stock of water and provisions.
Thus it came to pass that Jack Blockley and
the boys were adrift in the starless night, with
blank darkness above, below and on every
hand. The wind was blowing strongly from
the east, as it had been for a number of hours
before, and about all the sailor knew was that
the schooner was off the coast of South America
at the time the whale stove in her side and
sent her to the bottom.
It was known, too, that the vessel had been
sailing for more than a day through the waters

THE POROROCA. 67
that had come down the mighty Amazon ; for ,
the muddy taint is often visible hundreds of
miles out to sea, and Jack could form no defin
ite idea of where they were.
"If we were drifting in the mouth of the
Amazon," said Harry, who, like Ned, had
risen again to his feet and was peering around in
the gloom, "it seems to me we ought to hear
something of the Por or oca, though I don't
suppose we can drift up the river."
"I s'pose you've spent a good deal of your
time over your books," said Jack Blockley,
still standing erect and holding his paddle in
hand, "but there is a good deal left for you
to larn."
" There can be no doubt of that, and so there
would be after I had spent all my life in
study," was the meek answer of Ned Living
ston, who was not vain of his knowledge. ' ' I
have never seen the Pororoca, Jack, because
this is the first time I was ever in this latitude
— that is, if we are in any latitude — but I have
been told that the sight is a wonderful one, and
I hoped to see it."
" So it is — so it is," said the sailor ; "I seen

68 UP THE TAPAJOS.
it two years ago and it struck me all aback, for
it was a long time before I could understand
what made it."
"That is simple enough," struck in Harry,
who was better informed than would be sup
posed from his fondness for athletic sports ;
" the waters of the Amazon rush out into the
ocean with inconceivable force ; there is a sea
current that sweeps northward along the coast
with great velocity, and these two meet at right
angles, with a momentum that is terrific. A
mountainous wall of tumbling, foaming water
is raised like the whirlpool below Niagara. The
sight must be a terrifying one. ' '
' ' I have heard it described as a regular battle
between the Amazon and the Atlantic," said
Ned, "but, like many such battles, it ends
in a draw or compromise, for the current keeps
on to the northward by Guiana, while the
sweep of the Amazon is perceptible five hun
dred miles out to sea."
"The Indians along the cost give this
phenomenon the name of Por or oca," said
Harry, "though I don't understand what it
means."

THE POROROCA. 69
" For the good reason that you don't under
stand the Indian tongue ; but the noise of the
Pororoca can be heard for miles, and we have
noticed nothing of the kind."
" If we are at the mouth of the Amazon,"
said Harry, who was quick to form his conclu
sions, ' ' and the current can be felt so far from
the coast, it follows that we must be going out
to sea with it."
' ' That ere sounds natural and all right, but
it's likely to be just t'other way. The fact is,
the Amazon doesn't always run down stream."
The boys would have believed the sailor was
jesting had they not been aware of the remark
able fact that at certain seasons of the year a
strong east wind at the lower Amazon, where
the volume of water is so enormous, causes it
to flow backward and overflow the adjoining
country. But it was not reasonable to expect such a
result under the present circumstances, and the
sailor shared the belief with the boys that they
were being carried steadily out to sea, and at
that moment were probably along distance from
the ooast,

70 UP THE TAPAJOS.
It would seem that their case was not so
desperate after all, for they were in a portion
of the ocean traversed not only by sailing ves
sels but by the steamers plying between Rio
and other ports to the South and the United
States. It was the time when such rapid strides
were being made in the development of the
mighty Amazon, whose resources constitute one
of the wonders of the world. The raft was
drifting over what may be called the great
highway of nations, and many a poor sailor has
been rescued from apparently more hopeless
situations than that of Jack and his two
young friends.
But from some cause, which the sailor did
not choose to make known just then, he viewed
their position as a desperate one. He had
lashed the raft together so securely that he was
hopeful it would hold together through severe
weather ; they could go without provisions
and water for a day or two ; and yet, for all
that, he did not believe that one of the three
would ever tell of the destruction of the Robin
son Crusoe by the maddened whale.

CHAPTER VII.
"jack is gone!"
NED LIVINGSTON had already received
great benefit from his cruise on the
schooner Robinson Crusoe ; he was stronger in
body and with a promise of soon being restored
to rugged health. Had it been otherwise, he
would have been exposed to additional danger
in spending a night on a rickety raft in the open
sea. True, they were under the equator, where
the mildest weather is supposed to prevail
(though the hottest weather is not on the line
of no latitude, as the coldest is not at the poles) ;
but there was a penetrating dampness in the
air, with every indication that a storm was soon
to break upon them. If such should prove the
case, the situation of the friends would become
dismal beyond degree.

72 UP THE TAPAJOS.
It was useless to keep their feet, so the three
sat down near the middle of the raft near each
other. Jack held to the long cumbersome
paddle, while the boys made sure that their
guns did not get lost. The strong east wind
caused the ocean to form into small chopping
waves, independent of the long sweep that
raised the craft at times high in the air and
then allowed it to sink far down in the yawn
ing depths.
" We sailors get the credit of being pretty
rough chaps," said Jack, after they had sat
some time in silence, with the spray occasionally
flying over them, "and I don't deny that we
deserve it as a rule. If all the good and bad in
my life was weighed agin each other, I'm much
af eared the bad would go down like a thousand
pound weight agin a feather ; but I believe the
One up yonder, who don't let a sparrer fall to
the ground without noticing it, won't be so
hard on Jack as a good many people are. I've
got the little Bible my mother gave me, when
she kissed me good-by a good many years ago,
and there hasn't been a night that has passed
since then that I have not read something in

"jack is gone!" 73
it. I mean, of course," the honest sailor has
tened to explain, "when I had the chance.
When I was out in Baffin Bay, spinning along
behind a cantankerous whale, or on the wreck
in the Pacifie, I had to omit it, as I shall have
to do to-night."
" Harry and I have followed the same rule,"
said Ned, feeling drawn toward the sailor by
his outspoken and creditable sentiments.
"Yes," assented Harry, "if you will read
three chapters every day and five on Sunday,
you can go entirely through the whole Bible
in about a year, and I follow that rule."
"A good idee! a good idee!" exclaimed
Jack, reaching his horny hand across and slap
ping the boys one after the other on the back ;
"stick to that, boys ! never be afeard to show
your colors and you'll make port at last ! I've'
been laughed at a good many times by reckless
chaps, who axed me to pray for ' em when they
found they was booked for Davy Jones' s locker
dead sure ; but I' ve never backed out. Nearly
the fust words I stumbled onto in the Good
Book was them where He says that them as is
ashamed of Him in this world, why He'll be

74 UP THE TAPAJOS.
ashamed of when the end of all things comes.
That settled me on the p'int that whatever
come I would stick to my colors, and I've done
it every time. I've never shet my eyes in sleep
without first asking Him to forgive and take
care of me. Sometimes the boys would pinch
my legs so as to provoke me, but I never
minded it ; I jest got up and broke a stool or
two over their heads, and arter that they would
let me have my prayers in peace."
"As for me," remarked Harry Norwood,
"there's one thing I've learned ; a boy can be
a Christian and have all the fun he can hold.
I used to think a Christian must wear a long
face, never smile, never have any sport, and be
the most dismal fellow in creation ; but I was
soon taught differently. I've found out that
I can please God just as well by laughing, run
ning, shouting, and doing every thing that has
any real fun in it, provided I mind the golden
rule and do my best to please Him. I'm quick
tempered and get into trouble now and then,
but I agree with Jack that God is kinder to us
than our own parents, and is ready to give us
credit for trying to do right, though we may
miss it now and then."

"jack is gone !" 75
"That's it," assented Ned, "we've got to
keep at it, and we'll come out all right in the
end. I can't tell how glad I am I started, that
way ; it's at such a time as this a fellow feels
that religion pays.''
"It pays always," said Harry, earnestly;
"you've heard of atheists and infidels, and be
lievers in false religions, who, when they came
to die, have been tortured with remorse, and
would have given worlds had they owned them,
could they have lived long enough fo make
their peace with God; but you have never read
about, nor heard of, and you will never read oi
hear of a Christian who, in the pain of death,
has not rejoiced that he lived in his belief, and
who did not know that all would be well with
him." Perhaps there was nothing singular that the
conversation took this serious turn. The most'
reckless person must feel awed and serious in
the presence of death, and Jack Blockley had
impressed upon them the belief that they were
doomed beyond all hope when they left the
schooner. Each of the three in his own peculiar
way had tried to please Him, to please whom

76 UP THE TAPAJOS.
should be our chief aim ; and they felt the
unspeakable happiness which comes with the
absolute certainty that He would take them to
Himself, in His own time ; though it was nat
ural that the boys should experience in a more
marked degree than Jack, the pang of bidding
adieu to life in its very spring-time.
But while these words were passing between
them, the seaman did not forget his surround
ings. He had been taught years before, that the
man who wins is the one who is vigilant and
watchful for the main chances. Jack therefore
listened and constantly peered into the
blackness around him. The boys did the same,
although only at intervals, but they neither
heard nor saw any thing that could awaken
the least hope.
But for half an hour Jack Blockley felt a
growing suspicion that some object was near
them. Once or twice he had heard a sound
which he knew was not made by the waves, and
very dimly, through the almost impenetrable
gloom, he fancied he caught the faint outlines
of something which he believed was not a part
of the Atlantic itself,

"jack is gone!" 77
Although his conviction was clear that all
three were doomed, yet the sailor, with that
peculiarity often seen in those of his class, felt
it his duty to make the bravest fight possible
to the very end. Thus it was he never relaxed
his vigilance, and let slip no chance of befriend- -
ing those whose lives he felt were placed in his
hands. " Take good care of my gun," he said, as he
crept close to the edge of the raft.
"I have it here," replied Harry, "and will
see that it is saved as long as we are ; but what
are you doing, Jack? "
The sailor was in a crouching position, with his
head at the very margin of the structure, where
the mist and spray were dense enough to blind
an ordinary person. He answered :
" Stay where you are ; there's something out
here that I must get a look at."
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you as soon as I can find out."
The boys had all the curiosity natural to
those of their age, and, when several minutes
passed, during which nothing more was heard
of their friend, they could hardly resist the

78 UP THE TAPAJOS.
impulse to creep to where he was, that they
might learn what his singular action meant.
But it was against his wishes, and they kept
quiet several minutes longer. Then Harry
called Jack three times, raising his voice each
time, but there was no answer.
"My gracious!" exclaimed the boy.
"Something is the matter with Jack."
" Maybe he was hurt and crept there to die,"
was the awful suggestion of Ned Living
ston. "I am afraid you are right," answered
Harry; " wait one minute till I find out."
The gloom had become so impenetrable, that
narrow as was the raft, the boys could not see
across it, though Jack's vision was stronger ;
but it required only a brief time for Harry Nor
wood to crawl to the spot where Jack
Blockley had preceded him. The structure
twisted and creaked under the action of the
waves, and great care was necessary to prevent
himself being washed overboard.
One minute was enough for him to make the
dreadful discovery that the sailor was nowhere
on the raft I

"jack is gone!" 79
In some unagcountable manner he had van
ished as utterly as though drawn down in the
maelstrom which is said to ingulf whales and
ships off the coast of Norway.
" Jack is gone ! " called out the terrified lad,
to his friend ; "we are left alone ; only God
can save us!"

CHAPTER VIII.
A POINT OF LIGHT.
IT was a most alarming discovery, indeed,'
the boys made, while drifting helplessly
on their frail raft in the darkness that
brooded over the stormy Atlantic.
Ned Livingston would not believe it until he
had crept entirely around the raft and made
himself sure that he and Harry were the only
ones left upon it. Then they came back to the
middle of the structure and sat down close to
each other, silent, awed and despairing.
Their hearts were too full to speak, and they
could only sit and wait the will of Heaven as
concerned themselves.
A minute or two went by when the float was
shaken by some hard body which struck it.
"What's that ? " exclaimed Harry, starting
up. The answer was most astonishing :

A POINT OF LIGHT. 81
"Easy therej Keep quiet: I'm all
right ! "
There was no mistaking the voice of Jack
Blockley, who began carefully climbing upon
the raft while the words were yet in his mouth.
The lads, in the joyous reaction from despair,
made their way toward him until they could
dimly discern the outlines of his figure.
He was tugging at some heavy weight, that
he wished to lift out of the water, but which
caused him much trouble.
" What have you got, Jack?"
"Captain Lamokin — but it's no use."
As he uttered the last words he allowed the
heavy body to slip back into the water, where
it disappeared. "Why did you do that ? " asked the horri
fied Harry ; "we would have helped you."
" I could have managed it alone ; but what's
the use, when he's as dead as Christopher Col
umbus?" " Why then did you undertake to get him
aboard?" "'Cause he wasn't dead when I started.
You see, boys, the way of it was this : I

82 UP THE TAPAJOS.
catched sight of something dark once or twice,
though I don't s'pose either of you can see a
foot before you, and I made up my mind that
I would find out what it was that was hanging
round this old craft."
" And it was the captain you saw ? "
"No, it wasn't: it was the boat floating
upside down with two of the men hanging on.
Just the minute I came up one of 'em slipped
off and sunk like lead. The captain was still
alive or he wouldn' t have held on in that style.
I got hold of him and started to swim back to
the raft ; but he was just dying at that time,
and when I got here it was all over ; so I let
him slide."
" What could have made the boat capsize ? "
"It's hard to tell that; but I believe the
Lord has a hand in it, on account of the way
they treated you, when they found the Robin
son Crusoe was going to Davy Jones's locker.
Every one of 'em is lost."
"Suppose we had gone in the boat with
them?" "It wouldn't have upset," was the prompt
response of the sailor ; but both Harry and

A POINT OF LIGHT. 83
Ned were more vigorous in their belief, and pro
tested that it was idle to talk that way.
" Which reminds me," said Ned, " that you
have given us to understand more than once
that, in your opinion, there is no hope of our
getting ashore or being picked up. Now, I
insist that you let us know your reason. I
have read of persons in much worse situations
than ours, who have lived many years after to
tell about it."
" Yes, you must let us know about it,"
added Harry.
"I would rather not," replied Jack, but the
boys insisted, and he finally said :
' ' Just after Captain Lamokin put off with
the sailors, and while I stood for a second, sort
of stupefied, a sea-gull flew right past my face
and knocked off my hat."
"What of that? " asked Ned and Harry in
the same breath.
"What of that? Why a good deal of it ; it's
a sure sign of death to me and whoever went
with me."
"How do you know it is ?" demanded
Harry.

84 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" Why — why — easy enough ; I've heerd that
ever since I went to sea ; it must be true."
"It's nonsense ! I'm sorry you are so super
stitious, Jack ; but since you are, I'm glad you
told it, for Ned and I must feel more hope than
before. If you will explain to me how it is
that a sea-gull can know when a person is going
to die, and why it is he lets him know by
knocking off his hat, then I'll believe it."
"It's wrong to talk in that style, boys, for
there ain't any thing in this world you can
understand or explain."
" But this is a superstition, Jack, that you
ought to be ashamed of. Now the captain and
the rest of the crew went off before we did, and
there was no sea-gull in their case, and yet, sad
to say, they are all lost, while we are yet
alive." "But how long shall we stay alive?"
sturdily asked the sailor.
" No living person can answer that question
about himself, and you can't claim any thing
on that score. Will you agree that if we all
live safely through this that there is nothing
in your superstition? "

A POINT OF LIGHT. '85,
" Well, yes, so far as this matter is con
cerned." "Very well; we will drop it now. But,
Jack, since you are working so hard for us,
why didn't you bring the boat to the raft ? It
seems to me that would be much better than
riding on this thing."
" H it was right side up and had the oars it
would have been; but we could do nothing
with it in this sea. If we could have righted
it, there would be no way to get the water out ;
and, if we could have done that, we would have
been turned over the very minute we trusted
ourselves to it in this sea, without any oars."
"Poor Captain Lamokin ! " sighed Ned, " I
pity him and the rest, for some of them have
families." "It must come sooner or later," was the
philosophic remark of the sailor ; " they have
only gone ahead of us by a little time — "
' ' Look ! ' ' broke in Harry with some excite
ment, half rising to his feet.
"What do you see ? "
"A light right behind Jack."
"The sailor turned and peered through the

86 UP THE TAPAJOS.
gloom, but his keen gray eyes were unable to
detect any thing ; it had vanished as suddenly
as it appeared.
" What did it look like ? " asked Ned.
"A point of light; what ought it look
like?" " But did it seem to be moving ? "
" No, it shone just like a star, and then was
gone quick as a flash."
"It may appear agin ; we'll watch for it."
The suggestion of the sailor was followed, the
three scanning the inky horizon around them.
Jack, knowing how liable the raft was to turn
on its own center, stared toward every point of
the compass. He suspected it was a lantern
aboard ship, in which case it was likely to show
itself again.
But the minutes wore on and the hollow night
was unrelieved by the star-like twinkle across
the wild waste of waters. They speculated
eagerly as to the meaning of the sudden appear
ance and vanishment of the signal ; but it was
all guess-work, and must remain such until
morning. One good effect was produced by this inci-

A POINT OF LIGHT. 87
dent. It aroused a stronger feeling of hope
on the part of the boys. It seemed to say they
had neighbors, and all they had to do was to
hold fast until daylight, when help would
come. The wind whistled over their heads and
around them at a rate that almost indicated a
gale. At intervals the top of the waves were
blown off and carried almost horizontally over
the raft, often striking the friends in the face.
Despite their extremely low latitude, the
weather continued almost chilly, and their cloth
ing was saturated with the mist and spray flung
over them, to say nothing of the plunge that
Jack Blockley had taken in the ocean.
The greatest anxiety of the lads was on
account of the wrenching of the raft, which it
seemed must break it up into its original frag
ments ; but the sailor assured them that,
although he did the job in great haste, it was
done well, and there was nothing to be feared
on that account.
Good spirits are contagious, and the con
fident manner in which Harry and Ned spoke
of the future was not without its effect QU the

88 UP THE TAPAJOS.
sailor. He lost a great deal of his gloominess
and talked with something of his old-time
cheerfulness. After awhile, however, he would seem to
awake to the fact that he was trifling in an
unseemly way and he would become gloomy
and dispirited again. Thus the almost end
less hours dragged their weary length along.

CHAPTER IX.
THE SMOKE OF A STEAMER.
THE unspeakably dismal night at last came
to an end. The storm which threatened
during the darkness passed over. There was
no lightning, the air became warmer, and,
with a delight that can not be imagined, the
young friends heard Jack declare that the gray
lighting up of the horizon over the heaving
ocean was caused by the approach of the sun.
When the illumination overspread the sea,
the three were standing erect, shading their
eyes and scanning the water in the hope of
catching sight of some friendly sail, or possi
bly, of gaining some idea of where they were.
Gazing in the direction of the fiery orb,
which soon appeared on the rim of the water,
they knew they were looking off over the vast
Atlantic, toward the coast of Africa, thousands
of miles distant. It followed, therefore, that

90 UP THE TAPAJOS.
the opposite direction must be toward South
America, and thitherward, by one common
impulse, they bent their eyes.
With sinking hearts the three saw the same
billowy expanse stretching away, apparently,
for hundreds of leagues.
Land ho ! "
The thrilling cry was uttered by Jack Block-
ley, who was standing with one foot thrown
forward, as if about to start on a race, while
his left hand was pressed on the top of his tar
paulin, and his right arm was stretched with
the finger extended toward the point where he
had caught the most welcome sight that can
come to the shipwrecked mariner.
Following the course indicated, a number of
palm-trees were discerned, their bushy tops
standing out in relief against the sky, while a
glimpse was obtained of the broad, flat plains
that spread many miles beyond.
But the location of the sun showed that the
sailor was pointing due north. The boys were
astonished beyond expression, for, if any one
thing in navigation was clear to them, it was
the absolute impossibility of reaching land by

THE SMOKE OF A STEAMER. 91
sailing northward, anywhere off the coast of
South America above Cape St. Roque.
What could this fact mean, which was too
manifest to be disputed ?
All at once a light broke in upon Harry Nor
wood. ' ' We are not out on the ocean ; we are in
the mouth of the Amazon, which is nearly two
hundred miles wide at this point."
" I believe you are right," assented Ned,
more thoughtfully, while he strained his eyes
to catch the outlines of the shadowy palms
that seemed to be beckoning a welcome to them
across the waste of waters.
" Of course he's right," called out Jack
Blockley; "he's hit it exactly. This strong,
east wind has turned the current of the Ama
zon backward. It will flow westward for a good
many miles, then, after a while, it will stand
still, then the released waters will come pour
ing into the Atlantic with ten times their usual
force, and then will be the time to see and
hear the Por or oca."
• " But, Jack, how near are we to land ? "
"It must be a good ten miles away ! "

92 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"And how shall we get there ? "
The sailor shrugged his shoulders.
"It would take a week to do so • with the
paddle, and that is the only way we have of
gettin' along. We have no means of riggin'
a sail, and the raft does not offer enough resis
tance to the wind to move very fast. Besides,
the tide is likely to turn and bring us down
the river with a rush."
"But there ought to be a chance of being
picked up before long by some steamer or
vessel." " So there is, but the country is so overflowed
that there must be several hundred miles
between the eastern and western shores; we
are out of the path of craft going up and down
the Amazon, and we may be adrift for a
week  ' '
For several minutes Ned Livingston had been
gazing, with shaded eyes, in a northwestern
direction — that is to the westward of the point
where the palm trees were first observed. He
now exclaimed :
" Yonder is something which I don't think
is a cloud!"

THE SMOKE OF A STEAMER. 93
Like a flash, the sailor wheeled and cast one
sweeping glance toward the point.
" It is the smoke of a steamer- / " he called
out, with more excitement in his manner than
he was accustomed to show. "By the great
horned spoon ! but things begin to look
orspicious." The sky was almost clear, and that upon
which all eyes were now fixed, was a dark,
almost horizontal line, resting seemingly
motionless against the horizon, as though some
giant had dipped his finger in soot and drawn '
it along the azure-tinted sky.
But, scanning it closely, the eastern end
could be seen to be slightly higher than
the western, which dipped downward, as
though it rested on the water. Furthermore,
a careful scrutiny revealed the fact that while
the western portion was faint and shadowy,
the opposite was darker, and was slowly and
steadily creeping along the horizon in an east
erly direction.
This proved that the steamer was coming
down the Amazon, that is (paradoxical as it,
may sound), it was plowing its way against the
current.

94 UP THE TAPAJOS.
But it was so far to the northward that our
friends might well give up all hope of receiving
any benefit therefrom. Yet, they were jubilant
oVer the discovery that they were really within
what may be called the boundary line of South
America. The sailor who was trained to viewing objects
at sea, did not require long before he
announced another joyous fact : the steamer
was, in reality, going almost south-east, a
course which, if continued, would bring it close
to the raft.
As there was little reason to believe she
would make a radical change in her path, there
was the more ground for hoping that she would
pick up the companions in misfortune.
As the black smoke-stacks of the steamer rose
to view, still creeping into more distinct sight,
Harry and Ned almost danced with excitement.
When the hull came up the elder did indulge
in some boyish manifestations of delight.
"We ought to show some signal of distress,"
said Ned, "although there isn't much chance
of doing so."
"We can do it well enough, but I don't think

THE SMOKE OF A STEAMER. 95
there's any need," replied Jack Blockley ;
"but no harm can be done, and I'll try it."
He took off his jacket, placed it on the
muzzle of his rifle, and, holding it high above
his head, slowly swung it back and forth, his,
oscillations being as regular as those of a pen
dulum. As the raft lay almost in the direct course of
the steamer, the look-out on board could
scarcely fail to discover the signal, if the float
itself had not already been noted.
Soon the dark hull was in sight, and the
foam could be seen curling away from the prow
as she plowed her way through the water with
great speed. She was heading so directly for
the raft, that, unless she altered her course a
point or two, she would run it down.
There could be no doubt that the steamer's
captain had decided to pick up the castaways,
as they may be called, and, judging according
to human reasoning, the present peril of our
friends was ended.
Suddenly, Jack Blockley sank down on his
knees, and clasping his hands and looking
reverently upward, murmured a prayer of

96 UP THE TAPAJOS.
thankfulness to God. Instinctively the boys
did the same, and those on the steamer who
were watching the little party must have been
touched by the impressive sight.
The three rose to their feet at the same
moment, and Harry, who possessed a fine tenor
voice, hummed a verse of the beautiful poem of
J. T. Fields :
" So we shuddered there in silence,
For the stoutest held his breath,
While the angry sea was roaring.
And the breakers talked with Death.
"And thus we sat in darkness,
Each one busy in his prayers ;
' We are lost !' the captain shouted
And he staggered down the stairs,
" But his little daughter whispered,
As she took his icy hand,
' Is not God upon the ocean
Just the same as on the land ? ' "
Jack Blockley extended his horny palm in
turn to the boys, who grasped it warmly, while
the tears came to their eyes.

THE SMOKE OF A STEAMER. 97
"Yes," said the bronzed sailor, in a tremu
lous voice, "God has held us in His care as
He has held us all ever since we was born."

CHAPTER X.

THE EXPLORER.

WITHIN the next twenty minutes the
steamer rounded to, a short distance
away, lowered a small boat, and Jack Block-
ley, Harry Norwood and Ned Livingston were
taken off the raft and transferred to the larger
boat, where they received a warm welcome.
The steamer was the Explorer, of light
draught and unusually short, so as to pass the
abrupt turns in the rivers with greater facility.
She had been originally intended for the explo
ration of the upper Amazon, and was built by
a number of gentlemen in Belem, or Para. On
her first voyage she was attacked by natives
near the Ucayale in Peru and half her crew
massacred. This gave a set back to the explo
ration schemes for a number of years, and she
became a towing tug in Para.

THE EXPLORER. 99
She had been manned and provisioned again
and placed under the charge of a competent
captain and crew. The region around Para, to
the eastward of the Xingu, as my readers
doubtless know, is one of the most famous rub
ber districts in the world. The country between
the Xingu and the Tapajos also abounds with.
rubber trees, but at the date of which I am
speaking there was reason to believe the pro
duction was only a fractional part of what it
could be made. The Explorer, it was intended,
should be sent up the Tapajos, with a view of
awakening the interest of the native Indians,
and exciting their cupidity to that extent that
a much larger yield of rubber would be secured.
A great amount of gaudy finery, trinkets and
gew-gaws were on board, which it was intended
should be distributed among the savages, whose
avarice could be easily excited by this means.
The captain of the Explorer was an Ameri
can sailor named Dave Sprogell, who was one
of the crew when the Explorer made her disas
trous voyage to the Ucayale. He was fully
competent for the position, although he was
quick-tempered and at times addicted to drink.

100 UP THE TAPAJOS.
His crew of nine men represented almost as
many nationalities, including English, French,
Portuguese, native Brazilian, Mameluco (the
children of white and Indian parents), Caf uzo
(those of white and negro parents), Cumboco
(those of Cafuzo and negro parents), while one
member claimed that he was born in the deso
late and far-away regions of Patagonia.
"I'm mighty glad that it was my good luck to
pick you up," said Captain Sprogell, after he
had heard the story of the boys, and had done
his best to make them and their friend com
fortable ; " and it was a curious thing that led
us to run across you."
"I've been puzzled to understand it, ever
since you told me you were from Para and on
your way up the Amazon."
This remark was made by Jack Blockley,
whose honest, sturdy appearance seemed to
have impressed the captain favorably.
" We left Para last week, steamed northward
by Marajo Island and reached the main stream
without trouble. I was anxious to get a Portu
guese sailor, who went with me up the Amazon
two years ago, and who knows more about the >

THE EXPLORER. 101
Tapajos than any man I ever met. His name
is Ardara, and he went up the Amazon with
Agassiz in 1865. He lives at Macapa, is highly
educated, and I determined to go after him,
especially as it was my duty to ascend the
Tapajos as far as possible."
Macapa is a town of seven or eight thousand
inhabitants, on the left bank of the Amazon,
one hundred and thirty miles from its mouth.
It has been a free port for nearly forty
years, and sends out a great deal of rice,
millet, cotton, fruits, and fine cabinet woods.
"But we are a long distance to the eastward
of Macapa," suggested Jack Blockley to the
captain, who had resigned his post to his pilot
and was sitting in the handsome cabin talking
with the three after they had finished their
meal. " True, for this reason : when I reached Ma
capa, I found the wife and little son of Ardara,
who were delighted to meet me, but they said
the husband and father had gone northward to
ward the Acaray Mountains on a hunt. There
was a large party, and Ardara, as might be ex
pected, was the leader and guide, which shows

102 UP THE TAPAJOS.
how valuable he is. His wife said if he should
come home and find he had missed the chance
of going up the river with me, he would
pine away and die of a broken heart."
" He must be very much attached to you,"
remarked Ned with a laugh.
" So he is indeed, and he is a good fellow.
Still I couldn't afford to wait for Ardara, much
as L needed him ; but when his wife told me
he had promised to be back precisely two
weeks from the date of his departure, that he
never failed to keep his promise, and that the '
fortnight would be up to-morrow, I made up
my mind to wait. There isn't any thing very
attractive in Macapa, so we took a turn down
the river toward the Atlantic, with no other
purpose than to pass away a part of the time,
though I will say that three of my men are so
inclined to get drunk and become quarrel
some that I wished to keep them from land
ing." ' ' You must have been on the point of turn
ing back when you caught sight of us," ob
served Harry.
" I was standing in front of the wheel-house

THE EXPLORER. 103
with my binocular in hand, looking off over
the expanse of water, and had given the orders
to turn about, when I caught sight of your raft
and yourselves ; you know the rest."
The story of Captain Sprogell brought up a
serious question for the boys to decide. The
master of the Explorer had been very kind, and
he was ready to land them at Macapa, from
which point they would be able very soon to
secure a passage homeward, since the town is
largely engaged in the export trade.
But he urged them to accompany him up the
Tapajos. He was anxious to secure the ser
vices of such a good sailor as Jack Blockley,
and he seemed to like the boys from the first.
He assured them that it would be a regular.
holiday trip, attended by little, if any, danger,
and, as one of the boys was in quest of health,
he could do nothing better than make this voy
age up the Amazon and the Tapajos, where
the scenes were one constant panorama of
delight. The young friends were eager to go, but the
question with them was whether it would be
right to do so. No matter how great their

104 UP THE TAPAJOS.
desire, nothing could induce them to do any
thing that would grieve their parents.
Jack took no part in their consultation, as he
felt that it was a matter that no one but them
selves had a right to decide.
It is hardly necessary to say what conclu
sion was reached by the boys. There was
really no reason for them to fear their parents'
displeasure by accepting the invitation of Cap
tain Sprogell ; rather would their friends at
home be glad to learn of the opportunity that
had presented itself for seeing one of the most
wonderful regions of the earth.
Accordingly, they informed the captain,
with many thanks, that they would go with
him on his voyage up the Amazon, and they
hoped some day to be able to repay him for his
great kindness.
Jack told his young friends, with a laugh, that
he had already engaged himself for the voy
age. " Weren't you in a hurry," asked Harry,
" when you agreed to stay by us until we got
home?" "I knowed well enough what your decision

THE EXPLORER. 105
would be when the captain axed you to go with
him." "While we are going back to Macapa," said
Ned, " with the captain's' permission we will
write letters home, so that our folks need not
be alarmed over our long absence."
The steamer was already heading toward the
town which it had left the day previous, and
which it expected to reach that evening. Harry
and Ned spent a couple of hours writing to
their parents, intending to mail the letter at
Macapa. They gave a full account of their
voyage from Philadelphia, the strange acci
dent by which the schooner was lost, and their
own fortunate escape, ending with a glowing
picture of what they expected to enjoy during
the ascent of one of the mightiest rivers of the
globe. That evening the Explorer put into Macapa,
and the boys landed, mailed their letters, and
made some purchases. They would have felt
no peace of mind had they failed to write their
friends. Captain Sprogell was pleased to find that
his valued friend Ardara, the guide, was more

promised, he came back the evening
before. He at once agreed to go with El
Americano, and it was arranged that he should
bid adieu to his family on the following morn
ing. On the next day, before it was fairly light,
the Explorer headed up the stream, carrying,
beside its regular crew, Jack Blockley, Harry
Norwood and Ned Livingston.
It is safe to say that had these two Ameri
can boys suspected what was awaiting them,
they would have made all haste from the
steamer and lost no time in returning to their
distant homes far to the northward of the
equator !

CHAPTER XI.

THE AMAZON.

THE Amazon is the mightiest river of
the globe. The Mississippi and Nile are
longer, but the Amazon is broader and deeper,
and its volume of water exceeds that of both
combined. With its side channel and enor
mous tributaries, it presents a greater naviga
ble surface than either. The Mississippi has
six tributaries, more than seven hundred miles
in length ; the Nile has only three or four ;
the Niger has no large branches at all ; the
Yang-tse-Kiang has none as long as the Ohio,
while the Amazon has at least sixteen affluents
that measure more than seven hundred miles,
and most of them exceed a thousand.
If Lake Lauricocha be accepted as its source,
the length of the Amazon is two thousand
seven hundred miles, but if the Ucayale is so

108 UP THE TAPAJOS.
considered, then its extent is one-eighth of the
circumference of the world.
If my young readers will open their atlases
to the map of South America, they will notice
that the Andes extend along the western
coast ; the mountains curve over to the east
ward below Venezuela and Guiana, thus form
ing a solid wall to the north ; several hundred
miles to the south of the river are the high
table lands of Brazil. Thus we have a prodig
ious valley open only on the eastward toward the
Atlantic. Through this great opening sweep
the moist winds of the ocean in the direction
of the distant Andes. As every boy who has
studied physical geography knows, a chain of
mountains robs the ocean winds of their
waters ; thus it is that in some portions of the
South American continent the land on the west
of the Andes is dry and arid, and on the east is
dripping with moisture. The valley of the
Amazon receives more rain than any other
region of the globe.
Yanez Pinzon was the first navigator who
saw the mouth of the Amazon. This was in
March, 1500, but its real discovery was made

TnE AMAZON. 109
by Francisco de Orellana, who,1 in 1541, started
from Quito on the west coast of Ecuador and
sailed down the Napo to the Amazon. He had,
fifty Spanish soldiers with him, and, after
great suffering and hardship, they reached the
mouth of the river seven months later. This
navigator brought with him the legend of the
female warriors along the banks, from which
the present name is derived.
Lope de Aguirre made a somewhat similar
journey in 1561. He was one of those who
followed Pedro de Ursua in his vain search for
Omagua and El Dorado. Aguirre was a treach
erous wretch, who murdered their leader, elected
a successor, and then murdered him. He
formed his band into pirates, elected himself
chief, and called themselves the " Maranones,"
from which the name of Maranon, sometimes
applied to the Amazon, probably comes. He
committed the most brutal crimes, and when
about to be taken by the royal forces, slew his
own daughter, "that she might not be pointed
at with scorn as the daughter of a traitor."
" Will-o-the-wisp lights flicker on the llanos ;
the country people cross themselves when they

110 UP THE TAPAJOS.
see those reddish flames — the soul of the traitor
Arguirre ! " Two monks, who had been driven
by Indians from the Peruvian missions, in
1616 floated down the river in a canoe to Para,
whence they went to Maranha, where their
"representations induced the governor to
explore the country and carry them back to
Peru. Pedro Texeira commanded the expedi
tion, which numbered over forty canoes, con
taining seventy Portuguese soldiers and twelve
hundred Indians. They set out in 1637, and a
year was passed before they reached Peru.
Texeira was an admirable leader. He returned
two years later, and the work of his chronicler
is the first intelligible account of the Amazon.
In 1769 Madame Godin des Odonais became
the heroine of one of the most marvelous
experiences ever recorded. She had been
separated for twenty years from her husband,
his letters to her having been lost by a faithless
messenger. She was in Quito, when word was
brought to her that a Portuguese boat was
waiting on the upper Amazon to convey her to
her husband at Cheyenne.
Her father preceded her, to have canoes and

THE AMAZON. Ill
men ready at each station, and she followed
down the Bobonassa in a boat with her two
brothers, her nephew — who was a small boy — a
French physician, and a negro man and three
women as servants. As the dangers increased
the natives deserted, but the others pushed on.
In the rapids their boat was upset, and they
narrowly escaped with their lives. Madame
Godin and her brothers resolved to stay on the
shore, while the physician and her negro slave
tried to reach Andoas, he promising to send
a properly manned canoe within a fort
night. They waited more than three weeks, and
then constructed a raft, that was hardly-
launched when it struck a sunken tree and they
were thrown into the water. None was
drowned, but all their effects were lost. Then
they started on foot across the country, until,
worn out with hunger and thirst, all lay down
to die. One after another they perished miser
ably until only Madame Godin was left. She
wandered off into the woods in a delirium. She
found some eggs and water, that served to
strengthen her ; and, after ten days of dreadful

112 UP THE TAPAJOS.
wanderings, reached the river, where, provi
dentially, she found two Indians who were
on the point of embarking in a canoe for
Andoas. They carried her thither, thence to Tabat-
inga, where the Portuguese vessel took her to
her husband.
In the years that have followed, the Amazon
has been traversed from end to end by many ad
venturous travelers, explorers and scientists, all
of whom have had their wonderful story to tell ;
but, to-day, the face of the country has under
gone scarcely a change. The forests are as
exuberant, matted, and almost boundless as
ever ; within them is the same overflowing
wealth of animal and vegetable life, and the
wilderness is still drenched by the same prodi
gious rainfall. Perhaps a few more villages
may be found along the shores, and in some
places the wild Indians have increased in num
ber ; but in the interior are streams upon which
no white man has ever looked ; in the inacces
sible depths of the woods are savages unknown
to the explorer. The hand of time has pressed

THE- AMAZON. 113
very lightly these magnificent solitudes, which
teem with a wealth of production such as amazes
the traveler who has visited other favored por
tions of the world.

CHAPTER XII.
ARDARA.
ANY one looking at the mighty Amazon,
as shown on the map, would be likely
to conclude that it is a broad stream flowing
smoothly between its banks, like the majority
of rivers in our country. Yet such an idea is
wrong. The Amazon abounds with islands, side chan
nels, and thousands of square miles of swamps
and lowlands, which at times are flooded and
then for weeks are above water. There are hun
dreds of places where none but a skillful naviga
tor can tell whether he is in the river proper or
miles from the main channel. So vast and
almost innumerable are these "side issues,"
that it requires years for the most skillful and
observing navigator to acquire any thing like a
tolerable knowledge of the stream, and many

ARDARA. 115
scientific writers have given it a plural instead
of a singular name — " the Amazons."
The little steamer Explorer headed up the
river, and, as it passed between the widely
separated banks, the panorama was an unceas
ing source of delight to Ned Livingston and
Harry Norwood. They stood on the upper
deck, pointing out the most interesting objects
as they caught sight of them, like a couple of •
small children looking through a beautiful
picture book. Captain Sprogell was in the
wheelhouse, with his hand upon the wheel,
guiding the steamer to the westward. Ardara,
whose intimate knowledge of the Tapajos and
the upper Amazon led to his engagement by Cap
tain Sprogell, was lounging about the boat, smok
ing his pipe and talking to the members of the
crew as he came in contact with them. He was
a genial fellow, whom the boys fancied at once.
Jack Blockley was a favorite from the first.
His quaint humor, his simplicity and honesty,
were winning of themselves ; and altogether the
crew were more harmonious than would have
beeil supposed when the different nationalities
are remembered.

116 UP THE TAPAJOS.
While Captain Sprogell was at the wheel, of
course there was no conversation on his part.
The boys knew better than to attempt to address
• him, and, for a time, therefore, they were left
to themselves. Their hammocks were swung
under the arched roof of the upper deck, where,
when they chose, they could lounge to their
hearts' content.
" It is the most wonderful sight I ever looked
upon," said Ned, " it will be useless for me to
attempt to write any account of this to our folks
at hOme."
"Do you notice," said Harry, "that we
don't see any ground at all ! The trees and
vegetation grow straight up from the water."
"Yes, it looks as though we were passing
through a great channel cut in the woods."
' ' And such palm-trees ! I thought they were
found in all their glory in the East Indies, but
surely there is none that can equal those
yonder." "Ardara told me that they are called the
finest in the world by the scientific people who
have explored the Amazon. He was on the
steamer, you know, which took Prof. Agassiz

ARDARA. 117
and his friends up the river some years ago,
and he says the great naturalist expressed such
an opinion."
The palm-trees were seen by the thousands ;
some were feathery and drooped over the water,
as though longing to bathe their locks in the
yellow current ; others were of a paler green,
and more erect, while still others reared their
heads as proudly as the mountain oak, to a
height scarcely less than a hundred feet.
Sometimes they were the only kind of trees
visible, then only a few were seen, then they
vanished altogether, only to burst forth very
soon in all their splendor and exuberance.
Innumerable vines and drooping masses of
vegetation were always in sight, but the wonder
ful vines of Brazil are found in all their extra
ordinary development further inland and in
the upper regions of the- Amazon. There are
some climbing vines in that part of the world
that are more than three-quarters of a mile in
length. The boys would not have noticed the cacao
plantations had not Ardara pointed them out.
The dark-green of the foliage was so similar to

118 UP THE TAPAJOS.
the forest that only the experienced eye was
quick to catch the difference.
"There must be many wild animals and
reptiles in those forests," remarked Harry Nor
wood, pointing to the southern shore, which
was a half mile away, while the northern was
scarcely visible.
i" Indeed there is," said Ardara ; "all warm
countries, I believe, abound with them, and it
has always been a strange fact to me that in
India and other parts of the world, where the
natural advantages are not half as great as in
Brazil, the largest and fiercest wild animals are
found. We have the wild beast called the
tiger, but he is no more than a domestic cat
compared with the spotted terror that prowls
in the Hindostani jungles."
" That is the fact ; there is no such terrible
creature anywhere else in the world," said
Ned. "How about the lion, the king of beasts ?"
asked Harry.
"It has been proven by tests that the tiger is
one-fifth stronger than the lion, and every one
knows he is ten times as courageous and fierce.

ARDARA. 119
It is the truth, also, that the real tiger is found
only in Asia, though many travelers speak of
him as existing in Africa."
" We have many creatures that it wouldn't
be pleasant to meet in the woods, even though
they can't compare with those across the ocean.
We have the great maneless lion, which is any
thing but an agreeable neighbor."
"Is that the beast that is called the cougar
and puma?"
" The same ; then there is the jaguar, hardly
less dangerous, besides the serpents which are
everywhere." " I dread them more than every thing else,"'
said Harry, with a shudder of disgust ; "the
very sight of a snake sends the chills down my
back." " You will get over that after a while," said
Ardara, with a laugh, ' ' for many of our reptiles
are not as deadly as those of other coun
tries." "Because a great many are constrictors,"
added Ned. "In India is found the cobra and
other serpents, whose bite causes death in a few
minutes. A constrictor winds around his prey

120 UP THE TAPAJOS.
and crushes him, so you have a much better
chance than if his bite were deadly."
" The black-snake which we find at home is
a constrictor," said Harry, " and yet he is more
than a match for the rattlesnake."
" I have heard of the rattlesnake," said
Ardara, interested in what the boys were saying,
"though I never saw one. They have a rattle
on their tail, which I believe they sound before
they strike any one."
"Yes, and the blow at close quarters follows
the rattle so quickly that you have to be very
lively to avoid it."
" That is very kind in the reptile to notify
you ; but, if his bite is so deadly, how is it the
black -snake, whose bite is not poisonous, or is
only moderately so, masters him ? "
"It is by his greater agility;, I was once
hunting up in Pike County, Pennsylvania, when
I heard a threshing in the bushes, and the next
minute a rattlesnake and black-snake coiled
around each other, rolled into the clearing.-
The rattler struck at the black fellow again and
again, so rapidly that I could hardly see the
movement of his head, but the black-snake

ARDARA. 121
dodged him every time, and all the time he kept
winding more tightly around him, until at last
he squeezed the life out of him. I waited until
the fight was finished, when the black-snake
saw me, and I suppose he felt so proud over his
victory that he started to serve me in the same
fashion, but I raised my gun, and when I
pulled the trigger, the head of the reptile was
pretty well scattered over Pike County."
" That was very curious," said Ardara ; "but
the greatest region for snakes that I ever heard
of is along the Orinoco. I once went up the
Rio Negro with a party of English sportsmen,
and kept on up until we got into the waters of
the Orinoco — "
"How could you do that?" interrirpted
Harry. ' ' Very easily, for the two rivers are connected.
at their source, so that you can start up one,
and keep going straight on until you come out
of the mouth of the other."
"I have read of the bifurcation of the
Orinoco," said Ned, "and that is what is meant.
I have heard that at Certain seasons the head-

122 UP THE TAPAJOS.
waters of the Tapajos and the La Plata are con
nected in the same way, so that we can start at
Para and go inland by water to Montevideo,
more than two thousand miles distant along
the sea coast."

CHAPTER XIII.

HARRY TAKES A SHOT.

" T) ESIDES the animals I have named," said
J—-* Ardara, "you will find in Brazil the
ocelot, tapir, sloth, paca, agouti, armadillo,
capybara, ant-eater, coati, and over sixty species
of monkeys. The boa constrictor and anaconda
are the principal serpents, but we have plenty
of poisonous ones, though they may not be as.
plentiful as in India. For instance there is the
jararaca, the most dreaded of them all ; the
coral serpent, the liane snake, the cold snake
and the rattlesnake, though I have never seen
one ofthe last kind. But, as I said, the greatest
region which I ever heard of for reptiles is.
along the Orinoco. In some parts of that river
the fish are so plentiful they have retarded the
movement of a vessel in sailing up stream. In
the soft mud along the banks, immense snakes

124 UP THE TAPAJOS.
imbed themselves and wait for their prey to
come to the water to drink. I have seen a bull
reach his nose down to quench his thirst, when,
like a black streak of lightning, the head of one
of those huge snakes would dart out and fasten
itself in his nose. Then the snake would use
all his strength to pull his prey to him, so as
to wrap himself around his body. If the snake
succeeds, it is all over with the bull or cow."
" Does the snake ever fail ? "
"Very often; and then it is all day with
Mm."
"How is that?"
' ' I once saw a bull struck in the way I have
described, but the plucky fellow planted his
fore feet in the mud and used all his power of
resistance. He bellowed so you could hear him
a mile, but he would not yield an inch. His
fore feet sunk in the soft ground, and the snake
pulled like a span of horses, but the bull was
too strong."
" I suppose he drew the snake out ? "
" Not a bit of it, for don't you see he then
would have been in just as bad a fix ? One of
' the most curious things about that business is

HARRY TAKES A SHOT. 125
that the snake can never be drawn out of the
mud, no matter what force is put forth. After
a while the bull began to gain'; he stepped'
carefully backward a few inches, his own neck
drawn out in a straight line with the body of
the snake, five or six feet of which projected
from the mud. In a minute the bull moved
back a little further and the neck of the snake
became thinner, for, as I said, his body could'
not be stirred. The bull all the time bellowed
with might and main, but he was gaining confi
dence. His own neck couldn't stretch to any
extent, and it was stronger than the body of
the snake. Back he kept going, inch by inch,
the neck of the snake growing thinner and
thinner under the fearful tension, until all at
once it snapped in two and the bull galloped up
the bank with the head and several feet of the
body hanging to his nose. There it must have
hung for several days, until it sloughed off."
" I hope we shall meet no such serpents as
that," said Harry, with another shudder.
"We may and we may not ; then you know
we have plenty of alligators, which we don't
mind so much."

126 UP THE TAPAJOS,
1 " It was in this part of the world," said Ned,
"that Waterman, the traveler, sprang on the
back of a cayman as they were drawing him
from the water, turned his fore legs over his
back and rode some distance before he leaped
off." " When it comes to that, I prefer to walk."
" Ah, look yonder ! " exclaimed Ned, point
ing to the edge of an island which they were
passing. " What sort of a creature is that ? "
The object indicated was in the act of climb
ing the bank, in a leisurely fashion, as though
it had no fear of such a strange object as a
steamer. It was long, round, fat and plump,
its brown coat as smooth and shining as if it were
oiled. "That is the Amazonian otter," replied
Ardara, who seemed to be familiar with every
thing they encountered. " You will find him
in the side channels and sometimes a long dis
tance inland. Hallo! there is an alligator."
They had already passed a large number, but
the one pointed out by the guide was of extra
ordinary size, being fully twenty feet long. It
lay close in shore, with its long, ugly head

HARRY TAKES A SHOT AT AN ALLIGATOR.

HARRY TAKES A SHOT. 127
resting on the water, as though waiting for
something to come down and pause within
reach of its tremendous jaws.
"I'll give him a shot!" exclaimed Harry,
running to the state-room that had been
assigned him and Ned. In a minute he re-ap
peared with his rifle in hand. The steamer was
rapidly leaving the reptile behind, but the dis
tance was short when the boy brought his
gun to his shoulder, took a quick aim, and
fired. "You never touched him!" laughed Ned,
as his friend dropped his piece, and looked at
the huge head with a dismayed expression that
made the others laugh.
"I don't see how I missed him, for the shot
was an easy one."
"You did not miss him," Ardara hastened
to say ; ' ' the bullet struck the head and glanced
off into the bushes. The alligator doesn't sus
pect he was fired at ; he may have been jarred
slightly, and I thought he winked his right
eye, but he isn't hurt at all."
"I know they wear a sort of armor that is a
pretty sure protector against a rifle bullet ; but

128 UP THE TAPAJOS.
my gun is a good one, and the distance is so
short that he ought to have been wounded."
" You must send the ball in the eye or behind
the fore leg, though if your gun is a powerful
one you can sometimes pierce his thick hide ;
but you struck him in a glancing direction, and
it had no more effect than if you had hit an iron
clad." By this time the island was left far astern,
and the puffing steamer was out in the channel
again. Thus far she had been kept well in
toward the southern shore, but she now worked
away until she was fully two miles distant.
The other bank was so far off that it would
have taken several hours to reach it, and Captain
Sprogell had no intention of doing so.
The sun was low in the sky when the Explorer
edged still closer to the bank. Ardara rose to
his feet, looked carefully about him, and then
said :
" The captain is going to make a landing."

CHAPTER XIV.
NIGHT ON THE AMAZON.
THE stock of fuel was running so low on the
Explorer that Captain Sprogell had turned
"toward shore for the purpose of obtaining a new
supply. It was a regular f azienda, where a lot
of wood was gathered ready to be sold to the
first steamer that might want it. Three dusky
natives, whose muscular frames showed through
their scanty clothing, were lolling at hand pre
pared -to give their services to their master,
who was leaning against the pile, with a broad
sombrero on his head, while he lazily puffed his
cigarette. The boys noticed that he had a swarthy skin,
long black hair and piercing dark eyes, which
were fixed on them, and he seemed instinctively
to know that they were strangers in that part
of the world.
It required but a few minutes for the steamer

130 UP THE TAPAJOS.
to make fast, when the three natives, assisted
by the hands on the boat, began taking fuel
aboard. Captain Sprogell invited the boys to
go ashore with him and make the acquaintance
of Sefior Aguipa, who was an old friend of his.
Harry and Ned were pleased to do so, and they
were presented to the gentleman, who spoke
poor English but was very courteous and
hospitable. He urged them to go to his house
and stay with him until the steamer should
return. " It would give us great pleasure, senor, to
do so," said Harry, "but we shall have to
reserve the enjoyment of your hospitality for
some future occasion."
" It isn't necessary to use such large words
as those," said Ned, in a low voice ; "it won't
help him to understand you."
" Senor Aguipa has a large cacao orchard,"
said Captain Sprogell, "which is very valu
able." " It is now doing quite well," said the senor,
speaking very slowly and with faulty accent,
" but it was a long time before I gained much
hope."

NIGHT ON THE AMAZON. 131
Assisted by Ardara, who joined them pres
ently, Senor Aguipa explained the system of
cultivating this plant, which forms one of
the leading industries in the lowlands of
Brazil. Good judgment must be used in the selection
of the ground for an orchard, for -it will be
ruinous if it is so low as to be subject to long
floods. The cutting for the plantation is done
at the end of the rainy season, and the logs are
lef t-drying in the sun until they can be burned.
Very little more is required in the way of prep
aration, and the seeds are placed in the
shallow holes in rows separated by a dozen
yards. The planter guards against the second
growth, and by the fifth year the trees begin to
bear quite well. They are crowned with a dense
foliage, which gives a cool and most inviting
shade to those who wish to wander beneath.
Senor Aguipa sent one of his men to his
house, a short distance inland, and brought
forth several of these cakes, which he presented
to the captain and the boys with his compli
ments. Then, after an effusive parting, the
price for the wood having been paid, the parties

132 Up the tapajos.
separated, each expressing strong hope that
they might soon see each other again.
It was now growing dark, and Ardara took
his place at the wheel. The Amazon is such a
broad river and the navigation so slight, that
there was scarcely danger of a collision between
oraf t on its waters ; but on the vast ocean there
must always at all times be human eyes that
are never closed. Death is always brooding
over the mighty deep, and it comes like a thief
of the night. The steamers that have started
from opposite sides of the Atlantic are tossed
about for days by tempests, they steal around
icebergs, and plow through the foam and swirl
of wild waters, with routes separated by hun
dred of leagues, yet continue to approach each
other through the darkness of night, in the
glare of sunshine, and while the mist and fog
rests like a shroud on the ocean, until as if
they were two immense magnets, they rush
together with a crash that sends both to the
bottom. There is peril everywhere, and eternal vigi
lance is the only preventive of disaster.
The night was clear, but there was no moon.

NIGHT ON THE AMAZON. 133
The stars shone from a cloudless sky, and the
Southern Cross beamed out in all its splendor
with the other constellations that spangle the
heavens when the atmosphere is free from mists
and clouds.
Jack Blockley sat a long time talking with
the boys, the captain joining them and doing
every thing he could to make them feel at home
on his boat. He told them a great deal of his.
adventures when on the head waters of the
Amazon, and when he had awakened their
wonder he coolly added :
" It is more than likely that when we return
to Santarem from going up the Tapajos, we
shall turn westward instead of toward the
east." "What ! do you mean you will go on up the
Amazon ? " asked Harry.
" It is probable, and I hope you will go with
us." " Shiver my timbers ! " laughed Jack Block-
ley, " if you may not count on them for pas
sengers." " I don't know about that," replied Ned, in
a voice which showed it was a very doubtful

134 UP THE TAPAJOS.
point with him ; "that is such an important
step that Harry and I will have to think it over
very seriously."
"You would like to go, wouldn't you?"
asked Captain Sprogell.
" We would be delighted to do so."
"Let. the matter rest then where it is,"
remarked the captain, who proceeded to relight
his pipe ; "there will be abundance of time to
think it over."
When the hour grew late the boys withdrew
to their hammocks, instead of the state-room
assigned them. The weather was sultry, for it
will be remembered they were under the equa
tor, where such temperature is the rule. But .
the forward motion of the steamer, though
much less than during the day, kept a continu
ous breeze sweeping over the deck, and showed
the wisdom of the boys in swinging their ham
mocks where its benefit could be obtained.
The captain assured them that though some
parts of Brazil are exceedingly unhealthy, in
many other places the climate is salubrious,
and the boys had nothing to fear from expos
ing themselves to the night air.

NIGHT ON THE AMAZON. 135
The pulsing of the engine, the soft wash of
the water from the bow, and the churning of
the wheels grew monotonous and faint on the
ears of the drowsy lads. The vast solitudes' on
their right and left gave forth no sound, one of
the most impressive characteristics of some of
the Brazilian forests being their solemn still
ness at night.
By and by all sounds died out, and Harry
and Ned slumbered.

CHAPTER XV.

SANTAREM.

WHEN the boys awoke next morning the
rain was falling in torrents. Huge
drops struck the deck with a resounding report,
and streams of water poured off into the river.
The slanting columns looked like burnished
spears, which fell so rapidly that neither shore
could be seen.
At the end of a couple of hours the shower
stopped as suddenly as it began. The sun
came from behind a bank of clouds, and,
though every thing was steaming with moisture,
the contrast was a grateful one.
The experience of the first day was sub
stantially repeated for the succeeding two days,
the overwhelming vegetation of the forests, as
shown on shore and the islands, becoming
wearisome at times to the boys, who ceased

santarem. 137
inspecting it. They stopped at intervals at the
faziendas to wood up, as the Mississippi
steamers do in going up and down stream.
Many of the Indian settlements and small
towns were watched with interest, but no stop
of any length was made until the afternoon of
the third day, when the Explorer reached the
important town of Santarem, which stands at
the junction of the Tapajos with the Amazon. "
One of the noticeable accompaniments of
their arrival at this city was the contrast
between the yellow water of the Amazon and
the inkish current of the Tapajos. White sand
beaches greeted the eye, and the numerous tall,
graceful, javary palms abounded. Far to the
southward stretched a ridge of flat-topped hills,
covered with the dense green of forest and
vegetation which is always visible in this portion
of the continent.
Looking at the city itself, our friends saw
rows of whitewashed houses, one and two
stories high, the large municipal building just
below the main town, and a collection of palm-
thatched huts close to the shore. The latter
composed the original Indian settlement from

138 UP THE TAPAJOS.
which the other and more modern portion has
grown. The Explorer anchored in front of the town,
and a number of canoes instantly approached
for passengers and freight.
" We are going to stay here till to-morrow,"
said Jack Blockley to the boys, ' ' and we may
as well take a look around."
A canoeman, who understood enough English
to make his meaning known, agreed to take the
party ashore for two hundred reis, which may
seem a large amount, until I state that it was
less than fifteen cents. The price was gladly
given, and after a short row the little party
landed. As they neared the land they observed the
remains of an old fort, the stones tumbled
about and the vegetation growing over and
around them. There was nothing to cause fear
on the part of any man-of-war that might con
template landing a force of marines to take
possession. Canoes were drawn up along the beach,
people were passing to and fro, and several
vessels of large size were riding at anchor in

SANTAREM. 139
the river. Little attention was paid to Jack
and the two boys, though some of the native
youngsters stared at them and indulged in
observations when they passed.
' ' There is one remarkable fact about this
town," said Ned, before they had walked far,
" and that is its cleanliness."
The others had noticed this peculiarity,
which is by no means common among the cities
and villages of South America. Like every
other place, the inhabitants were Roman
Catholics, and the church, standing in an
extensive grassy square, was large enough to
hold fully a thousand people, crowded as they
often are in such buildings.
The three sauntered along, inspecting every
thing that fell under their eyes. From two
until four o'clock little business is done in
Santarem, on account of the heat. At those
hours the merchants, and the population gen
erally, indulge in the siesta, which is so com
mon in hot countries. They were through with
this refreshment when Jack Blockley and the
boys landed, and the usual stir and bustle was
going on again.

140 UP THE TAPAJOS.
The boys strolled the length of the main
street, and were well paid by the quaint and
interesting scenes. As the afternoon advanced,
the people seated themselves in front of their
houses, where they smoked ahd gossiped and
played checkers, apparently as happy as any
whom a traveler will meet in a long time. It
was noticeable that only at rare intervals was a
lady seen in the group, for in Santarem prevails
the old Brazilian fashion of keeping the ladies
of a family out of sight.
The boys would have been glad to stay in
Santarem over night and visit the Jndian part
of the town, but Captain Sprogell intended to
start up the Tapajos in the morning, and it was
only prudent that they should be rowed out to
the Explorer again, and should tumble into
their hammocks, where they slept soundly
until morning.
" It is an interesting place," said Ardara, as
he and Jack Blockley smoked their pipes
together on deck, "I have been there many
times ; the people are hospitable and delight in
entertaining visitors. I have worshiped in
the church, which has a beautiful tablet at one

SANTAREM. 141
side, placed there by Martius, scientific navi
gator and nobleman, sent to Brazil by Maxi
milian Joseph, king of Bavaria, a half century
ago. He was saved from what seemed certain
death in an awful storm up the river, and he
placed the tablet in the church in 1846 to show
his gratitude therefor."
" It was a creditable act in the nobleman,"
said Jack ; "most men are in a hurry to make
all sorts of vows when in danger, but are very
quick to forget them when the skies become
clear." "Von Martius, the knight, I am glad to say,
was not such an ingrate as all that. Not only
is there a tablet in the church, but a gilded
image of our blessed Saviour, of life size, on a
cross of native itauba wood. The tablet is
really an explanation of why the cross and
image have been placed there."
" Is the city managed without trouble ? "
"As well as such a city can be governed.
They have a police force, with a justice of the
peace in charge, who reports to the chief of
police of Para, and there are sheriffs and con
stables and a regular court."

142 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"How about the old Indian part of the
town ? "
' ' That lies over yonder where you see the lights
twinkling across the water. The inhabitants
are peaceable and good-natured, and I never
knew of any trouble with them. If there
should be, of course the authorities would take
them in hand. They are poor, and their mis
erable huts would not be of much account in
any other latitude."
"Where did these Indians come from ?"
' - That no one can tell with any certainty,
but I believe the Jesuit missionaries first
gathered the Tapajos on the spot, and it is said
that they are descendants of Indians who came
from the far north, probably Venezuela. They
were numerous and powerful, and all the other
Indians were afraid of them. It is two
centuries ago that the missionaries drew them
to this spot, and the fort, whose ruins you saw,
is nearly as old. In 1750 there were several
hundred Indians, and Portuguese traders began
arriving. They started cacao and coffee planta
tions, and four years after it was given its
present name."

SANTAREM. 143
" I'm astonished to find how much you know
about your country and its people," said the
sailor, admiringly.
1 ' During my leisure at home I have read a
good deal, but no more than thousands of
others. I take it every man ought to make
himself acquainted with the history of his own
country. This city of Santarem has had some
pretty rough times. In 1773, the .Mundurucus
Indians swarmed down upon the villages and
settlements, and sacked them all, except
Santarem, where they had a terrific fight, last
ing several days ; but they were 'driven off. A
short time after they pledged themselves to
eternal peace, and ever since have been the
very best friends of the whites."
" I s'pose the whites could get along without
them?" " Not very well ; in 1835 took place the great
rebellion. Santarem surrendered, but the
Mundurucus joined the loyal citizens and drove
out the rebels. They stand to-day like a wall
of iron between the settlers and the wild
Indians, who would make raids on the out
skirts and plantations but for the Mundurucus.

144 UP THE TAPAJOS.
When I was in Santarem last, one of the Mundu
rucus chiefs, all tattooed and covered with paint
and feathers, came into the town. He was
treated like a prince, for all knew he was as
good a friend as his forefathers had been to the
settlers." Thus the conversation went on between
Ardara and the simple-hearted sailor until the
hour was late, and they retired to their
couches.

CHAPTER XVI.

UP THE TAPAJOS.

THE morning on which the little steamer
Explorer moved up the dark, clear
waters of the Tapajos was the finest that the
boys had enjoyed since leaving Macapa. Not
a cloud was visible, and the gentle breeze,
created by the motion of the boat, prevented
the heat from being oppressive.
" If this will only last," said Harry, looking
dubiously at the blue sky, "we could ask
nothing finer."
' ' I don' t think there will be any rain to-day, ' '
remarked Ardara, who had been carefully
.Studying the signs for several minutes; "but
nothing in the way of weather is certain in this
altitude, except its uncertainty."
As the steamer advanced the river widened,
only to narrow again further up. To the south

146 UP THE TAPAJOS.
lay the misty hills of Diamantina and Panama,
with Serra de Iruar against the azure sky.
White clay-cliffs, sand beaches and rocks glide
by on both sides, while the boat steadily plows
her way through the Tapajos toward the
dreamy, mysterious forests which close down
upon the river as though they would shut out the
explorers who were bold enough to enter in.
They passed a large stream that poured a
current into the Tapajos as yellow as the Ama
zon. This river, known as the Furo de Arapi-
chuna, descends directly from the north and is
really the arm of the present stream, extending
like a canal between it and the Tapajos. It
brings such a vast amount of sediment that it
has already built up a point of land that pro
ject far into the tributary.
"Will we keep running all night?" asked
Ned Livingston, walking over to where Ardara
and Jack Blockley were smoking their pipes
like two brothers.
"We will not," was the answer ; "Captain
Sprogell could do so with safety, for the river
is deep and broad anfl will be so for a consider
able distance, but, under the best circumstances,

UP THE TAPAJOS. 147
there must be a greater degree of danger at
night. We are in no hurry, and our rule is slow
and sure. It may. be months before we return
to Para, and it will be rather a bad set-back to
break down before we have more than fairly
started." This was only a simple matter of prudence,
and Captain Sprogell would not have been
justified in doing differently.
"If you wish it," said Ardara, "we will go
ashore and camp to-night instead of staying
aboard." This project struck the boys as just the
thing, for though nothing could be more pleas
ant than their quarters on the boat, yet they
would welcome any kind of change, and there
was just enough of the romantic in the plan to
captivate their fancies.
The scenes through which they passed during
the day were generally of the same character.
The forests on the right and left were varied by
the wooded hills, lowlands and sandy stretches
of beach, but there was little if any thing of a
¦striking nature. »,
Captain Sprogell ran the Explorer close to

148 UP THE TAPAJOS.
shore, where she was made fast, his purpose
being to lie there until the morrow. It was yet
early in the afternoon, and the entire party took
a bath in the cool, refreshing current of the
Tapajos. They had a jolly time frolicking,,
diving, swimming and playing all sorts of tricks
on each other. The sailor who claimed to
have been born in Patagonia, Ardara the guide,
and Jack Blockley, were the most expert
swimmers, though the superior agility of Harry
Norwood enabled him to get the best of them
all in turn, when they made for him, as they
frequently did.
An early meal was eaten, and before it was
fairly dark the camp was located. The arrange
ment was that the boys and Ardara should
sleep on shore, while Jack, like the rest, pre
ferred his comfortable quarters on board.
" We must make our hammocks in the trees,"
said their guide.
"And why?"
"We shall be out of the way of prowling
animals and crawling things, though there isn't
much likelihood of any of them troubling us
to-night."

UP THE TAPAJOS. 149
Accordingly the hammocks were swung in
the trees, which grew close to the water. They
were fully twenty feet above ground, high
enough to be beyond the reach of any wild beast.
that might be drawn to the spot. The camp
fire was kindled and burned brightly until the
boys began to feel drowsy, when they climbed
very carefully into their beds.
Harry and Ned felt just a little "ticklish"
when they looked down at the camp fire
so far below them. It appeared as if an incau
tious movement on their part would fling them
from such a height as to cause their death. But,
while they were considering the matter, both
fell asleep.
Ardara spoke to them, but, receiving no
answer, closed his eyes in slumber. All three
were unconscious, and the boat, lying a short
distance away, when the dark water flowed
softly around her, seemed as if that too had
lost the aggressive energy which had driven her
so many miles against the current of the mighty
rivers. The camp fire was burning dimly, when sud
denly a dark figure emerged from the deep

150 UP THE TAPAJOS
gloom of the wood. It moved as silently as
a shadow around the camp, just beyond the
circle of light thrown out by the smouldering
fire. It seemed to be reconnoitering, to ascer
tain whether it was safe to venture to carry out
some malignant design against the three
sleepers in the trees.
A few minutes seemed to satisfy him that all
was favorable, and he then began climbing the
tree, and made directly for the hammock in
which Harry Norwood was stretched uncon
scious.

CHAPTER XVII.

A MISHAP.

THERE are fully sixty varieties of monkeys
in Brazil. They are all full of mischief,
light-footed and nimble, and they sometimes
render life a burden to the traveler who pene
trates the immense forests of that country.
It was one of these creatures that came out
of the woods along the Tapajos after Ardara,
Harry Norwood and Ned Livingston were
asleep in their hammocks. A number of them
had been flitting among the trees, and the guide
had called attention to them ; but they were so
shy that only a glimpse was caught now and
then of the lively quadrumana, and it was
believed they would not show themselves at
all. But the particularly mischievous fellow of
which we have spoken no sooner satisfied him-

152 UP THE TAPAJOS.
self that all were asleep, than he began climb
ing one of the trees that supported the ham
mocks. While he was doing so some six or
eight other monkeys came closer among the
surrounding branches ; they were gathering to
see the fun.
The leader in the mischief went noiselessly
upward, until he was perched at the head
of the hammock in which Harry Norwood was
sleeping. Then, balancing himself, he reached
forward and began gnawing at one of the small
ropes which supported the hammock.
This cord, unfortunately, was at the head of
Harry, and the sharp teeth had been working a
short time only when it snapped in two.
Harry, who was in the middle of a pleasant
dream of home, was suddenly aroused by find
ing himself going downward, end-over-end,
through the branches.
But for these interposing obstacles he must
have been badly hurt ; but, as it was, they
broke his fall, and, just before reaching the
ground, he fell directly across a limb, where he
hung suspended a minute like a clothes-pin,
then dropped lightly on his feet, while the

A MISHAP. 153
hammock came sliding and tumbling after
him. "Ned, did you kick me out of my berth
and  "
Harry had got thus far in his astounded
query, when he understood like a flash what
had happened.
The trees were full of monkeys, hopping
about and chattering, as though they were
ready to split their sides with mirth over the
mishap of their victim.
The unusual racket awoke Ned and Ardara,
who rose to the sitting position and looked
down from their perches at the strange sight on
the ground, wondering what it could mean.
The fire was bright enough to reveal the figure
of their companion, who was about as angry as
a vigorous young American can be.
"What's the matter, Harry?" called Ned.
"Matter enough," he replied, rubbing the
bruised portions of his body; "one of the
plagued monkeys gnawed off the cord of my
hammock, and I came tumbling heels-over
head through the limbs, with the hammock
after me,"

154 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" Did it hurt you ? "
"It bruised me a little, but hurt my feelings
more. I wish I knew which monkey did it, I
would raise him."
Ardara, who was laughing quietly to him
self, called out :
" That's the fellow on the other side of the -
fire; he' s chattering at you, and they are all
laughing themselves to death."
"That's the scamp, is it?" demanded
Harry, glaring at the animal ; " well, I'll give
him a kick that will lift him up among the
limbs again."
As if to invite the punishment, the Simiadce
at that moment turned his head, as though
looking in the direction of the steamer. Harry
saw his opportunity, and quickly leaping over
the fire, drove his foot at the monkey, vigor
ously enough to raise him several feet from the
ground. Had the kick reached its mark, the
mischievous little fellow would have received
the greatest "jarring" of his existence, but it
looked as if he suspected what was intended,
and did his utmost to urge the attempt.
Harry concentrated all his strength in that

A MISHAP. 155
tremendous kick, that just missed the monkey,
and, lifted by his own momentum off his feet,
the boy dropped flat on his back, while the
object of his wrath hopped a few steps, and,
turning about, chattered and danced harder
than ever.
Ardara and Ned roared with laughter, while
Harry was near losing his temper for the time.
They had never seen any thing so funny, and
the second discomfiture of the boy upset their
gravity altogether.
"If there isn't less levity up there," said
Harry, " some other monkey will get lifted."
" If I ain't lifted any more than that one
was, you may lift all day — I can stand it. The
next time, Harry, you had better get some one
to hold the monkey while you take aim with
your foot. I think that would be a good way
to jump across a stream ; you have only to
give that sort of kick and it will lift you
over." Harry had recovered his good nature while
this little badinage was going on, and Ned and
Ardara came down to the ground. The fire was
stirred so that it threw out a broader circle of

156 UP THE TAPAJOS.
illumination, and the party held what might be
called a council of war.
" I don't think they will disturb you again,"
said Ardara.
"If I could only be certain they would go
for you two next time, I would be glad to have
them do it," said Harry, " but I don't mean to
take any risk. I've got enough of camping out
in this spot ; I prefer the Explorer."
Ned was of the same opinion, for it certainly
is not conducive to pleasant dreams to know
that you are likely to come tumbling down
ward in your sleep for fifteen or twenty feet.
Under the circumstances, Ardara agreed with
them, and accordingly the three gathered up
their luggage, and, making their way to the
steamer, were received on board, where they
slept soundly the rest of the night.

CHAPTER XVIII.

GATHERING WOOD.

IT seemed strange to observe that, as the
steamer ascended the Tapajos, the stream
steadily widened, but Ardara explained that
this river is very broad for many miles, the
narrow, neck-like portion being at the point
where it empties into the Amazon, another, not
so narrow, occurring some miles further up.
For some distance not a house or ' sail was
visible. The solitude of this stream and wood
was rendered only the more impressive by the
sight of a small canoe, creeping along the
northern shore, propelled by the paddle of a
single Indian. When surveyed through the
binocular glasses of Captain Sprogell, he could
be seen attentively watching the boat, as though
he meant to be in readiness to leap ashore and

158 UP THE TAPAJOS.
run at the first demonstration on the part of the
terrible monster.
With a view of testing him, the captain
suddenly turned the prow of the steamer
toward the canoe, while the whistle gave a blast
that wakened the echoes for miles. The terror
of the dusky warrior was as overwhelming as it
was amusing. He made several furious plunges
with his paddle, driving the nose of his canoe
against the clayey bank with such force that its
sudden stoppage toppled him over with his
feet in the air.
But he was up again in a twinkling, and,
leaping ashore, darted into the woods at the
fiercest burst of speed possible. He must have
run a long ways, and no doubt kept away from
the river for a good while afterward.
Passing by the broad sweep of water that
sets into the Tapajos from the north, and is the
outlet of the Arapiuns, they came in sight of
the little settlement of Alter do Chao, on the
eastern shore of the Tapajos. It contains less
than fifty palm-thatched houses, with a dilapi
dated church and about four hundred inhabi
tants. Our young friends surveyed it curiously

GATHERING WOOD. 159
from the deck of the steamer as it glided by,
while the Indians were seen standing on the
bank watching the boat in turn. They would
have been glad had Captain Sprogell and his
passengers paid them a visit, for the natives are
known as most inveterate beggars, and they
would have been certain of a large addition to
their stock, provided they had any stock to
which it could be added.
"The place, like almost every one in any
country, has an interesting history," said
Ardara, as the three looked back at the queer-
shaped huts fading from view; "I have
stayed there several days and found the people
very hospitable, but I was driven nearly fran
tic by the fire-ants."
" What are they ? "
"One of the greatest pests of the country.
They are large and tremendously powerful.
When they bite you it is just the same as if
some one shut a pair of pincers with your
flesh between the jaws. I never jumped so
•high nor let out such a yell in all my life as I
did when the first fire-ant paid his respects to
me."

160 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Only a short time after losing sight of Alter
do Chao, the travelers came in view of another
small village, where the people also stared
curiously at them as they went by. The day
was advancing, but Captain Sprogell deter--
mined to keep moving so long as it was
prudent to do so. The weather, ever since the
rising of the sun, was all the boys could wish,
not a drop of rain falling, while the heat was
not oppressive by any means.
When the short twilight ended, the Explorer
approached close to shore where the water was
very deep and made fast. A supply of wood
was wanted, but the captain proposed to wait
until morning before setting his men to cut it
down and gather it. There were no supplies
ready for delivery awaiting him, but in such a
country it is an easy matter to secure all that
can be needed.
There was no proposition to encamp on shore,
although Harry and Ned would^have been will
ing, to try it had Ardara wished it. There is
something wonderfully attractive in the idea
of camping out to a lad, who thinks it is the
highest kind of enjoyment to lie on the ground

GATHERING WOOD. 161
a prey to insects, chilled on one side of the
body and toasted on the other, with insufficient-
protection from the rain and a general upset
ting and mixture of the supply of food.
The next morning was bright, sunshiny and
clear, such a brisk breeze blowing that the
Tapajos was whipped into foamy waves which
broke on the beach with a plash like the ocean,
and caused the steamer herself to move uneasily
at her moorings.
All hands took a turn at chopping and
gathering wood. This sort of work was antici
pated and prepared for, and most of the men
were skillful with the ax. The boys were un
accustomed to it, and Jack Blockley did not
display much cleverness.
"I can't sit still and look on," said the
sailor, swinging the implement over his shoul
der and striding into the wood with the others.
" What can we do to help ? " asked, Ned, he
and Harry following after their friend.
" You can do the heavy sitting around," re
plied Jack ; "I don't think it is safe for you
to go to swinging your axes ; the first thing
one of you will cut the head off the other."

162 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" We can help carry the wood aboard any
way, after we have admired the style in which
you use the ax."
Jack, conscious of his own awkwardness,
was anxious to get the boys away, so they
would have no cause for laughing at him.
" I never could write a letter when anyone
was looking over my shoulder, and I can't ac
quit myself with skill when any body stands
gaping at me and making remarks, so I will
be obliged to you if you will cast your eyes
some other way."
And to give point to what he was saying,
the sailor turned to the right, so as to move
away from the rest of the men who were al
ready swinging the glittering axes over their
heads, and burying the keen blades in the
hearts of the forest monarchs.
The boys laughed slyly at each other, and
obliged their friend by moving off to the left,
but all the same they meant to keep their eye
on him. They allowed him to get a short
distance ahead, when they followed after him.
A few steps only and the sailor paused before
a tree which was some six or eight inches

GATHERING WOOD. 163
through. It was almost smothered by a huge
vine which, after winding several times around
it, continued on among and around the adjoin
ing trees, as far as the eye could reach.
"There's consid'ble wood there," he said
loud enough to be heard by the boys, who
laughingly watched him from behind adjacent
trees. "I hear the other axes sounding, but
it won't take me long to fetch that 'ere timber
down. I don't care about them boys watching
and laughing at me ; for between you and me,
Jack, I don't know as much about handling
an ax as I do the windlass."
He wore no coat, for the weather did not call
for it, even when on the boat. He now spat
on his hands, drew in a deep breath, and
throwing the blade back over his shoulder,
made a long sweep with it, aiming for the
trunk a short distance from the ground. Very
likely he would have struck it but for the vine
of which we have spoken. Somehow or other
that got in the way, and caught the ax
where the handle was inserted, just as a clothes
line will sometimes catch a boy under the chin
while running across the yard at night when

164 UP THE TAPAJOS.
he ought to be in bed. The unexpected check
so disarranged things that the ax was jerked
out of the grasp of the amazed sailor and
went spinning twenty feet away among the
trees. "By the great horned spoon!" he gasped,
staring after the implement as it went bound
ing end-over-end; "I was never more aston
ished in my life — who's that laughing ?"
He turned about and saw his young friends
red in the face from their efforts to restrain
their mirth. The good-natured fellow could
not be angry with them, and he joined in their
laughter, while he slowly walked to where his
ax lay and picked it up again.
"I've cut the mainmast away more than
once, when the gale had us," said Jack, "but
we didn't have any such outlandish vines
twisting around it, and almost as big as
the mast itself. I'll fetch the tree pretty
soon." Taking lessons from his experience the sailor
delivered the next blow with such care that it
landed safely and inflicted a large gash on the
trunk. He aimed to place the second blow in

GATHERING WOOD. 165
the same place, but it struck several inches
above ; the next was as much too low, and the
fourth also missed the mark, so that Jack
Blockley was certain to waste considerable
strength. But he had the virtue of perseverance, and
he kept at it until the tree suddenly gave up
the struggle, and would have gone over but for
the encircling vine which held it in place.
This was speedily chopped in two, and then
the trunk lay prostrate.
"I will go over to Captain Sprogell and see
whether I can't get him to hold the boat
several days."
" Who for ?" demanded Jack, red in the face
and panting, as he glared at the boy.
" Your heart seems bent on getting that log
cut in two again, and I would like to have him
give you time to do it."
"If I should stop to kick some monkey that
had cut down my hammock I might need more
time but I think I can work it through as soon
as the rest."
The boys laughed, and each took a turn with
the ax while Jack sat down for a breathing

166 UP THE TAPAJOS.
spell. There is scarcely a thing in this world-
which anyone can do well without practice, and
the boys, as may well be supposed, made sorry
work of chopping.

CHAPTER XIX.
FIRE-ANTS.
ARDARA smiled when he looked at the hag
gled trunk, and he and his companion set
to work with such success that it was speedily
cut into pieces of the proper length. By this
time the wood was being carried on board from
a dozen different directions, and in much less
time than would be supposed, an abundance
was on the boat, that was blowing off steam.
A long echoing blast sounded from the
whistle, and a few minutes later the Explorer
was steaming up the Tapajos, with the same
delightful breeze sweeping across her decks.
Rain impended for an hour, but to the great
relief of all the sky cleared again, and the up-
. ward voyage continued without any special
incident until nightfall, when the little village
of Aveiros was reached.
This is not quite four degrees' south of the

168 UP THE TAPAJOS.
equator, and stands on a high bank in a most
picturesque situation. To day it wears a look
of dilapidation, and its church seems ready to
fall to pieces, if, indeed, it has not already
done so.
As soon as the steamer was descried a num
ber of the settlers came forth to stare at it, as
people in the country do when the cars
thunder by.
Captain Sprogell headed toward shore, and
the citizens — Indian and white — hurried down
: to welcome him. They all seemed anxious
to show their hospitality by helping to
make fast, but their assistance was not
needed. Several of the crew sprang ashore to visit
the village, Ardara, Jack Blockley and the
boys doing the same. It was a laborious climb,
the steep pathway to the village proper, but
the natives seem to mind it no more than a
schoolboy does in running up the steps before
his own door.
When the visitors reached the top they
found they had entered one of the ordinary
Indian villages common in that part of the

EIRE-ANTS. 169
world. As nearly as they could judge, about
three hundred men, women and children occu
pied it. They stared at the visitors in a won
dering fashion ; but they were kind-hearted
and offered no rudeness.
Harry patted a dark-eyed little fellow on the
head, stopping and addressing him a word in
English. The native smiled, showing a hand
some set of teeth, and Ardara who caught his
words, said:
"He says he thanks you, but he does not
understand your words."
" I guess he will understand this" laughed
Harry, handing a nice pocket knife to him.
The lad thanked him more vigorously than
before, and his playmates looked as if they
would be delighted to have a chance to thank
the stranger in a similar fashion. They did
not crowd forward, however, nor make them
selves disagreeable.
After walking to the other end of the village
the party stopped and viewed the pleasant
scene spread out before them. The river was
perhaps two or three miles wide, and on the
other shore could be seen the Indian village of

170 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Santa Cruz, looking quaint and picturesque
when studied through the clear atmosphere.
There the Mundurucu tribes are found ; tall,
strong fellows who are excellent friends of the
whites. To the right and left wound the broad Tapa
jos, while wooded hills and lowlands were
around them. The wind had fallen, the air
was warm, and the spirit of peace seemed to
brood over the beauteous scene.
"This must be a healthful country," said
Ned, when the little party had stood in silence
some minutes.
"So it is, but I judge not the place where
you would like to spend your days."
" Of course not, but — murder!"
Ned Livingston made a sudden leap in the
air and clapped his hand on his leg, as though
suffering intensely.
"I believe a serpent has bitten me!" he
added, turning pale with alarm.
"It is only one of those fire- ants," said
Ardara, laughing : " they are not worth mind
ing." "I wouldn't be such a ninny," remarked

FIRE-ANTS. 171
Harry, with half disgusted expression ; " what
is there about the bite of an ant to make such
a fuss about? they ain't — 0, mur deration!
Imbit! Fmbit!"

CHAPTER XX.
ABOVE CUPARAY.
"VTED LIVINGSTON was still rubbing his
_L> leg and dancing with pain from the bite
of the fire-ant, when Harry Norwood was
nipped in the same manner, while in the act
of scolding Ned for his weakness in making
such an ado about it.
Instantly Harry bounded in the air, kicking
forth both legs with almost as much vigor as
he displayed when trying to punish the
monkey that gnawed off the cord of his ham
mock. Despite his own suffering, Ned broke
into laughter over the ridiculous figure cut by
his friend, who had been so impatient with
him. "My gracious !" exclaimed Harry, slapping
the little tormentor, which had fastened itself
on his thigh, "they have teeth like daggers."
"I wouldn't be such a ninny," called out

ABOVE CUPARAY. 173
Ned ; " what is there about the bite of an ant
to make such a fuss about !"
Ardara was on the lookout for the tormentor
and avoided being bit. The boys were so
frightened by the taste they had had, or rather
that the fire-ants had had, that they began to
retreat to the steamer, the pilot following
them. "I've been in a good many parts of the
world," said Jack Blockley, "and have been
bit by snakes and gnats, musquitoes, and all
sorts of things. Of course it ain't very
pleasant, but it always makes me mad to see
anyone show himself such a calf over a little
thing. I've seen chaps with their arms and
legs broken or blowed off, and they never
groaned. But if a boy is nat' rally a calf and
lubber, why of course he'll show it — Shiver my
timbers! who jabbed that cutlass in my
leg?" And Jack made the biggest jump of his life,
and went tearing down the steep path so reck
lessly that he lost his balance, and bumped all
the way to the bottom. Despite the sufferings
of the three, they were all laughing heartily

174 UP THE TAPAJOS.
.when they went on board the steamer, as were
those who were looking at them.
" Aveiros has been destroyed by fire-ants,"
said Ardara, in talking the matter over with
the party, later in the evening.
"How could they do that?" asked Ned,
still nursing his wounded limb, while Harry
and Jack were similarly occupied.
" The whole place was overrun with them;
- they were everywhere; they undermined the
village, and men in walking along the street
would break through and fall a dozen feet down
in their galleries ; they were on the tables, and
would fight with the people for their food ;
they would bite — well, I guess you know how
they bite. Every man, woman and child fled,
and stayed away until the ants also went, when
the people came back."
"But the ants are there too."
"Only a few of them ; there isn't a tenth of
what there used to be. The people don't mind
them." "Talk about musquitoes," groaned Harry;
"I would rather spend a week in the swamps
of Jersey, without any thing to protect me,

ABOVE CUPARAY. 175
than to face a dozen of these animated spear-
points." "We are not likely to be troubled again ; it
is only here and there thatthey are found, just
as it is with the mosquitoes. In some places
you see nothing of them, while in others they
will drive you mad."
In the morning the boys were desirous of
visiting the Indian village across the river, but
Captain Sprogell did not deem it worth while,
and they once more resumed the voyage up the
Tapajos. There came a break in the beautiful weather,
of which they had seen and enjoyed so much
during the last three days. It began raining,
and the showers continued, with slight inter
mission, the entire day. It seemed as if the
Atlantic winds were surcharged with moisture
with which they drenched and saturated the
Amazonian valley until it steamed back the
superabundant water which it was unable to
hold. The river narrowed until it was no more than
three miles in width. Numerous islands were
seen and passed, and it required much care to

176 UP THE TAPAJOS.
avoid running on the sand banks ; but the ex
perienced vision of Captain Sprogell and
Ardara were sufficient to detect these perils in
time to avoid them.
During the day they ascended above the
Cuparay, a narrow but very deep stream which
enters the Tapajos from the eastern side. Nu
merous dwellings of the native Indians were
seen, and several canoes were passed on their
way to the upper falls, for the purpose of barter
and trade with the natives.
" How far are we from the Amazon ? " asked
Jack Blqckley of Ardara toward the close of
the afternoon.
"About a hundred and fifty miles ; we are
near the end of our voyage with the steamer."
" But we are to go still further up ? "
"That is the purpose of the captain; we
shall go to Itaituba, which stands near the
lower falls ; there the steamboat must stop,
and we shall have to pass the rapids in canoes."
"Is it difficult?"
Ardara shrugged his shoulders.
"We shall see some hard work and little
danger, but not .enough to frighten us."

ABOVE CUPARAY. 177
"I am ready to go anywhere if others will
"go with me ; but you see I have charge of these
boys, and it won't do to take them into any
danger that we can keep out of."
"Can there be any greater peril than that
which they met before I had the pleasure of
seeing them? " asked Ardara, who, as a matter
of course, knew of the accident to the
schooner. "No, indeed, Ardara, but that you know
could not be helped. Their friends would
never have allowed them to leave home had
they known that the Robinson Crusoe was not
to take them back again. Ned was sent that
he might regain his health, which was bad,
and Harry came as his companion and
friend." " The boy has gained strength," said Ardara,
glancing at Ned, who was sitting some dis
tance away chatting with Harry.
" So he has," responded Jack ; "if he lives
to get back, his parents will be delighted."
" You may depend that I am as anxious as
you are that no harm shall come to either of
them."

178 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Then lowering his voice, so that no one but
the sailor should hear him, Ardara added :
" I love the boys — both of them, and I will
watch over them as though they were my own
sons."

CHAPTER XXI.
AT ITAITUBA.
THE voyage of the little steamer Explorer
up the Tapajos River had come to an end.
At the distance of one hundred and fifty miles
from the junction of the stream with the Ama
zon, Captain Sprogell reached the town of
Itaituba, above which no steam vessel has
ever passed
Itaituba, in 1835, was selected as a rallying
point for the loyal people and the Mundurucu
Indians. At that time there was scarcely a hut
in the place, but it received a village charter in
1856, and the municipality now includes all the
Tapajos region above, to the confines of Matto
Grosso. (This last term means "a great forest,"
and it is the name of the most western, and,
after Para, the largest, province in Brazil. Its
area is fifteen times as great as that of the State
of New York.)

180 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Itaituba contains perhaps two hundred and
fifty inhabitants, part of the houses being made
of adobe or sun-dried bricks, while the rest are
palm-thatched huts. One third of the inhabi
tants are white, and there are a number of well
filled shops. A dozen trading canoes are sent
out at times, and quite a bustle in the way of
trade is going on almost all the while. These
canoes ascend the Tapajos and above the rapids,
bartering with the Mundurucus for rubber and
drugs. It is manifest that myriads of rubber trees
are growing around Itaituba, and that a lucra
tive trade can be developed. Captain Sprogell' s
instructions were to do what he could to secure
a large portion of this trade for his employers,
who owned the Explorer, and who intended
also to send him many miles up the Amazon,
in quest of new regions where the valuable tree
grows. The arrangements were that the Explorer
should remain at Itaituba for a week or two —
that is, until ready to return, during which
time the engineer and fireman would carefully
overhaul the furnaces and engine, while several

AT ITAITUBA. 181
of the crew would do the same with the steamer
itself, under the direction of the mate. The
Explorer was a powerful tug, with strong
engines, and there was no evidence that she
had suffered in the least ; but the prudent
commander takes every precaution against'
danger. While this general " tidying up " .was going
on, the plan was that Captain Sprogell, Ardara,
and two powerful native Brazilians known as
Pedro and Tomti, were to ascend the Tapajos
in a single large canoe, in which was to be
stored a large amount of trinkets and notions
that were sure to please the Indians, and were
to be given them for rubber. Ardara was able
to converse with the people in their own lingua,
and consequently would be valuable on that
account, aside from his superior knowledge of
the country.
It was believed that by such a course as this
with the Indians, with whom they were sure to
come in contact, they could rouse scores of
them to extra exertion. They would bring
double the quantities of rubber down to Itai
tuba, where an agent was to be established to'

182 UP THE TAPAJOS.
see that it was secured for the right parties in
Para. This, in brief, was the business of the
steamer Explorer up the Tapajos.
The only modification of the plan was one of
detail, caused by the unexpected addition made
to the party at the mouth of the Amazon.
Jack Blockley and the two boys, as a matter
of course, were to go with this exploring party,
as it may be termed, though hundreds of, peo
ple have made the same voyage they proposed
making. At Itaituba a large trading canoe was
engaged, and the trinkets and notions were
stowed forward, being covered with tarpaulin
so as to protect them from rain, and the
memorable canoe voyage was begun.
The large boat, that was abundantly able to
carry the entire party and their luggage, had
been over the same ground, or rather water,
before, and was furnished with every thing -
indispensable. A canvas covering was arched
over the latter portion, into which those of the
crew not on duty could creep at any time, to
avoid the sun or rain. It had, also, a goodly
sized sail, which was hoisted, and, as there was

AT ITAITUBA. 183
a strong breeze blowing, the craft bowled along
at a rapid rate, without the assistance of oars
or poles, that are often the only means of pro
pulsion. - Our friends were fortunate, for the wind con
tinued strong and favorable most of the day, so
that long before the short twilight came they
had reached the foot of the first falls, twenty
miles above Itaituba. Here it was decided to
go into camp, and make the ascent on the mor
row. "There are rubber gatherers not far from
here," said Ardara, while he and Jack Blockley
sat smoking their pipes in the dusk of the early
evening, "and, if you would like to see how it
is gathered, I will take you to see it."
" I'm obliged," said Jack, "but I've observed
the darkies collect the same sort of thing on the
Guinea coast, where they cure it in the ground ;
and I'll take the occasion to do some patching
of my clothing, if you will excuse me."
The boys would have been glad to have the
honest old sailor with them at all times, but
there was no special cause for taking him along,
and it was arranged that Ardara was to go along

184 UP THE TAPAJOS.
with the boys, the party expecting to return
when the sun was at meridian.
Captain Sprogell intended to ascend the
rapids in the morning, when he would wait on
shore for his guide and the boys, while he was
hopeful of making his errand known to many
of the Indians in the vicinity. Ardara was to
do what he could in the same direction on the
morrow, so it will be understood that it was not
proposed to waste any time.
The camp-fire of the party must have been
seen a long ways, for before long they were
visited by two couples of Indians, who came
from different points. They were treated with
consideration and given a number of presents.
Ardara conversed with them without trouble,
and he explained the wishes of his employers.
The natives listened with interest, and when
they went away, promised to bring some more
of their people to meet the white friends, on
the morrow, above the rapids. Every thing
therefore looked promising when Ardara and
the boys left the camp in the morning, and
plunged into the dense forests which line both
shores of the Tapajos.

CHAPTER XXII.
HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED.
AS the little party made their way through
the woods they found the traveling any
thing but agreeable. They waded to their knees
in water, and the soil was yielding and spongy.
The musquitoes buzzed about their ears, and
presented their bills in the most exasperating
fashion. At times, too, the vegetation was so
luxuriant and the trees stood so close together,
with the matted vines between, that it was hard
work to push their way forward.
Each carried his gun and some ammunition,
while Ardara had a pretty heavy pack of trinkets
on his back. The boys began to suspect that the
true reason why Jack Blockley stayed behind
was to help force the canoe through the rapids ;
that, at the worst, was pleasant amusement
compared to this.
But Ardara took every thing as a matter of

186 UP THE TAPAJOS.
course, and Harry and Ned resolved that they
would never complain so long as they could
keep moving.
Fortunately they were not forced to go far,
when they came upon the information they
were seeking. The first sign of it was a hut,
which Ardara told them belonged to a native
rubber gatherer. It was a wretched looking
. structure made of logs, with the crevices and
chinks filled in with clay, and with vines grow
ing all over it. The windows were simply
openings cut through the logs, and there were
only two. The floor within was earth, com
paratively dry, the builder of the hut having
been wise enough to secure high ground to pro
tect his home from an ordinary flood, though
there must have been times when he was washed
out. A tall, angular, Mameluca woman, the wife
of the owner, sat on the bench at the door,
smoking a pipe. She was slovenly in her dress,
and her face and general appearance were
any thing but prepossessing.
She was holding her pipe to her mouth with
the fingers of her right hand, and, as she heard

HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED. 187
the footsteps, she turned her eyes without
moving her head. The three saluted her, and
Ardara stepped forward and presented her with
some tobacco, addressing her at the same time
in her own tongue.
This gift brought a dim expression of pleas
ure to the swarthy countenance, and she mut
tered her thanks. When asked where her hus
band was, she pointed off in the woods with her
pipe. " I don't think he is far away," said Ardara;
"come ahead, unless you are used up."
" We'll let you know when we want to stop,"
said the plucky Ned, splashing forward as
though it was the finest kind of enjoyment.
"I'm glad that woman has no children, for I
would hate to see them in such a dreadful
place as this."
" You will find plenty of them in just such
bad places," replied Ardara, tramping ahead ;
' ' you have to see many sights in this country
that will make you thankful that you were
born in a more favored clime."
As the guide had declared would be the
case, they had not penetrated far when they

188 UP THE TAPAJOS.
came upon the rubber gatherer. He had
gashed a large tree with a hatchet, cutting it
in several places ; two other men had done the
same, and probably one hundred different
trunks had been wounded in the same fashion.
This had been done early in the morning,
when small cups were fastened below the
slashes, by means of clay, so as to catch all the
milky fluid that exudes from beneath the bark.
They begin by cutting the tree as high -up as
they can reach with their hatchets, gashing it
all the way around. The next morning they
repeat the process a little below, and keep it
up until they have reached the ground.
Before noon the exudation has ceased, and
the largest tree does not yield more than a gill.
Then the seringueiros pass from tree to tree,
with calabash jugs, into which the contents of
the little cups are poured. At the moment of
the boys' arrival, the three men had brought
in all the sap of the rubber trees, and were
preparing for the next step in the interesting
process of making rubber.
If the milky fluid is left to itself, it coagu
lates after awhile, and forms a whitish gum of

HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED. 189
poor quality. The black is the most valuable,
and the men prepare that in the following
manner :
A large, wide-mouthed, clay chimney is
placed over a fire, which is allowed to smol
der so as to give off a dense smoke. As this
pours upward through the chimney, it comes
in contact with a wooden mold, round, flat
and fastened to the end of a long handle, like
the nets with which young entomologists
gather bugs. This mold is washed with the
milk, and held in the smoke until the milk
coagulates. Another coat is added, which
also coagulates, and the process is kept up
until a thick coat of dull white rubber covers
the mold. This is then cut from the warm
board, and is ready to be sold to the traders.
After a while it turns a dark brown color, and
finally becomes almost black.
One of the men made a rudely shaped bottle
by spreading the fluid over a clay ball.
"When the coating is thick and hard
enough," said Ardara, "he will press and
work the sides, until the clay crumbles, and it
can be shaken out. You are too young to

190 UP THE TAPAJOS.
remember that that was the way in which rub
ber shoes were first made."
" When is the time for gathering rubber ? "
asked Ned Livingston.
"From February till June this land is en
tirely under water, and the trees are not dis
turbed. They need the time to recover from
the drain they have suffered ; the season begins
in June and lasts about seven months. Then,
over an immense area of country are scattered
'thousands of rubber gatherers, busy tapping
tens of thousands of trees, whose product is soon
to be sent to the four quarters of the globe."
Caoutchouc (koo-chook, accented on the last
syllable) was first introduced from South
America, which is still the great source of sup
ply for the world, though it also obtained from
the East Indies and Africa. The many uses to
which India-rubber is put are too familiar to
our readers for us to attempt to enumerate
them. There seems to be no limit, and new
fields are continually found for this most valu
able article of commerce.
The boys watched the process of coagulating
and smoking the rubber, and were soon ready

HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED. 191
to return to the Tapajos, where their friends
were awaiting them. Ardara went forward
and held a lengthy conversation with the three
men. As he presented each with a number of
trinkets -and they shook their heads in an
affirmative way, as if much pleased with what
was said, Harry and Ned were satisfied that he
had made a good bargain for securing rubber.
The tramp back, as may well be supposed,
was contemplated with any thing but pleasure.
The rubber tree abounds in swampy and over
flowed lands, and the gatherers, who _make
good wages during the busy season, are ex
posed to fevers and debilitating sickness.
But as Captain Sprogell was known to have
ascended the rapids, Ardara slightly changed
their course somewhat, so as to strike the
stream at a point further up than the camp in
the morning. To the surprise of even the guide
himself, this speedily led them into dryer
ground, where traveling was less difficult. The
steamer, when she left Para, was fitted out with
every thing in the way of guns, ammunition,
shoes, and clothing, that the projectors of the
expedition thought would be needed.

192 UP THE TAPAJOS.
The elastic boots drawn above the knees
of the party, were impervious to water,
and kept them dry so long as they avoided
sinking above their tops. Each, as we have
already stated, carried his gun, the boys
having such conception of danger of the Bra
zilian forests that they never felt safe without
some weapon of the kind.
Tramping along in their usual fashion,
Ardara, who was so much more familiar with
the woods, gradually worked ahead, until he
was more than a hundred feet in advance of
Harry Norwood, while Ned Livingston was
that far in the rear. They had seen nothing
to cause alarm, the few aquatic serpents that
glided away at their approach not being worth
attention. "I have seen how India-rubber is made,"
muttered Harry, toiling steadily forward,
and heartily wishing the tramp was over ;
"but it costs a good deal more discomfort and
work than I dreamed of, and more than it is
worth. Jack was sensible enough to stay in
camp and be comfortable."
On the whole, however, the youth could not

HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED. 193
regret what had been done. True, he could
have gained a good idea of how the milky juice
is thickened, into rubber, but he had seen it
done, and that is always preferable to any ac
count received from others.
" I wonder what father and the rest of the
folks would say, if they could see us tramping
through this swamp, on the other side of the
equator. Some of the boys are fishing down at
Barnegat or Atlantic City, or are bathing at
Cape May or Long Branch, or they may be
watching the base ball matches for the cham
pionship. I would much rather be there than
in this hot, damp, nasty climate, but if I live
to get back, I can tell bigger stories than they — ' '
Harry was suddenly roused from these rev
eries by a peculiar snarling, whjch apprised
him that danger of some kind was at hand.
He stopped, and looked quickly around him,
but could see nothing to explain the sound.
He knew it was quite close, and he was
alarmed lest the animal should make the leap
before he could prepare for it. He had brought
his rifle in front, caref nlly cocked it, and only
paused to learn where to shoot.

194 UP THE TAPAJOS.
All at once Ned called to him :
" Look out ! he's going to jump ! "
" Where is he, Ned ? "
' ' Right over your head ! ' '
Harry looked up. On the branching limb of
a large tree he saw an animal crouching and
glaring at him, as if measuring the distance
necessary to leap in order to land on his
shoulders. The creature was not large, but it
was fierce.
It resembled the ordinary domestic cat, but it
had a much longer neck, body and tail. Its
round, greenish eyes gave forth that phosphor
escent gleam seen in the feline species, which
makes it seem at times as if they emit fire.
This was the felis eyra, or tiger cat, that
frequents the woods and thickets as far north as
Mexico and Texas. It is a skillful climber, and
is any thing but a pleasant stranger to men in
the wilderness.
Believing he was in the very act of bounding
from his perch, Harry Norwood raised his rifle
and aimed more quickly than he would have
done under other circumstances. A curious
occurrence also interfered with the shot.

HOW RUBBER IS GATHERED. 195
At the very moment of pulling the trigger,
the gentle breeze swayed a twig about as thick
as his finger, directly across the line, and the
poorly-directed bullet impinged against this in
mid air. The deflection was enough to cause
the rifle-ball to strike the tiger cat in the neck
instead of the brain, where it was intended to
bury it.
Instead of inflicting a mortal wound, there
fore, it simply maddened the creature, which
emitted a spitting snarl, and the next instant
made a leap from its perch, straight for the
boy, who was without the means of defending
himself."

CHAPTER XXIII.

IN THE WOODS.

HARRY NORWOOD carried no firearms
beside his rifle. He had a large knife,
such as hunters use, and dropping his gun, he
whipped out this and braced himself for the
attack of the tiger cat, whose rage had been
roused by the wound just inflicted.
In obedience to instinct rather than reason,
the boy, instead of standing perfectly motion
less, made a leap backward of several feet. As
a consequence, the beast struck the ground di
rectly in front of the youth, who poised himself
ready to receive the assault, which he knew
was delayed only for the moment.
The snarling tiger cat whirled about with
great quickness, its long sharp teeth displayed,
its ears thrown back, and its eyes glaring. Its
tail was flirting swiftly, and its retractile claws

IN THE WOODS. 197
protruded like needles to theiv fullest extent,
eager to rend the flesh from, the limbs of the
young hunter.
But it was only in accordance with the nature
of things that Ned Livingston, having been the
first to discover the character of the danger that
threatened his friend, should run forward to
give what help he could. He saw that the shot
of Harry, from some cause, was worse than a
failure, and the tiger cat was making for him '
with the fury of the terrible inhabitant of the
East Indian jungles.
Ned had not time to reach the spot, and
coming to an abrupt halt, he hurriedly brought
his rifle to his shoulder and pulled trigger. The
bullet bored its way directly through the skull
of the tiger cat, which made one frenzied leap
straight up in air, and, falling on its side, rolled
over and over, clutching at the leaves and
flinging up the dirt, for an instant, when it ex
pired. ' ' Well done, old boy ! ' ' exclaimed Harry,
grasping the hand of his playmate and shaking
it warmly ; "I couldn't have done much better
myself,"

198 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"You had the first chance, and it looks as
though you did not do quite as well."
"I was in too much of a hurry, and a limb
swung in front of the muzzle just as I pulled
trigger. The animal doesn't look very terrible,_
but I guess he would have made a pretty savage
fight." " Yes, you had him up to the fighting point,"
remarked Ardara, who had hurried back on hear
ing the first shot. ' ' They don' t generally attack
hunters unless they are wounded. That is a
large tiger cat, and he would have made it
lively for you if Ned hadn't fired just when he
did." ' ' Well, he seems to be about as dead as he
can be," observed Harry, kicking him with his
foot, " and I am getting hungry."
"We are not many miles from the Tapajos,"
said Ardara, wheeling about and plunging for
ward again.
The walk continued for nearly a mile, when
the boys, who were then traveling side by side,
were startled to observe four Indians come out
of the woods behind them. As soon as they
catught sight of the youths they called out, as

IN THE WOODS. 199
if they wished them to halt, and began hasten
ing their gait ; their manner left no doubt that
they had been following their trail.
' ' Let' s run, ' ' whispered Ned ; ' ' they' re after
our scalps, as sure as fate."
Harry was frightened, and he hurried, al
though he did not break into a run. At the
same moment, however, he shouted to Ardara,
who, as usual, was a considerable distance in
advance. The Indians also called and broke into a
loping trot, so that matters were in an interest
ing shape, when the guide ran back to learn
what it all meant. The instant he caught sight
of the Indians acting in such a threatening man
ner, he cocked his rifle and demanded the, cause
of their action. They also stopped abruptly
and made a vigorous reply.
Ardara broke into laughter and lowered his
gun. "It is all right," he said to the wondering
and alarmed boys. "They joined the rubber
gatherers after we left. When they heard my
business, they made up their minds they wanted
to talk with me on the same matter ; so they

200 UP THE TAPAJOS.
took our trail, and their eagerness to hear what
I would do was mistaken by you for hostility
on their part."
It was a relief to learn the meaning of it all,
and the young friends laughed with each other
over their own fright, which was natural under
the circumstances, for they knew that hostile
Indians are sometimes encountered in these re
gions. Ardara' s interview with the aborigines was
very satisfactory to all. He made a liberal dis
tribution of presents among them, and they
showed much gratitude therefor. They ex
pressed their eagerness to devote themselves
to gathering rubber more energetically than be
fore, and pledged themselves to see that it
reached the agent whom he named, and who
would always be found in Itaituba. Altogether
Ardara felt he had been successful in this ex
cursion into the woods, and Captain Sprogell
could not help being pleased with what had
been done.
The four strangers took the back trail, with
many expressions of good will. They grinned
and gesticulated to the boys, who could not

IN THE. WOODS. 201
help blushing to think what absurd figures they
cut in hurrying away from the Indians, one
only of whom carried a long gun, that must
have been a relic of the revolutionary days of
the country.
"It seems to me," said Harry to Ardara,
"that we have tramped far enough to reach the
Tapajos." "Listen!"
They bent their heads and were silent. Stand
ing thus, they distinctly heard a dull roar that
came to their ears, through the forest, as the
moaning sea reaches the lost traveler who is
wandering in the solitudes along the shore.
"You know what that is, do you not?"
asked the guide.
" The rapids."
" Yes, they are not far off ; we shall soon be
there." This fact was inspiriting to the boys, who
walked faster than before, and within the next
fifteen minutes they emerged from the dense
woods and approached the camp of Captain
Sprogell and his men,

CHAPTER XXIV.
PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS.
CAPTAIN SPROGELL had not wasted his
time while in camp. Early that morn
ing the men were aroused, and the work of
forcing the large canoe through the rapids was
begun with energy and skill. They were fully
needed, for in many places the torrent was so
swift and violent that less experienced toilers
would have been swept out of the way like so
many playthings. More than once the large
boat swung around like a top ; men were sent
sprawling in the current, and rolled over and
over as if they were so many cockle-shells
caught in an eddy. Every one got a good
ducking. But it was fun for all that. They laughed
and shouted and blew the water from their
mouths and went at it again, until, when each

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 203
was pretty well used up, they reached the still
water above, where they could spread their sail
and be wafted forward on their voyage.
But Captain Sprogell pulled the boat up the
bank, kindled a large camp-fire, where all
could dry their clothing, cooked breakfast, and
decided to wait where he was until the return
of Ardara and the boys. These reached camp
just as dinner was ready, they having partaken
of a little food in the morning, before starting,
as the others waited until the rapids should be
passed. The smell of the steaming chocolate and
broiling fish would have sharpened the appetite
of an epicure. There was an abundance of
food, and the company enjoyed it as only those
can who are accustomed to such an active out
door life.
The captain had been visited by a couple of
Indians, with whom he had a satisfactory
interview. They departed, and shortly after
dinner reappeared with eight other rubber
gatherers, with whom a long "pow-wow"
was held. They were given many presents, and
went away promising to do every thing in their

204 UP THE TAPAJOS.
power in the way of procuring raw rubber for
the agent in Itaituba.
When Ardara' s story was added to this, the
captain expressed himself highly pleased. He
declared that the expedition had already been
more successful than either he or the projectors
anticipated ; and, if equally good fortune
attended the voyage up the Amazon, all the
crew would be sure to receive a substantial
remembrance on their return to Para.
"How much further are we to ascend the
Tapajos?" asked Ned Livingston, when the
entire party were lolling in camp after dinner.
" I have not decided as yet what I shall do,"
replied the captain, "for a great deal will
depend on circumstances."
"How far up the river can we go ? "
"To the sources in the Arinos and Juruana,
in about fifteen degrees south latitude."
, The captain looked to Ardara, as if inviting
him to speak, and the guide, who ' knew so
much of his country, added, in his pleasant
way: " The Rio de la Plata takes its rise in the
same place ; you can throw a stone froni one to

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 205
the other when there is a large rise of water ;
but one goes north and the other south, and
they reach the Atlantic at points on the coast
more than three thousand miles apart."
" We have the same curious fact in our
country," said Ned ; "the Columbia and the
Missouri have their sources in the Rocky
Mountains, almost side by side ; one winds
along over prairie, through forest and moun
tain gorges, until it reaches the Gulf of
Mexico ; while the other pours its current into
the Pacific, the outlets being more than four
thousand miles apart."
As a smart breeze was blowing, and the
weather was delightful, the canoe was soon
launched, the crew seated themselves, and the
hsavy craft moved along the stretch of still
water at a rate that was the very poetry of
motion. "This won't last long," said Ardara, "so
we may as well enjoy it while we* have the
chance. There are other rapids not far away,
where plenty of hard work awaits us."
The guide was right, for the delightful sail
was no more than fairly under way, when they

206 UP THE TAPAJOS.
rounded a bend in the river and caught sight
of the rapids above them. The water could be
seen dashing over the rocks in foam, and run
ning with great velocity. It looked impossible
for a boat to force its way through them, but
strong arms, well directed, can accomplish a
great deal, and Captain Sprogell went at the
task with his accustomed intelligence.
The cargo was removed and the men sprang
¦ out, with the single exception of Jack Blockley,
who took the helm. He had proven himself
much the best sailor in the party. A long rope
extended to the shore, and the rest of the com
pany, including the boys, caught hold of this
and applied their united strength to pulling
against the current. Several of fhe rear men
were forced at times to wade through the
water, and more than once they were thrown
on their knees by the spiteful resistance of the
almost unmanageable canoe.
It seemed again and again that they must
fail. Pulling altogether they would drag the
boat several feet, when a sudden plunge of the
torrent would force it backward with such
momentum that the toilers would be almost

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 207
flung on their back. Captain Sprogell was at
the head, and he shouted " Yee-ho " and-other
encouraging cries, in a voice that was heard
above the roar of the rapids.
Harry Norwood was thrown flat, but he held
fast to the rope, and brought Pedro down on
top of him. They instantly scrambled to their
feet, and were at it again; the downward plung
ing of the canoe was checked, and in its * ' tug
of war " with the men, it began slowly to yield.
Much credit was due Jack Blockley, who,
though he had never been in this section, used
the best judgment in guiding the boat into
those passages which his experienced eye told
him were less difficult to encounter.
Thus the cumbersome boat fought its way
steadily upward, until once more the still water
was reached, the cargo reloaded, the sail hoisted
and all scrambled aboard. The same favoring
breeze carried them slowly through the dark,
clear waters, and, as the sun was sinking be
hind the western wilderness, they approached
another series of rapids, of such a difficult char
acter that it was clearly impossible to force the
canoe through them.

208 UP THE TAPAJOS.
What was to be done ?
These, in fact, were falls instead of rapids, and
the only way to get the canoe above them was by
land. Accordingly the, cargo was taken out,
and then the boat was pulled upon some poles
stretched across the path. The ascent was
steep, and the labor great ; but all worked with
a will, and the task was done.
The crew had accomplished enough to entitle
them to a -good rest, and it was agreed that
nothing more should be done until the morrow.
The falls were hardly passed, when six Mun-
durueu Indians appeared, eager to offer their
services in forcing the boat up stream. The
perspiring crew only regretted that they had
not put in an appearance an hour sooner, so as
to relieve them of the exhausting labor.
But, as there were other falls within half
a mile, they were invited to come around
in the morning and lend a hand. They
promised to do so, and went away as happy
as little children, over the few trinkets given
them. Abundance of fish were found in the Tapa
jos, and the supply of coffee and chocolate was

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 209
sufficient, so that the evening camp was of the
most enjoyable character.
At this point the woods came close to the
water, so there was little more than sufficient
room for a comfortable camp ; but the remark
ably find weather continued, and the air was so
mild that no one needed any covering.
" We are on pretty high land, too," said
Ardara, "and you have nothing to fear from
the night air. We are in a salubrious clim
ate." "How is it in the swamps where they gather
rubber?" Ardara shook his head.
" It is very sickly ; they have wasting fevers,
and do not live long. Nowhere in the world
can you find more horrible diseases than in
Brazil ; we have thousands suffering from
goitre in its most frightful form, and along the
Amazon abounds a disease which, I have been
told, is unknown in your country — that is
leprosy." " It is found to the north of us ; but I believe
it is not met with in the United States," said
Harry.

210 UP THE TAPAJOS.
' ' Have we any thing to fear in the way of
wild animals ? ' ' asked Ned, recalling their ad
ventures of a few nights previous.
"Nothing that occurs to me ; there are not
many in Brazil that need cause you any un
easiness." "How about the monkeys ? " asked Harry.
' ' If any of them come prowling about the
camp, kick them out," replied Ardara, with a
laugh ; ' ' but they will not disturb you this even
ing ; they keep pretty closely to the woods."
The fire was allowed to smolder, for the
weather was too mild to need any additional
heat, and the company stretched out near each
other, tired and weary enough to sleep, if un
disturbed, until the rising of the morrow's sun.
The scene became solemn and impressive as
the night advanced. The fire-light flickered
against the tree trunks and branches; now and
then a small fish leaped from the water, falling
back again with a faint plash, the dull roar of
the falls being faint enough to permit even this
slight sound to be heard. In some portions of
the forest the night is filled with the music of
insect and animal life, but here a strange stillness

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 211
rests upon nature. The weird moths floated
about the smoldering fire-light, many getting
their wings scorched and falling among the
embers. The stealthy tread of some animal
might have been heard rustling over the leaves,
but none of them came forth from the darkness.
- Harry Norwood was sinking into the deep
slumber which rested on the others, when he
heard the most peculiar sound that had ever
fallen upon his ears. It was a long tremulous
whistle, as mournful as the cry of a person
sinking in death. It was the note made by
that wonderful soul-bird, which no one can
hear without being strangely affected.
The boy listened, but it was not repeated,
and finally his eyes closed and his senses left
him. He had slept perhaps an hour, when he
awoke with a most singular sensation. At
first he thought a gentle breeze was blowing
through the camp, then it seemed as if some
one was softly fanning his face. That passed,
and then a peculiar discomfort was transferred
to his right foot. He had removed his heavy
boots, and was in his stocking-feet.

212 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"I guess my foot is asleep," he thought,
drawing up the right leg so as to test the
muscles. As he did so, he became aware that
something was clinging to it. He heard it flap,
and, with a shudder, he rose to a sitting position,
and gave his foot a vigorous kick. The same
dull flapping was repeated, but whatever was
clinging to it remained fast.
He knew it was not a serpent, and, reaching
down, he caught hold of a flabby skinny object,
which he jerked loose, and flung it so violently
on the ground that it fluttered once or twice,
and then lay dead.
"What in the name of the seven wonders
can that be?" he muttered, springing up, and
stirring the fire so that it gave out a bright glow,
which showed the object distinctly.
It proved to be a hideous vampire-bat, which
had fastened itself while he lay asleep,, and was
quietly sucking the blood from his limb.
This repulsive creature is as large as a mag
pie, and of a reddish brown color. It is known
in zoology as the Phyllostoma spectrum, and,
although fond of insects, seems still fonder of
blood. In some parts of Brazil, it is impossible

PUSHING THROUGH THE RAPIDS. 213
to rear calves on account of these pests. It
does not inflict any wound on a person, but
draws the blood from the capillaries without
causing pain. It has two large, projecting,!
approximate, upper incisors, and similar lancet-
shaped canines, all sharp-pointed, and so ar
ranged as to make a triple puncture like
that of the leech. A more repulsive object,
and a more disagreeable companion, it would
be hard to imagine.

CHAPTER XXV.

STRANGE INDIANS.

DESPITE the disagreeable experience of
Harry Norwood, he soon fell asleep again
and did not open his eyes until the sun was
shining, and others of the party were stirring.
When he told about the vampire, Ardara
said they were not worth minding. He had
often flung them from his body when he awoke
in the night. It was remarked as curious that
although Ned and several others had removed .
the outer coverings of their feet, they were not
disturbed by any of the creatures.
A substantial meal was eaten* and the canoe
was propelled up stream to the next series of
rapids, through which it was dragged and
forced as before. Then Captain Sprogell an
nounced that they would ascend no further.
They had reached a point beyond which the
labor of forcing the boat was too great. The

STRANGE INDIANS. 215
falls and rapids came too close together, and it
would have been easier to load themselves
down with the luggage, and toil upward along
the shore.
"We will go into camp," said the captain,
" and we may stay three or four days ; we will
make excursions through the surrounding
country among the Indians, and in that way
will soon have our business known, and do as
much as if we went up to the headwaters of
the Tapajos."
Such being the plan of the commander of
the enterprise, it only remained to arrange the
details. It would have been poor policy for the party
to go in company, as they would miss many of
those whom they wished to meet. So it was
arranged that the captain and Ardara should
travel together, Pedro and Tomti were to take
another direction, while Jack Blockley, Harry
Norwood ahd Ned Livingston were to follow a
third route, different from each of the others.
This insured three parties of exploration, so
to speak. Each was to carry a considerable
number of trinkets and presents, besides their

216 UP THE TAPAJOS.
own weapons, and were to return to camp at
the close of the second day. It was reason
able to believe that they would accomplish
all that was hoped bj that time, and then the
return voyage down the Tapajos would begin.
As a matter of course, it was expected that
the captain and Ardara would do most of the
negotiating, for not only was the guide able to
converse fluently in the lingua of the country,
but it was the intention of himself and the
captain to reach one of the Mundurucu vil
lages, known to be less than ten miles distant
from camp.
Pedro and Tomti were both intelligent, and.
under ordinary circumstances, could make
themselves understood by the natives of this
section. There was reason to hope they would
not return from a bootless errand.
Respecting Jack and the boys, much less
was expected. They knew nothing of the lan
guage ofthe Indians, and would be obliged to
depend upon gesture when they sought to
express their sentiments ; but it was not to be
supposed that they could content themselves in
camp for two whole days while the others were

STRANGE INDIANS. 217
exploring the surrounding country. They
were not asked to conduct any negotiations in
rubber, but were to spend the time in sight
seeing and enjoying themselves after their own
fancy. Jack had a small pocket-compass which he
always carried with him, and which had helped
him out of many dangerous dilemmas. Know
ing the exact course of the Tapajos, which is
north-east, and, fully resolved not to penetrate
the forests to any great distance, there was
no cause for fearing that he and his friends
would lose themselves.
The course taken by the party, whose
strange fortunes it is my duty to chronicle,
was south-east, and very nearly at right angles
to the course of the river. The ground was
comparatively dry, and it was their purpose to
keep out of the swamps altogether. If they
should strike them, they would return to the
camp and take another route.
Jack Blockley took his bearings very care
fully, called a good-by to his friends, and, an
hour later, was well into the dense forest,
among the climbing vines and super-abundant

218 UP THE TAPAJOS.
vegetation, which more than once compelled
them to change the course they had started
upon. Still, the general direction was south
east, as they intended it should be. When
suspicious they were astray, the sailor con
sulted the compass, and had no trouble in
placing himself right.
They had brought some chocolate and coffee
with them, but relied mainly on their guns to
secure such food as they would need before
returning to camp. It would seem that the
last place where a person was likely to die
\vith hunger would be in a South American
forest, and yet hundreds have perished thus
miserably. " Halloo ! here's something unexpected ! "
called out Harry, whose impatience had placed
him a little in advance of the others.
They saw what it was to which he referred
without any word of explanation from him.
He had stopped on the shore of a small lake,
perhaps a hundred yards long, and one-third
as wide. The water seemed to be very deep,
and quite clear. Its source was a series of
springs at the bottom, and its outlet was a

STRANGE INDIANS. 219
small, winding stream, that probably found its
way to the Tapajos, as it ran in that direction.
When they placed their hands in it, the
water was cold, but there was so much vege
table matter floating about that they feared to
drink it, though they were quite thirsty.
" There's something else too !" added Ned,
pointing to the opposite side of the lake,
where they were not a little astonished to
observe a camp-fire burning, around which
some eight or ten Indians were gathered, some
smoking, some lolling on the ground, while
two were busy preparing the mid-day'
meal. "Let's be sociable," said Jack, starting
around the lake to call on them. The boys
followed, and the three had nearly reached the
camp, when Jack suddenly paused.
" What's the matter ? " asked Ned.
"I never have seen any such Injuns as them,
and I must say I don't like their looks."
"I don't either," whispered Harry ; "let's
go back."
They were on the point of retreating, when
they saw it was too late.

CHAPTER XXVI.
HOWLY DAO, BRUDDER?
UP to the present time Harry Norwood and
Ned Livingston had not come in con
tact with a hostile white man or Indian.
There had not been so much as an unkind word
said to them ; and now, when they discovered
a party of red men encamped on the banks
of the lake, near the head waters of the Tapa
jos, they were warranted in believing they
were as friendly as those whom they had already
encountered. The boys, including their friend Jack Block-
ley, the sailor, therefore walked unhesitatingly
toward the group, who were lolling on the
ground, most of them smoking, while two were
busy cooking some kind of meat over the fire.
Tiie first thing that caused a misgiving in the
mind of Jack Blockley was the appearance of
the Indians. He scrutinized them as he

HOWLY DAO, BRUDDER? 221
advanced, and noticed they were larger, and
physically finer than any whom he had seen.
All had long black hair, that dangled about
their necks and shoulders ; their ugly faces
were tattooed with grotesque imitations of
birds and reptiles, as were their breasts, that
were bare to the waist. They wore a slouchy
style of trowsers, descending a little below
their knees, the feet being encased in strong
moccasins, plentifully ornamented with beads.
This constituted their dress, unless some bone
ornaments on their wrists can be considered as
part of their attire.
The sailor was still some distance away, when
he observed, further, that they were armed
with bows and arrows, and there was not a sin
gle firearm among them. Besides, several
carried long slim reeds, whose use none of the
whites suspected.
These signs convinced Jack Blockley that
the red men were not those who dwell along
the rivers, and hang on the outskirts of civili
zation. They were from the interior, and
avoided ail contact with white men. They had
probably come down on some marauding

UP THE TAPAJOS.
expedition, and were now spying through the
country for some chance to steal or commit
murder, without too much risk to themselves.
Wherever they should find a party weaker
than themselves, they would not hesitate to
attack him, after which they would hurry
back into the wilderness, where they would be
secure against any who might pursue them.
When Jack noticed the fine, physical appear
ance of the Indians, their bows and arrows,
their tattooed faces, and general strange char
acter, he became suspicious, and felt he had
been too hasty in approaching them.
He expressed his fears to his friends, and
their answer showed they shared his misgiv
ings. They were on the point of retreating,
when two of the savages sprang up and walked
toward them.
"Be on the watch," said Jack; "don't let
them get hold of your guns."
" Let's fire on them, if they don't keep their
distance," added Ned, trembling with excite
ment ; " I tell you they are ugly fellows."
He would have raised his piece, and leveled
it at the nearest Indian, had not Jack ordered

HOWLY DAO, BRUDDER? 523
him to conceal any suspicion he might feel of
the strangers.
The two swarthy fellows had laid aside their
weapons, and walked so directly up to the
whites, smiling, at the same time, in such an
effusive fashion, that Harry said :
"I believe they are friendly, after all; but
don't forget to keep your powder dry."
The warriors came forward, one of them
slightly in advance of the other, both showing
their white teeth. Almost at the same moment
they extended their hands, and asked :
" Howly dao, brudder ? "
This friendly inquiry was repeated by both
at the same moment, and, as may be supposed,
astonished the whites, who might well wonder
where so much, or rather little, English had
been learned by these people, who had spent
their lives in the depths of the Brazilian wil
derness. Jack Blockley and Harry Norwood crossed
palms with the swarthy strangers, whom they
still eyed, with suspicion, and the sailor
answered :
' ' We are well — how are you ? ' '

224 UP THE TAPAJOS.
The reply to this was a jumble of gibberish,
in which not one of the whites could recognize
any resemblance to an English word. The
broken query given, undoubtedly included the
entire knowledge the Indians possessed of the
tongue of the strangers.
However, what was wanting in the way of
words was more than supplied by gesture.
There could be no mistaking their anxiety to
.have the whites go forward and join their camp,
and, while our friends much preferred to de
cline, they doubted the prudence of doing so.
" I wouldn't go," protested Ned ; "we've got
our guns, and they have nothing but their bows
and arrows ; we are more than equal to them,
and have a better chance by keeping away from
them." "If they see we suspect them, they will be
apt to attack us," said Hary ; "it's best to dis
arm them by kindness."
"It's too late to turn back," added Jack;
" weil go on, and act as though it is all right,
but will keep our eyes open."
It was rather curious that in this crisis Ned
Livingston, the youngest member of the party,

HOWLY DAO, BRUDDER? 225
showed more wisdom than the others ; but,
seeing that he was "out- voted," and no time
was left for discussion, he went forward with
them. The other Indians had risen to their feet, and
were looking at the whites with no little curi
osity. Ned Livingston counted them over
several times, during the few seconds occupied
in approaching them. There were just nine-,
and unquestionably they formed a fine group
of savages, who would prove themselves dan
gerous antagonists in an attack or repulse.
"They have bows and arrows and we have
guns," reflected Ned, his heart heavy with mis
giving ; " and in colonial times, one Englishman
with his musket was considered the equal of six
Indians with bows and arrows. Figuring'things
out by that rule, we ought to be able to hold
our own against twice as many as are in this
camp ; but it will be different when we allow
them to surround us ; then every advantage will
be on their side.

CHAPTER XXVII.
JACK AS A MUSICIAN.
HAVING accepted the invitation of the two
Indians, it was clearly the part of wisdom
to lay aside all appearance of distrust. This
impressed itself on Ned as much as upon the
others. Accordingly, all three walked forward
with every appearance of pleasure, and shook
hands with the entire party. At the same time,
while the right hand was thus employed the
left held fast to the loaded gun.
The cooks of the party had just finished
dressing the bodies of three birds, about the
size of mallard ducks. They were cooked well,
indeed, having been suspended over the coals
on skewers of green wood until they were
browned to a turn.
It lacked considerable of noon ; but when the
Indians invited the boys to partake, they did so
with a good appetite. The savages each carried

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 227
a keen knife with a horn handle. With these
they cut such portions as they wished from the
fowls, using no other implement with which to
handle the food. When they were through
they wiped their greasy hands on their hair, as
many a white person in our country does to
day ; then each one plucked a large leaf from
the branches near at hand, deftly folded it so
that it would hold a gill of water, dipped it in
the lake and quenched his thirst.
"That is ingenious," said Harry.
" And easy, too ; I've done it many a time."
Jack proved his dexterity by imitating the
Indians with fully equal skill, the boys slaking
their thirst from the same cup. The Indians
having drank the water, the others could feel
no misgivings as to any noxious element it
might contain.
It was a hard task for the three to keep their
guns within immediate reach, and at the same
time avoid the appearance of distrusting the
savages. They did succeed in the first respect,
but whether in the second remained to be seen.
About the only consolation in the peculiar
situation of our friends, lay in the fact that

228 UP THE TAPAJOS.
they could talk freely with each other without
their meaning being known to the others. Jack
had loosened the small pack on his back as he
advanced, and it was now on the ground beside
him. " They have been looking at that a good deal
of the time," said Ned, "and I'm sure are curi
ous to know what it contains."
"I've noticed them," said Jack ; "if it was
only a bomb-shell we could touch off I
would let them set fire to it. I don't believe
these fellows are in the rubber business, and it
wont pay to try and hire them to begin. There
ain't any way of making them understand our
propositions, and we couldn't depend on
their carrying out their part of it if they did.
Captain Sprogell won't consider our negotia
tions of much account."
' ' It may win their good will to make them
presents," said Harry, " and I am in favor of
getting out of here as soon as we can."
While conversing the three were sitting
apart, close to the lake, while the savages were
still grouped about the camp fire, most of
them smoking their pipes. There could be no

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 229
doubt, from their looks and manner, that they
were talking about their visitors, and doubtless
discussing some scheme concerning them.
" We speak as though it is a proven fact
that they are enemies," said Harry, "when it
may be we are off altogether, as we were yes
terday when those rubber gatherers were trying .
to talk with us. We can soon learn how the
case stands by making a start to leave them.','
"Let's do it," exclaimed Ned, springing to
his feet and starting along the edge of the lake
at a rapid pace.
The essay settled the question more speedily
than any of the party anticipated.
Ned had not taken five steps, when a brawny
Indian leaped directly in front, and motioned
him back with vigorous gesture, and still more
vigorous though less comprehensible words.
Ned, who was quick tempered, stopped
abruptly and his face reddened with anger.
"Get out of my path," he shouted, " or I
will shoot you ! "
He drew his gun part way to his shoulder,
when Harry sprang forward and caught his
arm,

230 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" Are you crazy, Ned ? " he demanded ; "if
you harm him we will be massacred the next
minute." "We've got to make a fight for it, and we
may as well do so now as after a half hour.
The others moved slightly forward and fixed
their eyes on the boys with an expression of the
deepest interest. Jack Blockley, as a matter of
course, was no less moved.
"Harry is right," he said to his friend;
' ' come back here and see how I will manage
them." This was said in such a self-confident tone,
that both moved over to the sailor. He stood
by his bundle of trinkets, and now stooped
down and began untying the rubber sack in
which they were wrapped.
This action made him the center of interest
and the rest of the party crowded around him",
the Indians showing as much pleasure in the
gew-gaws, as if they were so many toddling
children. Jack Blockley now displayed a readiness of
resource that did him great credit. While his
fingers were dallying with the fastenings of

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 231
the bundle, he looked up in the faces of the
the savages, who were watching his actions.
He began speaking, his manner and looks lead
ing all to believe he was addressing his words
to those who could not catch the meaning of a
single syllable.
The truth was the sailor was speaking to the
boys, although he never glanced at them. He
was in earnest, and these were his words.
"It's ho use, boys ; these Injuns are hostile,
and, if we don' t get away pretty soon, we shall
have the hottest kind of fight, and then may
make a failure. Listen to what I say : Don't
answer me, and do just what I tell you. When
I get these trinkets out, they will become so
charmed with 'em they won't know any thing
else and won't see any thing else for a few min
utes. When I spread these on the ground and
they gather round, you must slip away."
It was on the tip of Harry's tongue to de
clare that they would not desert him in his
extremity, as he proposed, when Jack, sus-,
pecting their thoughts, added :
"It's the only chance we have ; I'll try and
follow you as soon as the way opens, and you

232 UP THE TAPAJOS.
can help me more if you are off at a little dis
tance than if we are all surrounded."
This settled the matter, so far as the boys
Were concerned, and Harry whispered to Ned :
" It' s the right plan ; we' 11 do it. ' '
At that moment the bundle was unfastened,
and its wealth of contents was outspread
before the eyes of the Indians. They stood
one instant as if transfixed, then a general
' ' Wa-oo-ah !' ' expressive of unbounded wonder,
escaped their lips, and they stooped over and
feasted their vision on the ravishing treasures.
There were gaudy beads, crimson daubs of
cheap prints, hand-mirrors, toys, and a small
mouth-organ. There were enough of the red-
hued prints to go around, and Jack Blockley
immediately distributed them among the sav
ages, who, of course, were delighted.
When they had inspected them a brief while,
he set them frantic by the display of a toy,
such as every reader of this has seen many a
time. It was a wooden man, with joints at the
knees, hips, elbows and neck. Its face was
black, and the eyes and enormous mouth were
well painted, Down the back ran a string,

WSSKSSf

liSiii^.

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 233
which, being jerked by the sailor, the legs and
arms immediately flew out and up and down
in the most ridiculous fashion.
The spectators broke into uproarious laugh
ter. One of them was so overcome with mirth
he dropped on the ground and rolled over,
with his legs kicking the air. Several others
looked as if they were on the point of choking
to death.
Jack kept the show going several minutes,
and then supplied each one with a similar
image. Then the fun became furious. Instant
ly every red man was yanking the string so
vigorously that the legs and arms threatened
to fly off altogether. Several broke the strings,
but were supplied with new toys, and straight
way became more careful of their prizes.
Like children again, they had enjoyed this
toy only a few minutes when they ceased, and
crowded forward to inspect the other wonders.
The sailor handed out the beads and trinkets,
and then picked up the mouth-organx He
regretted that Captain Sprogell had given
him but a single one, but he made the best use
of it,

234 UP THE TAPAJOS.
When every black eye was fixed on him,
Jack put the instrument between his lips and
began blowing. He was unable to attain the
slightest resemblance to a tune, but that was
immaterial, as his audience would not have
appreciated the skill had it been displayed.
All that they wanted was the musical noise, as
it may be called.
They were given plenty of that, the sailor
blowing until his cheeks bulged and his eyes
seemed to protude from his head.
The scene that followed was the most ludi
crous of all. The savages stood as if entranced
for several minutes, and then began dancing
with uncontrollable delight. They leaped into
the air, clapped their hands, and capered like
so many madmen. They whooped and shouted
and bumped against each other, they laughed
and yelled and ran back and forth, with their
eyes fastened on the man who was furnishing
all this wonderful amusement, as though they
considered him something more than mortal.
Jack Blockley puffed and blew, until the
wonder was how he could keep it up so long.
The toe of his right foot kept empathic time

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 235
with his locomotive-like blasts on the musical
instrument, and, had he been able to laugh and
play at the same time, his mirth would have
been as overflowing as that of the Indians
around him.
But there was a serious side to all this ; and,
while Jack was playing the organ to the
highest pitch, he was busy debating with
himself what was best to do.
Harry and Ned were not in sight ; they had
taken his advice, and quietly withdrew while
the red men were pre-occupied with their own
entertainment. The sailor saw that he was
not likely to have a better chance to follow
them than the present. He determined to do so.
Suddenly he stopped his music, and handed *
the organ to one of the red men who stood near
him. The savage took it rather gingerly, but
put it in his mouth and gave a blast. The
jingling notes that followed filled his soul with
ecstacy, and he struck in with more fury than
the owner of the instrument had shown.
Jack, holding his rifle in his left hand, began
dancing with the rest. He executed the
"Sailor's Hornpipe" with no little skill, but,

236 UP THE TAPAJOS.
while doing so, began edging away from the
rest, who paid little heed to his movements.
When the seaman found himself on the outer
verge of the circle, he suddenly wheeled and
made a break for the woods.
He had gained a fair start and the way seemed
clear, when, to his surprise, one of the Indians,
who was further from the camp-fire than him
self, sprang in front of him, and raised his hand
as a signal for him to stop. The natives had
all thrown down their weapons while dancing,
so this one was unarmed.
" Jack Blockley don't propose to stay in this
.company any longer," muttered the sailor, de
livering a blow with his fist straight in the face
of the savage, that sent him sprawling on his
back. Leaping over his prostrate and some
what demoralized enemy, Jack made for the
wood with all the speed at his command.
A sailor, as a rule, is not fleet of foot, and
Jack was no exception to the rule. Both the
boys could easily outrun him, and in a contest
simply of speed with these denizens of the
woods, it will be readily understood that he was
no match for them,

JACK AS A MUSICIAN. 237
No one could have been more convinced of
the fact than Jack himself ; but while it may
have caused him some misgiving it did not lessen
his determination, now that he had started,
never to allow himself to be taken prisoner by
these dusky wretches, who unquestionably
meant ill to him and the boys.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY.
IN the mean time, Harry Norwood and Ned
Livingston had made the best possible use
of the diversion created in their favor by the
ingenuity of Jack Blockley.
At the opportune moment they withdrew, un
noticed, from the Indian party, and reached the
shelter of the wood without attracting attention
to themselves. They were still hurrying along,
when Harry suddenly stopped, with the abrupt
question :
" What are we doing, Ned ? "
"Trying to get away from the Indians."
' ' And leaving Jack alone ; he will not have
the ghost of a chance ; it will never do."
" Of course it won't ; we go no further until
he joins us. It is no use of talking, Harry ;
there' s got to be a fight and we are in the best
situation to make it now."

A BREAK FOR LIBERTY. 239
"I agree with you ; we'll walk back to where
we can have a good view of every thing that's
going on, and be ready to help Jack the minute
it is necessary."
This resolution was carried out, even though
they knew it was against the wishes of the in
dividual concerned. The boys came back to
the edge of the wood, and each stationed him
self behind the trunk of a tree with his loaded
rifle in hand, and intently watched the proceedT
ings. Harry Norwood counted it an odd circum
stance that the shelter selected by him hap
pened to be a rubber tree, and, furthermore,
it had been tapped in several places. The little
cup was plastered with clay just above his
head, and the milky fluid, slowly dropping
into the receptacle, had filled it about half
full. This proved that the rubber gatherers were
near, and awakened a hope that they might
give some help in extricating the party from its
danger. But there were no signs of such assist
ance, and they could not wait. The caoutchouc
tree is vgenerally slender, so that Harry found

240 UP THE TAPAJOS.
it impossible to hide his entire body ; but he
did not care to do so, as he felt less fear of the
bows and arrows than he really ought to have
felt. Ned was better protected, and from their po
sition they viewed the performances that we
have already described. The sight of the dusky
simpletons playing antics with the jumping-
jacks, and dancing grotesquely to the music of
the mouth-organ, made the boys laugh in spite
of themselves.
"Did you ever see any thing so ridiculous ? "
asked Ned.
"It's ahead of any thing I ever heard of."
"Look at Jack's cheeks; they are swelled
out so that his face looks like a pumpkin."
"And his eyes are bulging from his head ;
he has had to shove his hat off his forehead, so
as to give them room."
When the sailor "took the floor," and began
disporting himself in the same outlandish fash
ion, the lads stopped laughing, for they sus
pected what it meant. Jack was not doing it
for the fun of the thing.
The youths were not surprised, therefore,

- A BREAK FOR LIBERTY. 241
when their friend made his sudden break for
freedom, and the overturning of the Indian
who threw himself across the path, followed
as a matter of course.
Just as Jack reached the wood, Harry
shouted :
" Keep cool ; we are here."
The fugitive glanced around, and catching
sight of his young friends, called back :
"Why didn't you do as I told you? We
mustn't wait here ; come on ! "
And he resumed his flght with the same
impetuosity as before. The boys could do
nothing less than imitate him, and immediately
all three were tearing through the forest with
the utmost strength at their command.
The Indians recovered from the delirium
caused by the music much sooner than would
have been supposed. The sight of the warrior
as he went over on his back, with his legs
pointing upward, was due notice that all sport
was ended and the serious business had begun.
The Indians were ugly customers, who meant
to slay every one of the three, even after receiv
ing such choice presents from them.

242 UP THE TAPAJOS.
They immediately scattered, caught up their
bows and arrows, and made ready to pursue
the fugitives. Three had the long hollow
reeds already referred to, in addition to their
bows, and these were also seized with equal
eagerness. These were the reeds of which all my readers
have heard, as being used by some Indian tribes
in South America. The savages blow with
great force in one end, and drive out a long,
thin arrow, that will go a good distance, with
the accuracy of a rifle ball.
These, of themselves, would not be so dan
gerous but for the fact that the Indians fre
quently use poisoned missiles, that have only
to puncture the skin to cause death as quickly
as does the bite of the cobra of India.
They sometimes used poisoned arrows with
their bows, but did not in the present instance.
It was only the reeds that carried such terri
ble missiles.
Within a half minute after Jack Blockley
bounded off, the eight Indians (it took the one
on the ground a little time to shake himself
together), were in pursuit of the three fugitives,

A BREAK FOR LIBERTY. 243
whose speed through the tangled forest was
scarcely half as great as that of the savage
enemies.

CHAPTER XXIX.

A FORLORN REFUGE.

AS I have stated, there are many places in
the South American forests where the
trees stand so near together, and the vines are
so closely matted, that it is almost impossible
to make one's way between and through them.
Those who do attempt it are obliged to cut
paths, and progress is as slow as it is laborious.
The wilderness through which Jack Blockley,
Harry Norwood, and Ned Livingston were
fleeing' for life, was not so interwoven with
running vines as to impede them to the extent
named, but it caused much trouble all the
same. The sailor had not gone far when he caught
his foot, and went sprawling on his hands and
knees. He was up again the next moment,
and Harry caught a vine under his chin, that
almost lifted him off of his feet. Nevertheless

A FORLORN REFUGE. 245
they struggled on, and progressed better than
they would have believed possible.
The Indians gained rapidly, for they were
accustomed to such traveling, besides being
much fleeter of foot. At the moment of start
ing, they launched a shower of arrows, that
whizzed all around the heads of the three,
without injuring them. To show how prov--
idential seeming misfortunes are, it may be
stated, that at the instant Jack fell prostrate,
a well-aimed missile flashed over his head, his
fall saving him from being struck.
The circumstances being as they are, it will
be seen that there could be but one termination
to the chase ; the Indians must overtake the
fugitives before they could penetrate a fur--
long into the woods. Was it wise, therefore,
to flee, when they might throw themselves
behind the trees, and fight on something like
equal terms ?
All three must have been considering the
question, for nothing was more natural, when
running with a speed which could not compare
with that of their pursuers.
"I'm not going to tire myself to death, when

246 UP THE TAPAJOS.
there's no chance of making any thing by it ! "
exclaimed Ned, pausing and bringing his gun
to his shoulder.
Neither Jack nor Harry objected this time,
for they felt the necessity that was upon them :
it was to kill those who were seeking their
lives, or submit to losing their own.
Ned had scarcely brought his gun to his
shoulder, when he pulled trigger. His excite
ment and severe exertion led him to fire sooner
than was intended, and he did not kill the
savage, who was in the act of drawing his bow
to launch an arrow after him.
But he struck him, nevertheless, the bullet
entering his shoulder, and inflicting a bad
wound. The savage uttered an ear-splitting
screech, sprang several feet in air, and, drop
ping his bow, ran like a deer directly back
among his companions.
" We must aim better than that," said Jack,_
who stood behind a tree, carefully selecting
his victim ; "it isn't enough to wound the lub
bers ; you must wipe 'em out altogether."
The sailor was as cool as when standing on
the deck of the Robinson Crusoe; Ned was

A FORLORN REFUGE. 247
hardly less self-possessed, and was hurriedly
reloading his gun, while Harry was also hastily
deciding which was the proper target for him,
when, to their consternation, they heard a cry
directly behind them.
"They have surrounded us!" shouted
Harry ; " look out that you are not shot in the
back!" For one instant there was danger that the
three would be thrown into a panic, which
could not but have been fatal ; but Harry, who
had been so quick to detect the peril, instantly
saw his mistake as to the meaning of the cry.
It was not made by an enemy, but by a
friend, in the person of a rubber gatherer, who
had become aware of the presence of the hos-
tiles, and who dreaded them as much as did
the whites. His hut was close at hand, ahd
his cry was intended to make known the refuge
that was at the command of the hard-pressed
fugitives. When the latter glanced in the direction
whence came the~sound, they caught sight of
the rubber gatherer, leaping about, and mak
ing frantic gestures. A portion of these con-

248 UP THE TAPAJOS.
sisted of pointing his finger at some spot further
in the woods, as if he wished to direct their
attention to it.
There was so much force in this sign lan
guage, that all three caught his meaning at
once. Following the direction indicated, they
.saw the outlines of a tumble-down hut, that
was undoubtedly his home.
" That's the place for us ! " shouted Harry.
' ' And now' s the time to make a dash for
it ! "
" Here we go, then ! " added Jack, who saw
that no more opportune moment could come
than that in which the Indians were thrown
into momentary confusion by the shot of Ned.
The words were yet in the mouths of the
three, when all were tumbling, scrambling,
running, and fighting their way through the
tangled undergrowth, like fugitives who knew
their lives hung on the passing of a few
seconds. The Indians recovered quicker than would
be supposed, and were in pursuit almost
instantly. The rubber gatherer, who was a Mundurucu,

A FORLORN REFUGE. 249
screeched with delight when he saw he was
understood, and, placing himself in advance,
danced and ran, and beckoned the others to
hasten, an unnecessary appeal, since they were
doing the utmost they could do in that line.
Fortunately, the distance was short, and,
within a very few minutes, Harry Norwood
went stumbling through the open door, closely
followed by Ned, while Jack brought up the
rear, the Mundurucu having preceded them to
this place of safety.
The instant all were within, the owner of the
hut hastily shut the door and fastened it by
means of a heavy bar, stretched across. There
was but the single room, and the only windows
were two, that were simply openings cut in the
logs, through which sunlight or rain could
come at will.
A more forlorn refuge it would be impossible
to conceive, and yet no king ever entered his
own palace with more joyousness and hope than
did the three fugitives rush into this shelter in
the Brazilian woods.

CHAPTER XXX.

BESIEGED.

AS this structure was supposed to be the
home of the rubber-gatherer, Jack and
the boys naturally expected to find his family
within. It was fortunate, therefore, that no
women or children were visible, for they could
have been no more than incumbrances in the
crisis that was at hand.
The expectation was that the Indians who
had shown so much fury in attacking and
following up the whites, would make a rush
into the cabin. The rubber-gatherer placed
himself beside the door, in position to bring
down the long-handled hatchet that he caught
up the instant he fastened themselves within.
He had no fire-arm, but the weapon would have
been a formidable one in his hands, in case the
rush should come.

BESIEGED. 251
He gesticulated and chattered, and pointed
to the open spaces ; but the instant he saw
them guarded, he nodded his head, with such
an appearance of satisfaction, that there could
be no doubt of his meaning.
The assailants, however, were too prudent to
charge upon the defenders, when they knew
such an advantage was on the side of the lat
ter, who had gu-ns with which to defend them
selves. While their fierceness was not dimin
ished in the least, yet they knew too well the
effectiveness of gunpowder and ball to place
themselves in such peril as a rush was certain
to bring.
When several minutes had passed, without
a single Indian showing himself, the whites
understood the cause of the hesitancy.
" Your shot did much good," said Harry to
his friend, "even though you managed to
wound him only, for you see the others are
afraid to show themselves."
"They're out there, all the same," remarked
Jack Blockley, "You can see the scamps
dodging" among the trees, and they'll fire at us
when they get the chance.

252 UP THE TAPAJOS.
' ' But their bows and arrows ain' t half as good
as our guns," said Harry, peeping cautiously
through the window, as though looking for a
chance to send a shot after the dusky enemies.
"Don't yon think so, my boy ; " said Jack ;
"I've seen the negroes of Africa and the Pa
cific Islands throw their spears and shoot their
arrows with as much effect as you can use your
guns." " Of course, it won't be pleasant — "
At that instant, Harry jerked back his head
with a gasp. Something like the shadow of a
bird flitted before his eyes, and a dull "zip"
was heard by all. On the opposite side of the
room was seen an arrow sticking in the logs,
with a feathered barb pointing toward the
opening at the side of young Norwood. It had
come through, and had been aimed at the face
of the boy, missing its mark by the narrowest
line conceivable.
" My gracious," said he ; "I felt that touch
rf.,
my cheek ; it couldn't come any closer without
doing damage."
As it was, he rubbed his hand against his
face expecting to see blood on it.

BESIEGED. 253
" That would have been just as good as a
rifle ball had it struck you," said Jack ; " you
can tell from the way that iron head is buried
in the wood over there."
As may well be supposed, the defenders
took good care to guard against similar peril,
from their vigilant enemies on the outside. In
fact it was impossible to be too careful in watch
ing every point.
The rubber-gatherer, as I have stated, was a
Mundurucu, who had appeared so opportunely
for the whites. The assailants belonged to one
of the interior tribes, and were as eager to kill a
member of their own race as they were to slay
the Caucasians.
The fellow showed how great was his terror
and haste by the figure he cut, when he turned
about after fastening the door. His hat was
was gone, and he was without clothing above
his waist, and with very little below. He had
on one rubber shoe, while the other foot was
uncovered. The mud and water had splashed
all over him, and his face was of an ashen hue.
He was able to make his meaning known in
most instances, by gesture, inasmuch as he had

254 UP THE TAPAJOS.
little to say, and that was always of such an
important nature that it seemed to speak for
itself. When further time had passed without any
thing being heard from the assailants, and,
when the cautious peeps from within showed
only partial glimpses of them, the three
friends dared converse without restraint.
" Well," said Jack Blockley, with the near
est approach to a laugh that any one had
shown, since entering the hut, " I wonder
whether Captain Sprogell and the rest have
done as well as we in opening up the rubber
trade with the Injuns."
"I don't see how they could have done
worse ; they have got us hemmed in, without
any chance of getting out until they are ready
to let us out."
And Harry Norwood shook his head in a dis
consolate way, as though he saw little hope for
himself and companions.
" What do you suppose they mean to do ? "
asked Ned of the sailor, whose glimpses of sav
age life in other parts of the world seemed- to
give him the right to speak with authority.

BESIEGED. 255
"My belief is that they intend to hold us
here until we must give up and fall into their
power without any danger to them."
" What do you mean, Harry ? "
" Why don't you see it will never do for one
of us to show his head so long as they keep
sueh a watch on us ? Well, suppose they just
stay where they are for several days, won't
we have to give up because we have neither
food nor water? "
Harry had referred to a terrible probability
that the others knew was before them. It
required but a glance around the small apart
ment that was flooded with sunshine, despite1
the wood that grew so close at hand, to discover
there was not a particle of food nor a drop of
water within reach.
How long could four men hold out against
more than double their number, when the lat
ter had thirst and hunger as their allies ?
This was a serious question, indeed, to which
all were forced to give much the same answer.
In such a warm climate, thirst is the most
fearful enemy that confronts man.
"But it seems to me," said Ned, "that Cap-

256 UP THE TAPAJOS.
tain Sprogell will miss us before many hours,
and will set out to hunt for us."
"How can he tell where we are?"
" He can track us through the forest, can't
he?" "He has Ardara with him," said Jack,
"and he is the smartest chap I ever saw. The
North American Indians will trail a man for
miles through the woods and over the prairies ;
but I don' t believe it can be done in this coun
try, 'cause the bushes and vines are so thick
and close they shut in behind you after you
have passed."
"That may all be," replied Ned, "but it
ought not to be hard to follow the trail made
by three persons traveling as we did ; but I can
see there isn't much chance there. Captain
Sprogell will conclude that, if we don't know
enough to take care of ourselves we must get
along without help from him."
"It isn't that exactly," observed Harry,
who seemed to take a reasonable view of the
situation, "but it is the fact that no one of his
company— not even Ardara— is likely to suspect
the dreadful scrape in which we are caught.

BESIEGED. 257
Although these savages come at times from
somewhere in the backwoods and kill all
they can, yet, as I have understood from
Ardara, it is done so rarely that it is not reck
oned among the ordinary dangers of hunting.
There is twice as much to fear from the ser
pents and wild animals, and you know that,
short as is the time we have spent here, we
hardly think about them."
"I believe you. are right," added Ned,
while Jack signified that he agreed with them.
" There isn't one of the party who will dream
we are shut up in a hut by a lot of savages from
the interior of the country."
"Consequently we shall have to fight it out
with no help but from heaven."
"That's it exactly," observed Jack; "it
would be a handy thing if we could talk with
this chap here who has done us such a good
turn, for we might fix up some plan between
us ; but he only talks with his hands and feet
and I don't understand that language."
"The only hope I see," added Harry, who
occasionally peeped through the opening, and
then, turned to speak, "is that these Indians

258 UP THE TAPAJOS.
won't keep up the siege for three or four days.
They must soon find they can't take us with
out a long wait, and they will conclude that
will hardly pay. ' '
"I don't know about that," replied Ned,
with a shake of his head ; "some of the mission
houses in Texas were besieged by the Com-
anches and Apaches for more than six months.
There is a statement that one of them, within
a few miles of San Antonio, kept the Indians
at bay for a year and a half."
"When was that?"
" More than a century ago."
"Well, this siege won't be quite as long as
that—" This time it was Ned Livingston who started
as something whisked by the face. Every eye
was fixed on the opposite side the room where,
as before, an arrow was buried fully an inch in
the hard wood.
This arrow, however, was without any barb,
being a long, smooth reed, with a sharp point,
and without any projection at the sides near
the head, as is seen in the spear and ordinary
arrow.

BESIEGED. 259
"Ah! that explains it," exclaimed Harry
Norwood ; "those are the missiles which they
blow through the hollow reeds that we
noticed." " Of course, we knew that ; and you can see
they are driven with a good deal of force from
the way that is sunk in the wood."
The rubber gatherer had turned like a flash
from watching, when he heard the dull zip of
the missile, and he now seemed impressed by
something, for he uttered several exclamations
and then began some grotesque gesticulations.
Ordinarily, he would have compelled the others
to laugh, but he was too deeply in earnest for
them to smile over his actions.
But, anxious as all were to understand him,
not one of three could fix upon his meaning.
They watched him, and then shook their heads,
to signify they were all at sea as concerned
what he wished to make known to them.
The Mundurucu now reached up to draw out
the arrow, that had entered the window but a
minute before.
It required considerable effort to do so,, and
the others wondered at the power with which

260 UP THE TAPAJOS.
the South American Indians use the blow-gun.
As soon as the Mundurucu had freed the
missile from the log, he held the point toward
the whites, and chattered with more impetu
osity, if possible, than before.
" What can he be driving at ? " asked Ned.
"He's trying to show us the pHnt ofthe
bus' ness," said Jack, with a grin.
The Indian held his finger on the sharp tip
of the arrow a moment, then jerked it away as
though he was hurt. This he repeated several
times, and then held up the point before the
eyes of the others.
"He means it is very sharp," said Ned ;
"but we can see that without his going to the
trouble to explain."
Harry Norwood took the missile in his hand
and carefully examined it. On the point he
noticed something that looked like dried
mucilage, except it was of a yellow color.
Suddenly the boy's eyes expanded.
"I know what he means ; the tip of the
arrow is poisoned ! ' '
"That's it, sure enough," added Jack;
"he's been trying to' make us understand there

BESIEGED. 261
is more danger from these arrers than from
them that they fire with their bows."
"Do you know any thing about them?"
asked Ned of the sailor.
"I've seen the same things in the South Sea
Islands, and they make the pints so p'isoned
that it's all day with a chap if he gets his hide
pricked by one of 'em."
At this juncture the Mundurucu placed his
hand on the gun of Ned, asking, by his gestures
and manner, the privilege of holding it in his
grasp for a minute. Permission to do so, was
readily granted.

CHAPTER XXXI.

POISONED ARROWS.

IT was evident at once, to all three, that this
was not the first time the Mundurucu had
held a rifle in his hand. He examined the lock,
ornaments, and points of the weapon, in the
style of a veteran hunter, his dusky face show
ing he was pleased with the piece, that was
certainly a beautiful one.
Suddenly he stepped to the opening through
which the poisoned missile had come, and
peered cautiously out.
"He's going to try your gun," said Harry.
"He's welcome to try it all he wants to,
provided he doesn't throw any shots away."
"He's an old hand at the bus' ness," said
Jack; "when he pulls the trigger, it's more
than likely something il drop."
" Sh ! he's caught sight of one of them ? "

POISONED ARROWS. 263
Just then the Mundurucu brought the gun
to his shoulder and pointed the muzzle through
the window. Harry Norwood happened to
stand almost in a line with him, and, bending
slightly forward, he was able to look over his
shoulder and catch sight of his target.
There could be no mistaking what it was.
An Indian, grown reckless by his immunity
from danger, was standing beside the trunk of
a large tree, in such a position that his body
was not screened. He was looking intently
toward the hut, and held a long reed in his
hand, his fingers grasping the end nearest him
in a way that showed he was also keeping the
poisoned arrow in place, ready to raise the gun
to his mouth, and blow the missile at the mark,
the very second the chance should present
itself. There were signs of the other Indians, but they
kept themselves well concealed. The one with
the blow-gun was not a hundred feet distant.
" The rubber gatherer couldn't have a better
chance." Harry had got thus far in his remark, when
the trigger was pulled. The flash and report

264 UP THE TAPAJOS.
were accompanied by the screech of the savage,
who leaped high in the air and fell prostrate,
killed instantly by the bullet of the Mun
durucu. The latter was so exultant over his success
that he placed his face close to the opening and
emitted a peculiar yell, expressive of his feel
ings. Then he stepped back with a grin that
spoke eloquently of his delight.
" It's a bad thing to kill a man," said Harry,
with a shudder ; "but it isn't so bad as being
killed by him. Those savages are determined
to slay every one of us. The sooner we can
convince them that it is too dangerous a sport
to follow up, the more lives will there be
saved." "There ain't any doubt of that, even if we
have to shoot 'em all to do it," added Jack
Blockley. The shot of the Mundurucu spread conster
nation, for the moment, among the savages on
the outside. Had it been followed up by the
discharge of the other two guns, with equal or
partial effect, there can be little doubt that the
whole party would have withdrawn, but the

POISONED ARROWS. 265
whites could hardly be expected to understand
the peculiar turn of affairs, and they held the
arrows and poisoned missiles in too great ter
ror to run any more risk than was necessary.
The failure of the defenders to follow up
their advantage gave the assailants time to
rally, so to speak. In the first place, they
were incited by a native viciousness, which
had led them to shed blood without provoca
tion ; now they had the strongest incentive of
all — revenge — to incite them. One of their
number had been killed, and another wounded ;
there was reason to believe the savages could
overcome the offenders by bravery and patience.
Thus it was, that, when half an hour went
by, and the defenders peeped forth, they saw
that the cabin was surrounded by the savages,
who now and then sent an arrow through the
windows, as if to apprise the whites that their
enemies were vigilant.
"I don't know as I would feel very thirsty
if we were tramping through the woods," said
Harry Norwood, with a grim smile ; ' ' but now
that no water can be had, it seems to me I
never wanted it so bad in all my life,"

266 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" I feel the same way," added Ned. " I'm a
little hungry, too ; but I can stand that better
than the thirst."
" Don't talk about thirst," interposed Jack
Blockley ; "no boys like you ever understood
what thirst is. Wait till you have been adrift
in an open boat, as I have, with half a dozen
others, under a blistering sun, that just peeled
the skin off your faces ; wait till you have stood
that for four days, and seen the men drink the
sea- water, go crazy, and jump overboard ¦ wait
till you have chawed up all the pewter buttons
on your clothes, till your mouth got as dry as
a pine stick, and you couldn't taste the differ
ence between a bit of 'backer and a ham- sand
wich ; till your head was ringin' and lights
dancin' afore your eyes, and you seen foun
tains and waterfalls just beyond your reach all
the time ; wait till you've had some 'sperience
like that afore you talk 'bout being thirsty."
Meanwhile, Ned Livingston was busy reload
ing his gun. He did it deliberately and care
fully, for the ammunition was too precious for
any to be thrown away.
All the time the Mundurucu stood looking

POISONED. ARROWS. 267
so wistfully at the boy, that the latter once
more handed the weapon to him.
" You did so well before that you can try it
again." The Indian eagerly took the rifle, and went
to the opening, his enthusiasm leading him to
be more reckless than was prudent.
The savages on the outside had not lost the
lesson of the shot a short time before, and were
more guarded. The Mundurucu peered through,
and began pushing his head and shoulders for
ward in a dangerous manner.
Harry was about to reach out and draw him
back, when the three heard a slight rustle of
the leaves, and, looking up in the branches of
a tree close at hand, saw the outlines of an
Indian among the limbs.
At the same moment they also observed he
had one of the reeds to his lips. The next in
stant was heard the dull " whisht ! " made by
the expulsion of the arrow, which darted
through the opening and buried itself in the
shoulder of the unsuspicious Mundurucu. "

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE LAST CHANCE.

THE whole thing was done so quickly that
not the slightest precaution could be taken
against it. At the very instant Harry Norwood
caught a glimpse of the Indian in the branches
of the tree, the blow-gun was placed at his lips,
and the poisoned arrow entered the window like
a flash of lightning.
The rubber gatherer never suspected his dan
ger until the pointed missile was buried in his
shoulder. Then, with a muttered exclamation,
he recoiled a couple of steps, reached up his
hand and drew out the weapon. He coolly
looked at the bloody point a moment, flung it
"aside, and then deliberately stretched out upon
the ground, as though about to enjoy a quiet
sleep. A half hour later he was dead.
Jack Blockley saw the missile wound their

THE LAST CHANCE. 269
friend, but was not stricken speechless for the .
moment, as the boys were by the occurrence.
He sprang across the floor, and, catching sight
of the dark figure among the branches, striving
to conceal itself, fired directly at it. The
savage was hit fairly, and was dead long before
the victim of his treacherous shot.
The boys were terrified, and gained a more
impressive idea of the frightful results of man' s
unreasoning hatred than they had ever known
before. They had been thrown into the com
pany of the rubber gatherer by an extraordi
nary combination of circumstances. Not one
intelligible word had passed between them, and
yet he had proved himself a friend in need.
They felt strong gratitude toward him, and
there was nothing which they would not have
been eager to do that could help him in his dire
extremity, but, alas ! they were powerless, and
he expired before their eyes, fortunately, with
little evidence of suffering. He seemed to sink
into a stupor, in which he quietly passed away,
without a struggle or a murmur.
"Poor fellow," murmured Ned, looking
down on the inanimate form ; "he may have

270_ UP THE TAPAJOS.
a wife and children, and they shall never see
him again."
' ' Let us hope that in the great hereafter they
will be united ; God's ways are not our ways,"
said Harry.
" I once read in the Bible that He doeth all
things well," added Jack Blockley; "and I
have found out that truer words were never
spoke. I've thought things were pretty rough
with me more than once, but I can see now that
everything was ordered for the best."
' ' I wish we could give him burial, but that is
out of the question," remarked Harry.
" What difference does it make where he
lies?" asked Ned. "At the Last Great Day,
he will hear the trumpet sound as well from
this humble cabin as though he lay in West
minster or Greenwood, with a magnificent mon
ument over him."
" It strikes me," said Jack, " that this is the
best place for him, though he isn't the most
pleasant companion one could have  "
"Look out!" shouted Ned, leaping to one
side. A barbed arrow whizzed through the opening

THE LAST CHANCE. 271
behind them, passing several inches from the
sailor. It struck the opposite side, stuck a
second, and then dropped to the floor.
"That was fired by guess," said Jack, look
ing at Jhe window behind him; "they meant
that we should understand they are still on the
watch." The three took a position where it was impos
sible for them to be struck by any stray missiles
that might come through either opening, and,
sitting on the ground, anxiously discussed what
they should do.
' ' Suppose they make a rush, ' ' said Ned ; " do
you think they could overcome us? "
"No," the sailor answered; "they are not
strong enough to beat that door down without
working a long time. Then, as they attempted
to dash through, we could use our guns and
the long-handled hatchet. There's not enough
of 'em for a chance of winning by doing that."
"It seems to me," remarked Harry, "that
there are a dozen different ways by which they
could conquer us."
"Let us hear one or two," asked Ned.
"I judge from what I have read about the'

272 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Indians on our frontier. They have been known
to get a big tree, and used it as a battering ram ;
seven or eight of them could break in any door."
"But what were the inmates of the house
doing all that time ?"
"Their utmost to prevent the Indians suc
ceeding." " And so would we ; that opening over there
is on the same side with the door. They
couldn't carry out such a plan without placing
themselves in range, and none knows it better,
than they."
" Then they could heap up brush and wood
on either of the sides which we can't command,
and burn down the building about our heads."
"That's what I fear more than any thing
else," said Jack, with a serious face ; "if they
, should take it into their heads to burn this old
shell, it would be all up with us ; we'd go to
Davy Jones locker before you could say Jack
Robinson." Harry Norwood turned about, and, with his
knife, cut into the wood in several places.
" These logs are green, I don't believe they
would burn."

THE LAST CHANCE. 273
" I hope not, but they ain't likely to be so
green on the roof and sides, where the weather
affects them."
" I don't see how any wood ever can become
dry enough to burn in this part of the country, ' '
said Ned ; "there is so much rain falling that
every thing is soaked."
"But the sun is hot and dries it out in a
short time ; howsumever, we ain't going to tell
the savages any thing about it, if they don't
think of it themselves."
"Jack," said Harry, "I'm sure you are of
the opinion that we must get away to-night, or
not at all."
" That's exactly what I think ; it's no use to
try and do any thing during the daytime, when
they keep such a close watch that we dare not
show ourselves at either of the windows."
"There is no moon, I believe."
' ' It will be as black as Egypt. If we can only
get a start, we shall be out of the reach of those
savages, but the trouble will be to get the start.
They will be watching closer than ever, and,
I tell you, boys, it looks as bad as it did when
we left the Robinson Crusoe on the raft."

274 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" We must have an understanding on several
things," said Harry, glancing around him as if
afraid of being overheard.
" What are they ?"
" I can see that after we get outside the hut,
(that is if we succeed in doing so), it won't do
to speak, for they will hear the slightest
whisper." ' ' Of course not ; each must attend to busi
ness, which is to get away from this place as
silently as a snake would crawl through the
undergrowth; you musn't undertake to whisper
to each other, nor even to whistle, for it will
be the death of you."
"After getting away from the hut, what
then?" asked Ned.
" Each one must make for the river ; think
of nothing else, but do every thing you can to
reach that. As soon as that is found, start
right down stream, until you reach the camp.
The first one there must tell Captain Sprogell
what has taken place, and get him and his
men to go to the rescue of the others."
"I have been thinking of one thing," re
marked Ned Livingston, after several minutes,

THE LAST CHANCE. 275
silence ; " suppose Jack should manage to steal
through the lines without being seen ; he could
find Captain Sprogell, or some of the others,
in a few hours, and bring them back here.
Why, then, would it not be more prudent for
Harry and me to wait until assistance can
reach us?"
"There's some sense in that," replied the
sailor, "but it won't work. In the first place,
I think the chances of you two getting through,
without the Indians knowing it, are a good
deal better than mine."
"I hardly look at it in that way," said
Harry, in much surprise.
"It is true, nevertheless; you are younger,
and can handle yourselves much better than
me ; I'm not used to picking my way through
the woods, and I don't believe I can do it in
the dark without their hearing me. They will
come for me at once, and there'll be the big
gest row you ever heard tell of. While some
of 'em are paying their respects to me, others
will bounce into the hut to lam whether you
have left. If you undertake to stay behind
and keep . house, you can see what a rumpus

276 UP THE TAPAJOS.
there'll be. There won't be any more chance
for you than if you was dropped into the mid
dle of the Atlantic, without a plank to float
you." "Then we must all try together ? "
"Exactly, and take different routes, for that
will give us the best chance."
" They'll be expecting it, won't they ? "
' ' Of course ; and you can see how narrow a
chance it is for us arter all," answered Jack
Blockley with a sigh.
' ' I have a strong hope that one or two, or all
of us, will be able to pull through  "
Just then Ned Livingston caught the arm of
Harry and pointed toward the door.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE CLOSE OF DAY.

LOOKING at the structure on which the eyes
of Ned Livingston happened to-be fixed at
that moment, all three saw it bend inward
slightly as if yielding to a severe, but cautious
pressure from the outside.
There did not appear to be any danger of
its giving away, but clearly, some one was
pushing against it, as if to test its power of re
sistance. The door was made of roughly hewn pieces
of wood, trimmed so that they fitted quite well
together. These were firmly secured on the
inside by braces and spikes, for the man that
built the hut evidently meant that it should be
strong enough to keep all sorts of enemies from
entering against his wishes.
But there were several places where the tim
bers, joined at their edges, were thin, and

278 UP THE TAPAJOS.
glimpses of daylight could be seen through the
crevices. "Mebbe I can reach 'em," whispered Jack
Blockley, bringing his gun to his shoulder,
taking a quick aim, and firing through one of
these weak points.
What he accomplished could not be known,
but the sound of hurried scrambling on the
outside, showed that those who were prowling
there, had been frightened away, and were not
likely to venture upon any further experiments
with the door, at least so long as daylight
lasted. Both Harry and Ned carried watches, that
were carefully regulated before leaving home.
They had accommodated them to the change
of latitude, but the rough usage to which they
.were subjected had stopped their running, and
they had not recorded the hours for nearly a
week. It was impossible, therefore, to fix on the
right time, but the three agreed that the after
noon was at least half gone, and that before
long the darkness around them would be inpene-
trable. They were anxious for night to come,

THE CLOSE OF DAY. .279
for they were agreed that inasmuch as they
had decided on making this last, desperate
attempt to save themselves, it should be done
at the very first opportunity.
In fact, it was good reasoning to suppose
that the Indians who were besieging them
would not look for any such effort until the
night was well along, and what little chance
there was of success would be increased by such
a prompt course.
" I wish it would rain," suddenly exclaimed
Jack Blockley, after reloading his gun.
" Do you believe that would aid us ? "
"It will be sure to do so; the noise of the
falling drops on the leaves and against the hut
and tree trunks, will drown the noise we make
in moving ; it will sort of mix up things, as
you can see, and all that will help."
This wish, to the delight of all, was granted.
The short twilight had scarcely begun, when it,
suddenly became darker, and they heard the
soft patter of rain drops among the leaves of
the forest. Naturally enough, it caused an
increase of hope and spirits on the part of each.
Many a- time they had heard the fall -of the

280 UP THE TAPAJOS.
drenching showers with feelings of impatience,
but now they only wished the rain would fall
faster ; it was music in their ears.
Before long the darkness of night began
stealing through the small cabin in which they
had taken shelter. The figure of the poor rub
ber gatherer grew shadowy and indistinct, and
the outlines of the structure within became
indistinct. "Let us make sure we understand each
other," said Harry Norwood, in a guarded
voice ; ' ' you have given us your plan, Jack,
but let us hear it again."
"It's simple, my dear boys ; when the time
comes (and it is now close at hand), we will
unfasten the door and I'll go out first. Five
minutes later, unless you hear a noise, you will
follow as closely as you can. The minute you
are clear of the hut, Harry will turn to the
right and Ned to the left. I needn't tell you
how necessary it is for you to travel as quiet as
you can. If you are catched you are dead
boys, as sure as you're born."
" How far would you advise us to crawl on
the different routes you name ? " '

THE CLOSE OF DAY. 281
* ' Harry is the only one who need change,
for the course Ned takes is toward the Tapajos,
and you must stick to it, unless you are
catched, -till you reach the river. But Harry,
if he finds the road clear, had better keep it up
until he has crept a hundred feet or so ; by
that time he will be beyond the savages,
according as I look at it, and he can begin to
work off to the left, not stopping till he gets to
the river, which each of you is to f oiler till you
find the camp of Captain Sprogell."
" You have no objection to our undertaking
to signal to each other after we reach the
river ? "
" No ; if you are careful. By that time you
will be so far from the hut that you'll be safe
enough." " It will be what we have used before," said
Harry, ' ' a soft whistle, such as we have heard
from some kind of bird in these forests."
"I will know it the minute it reaches my
ears," was the assuring response ; " but I may
as well say, boys, that I don't believe there
will be any use for your signals."
"Why not?"

282 UP THE TAPAJOS.
" It will be a miracle if all three of us reach
the stream."
" We shall need to call to each other, if but
two succeed," said Harry, who saw that their
good friend was oppressed by a great fear.
"You were in the dumps when we were
afloat off the Amazon on the raft," said young
Norwood, with a laugh ; ' ' and, though I can
not but see that we are in a most dangerous
position, I shan't allow you to make me
despair." "I shall do every thing I can," said the
sailor ; " if you hear any thing from me after I
get out, you'll hear it very loud — if I run
against any of 'em, I'll kick up a rumpus
which will speak of lively times. I'll draw 'em
around me and then's the minute (if you
haven't already done so) to 'light out' as
quick as you can."

CHAPTER XXXIV.
"GOOD BY ! "
BEFORE darkness finally enveloped the
forest, Jack crept softly to one of the
openings, Harry doing the same to the other,
and peeped forth. Each did it with the utmost
caution, for they knew too well the conse
quences, of discovery by the besieging savages.
Somewhat to their surprise, neither was able
to detect the least sign of their foes. The trees
and the ground, so far as they could judge,
were free from Indians.
"It can't be that they have gone away,"
whispered Ned, when the unexpected fact was
discussed among them.
Jack Blockley shook his head.
" Don't flatter yourself that they would do
any thing so foolish as that. They may try to
give us the idea they have moved, so as to
draw us forth, but it's no more than that."

284 UP THE TAPAJOS.
They then patiently listened, but the patter
of the rain and the soft sighing of the wind
were all they could detect. Hours had gone
by since eye or ear had been able to make sure
their enemies were on the watch.
"Let's try the old trick that we've read
about," said Ned, in some excitement.
" What's that ? "
"I'll show you."
He placed his hat on the end of his gun, and
held it up, so as to show above the window,
taking care that the deception should not be
manifest to any one on the watch. He adjusted
it very carefully, and a person, looking at the
opening in the hut, would have been sure a
human head was immediately below, and partly
within, the covering.
It was believed hardly possible that it could
escape attention if held there a minute or so ;
but, though the boy moved it about, and then
sustained it stationary for fully five minutes,
not the slightest demonstration was made
• against it.
Finally he lowered it again and placed it on
his head, asking :

"good by !" 285
" What do you think of that! "
"There's nothing wonderful about that,"
answered Jack, "for, if they have set out to
make us believe they have left, of course they
ain't going to pay attention to a boy's hat."
"I can understand why they wouldn't do.
so, provided nothing could be seen of any of
us ; but, if they should be sure of a chance to
kill one, would they wait till that chance
became less?"
"It's likely they look upon it as I do," said
the sailor; "that is, the prospect of getting
us when we come out is so good that it can't
be any better. You can guess some of the
reasons why they want to catch us alive, after
shooting two or three of their number."
" I do," replied Harry, with a shudder.
"It's possible, too," ventured Ned, "that
they may not have seen it, even after you gave
the chance. I can see that they would not be
likely to keep their -eyes fixed on that one
opening all the time, even if they are ready to
fire away the very instant there's a chance of
doing us any harm."
It was idle to discuss that which must remain

286 UP THE TAPAJOS.
unexplained for a while to come. The three
began to feel so oppressed with the solemnity
of the hour, that they ceased conversing, and,
with rapidly beating hearts, waited for the
night to advance far enough to make the
attempt that must decide their fate.
It would not be hard to guess the thoughts of
the group as they sat in the rear of the hut,
silent, grim, and listening, while the heavy
darkness gradually closed around them. Jack
Blockley was serious, as any one would have
been in such an hour, but he had faced death
many times ; he was without any living kin
dred except his mother, and he cared very
little when the summons came for him to go.
His anxiety was for the two boys, for whose
safety he considered himself in a measure
responsible. If Heaven would only grant that
they might pass through the fiery line encir
cling them, he himself would be willing to fall
by the way.
The boys thought of their homes thousands
of miles distant, with ocean, river, and wilder
ness stretching between. What were loved
parents and friends doing at that moment?

"good by!" 287
Did they dream of the danger that hung over
the heads of the boys, whom they were likely
never to see again ?
These, and hundreds of similar questions,
rushed through their brains, for it is at such
times that one thinks with wonderful rapidity.
More than once the hand of Ned was lifted
to his face and held there a moment, and
Harry made the same movement fully as often.
There can be little doubt that the hand was
employed to brush away the gathering tears.
But the mind could not be given over to such
gloomy meditations. The boys were not ready
to despair, and it was necessary to brace
themselves to the desperate task before
them. Ned was the first to awake to the fact that
the night had fully come. Laying his hand
on the arm of Jack at his side, he asked, in the
same guarded voice :
" Isn't it time for us to try it ? "
"Yes."
It was literally "pitch dark " around them.
They could not see each other, and only in a
dim, faint way could they perceive the open-

288 UP THE TAPAJOS.
ings that answered for windows. It was fully
as dark as it would be at midnight.
There was no call for listening before essay
ing to escape, for they had done nothing but
listen for the last hour or so. Jack was heard
to stir, and he whispered :
"Follow me."
As they moved across the hard ground, they
turned a little to the right, so as to avoid the
inanimate figure stretched there. In a few
minutes the hands of the seaman rested on the
heavy bar that held the door against yielding
to the savages on the outside.
Jack Blockley paused a minute when the bar
was partly moved from its position. Another
effort and it would be gone altogether ; if the
Indians chose to make a rush within, there
was nothing to prevent them from entering.
He softly raised the bar and carefully set it
down on the ground, where it was not likely to
be in the way. Once more he listened, but only
for a second : the pattering of the rain, was all
that struck his ears.
Reaching out his hand, he touched each of
his young friends in turn. Drawing them

"good by!" 289
close to him, he said, in the same guarded
manner :
" Wait five minutes — no more and no less —
that is as near as you can guess it, and then
follow, Harry to the right, Ned to the left ;
make for the river and then for the camp.
Good-by ; God be with you ! "
He grasped the hand of each in turn and
pressed it warmly. Their hearts were full, but
there was no time to say any thing more. The
next moment Jack had gone and the boys were
alone. It would be impossible to picture the anxiety
of Harry and Ned, while they waited for the
passage of the five minutes which their friend
had. prescribed for them. Every second they
expected to hear the sound of the collision be
tween him and the Indians, and they were pre--
pared to take instant advantage of it. Both
knew that the grand-hearted sailor had gone
first, because he believed it the most dangerous
venture of the three. If necessary, he was
ready to draw the entire peril upon himself, so
as to give them a chance to reach the depth of
the wood undetected.

290 UP THE TAPAJOS.
They would not have consented to this sacrk
fice for their sakes had it been in their power
to prevent it ; but they knew it was vain to seek
to dissuade Jack, and they refrained from the
attempt. It is impossible to measure the lapse of time
on such a trying occasion. When one minute
had passed, they were quite sure it was five,
and when another rolled around, they had no
earthly doubt of the full passage of more than
the twelfth of an hour.
Nothing had been heard of Jack, and the
sound of the pattering leaves was all that fell
upon their ears as they breathlessly listened.
They grasped hands and, with full hearts,
tenderly murmured :
"Good-by." "Good-by."
The next minute they were outside the hut,
and were immediately lost to each other.

CHAPTER XXXV.

THROUGH THE WOODS.

AS I have stated, Harry- Norwood and Ned
Livingston meant to follow the direc
tions of Jack Blockley, and wait five minutes
in the hut after the departure of the sailor.'-
They supposed they had done so, but no more
than half that period had gone by when they
crept through the open door in the darkness. .
The rain was descending in that copious, easy
style, peculiar to the low latitudes, and fortu
nate, indeed, was it that such was the fact.
Had it been otherwise, beyond a doubt all three
would have fallen into the hands of those South
American Indians before going twenty feet from
the building.
Each boy held his rifle in his left hand, as he
crawled softly forth, eyes and ears strained to the
highest tension, though the faculty of vision
could be of no use at such a time.

292 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Ned Livingston was on his hands and knees.
In a few minutes the drenching shower soaked
every particle of clothing on him. He cared
nothing for that, for the weather was warm and
little discomfort went with it. As a matter of
course, he was proceeding by guess-work, and,
now that he had started, could only trust to
Providence to help him through.
Suddenly he placed his hand in water several
inches deep. He was startled, and, reaching
his gun forward in the darkness, poked the re
gion immediately surrounding him, fearing he
was on the border of some stream, or, possibly,
the lake. But investigation proved that it was
simply a puddle, created by the rain that was
then falling.
Bending still lower, Ned applied his lips to
the fluid, .and took a long, refreshing draught.
He had suffered from thirst during the after
noon, and the water infused new life into him.
As there could be no choice of routes, so to
speak, the boy kept on directly through the
pool, and was soon crawling over the wet leaves
on the other side. It was at this juncture he
heard a noise, which convinced him that some-

THROUGH THE WOODS. 293
thing was amiss, either with Jack or Harry. He
could not define it distinctly, but it was as if
one or more bodies had fallen on the ground
and were struggling together.
"It can't be Jack," thought Ned, "for he
said if he.ran against any body he would make
a racket, that would be heard a good ways."
While this was in the mind of Ned, he caught
the voice of the sailor :
" Get out out of my road, you lubber ! You're
all a pack, of cowards, with your p'izened ar
rers ! Take that! and that ! "
The sound of struggling continued a few
seconds longer and then ceased.
Ned had stopped creeping forward, and was
listening. All was profoundly still, but it could
only be conjectured what it meant.
"Either they have overcome Jack, and he is
no more, or he has flung them aside and got
away. I don't see how he could have got by
them, if he was attacked."
There was a terrible sinking of the heart
when the boy resumed his cautious withdrawal
from the vicinity of the hut, for he could not
make himself believe that all three were to

294 UP THE TAPAJOS.
creep through the environing lines without
detection. If Ned should succeed and either
of the others fail, the calamity would be a
crushing one to him.
"How is it I have got this far," he asked
himself, ' ' when the Indians must be expecting
the attempt, and doing all they can to prevent
it?" As if to reprove him for his exultation, if
such it may be called, his heart almost stood
still at the sound of somebody moving. at his
elbow. It must have been close enough for
him to touch by reaching out his hand.
" It is one of the Indians hunting for me,"
was the conclusion of Ned, who stopped and
placed his hand on his knife, determined to use
it the very moment his enemy discovered him.
How it happened that he escaped detection,
was more than Ned Livingston ever could
explain. Inasmuch as he clearly caught the
sound of the savage above the pattering of the
rain, it showed that he must be close at hand,
and would seem to prove in turn that the
Indian must have detected the presence of the
youth so near him.

THROUGH THE WOODS. 295
But he failed to do so, possibly because Ned
happened to be motionless at the instant he
heard his enemy. It was not impossible that
he presented the extraordinary scene of a boy
moving more quietly, for the moment, through
the wood, than the Indian who was hunting
for him.
Be that as it may, Ned did not wait longer
than he believed unavoidable. When his
listening ear could detect nothing but the pat
tering of the rain, he resumed his advance, and
continued it until fully a hundred feet were
passed. He now began to breathe freely.
" I really believe I have escaped them," he
murmured, rising to his feet and listening.
" There were not enough of them to keep any
kind of guard over the building, if they stayed
that far off ; it would need a hundred to pro
tect it. I only pray that Harry and Jack have
been equally fortunate."
The rain was still falling, but not so freely
as earlier in the evening. As Ned could not
carry any more moisture in his garments, it
was a matter of indifference to him whether it

296 UP THE TAPAJOS.
ceased altogether or poured down more vio
lently than ever.
"Jack told us to make for the river," he
reflected, standing a minute or two to collect
his thoughts, "and he was wise in doing so,
though it is not an easy job when it is so
dark." It is almost impossible to understand the
difficulty of picking one's way through the
dense Brazilian woods at night. It was easier
to crawl than to walk, for less of the body was
presented for resistance. Ned extended his
arms forward, like a person groping across a
dark room, and literally felt every inch of the
way. -Sometimes his hand would miss a wet branch
that would sweep across his face ; sometimes a
wiry vine would cut athwart his eyes, and then
another one, or a root, would seemingly catch
hold of his foot and hold on, until he was
thrown forward on his face. Again and again
was his gun knocked from his grasp, and he
often paused, wondering whether it was worth
his while to keep up the struggle ; but, when
,he came to think of his extreme good fortune

THROUGH THE WOODS. 297
thus far, and the fact that the deadly enemies
of him and his friends were close at hand, he
pressed forward.
" The river — the Tapajos ! " he said to him
self, "that's the only guide I can have, but
how shall I find that?"
The fall of the rain had almost entirely
ceased, and he soon assured himself that he
heard a dull, faint roar, that must be caused by
the flow of the upper Tapajos over the rocky
bed. The only difficulty about the matter lay in
the fact that the sound of the stream came
from a point opposite that which he was con
vinced was the right one.
" It can't be there," he said to himself again
and again. " The Tapajos lies over yonder."
Fortunately, Ned had the good sense to know-
that he must be mistaken. The easiest thing
in the world is for a person to get lost when
traveling through a forest.
" It is the Tapajos, or a tributary, which I
can follow down to it, and that will be as
well." Like a wise boy, Ned Livingston acted on

298 UP THE TAPAJOS.
this decision. He pushed on, keeping his face
toward the roaring sound, that grew more and
more distinct. At last it burst upon his ears
with startling suddenness, as he emerged from
the wood and stood on the bank of the rushing
stream, which, in point of fact, was the
Tapajos.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE SIGNAL.

HAVING reached the river, he was war
ranted in believing the worst part of
his journey was ended. He had safely made
his way through the lines of the enemy, when
there was little hope of success. He returned
thanks to Heaven, that had befriended and
sustained him thus far.
And in his prayers he never forgot his dear
friends, Harry Norwood and Jack Blockley.
" Heaven grant they may be as fortunate as
I ; we have been placed in peril such as we.
never dreamed of, but God has brought His
children through more fiery ordeals than this."
"Now that this is the Tapajos," he con
tinued, ' ' and as it is certain I am above the
camp, all I have to do is to follow the stream
down until it is reached. The points of the
compass seemed turned around to me, but they
can't make any blunder : it must be myself."

300 UP THE TAPAJOS.
And, he began tramping forward as best he
could through the pitchy darkness. It was a
dismal and laborious task, and, could he have
found any sort of shelter, he Avould have
stopped until morning. Often he fancied he
heard serpents crawling along the ground near
his feet, or rustling among the branches over
head. The sensation was of the most dreadful
character, when he shrank back, half expect
ing they were about to strike at him, while he
held up his gun before him as a partial shield
against the blow.
Again he was certain he detected the stealthy
tread of some wild beast stealing up behind
him, ready to pounce upon his shoulders and
rend him with his needle-like claws. And yet,
when this frightful trial had lasted an hour or
two, it may be said Ned became, to a certain
extent, accustomed to it, and he plodded for
ward, in his determined way, until he
was sure he had placed several miles behind
him. " I can't understand that there is any thing
to fear from the Indians," he said to himself ;
this rain must have washed out all signs of my

THE SIGNAL. 301
footprints, and they will not be able to follow
me when daylight comes."
It was not long after that he felt some degree
of thirst again, and approached the edge of the
river to drink. When he lay down on his face
and carefully reached forward, he made the
astounding discovery that the current was
flowing in precisely the opposite direction from
that which he supposed.
He had really been going up stream instead
of down, as he intended to go.
For the moment he was completely staggered
unable to comprehend how he had committed
such a blunder^ It was not all unreasonable
that he should fancy the river lay in a different
direction than it did, but how, after reaching
its bank, he should mistake its course, was
singular indeed.
"Well, well," he muttered, with a sigh,
" all this time has been .lost, and I am further
away from camp than I was an' hour ago. It
is discouraging, but, when I reflect on what
has taken place, I should be the last one to
complain." And, plucking up courage, he turned around

302 UP THE TAPAJOS.
and began toiling downward in the direction
of the camp, cheered by the thought that,
though he might have a long distance to walk,
yet every step he took carried him so much
nearer home.
But Ned was tired. His nerves had been
on a painful tension for many hours, and he
had walked and toiled long enough to exhaust
the most vigorous and rugged hunter. He
needed rest. There was no possibility of find
ing any shelter, and, finally, he threw himself
down on the wet leaves, murmured a few words
of prayer, and dropped asleep.
It was just growing light, when he opened
his eyes and looked around. Several minutes
were required before he could recall what had
taken place, and how it was he came to occupy
such a strange bed.
" I wonder where Harry and Jack are ? " he
exclaimed, springing to his feet, stiffened and
lame from his severe exertion and his exposure.
Looking at the Tapajos, he saw it flowing
swiftly by him, this time in the proper direc
tion, the current somewhat roiled from the
recent rain. Even here it was a broad, rapid

THE SIGNAL. 303
stream, capable of floating a large craft, though
the falls and rapids above and below rendered
such navigation impossible.
Now that Ned Livingston felt little, if any,
anxiety on his own account, his thoughts turned
to his friends. Where were Harry and Jack ?
Had they been equally fortunate with himself?
Had they succeeded in making their way
through the hostile circle that was spread
around the rubber gatherer's hut, in which they
took refuge ?
These were the questions which he continually
asked liimself , and which from the nature of
things, it was impossible to answer, until he
should go further and learn more.
There was little likelihood that a boy, placed
in his situation, would suffer from thirst, but
he did feel the need of food. His gun, despite
the heavy fall of rain, was ready for use at any
time, the charge being preserved dry, but he
saw nothing in the way of game, and, had he
been able to bring it down, he was without the
means of kindling a fire.
The fact was, he had not gone long enough
really to suffer, and it was not his purpose to

304 UP THE TAPAJOS.
attempt to procure any food, even if it should
present itself. He observed several times a
tree whose vegetation was of a peculiar, reddish
green, which bore a fruit resembling the Ameri
can apple. It looked tempting, but, fortu
nately, Ned refrained from eating it.
"Likely as not they are poison," he thought ;
" Ardara told. Harry and me never to taste any
thing in the way of fruit, unless we knew what
it was, for death lurks in many of the most
tempting productions of the tropical regions."
It could not be many miles to the camp of
Captain Sprogell, and at every step, the lad.
grew -more hopeful. If he could only
have relieved his mind of the anxiety
about his friends he would have been in high
spirits. Somehow the conviction was growing on
him, despite himself, that something had gone
wrong with Harry Norwood. He had heard
nothing to indicate it, and really, there was no
ground for such strong misgivings as took pos- ,
session of him. It would seem that Jack
Blockley was the one about whom he should
have worried himself, but the boy felt little

THE SIGNAL. 305
anxiety on account of the sailor who had gone
through so many thrilling experiences of his
own. " All three of us agreed to use every effort to
reach the Tapajos, as soon as we were clear of
the Indians, and, if nothing has happened, Jack
and Harry ought to be somewhere in this neigh
borhood," he said to himself.
He remembered that they might have
reached the stream at nearly the same time
with himself, and could have traveled far
enough in the right direction, to be a long way
from him ; but both would be on the lookout
for each other, and for him.
He reflected further, that Jack had told him
there could be little risk in signaling, after
reaching the Tapajos. It was not likely the
Indians would follow them to that point, and
there was no reason to fear they would under
stand the peculiar whistle, even if it should be
heard by them.
The sun was up, and the sky, for the time,
was as clear and beautiful as any he had ever
seen in his own native land. Placing his fingers
to, his mouth, he emitted a gentle, tremulous

306 UP THE TAPAJOS.
whistle, that might have been heard several
hundred yards away.
To his surprise and delight, the sound had
scarcely left his lips, when it was answered
from a point down stream, near at hand. He
instantly repeated the call, and ran forward,
his heart overflowing with thankfulness, ex
claiming :
"It's Harry or Jack, and, may be it's both."

CHAPTER XXXVII.

MISSING.

aOING back a few hours in the narration of
the incidents I have set out to give, it is
necessary that reference should be made to the
singular experience of Jack Blockley, the sailor.
His purpose in leaving the hut first, was sus
pected by the boys. It was because he believed
that whoever preceded the others would incur
the greatest danger, and, by drawing the atten
tion of the Indians to himself, would lessen, to
that degree, the peril of those who followed.
There was reason to think the savages were
expecting such an attempt on the part of the
besieged, and they made every preparation to
defeat it.
They were all close to the hut, and, but for
the pattering rain and the Egyptain darkness,
not one of the three could have gone a dozen feet
without detection. As it was, although for a
time Jack used all the precaution and skill of

308 UP THE TAPAJOS.
which he was master, he had stolen his way a
short distance only, when the enemy learned
he was on the outside of the structure.
He was not crawling on his hands and kneeS,
as the boys did, but was in a crouching posture,
carefully shoving the branches apart in front,
and feeling every inch of the way.
Suddenly his outstretched hand touched the
figure of a person directly in his path. As
quick as a flash he drew back his clenched fist,
and struck with all his might. It- was a blow
given at random, but it could not have been
more effectual had the sun, or an electric light
been shining overhead.
He landed his fist directly in the face of the
savage, who went over like a ten-pin. It was
at that juncture that Jack gave utterance to
the expressions which I have recorded, and
which were plainly heard by Ned Livingston
a short distance off.
The intense darkness favored the sailor in a
remarkable manner. He knew there were
others near him, and he sprang to one side,
rapidly pushed his way for a rod, then made
another sharp angle, and suddenly stopped.

MISSING.' 309
The whole movement was the very best thing
he could have made under the circumstances'
A Comanche Indian could not have shown
more woodcraft. Had he kept on moving,
the rustling would have betrayed him to the
savages, near by, but when he stopped so
abruptly, they were at a loss what to do.
They listened, and then began a careful cir
cling about the immediate neighborhood. Jack.
also listened, and knew the peril in which he
was placed. He soon found that more than
one of them was gradually, but certainly, near-
ing the spot where he was crouching, and, if he
remained, discovery was inevitable. He must
make a change of base.
With extreme care, he began stealing his
way along, often compelled to stop and fairly
hold his breath, until it seemed impossible
to escape discovery. But Providence helped,
and, at the end of half an hour, he felt
certain he was beyond all danger from the
Indians, who were seeking to encompass his
death. " Ah, if they have only done as well," sighed
the honest sailor, "it will be more than we

310 UP THE. TAPAJOS.
have a right to expect. I tried to draw the
lubbers to me, and I guess I did for the time.
If Harry and Ned were sharp enough to take
advantage, they may have got a start that will
help them out ; but, poor fellows, they ain't
used to this kind of business. I would give
my life to be sartin both got out of this scrape ;
but there ain't any way to make such an
arrangement." Remembering the instruction he had given
the boys, he refrained from signaling to them,
but bent his energies toward reaching the
Tapajos with the least possible delay. He was
able to detect the faint roar, which served as a
guide to Ned Livingston, almost at the same
moment, and the sailor never ceased p'ushing
forward, until he arrived on the bank of the
stream. He kept his reckoning better, so that,
when he stood beside the rushing waters, he
did not turn the wrong way.
Without doubt, Jack Blockley could have
reached the camp of Captain Sprogell before
daylight had he pressed onward, but he could
not do any thing that looked like deserting his
'young friends. They must be somewhere

MISSING. 311
behind him, and would not arrive on the bank
of the Tapajos until considerably later.
Accordingly, he sat down where he was, and
waited until daylight, when he rose to his feet
to decide what should be done. As he did so,
he caught the signal of Ned, and answered it.
Within the next three minutes the two met
and grasped hands.
"Where's Harry?"
The question was asked by both on the
instant, and the answer was the same. Neither
had any news to tell. 'They knew nothing of
the boy after he crept out of the hut in the
darkness and the rain.
" He may have got to the stream ahead of
us," suggested Jack.
" Let's try the signal."
They whistled again and again, but there was
not the least response. The conclusion was in
evitable that, wherever Harry Norwood might
be, he was beyond the hearing of his friends.
"I have some hope that he has reached the
river, and has gone to Captain Sprogell' s
camp," said Ned, as the two began picking
their way along the shore.

312 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"I hope the same, but the hope don't
amount to much. It's a wonder how you and
me got through the lines, for I can tell you
them Injins were waiting for us. If it turns
out that Harry done jist as well, why then we
can set it down as a miracle."
' ' I wonder whether any of the Indians are
near," ventured Ned, looking furtively around
him ; "if there are, they may make trouble for
us." " They ain't worth thinking about," replied
the sailor, contemptuously ; " I only hope they
haven't gone back to their homes again."
Ned Livingston caught the meaning of this.
The sailor thought it more than likely that
Harry Norwood had fallen into the hands of
the Indians, and he wished to secure help to
recover him, before they should return to their
inaccessible homes in the depths of the Brazil
ian wilderness.
As the two hurried down stream, they sent
long resounding whistles through the woods,
but the listening ear failed to catch any
response. By and by the increasing roar and the sight

MISSING 313
of the agitated water showed they were
approaching the falls or rapids.
"Look ! " called out Ned, catching the arm
of Jack.
Following the direction indicated, the sailor
saw a thin blue wreath of smoke ascending from
the wood, on the same side of the Tapajos and
just below the rapids.
" That's our camp ! " exclaimed Jack,
' ' It may be the Indians, ' ' observed Ned, who
shuddered when he recalled the exertions of
the previous evening.
"Weil soon find out."
Jack Blockley started off with a rapid stride,
for it was useless to attempt to hide his solici
tude. Ned kept close at his elbow, warning
him to be careful, for, since what they had
passed through, the commonest prudence
demanded that they should use the utmost pre
caution. Jack was not the one to throw away all his
chances by any such recklessness as Ned feared.
The smoke showed that the camp was below
the rapids and among the trees, where the men
themselves were not visible. But our friends

314 UP THE TAPAJOS.

had gone only a short distance, when they
caught sight of the large canoe drawn up
against the bank.
That decided the matter, and Jack and Ned
hurried forward without misgiving. They were
not mistaken : it was the camp of Captain Spro
gell and his party, and it so happened that the
captain, Ardara the guide, and the others were
present, having just finished a rather late break
fast. "Is Harry here!" called out Jack, the
instant he recognized the party, and he and
Ned held their breath for the answer.
" We haven't seen him since he went away
with you yesterday morning," answered Cap
tain Sprogell ; " any thing wrong ? "
"I am afraid everything is wrong," said
Jack, turning pale, and reaching out his hand
to support himself against a tree.
Ned Livingston sat down on a log and
covered his face with his hands, moaning —
"Poor Harry! poor Harry! we shall never
see him again."
Ardara, scarcely less excited, asked that the
story be told, and Jack complied, with as much

MISSING. 315
succinctness as possible. The guide was atten
tive, thoughtful, and serious. When the narra
tive was ended he asked a question or two, and
then said :
' ' Those Indians . are among the fiercest in
Brazil ; they have come a long distance, and the
case looks very dark for the boy who is
missing."

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

CONCLUSION.

IT must not be supposed from these words,
however, that the guide meant it was idle
to make any attempt to recover the boy. His
purpose was to declare that the case was a
desperate one, and all the chances were against
ever seeing young Norwood again.
But the brave and sagacious Portugese meant
that every possible effort should be made with
out an hour or a minute's unnecessary delay.
" It may seem incredible to you, but from the
description given of those Indians," said Ar
dara, "I believe they have come from the
northwest." "From how far?"
" Well up toward the Amazon."
"What should bring them so far away from
their villages ? ' '

CONCLUSION. 317
" That's a hard question to answer," said
Ardara ; " I know it is a rare thing for the Bra
zilian Indians to go such a distance from their
homes, and there are few who do it. But these
(if they belong to the tribe I suspect), are ex
ceptionally powerful and brave. There are
legends of their having gone several hundred
miles straight into the woods — something un-
iieard of as concerns other tribes."
" Ardara," said Ned, rising from his seat,
and walking toward the man ; " we look to you
for guidance ; where do you think Harry is ? "
"There is hardly room for doubt that he
has fallen into the hands of those Indians,
who have come from the northwest, through*
the country of the Tapajos, to reach this
place." "Do you think they have killed him ? "
' ' In my judgment, the chances of his having
been killed or taken prisoner are about equal.
As he is a handsome and prepossessing boy",
they may consider him quite a prize, and,
wishing to carry back home with them some
trophy of what they have done, what would be
a more striking one than a prisoner like him ? "

318 UP THE TAPAJOS.
"I hope they have taken poor Harry, that is
if it is a choice between that and death."
"Alas, I am afraid there is little choice be
tween the two fates," said. Ardara; "but we
must not lose a minute," he added, rousing
himself ; "we must be off at once."
He quickly explained that the only thing to
do was to visit the vicinity of the hut. If Harry
Norwood had been killed, his body would be
found there ; if he had been taken away, most
probably some evidences of the fact would also
be discovered.
" He may be lost in the. woods," suggested
Ned, " and, if we all go away, and he should
come to the camp, what would he do ? "
" Pin a notice of some kind on a tree, where
he will see it," said Ardara, addressing Ned
Livingston. "Tell him we will be back in a
few hours, and he is to wait for us."
The captain was the only one who had pencil
and paper in his possession. He said he never
was without it, as his memory was so defective
that his note-book was indispensable. With
the materials thus furnished, Ned wrote in
large letters, the following :

CONCLUSION. 819
"NOTICE!
"Harry Norwood is hereby inf ormed that his
friends are gone on a hunt in the woods, but
they expect to be back in a few hours. Mr.
Norwood is requested not to leave camp until
we return, but will make himself at home so
long as he is alone. " Edward Livingston,
"Committee."
This was pinned fast to the bark of a tree,
where Harry could not fail to see it if he
should return to camp, in the absence of the
others. Nothing more remained to do, and,
within the five succeeding minutes, the entire
party, consisting of Captain Sprogell, Ardara,
Jack Blockley, Ned Livingston, Pedro and
Tomti, were forcing their way through the
woods, in the direction of the lake, on whose
shore the strange incidents I have described
took place.
The sailor was able to locate the body of
water quite accurately with the help of his
pocket-compass, and a brief time only passed,
when they stood where Jack and his young

320 UP THE TAPAJOS.
friends first caught sight of the party of strange
Indians. The day was warm again, but it was clear,
and the heat was not oppressive. All drank
heartily from the cold, crystalline water, and
then moved around to the other side. The-
ground was found somewhat broken, where the
savages had danced so vigorously, but nothing
of account was noted. Accordingly, they
walked through the wood, and in a few min
utes, reached the hut in which the fugitives had
taken such hasty refuge, when hard pressed by
the Indians.
The body of the rubber gatherer lay just
where it had fallen ; the poisoned arrow was
beside it, but the body had not been molested
by those who had besieged the cabin. The door
was wide open, and a minute examination, of
the ground showed that the Indians had been
inside. "When they found that Jack was on the
outside," said Ardara, " they made a rush, but
you and Harry had left, so they had to scatter (
and hunt for you both. You eluded them, but
your friend was not so fortunate."

CONCLUSION. 321
The Indians had also removed their fallen com
rades, so that Ardara could not satisfy himself
as to what particular tribe they belonged to.
It being clearly established that Harry Nor
wood had been made a prisoner by these sav
ages, the only thing to do was to pursue them at
once, and with the utmost vigor.
The party was so large that it was easy to fol
low their trail. The fall of rain had ceased be
fore daybreak, so that their footprints were
made since then, and were discernible at differ
ent points.
All doubt that might have remained as to the
fate of Harry Norwood were removed when
within a hundred yards of the rubber gatherer's
hut, whose door had been closed and the win
dows barred, so as to keep the body from being
disturbed by wild animals.
In crossing a muddy tract, where the imprints
of the Indians' moccasins were visible, the im
pression made by the rubber boot of Harry Nor
wood was discovered. The boy had a small
foot, and he and Ned were the only ones who
wore foot gear of that precise size and shape, so
there could be no mistake on that point.

322 UP THE TAPAJOS.
The question was settled, and the company
pressed forward with all the energy at their
command. It will be seen that the Indians had half a
day's start, and, if they chose to exert them
selves, could travel faster than their pursuers ;
but the hope was that they would believe there
was no cause for thus exerting themselves.
Every- one of the party felt that the life of
Harry Norwood was at stake. So long as he
was a prisoner among the Indians he could not
raise his hand to help himself. No doubt he
was disarmed, and his captors would keep such
a close watch on him that he would never gain
the slightest chance to escape. The further
the Indians penetrated the woods with him, the
greater would his peril become.
It looked as if Ardara was right in his theory
of the captors of the boy. Their trail led to
ward the north for several miles, and they would
not have been likely to take that course unless
their villages lay in that direction.
But at the end of the distance named it came
down to the edge of the water where it ended.,
"Here they took to their canoes," said Ar-

CONCLUSION. 323
dara ; "they have reached the woods over
yonder and pushed on."
' ' Are we gaining or losing ? ' '
"It is impossible for me todo more than
guess ; but I believe they suspect we are follow
ing them, and have increased their gait."
" What is your reason for believing that ? "
"It is mainly guess work; but it seems to
me, where I have examined the trail, that it
looks as if they took longer steps than at the-
beginning — ' '
At that moment a faint shout was heard.
The Tapajos, at that point, was some two .hun
dred yards wide. On the other side the bank
rose in a steep, wooded ridge. In some spots
the crest of this elevation was bare, and rocks
. projected to view in other places.
On the largest rock, three Indians were
seen standing and looking . at the whites. It
was one of these savages who had given utter
ance to the shout. They had discovered they
were pursued, and they meant the cry as one
of defiance. The whites were invited to over
take them if they could.
Ardara produced his binocle, and leveled it _

324 UP THE TAPAJOS.
at the group. One searching glance was
enough. "It's the very tribe I supposed!" he ex
claimed, with more excitement than he had
shown since the expedition started. "Their
regular hunting-grounds are a long distance to
the northwest, near the Madeira and Amazon ;
when I went up the last river, with Professor
Agassiz, we saw them. They are a dangerous
people." Just then all three of the savages whooped
and swung their arms about their heads in a
tantalizing fashion. Then they turned, ran
among the trees, and vanished.
" What shall be done," asked Captain Spro
gell ; "I am eager to put forth every effort at
my command to save that poor boy, but I see
no hope. The river flows between us and them,
and their canoes are on the other side."
' ' If that were the only obstacle, it would be a
slight one," said Ardara. " They can travel
faster than we through these Brazilian forests.
If we could come upon their camp by surprise
we would have a chance.
" You offer, then, no hope ? "

CONCLUSION. 325
The Portuguese was silent. He knew every
eye was fixed upon him, and he dared not an
swer yes or no. His own belief was that it was
vain to expect any thing could be done for the
hapless lad, but he df eaded the effect of such
an announcement upon his friends.
" I will not answer your question just yet,"
he said, with a sigh. "Let us go back to
camp." With sorrowing hearts the company made
their way up the river to the camp, which they
left a few hours before. Ned Livingston tore
down the notice he had pinned to the tree, and,
covering his face with his hands, moaned :
" Oh, that I had never seen this hateful coun
try ! I can never go back home to Harry' s folks
with the news that is breaking my heart."
Still Ardara held his peace. He was debat
ing the momentous question with himself, and
had not yet reached a conclusion. Finally he
spoke of other matters, and then, with that
strange aimlessness which cool-headed men
often show in such crises, he moved back in the
direction of the river, which they had left but a
brief while before.

326 UP THE TAPAJOS.
Reaching the point where they stood, when
the last glimpse of Harry Norwood's captors
was obtained, they halted once more. The day
was far advanced, and the hour had come when
the question must be answered :
" What can be done ? "
The face of the guide showed that his mental ,
struggle was at an end. He had reached a con
clusion, and all waited, with an intensity of in
terest beyond repression, for him to make it
known. "We cannot leave the boy to his fate," said
he, "we will follow after him. Let us make
ready /"
Note. — Those who are interested in the adventures of Harry
Norwood among the wild Indians that carried him off captive,
will find a full account in No. 3 of the Great Rivet Series, under
the title of " Lost in the Wilds : A Sequel to ' Up the Tapajos.' "