Old Gold Part 52

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

A QUESTION OF SUPPLIES.

The morning came bright and clear, and the boats were pushed off once more out of the oppressive gloom of the water-floored forest into the sunny brightness of the river, by which they were again swept on hour after hour.

It was when the question of supplies was beginning to a.s.sume a serious aspect about midday that there was a change in the monotonous windings of the river, which suddenly forked, and, the branch to the left seeming the more open, the boats were guided into that.

They were carried along here as swiftly as ever for a few miles, and then the branch divided again and again, till they seemed to be pa.s.sing through a very network of smaller rivers, their last change being into one whose banks, though well wooded, presented a marked change, for in place of flooded forest the banks displayed steep cliffs dotted with verdure, and in whose cracks grand trees towered up; while, after pa.s.sing for miles through what rapidly grew into the likeness of a mountain defile, the helpless party had the satisfaction of finding that the current was no longer fierce, but glided along deep and dark at the rate of about four miles an hour.

"Hab!" cried the captain; "this is better. Now, gentlemen, you may get your guns ready for anything worth shooting. We can easily retrieve it here, and find a place by-and-by up among the rocks on one side or the other to land and cook whatever you manage to bring down."

"Why, Brace," said Sir Humphrey, as they glided gently along, gun in hand, watching the steep slope of cliff on their left, everywhere beautiful and in places almost perpendicular and awful in its grandeur, "this is the most beautiful part of the country we have seen."

"Don't talk," said Brace, in a low tone of voice. "I seem to want to watch."

"But don't forget about the cooking," said Briscoe, suddenly raising his gun to his shoulder. "Look out, Brace, up yonder, and watch the bushes on that shelf of rock."

He fired twice the next moment, and half a dozen large birds rose to fly across the river, one of which fell to Brace's gun; while, the boat being run close under the rocky face of the cliff, a couple of men climbed out and crept up among the bushes, where they found that Briscoe had shot three large turkey-like birds, which would form a welcome addition to their larder.

During their steady glide on, half a dozen more good-sized birds of similar and different kinds were brought down from where they were feeding upon the fruits and berries, the men's spirits rising with their success as much as from the beauty of the winding gorge, so that the evening's camping was looked forward to with eagerness, while the captain's declaration that they were getting beyond the influence of the flood was received with a cheer.

"You see, gentlemen, it's like this: the flood has been acting like the tide in a river which has kept back the regular flow here, and it strikes me that before we have gone many miles farther the stream will have grown slacker and slacker till it comes almost to a standstill, and to-morrow some time we shall have it against us once more."

"Unless we turn into another stream and so get back a fresh way,"

suggested Brace. "It is a wonderful network of water."

"Maybe," said the captain; "but we don't want to lose our bearings."

"We couldn't if we kept on going down stream. We must reach the sea somewhere."

"That's right enough," said the captain drily; "but I don't want to reach it somewhere. I want the way that leads by my brig."

"Yes," said Briscoe, laughing. "Why, Brace, we might be getting out somewhere or other in the Pacific Ocean."

"What about crossing the Andes first?" said Brace sharply.

"Oh, that would be all right. I daresay we could keep on rising till we found a way through-place where the watershed runs, as the learned chaps say."

He had hardly spoken before Brace caught him by the arm, gripping it strongly.

"What is it--bird?"

"No," said Brace, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper. "I caught sight of a canoe gliding along under the rocks on the farther sh.o.r.e."

"Did you?" said Briscoe coolly. "Well, I'm not surprised. The Indians would be fools if some of them didn't come and live along here. It's about the most beautiful place I ever saw."

"I can see it now," said Sir Humphrey, looking through his gla.s.s.

"There are four Indians in it with feather crowns on their heads. I don't think they have seen us till now, for they are paddling the other way."

"Then I tell you what: let's lie-to under the trees here," said the captain. "There's a level bit about fifty feet up like a shelf in yon bit of a gully. I had my eye upon that directly, and down here we can lie up quite snugly. Let's have a quiet night somehow, and go on to-morrow morning to see whether the Indians mean to be friends or foes.

See 'em still, Sir Humphrey?"

"No," was the reply; "they have gone right out of sight."

"Then now have the goodness to use your gla.s.s well, and sweep all the shelves up the farther sh.o.r.e to see if you can make out any sign of an Indian village, sir. Seems a wonderfully likely place for people to be living."

At that moment there was a heavy splash as a large silvery fish flung itself completely out of the water and then fell back, while the noise it made startled a covey of ducks, which went fluttering and paddling up stream.

"Must be inhabitants here, I should say," exclaimed the American, shading his eyes with his hand. "A bit shut in and shady, but all the better in a tropical country: why, it's lovely. Here, gentlemen, I'm getting a bit tired of being cramped up in a boat. I vote we call this Golden Valley and come and live here for a year or two."

"To hunt for the Golden City?" said Brace mischievously.

"Oh, no," said Briscoe quietly; "this place makes me feel as if I didn't want to hunt for anything, only to knock myself up a hut, or to find a sort of cave up on one of these shelves, and then just go on living like. Why, it's a ready-made Paradise, and we seem to have pretty nearly got beyond the reach of the flood."

"Then let's lie up here," said the captain, "and set your Dan to work.

It is very beautiful, but it will be better after we've had a bit of something to eat."

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

NIGHT IN THE CANON.

There was a murmur of approval all through the boat, and soon after the lines were made fast ash.o.r.e, and Brace was one of the first to climb up to the level shelf the captain had marked out. From here he could command a view of the river banks for quite a mile before the narrow canon curved, and they loveliness of the place was so surpa.s.sing that he stood speechless, forgetting everything in the beauty of the scene, green and golden in the level rays of the sun, with every here and there the shadows deepening into violet.

Brace started as if out of a waking dream as a hand was laid upon his shoulder, and he turned to face Briscoe.

"What can you see?" said the latter, in a low voice.

For answer Brace simply pointed along the canon, and the American took a long look in silence before venturing to speak again.

"Yes," he said slowly; "very pretty, but I'm not a very sentimental man.

One minute I feel as if I should like to live here, and the next I feel certain it would be too dull. Can't see any more signs of the Indians, can you?"

"No," said Brace.

"What sort of a place have you got here? Oh! that's all right; quite a cavern there. Do splendidly for Dan and the boys to make the fire in, out of sight, for we don't want it to bring down strangers upon us.

Let's have a look."

Brace had not noticed any cavern, but now his attention was drawn to it he saw at the back of the shelf that there was a broad rift in the cliff, some ten or a dozen feet wide and seven or eight high, while upon entering it was to find that they could look forward into darkness of unknown depth, while the roof seemed to rise as it receded.

"Looks big," said Briscoe, raising his gun as if to fire.

"You had better not shoot," said Brace, laying his hand upon his companion's arm. "It would raise echoes all along the canon, and perhaps bring down the Indians."

"Quite right; but let's see what's here. Might be a jaguar or something of that kind. Aha, there! Rah-rah-rah-rah-rah!"