Un capitaine de quinze ans. English Page 22

  CHAPTER III.

  ON THE MARCH AGAIN.

  "Africa! Africa!" was the terrible word that echoed and re-echoed inthe mind of Dick Sands. As he pondered over the events of the precedingweeks he could now understand why, notwithstanding the rapid progressof the ship, the land seemed ever to be receding, and why the voyagehad been prolonged to twice its anticipated length. It remained,however, a mystery inexplicable as before, how and when they hadrounded Cape Horn and passed into another ocean. Suddenly the ideaflashed upon him that the compass must have been tampered with; and heremembered the fall of the first compass; he recalled the night when hehad been roused by Tom's cry of alarm that Negoro had fallen againstthe binnacle. As he recollected these circumstances he became more andmore convinced that it was Negoro who was the mainspring of all themischief; that it was he who had contrived the loss of the "Pilgrim,"and compromised the safety of all on board.

  What had been the career, what could be the motives of a man who wascapable of such vile machinations?

  But shrouded in mystery as were the events of the past, the presentoffered a prospect equally obscure.

  Beyond the fact that he was in Africa and a hundred miles from thecoast, Dick knew absolutely nothing. He could only conjecture that hewas in the fatal province of Angola, and assured as he was that Harrishad acted the traitor, he was led to the conclusion that he and Negorohad been playing into each other's hands. The result of the collision,he feared, might be very disastrous to the survivors of the "Pilgrim."Yet, in what manner would the odious stratagem be accomplished? Dickcould well understand that the negroes would be sold for slaves; hecould only too easily imagine that upon himself Negoro would wreak thevengeance he had so obviously been contemplating; but for Mrs. Weldonand the other helpless members of the party what fate could be in store?

  The situation was terrible, but yet Dick did not flinch; he had beenappointed captain, and captain he would remain; Mrs. Weldon and herlittle son had been committed to his charge, and he was resolved tocarry out his trust faithfully to the end.

  For several hours he remained wrapped in thought, pondering over thepresent and the future, weighing the evil chances against the good,only to be convinced that the evil much preponderated. At length herose, firm, resolute, calm. The first glimmer of dawn was breaking uponthe forest. All the rest of the party, except Tom, were fast asleep.Dick Sands crept softly up to the old negro, and whispered:--

  "Tom, you know now where we are!"

  "Yes, yes, Mr. Dick, only too well I know it. We are in Africa!"

  The old man sighed mournfully.

  "Tom," said Dick, in the same low voice, "you must keep this a secret;you must not say a word to let Mrs. Weldon or any of the others know."

  The old man murmured his assent, and Dick continued:--

  "It will be quite enough for them to learn that we have been betrayedby Harris, and that we must consequently practise extra care andwatchfulness; they will merely think we are taking precautions againstbeing surprised by nomad Indians. I trust to your good sense, Tom, toassist me in this."

  "You may depend upon me, Mr. Dick; and I can promise you that we willall do our best to prove our courage, and to show our devotion to yourservice."

  "You must keep this a secret"]

  Thus assured of Tom's co-operation, Dick proceeded to deliberate uponhis future line of action. He had every reason to believe that thetreacherous American, startled by the traces of the slaves and theunexpected roaring of the lion, had taken flight before he hadconducted his victims to the spot where they were to be attacked, andthat consequently some hours might elapse before he would be joined byNegoro, who (to judge from Dingo's strange behaviour) had undoubtedlyfor the last few days been somewhere on their track.

  Here was a delay that might be turned to good account, and no time wasto be lost in taking advantage of it to commence their return journeyto the coast. If, as Dick had every reason to suppose, he was inAngola, he hoped to find, either north or south, some Portuguesesettlement whence he could obtain the means of transporting his partyto their several homes.

  But how was this return journey to be accomplished? It would bedifficult, not to say imprudent, to retrace their footsteps through theforest; it would merely bring them to their starting-point, and would,moreover, afford an easy track for Negoro or his accomplices to follow.The safest and most secret means of reaching the coast would assuredlybe by descending the course of some river. This would have to beeffected by constructing a strong raft, from which the little party,well armed, might defend themselves alike from attacks either of thenatives or of wild beasts, and which would likewise afford acomfortable means of transport for Mrs. Weldon and her little boy, whowere now deprived of the use of Harris's horse. The negroes, it istrue, would be only too pleased to carry the lady on a litter ofbranches, but this would be to occupy the services of two out of five,and under the circumstances it was manifestly advisable that all handsshould be free to act on the defensive. Another great inducementtowards the plan was that Dick Sands felt himself much more at home intravelling by water than by land, and was longing to be once again uponwhat to him was, as it were, his native element. He little dreamt thathe was devising for himself the very plan that Harris, in hisspeculations, had laid down for him!

  The most urgent matter was now to find such a stream as would suittheir purpose. Dick had several reasons for feeling sure that oneexisted in the neighbourhood. He knew that the little river, which fellinto the Atlantic near the spot where the "Pilgrim" stranded, could notextend very far either to the north or east, because the horizon wasbounded in both directions by the chain of mountains which he had takenfor the Cordilleras. If the stream did not rise in those hills it mustincline to the south, so that in either case Dick was convinced hecould not be long in discovering it or one of its affluents. Anothersign, which he recognized as hopeful, was that during the last fewmiles of the march the soil had become moist and level, whilst here andthere the appearance of tiny rivulets indicated that an aqueous networkexisted in the subsoil. On the previous day, too, the caravan hadskirted a rushing torrent, of which the waters were tinged with oxideof iron from its sloping banks.

  Dick's scheme was to make his way back as far as this stream, whichthough not navigable itself would in all probability empty itself intosome affluent of greater importance. The idea, which he imparted toTom, met with the old negro's entire approval.

  As the day dawned the sleepers, one by one, awoke. Mrs. Weldon laidlittle Jack in Nan's arms. The child was still dozing; the fever hadabated, but he looked painfully white and exhausted after the attack.

  "Dick," said Mrs. Weldon, after looking round her, "where is Mr.Harris? I cannot see him."

  "Harris has left us," answered Dick very quietly.

  "Do you mean that he has gone on ahead?"

  "No, madam, I mean that he has left us, and gone away entirely: he isin league with Negoro."

  "In league with Negoro!" cried Mrs. Weldon, "Ah, I have had a fancylately that there has been something wrong: but why? what can be theirmotive?"

  "Indeed I am unable to tell you," replied Dick; "I only know that wehave no alternative but to return to the coast immediately if we wouldescape the two rascals."

  "Harris has left us"]

  "I only wish I could catch them," said Hercules, who had overheard theconversation; "I would soon knock their heads together;" and he shookhis two fists in giving emphasis to his words.

  "But what will become of my boy?" cried Mrs. Weldon, in tones ofdespondency; "I have been so sanguine in procuring him the comforts ofSan Felice."

  "Master Jack will be all right enough, madam, when we get into a morehealthy situation near the coast," said Tom.

  "But is there no farm anywhere near? no village? no shelter?" shepleaded.

  "None whatever, madam; I can only repeat that it is absolutelynecessary that we make the best of our way back to the sea-shore."

  "Are you quite sure, Dick, that Mr. Harris has decei
ved us?"

  Dirk felt that he should be glad to avoid any discussion on thesubject, but with a warning glance at Tom, he proceeded to say that onthe previous night he and Tom had discovered the American's treachery,and that if he had not instantly taken to his horse and fled he wouldhave answered for his guilt with his life. Without, however, dwellingfor a moment more than he could avoid upon the past, he hurried on todetail the means by which he now proposed to reach the sea, concludingby the assertion that he hoped a very few miles' march would bring themto a stream on which they might be able to embark.

  Mrs. Weldon, thoroughly ignoring her own weakness, professed herreadiness not only to walk, but to carry Jack too. Bat and Austin atonce volunteered to carry her in a litter; of this the lady would nothear, and bravely repeated her intention of travelling on foot,announcing her willingness to start without further delay. Dick Sandswas only too glad to assent to her wish.

  "Let me take Master Jack," said Hercules; "I shall be out of my elementif I have nothing to carry."

  The giant, without waiting for a reply, took the child from Nan's armsso gently that he did not even rouse him from his slumber.

  The weapons were next carefully examined, and the provisions, havingbeen repacked into one parcel, were consigned to the charge of Actaeon,who undertook to carry them on his back.

  Cousin Benedict, whose wiry limbs seemed capable of bearing any amountof fatigue, was quite ready to start. It was doubtful whether he hadnoticed Harris's disappearance; he was suffering from a loss which tohim was of far greater importance. He had mislaid his spectacles andmagnifying-glass. It had happened that Bat had picked them up in thelong grass, close to the spot where the amateur naturalist had beenlying, but acting on a hint from Dick Sands, he said nothing aboutthem; in this way the entomologist, who, without his glasses couldscarcely see a yard beyond his face, might be expected to be keptwithout trouble in the limits of the ranks, and having been placedbetween Actaeon and Austin with strict injunctions not to leave theirside, he followed them as submissively as a blind man inleading-strings.

  The start was made. But scarcely had the little troop advanced fiftyyards upon their way, when Tom suddenly cried out,--

  "Where's Dingo?"

  With all the force of his tremendous lungs, Hercules gave a series ofreverberating shouts:--

  "Dingo! Dingo! Dingo!"

  Not a bark could be distinguished in reply

  "Dingo! Dingo! Dingo!" again echoed in the air.

  But all was silence.

  Dick was intensely annoyed at the non-appearance of the dog; hispresence would have been an additional safeguard in the event of anysudden surprise.

  "Perhaps he has followed Harris," suggested Tom.

  "Far more likely he is on the track of Negoro," rejoined Dick.

  "Then Negoro, to a dead certainty," said Hercules, "will put a bulletinto his head."

  "It is to be hoped," replied Bat, "that Dingo will strangle him first."

  Dick Sands, disguising his vexation, said,

  "At any rate, we have no time to wait for the animal now: if he isalive, he will not fail to find us out. Move on, my lads! move on!"

  The weather was very hot; ever since daybreak heavy clouds had beengathering upon the horizon, and it seemed hardly likely that the daywould pass without a storm. Fortunately the woods were sufficientlylight to ensure a certain amount of freshness to the surface of thesoil. Here and there were large patches of tall, rank grass enclosed byclumps of forest trees. In some places, fossilized trunks, lying on theground, betokened the existence of one of the coal districts that arecommon upon the continent of Africa. Along the glades the carpet ofverdure was relieved by crimson stems and a variety of flowers;ginger-blossoms, blue and yellow, pale lobelias, and red orchidsfertilized by the numerous insects that incessantly hovered about them.The trees did not grow in impenetrable masses of one species, butexhibited themselves in infinite variety. There was also a species ofpalm producing an oil locally much valued; there were cotton-plantsgrowing in bushes eight or ten feet high, the cotton attached in longshreds to the ligneous stalks; and there were copals from which,pierced by the proboscis of certain insects, exudes an odorous resinthat flows on to the ground and is collected by the natives. Then therewere citrons and wild pomegranates and a score of other arborescentplants, all testifying to the fertility of this plateau of CentralAfrica. In many places, too, the air was fragrant with the odour ofvanilla, though it was not possible to discover the shrub from whichthe perfume emanated.

  In spite of it being the dry season, so that the soil had only beenmoistened by occasional storms, all trees and plants were flourishingin great luxuriance. It was the time of year for fever, but, accordingto Dr. Livingstone's observation, the disorder may generally be curedby quitting the locality where it has been contracted. Dick expressedhis hope that, in little Jack's case, the words of the great travellerwould be verified, and in encouragement of this sanguine view, pointedout to Mrs. Weldon that although it was past the time for theperiodical return of the fever, the child was still slumbering quietlyin Hercules' arms.

  The march was continued with as much rapidity as was consistent withcaution. Occasionally, where the bushes and brushwood had been brokendown by the recent passage of men or beasts, progress was comparativelyeasy; but much more frequently, greatly to Dick's annoyance, obstaclesof various sorts impeded their advance. Climbing plants grew in suchinextricable confusion that they could only be compared to a ship'srigging involved in hopeless entanglement; there were creepersresembling curved scimitars, thickly covered with sharp thorns; therewere likewise strange growths, like vegetable serpents, fifty or sixtyfeet long, which seemed to have a cruel faculty for torturing everypassenger with their prickly spines. Axe in hand, the negroes hadrepeatedly to cut their road through these bewildering obstructionsthat clothed the trees from their summit to their base.

  Animal life was no less remarkable in its way than the vegetation.Birds in great variety flitted about in the ample foliage, secure fromany stray shot from the little band, whose chief object it was topreserve its incognito. Guinea-fowls were seen in considerable numbers,francolins in several varieties, and a few specimens of the bird towhich the Americans, in imitation of their note, have given the name of"whip-poor-will." If Dick had not had too much evidence in other waysto the contrary, he might almost have imagined himself in a province ofthe New World.

  Hitherto they had been unmolested by any dangerous wild beasts. Duringthe present stage of their march a herd of giraffes, startled by theirunexpected approach, rushed fleetly past; this time, however, withoutbeing represented as ostriches. Occasionally a dense cloud of dust onthe edge of the prairie, accompanied by a sound like the roll ofheavily-laden chariots, betokened the flight of a herd of buffaloes;but with these exceptions no animal of any magnitude appeared in view.

  The march was continued with as much rapidity as wasconsistent with caution.]

  For about two miles Dick followed the course of the rivulet, in thehope that it would emerge into a more important stream, which wouldconvey them without much difficulty or danger direct to the sea.

  Towards noon about three miles had been accomplished, and a halt wasmade for rest. Neither Negoro nor Harris had been seen, nor had Dingoreappeared. The encampment for the midday refreshment was made underthe shelter of a clump of bamboos, which effectually concealed themall. Few words were spoken during the meal. Mrs. Weldon could eatnothing; she had again taken her little boy into her arms, and seemedwholly absorbed in watching him. Again and again Dick begged her totake some nourishment, urging upon her the necessity of keeping up herstrength.

  "We shall not be long in finding a good current to carry us to thecoast," said the lad brightly.

  Mrs. Weldon raised her eyes to his animated features. With so sanguineand resolute a leader, with such devoted servants as the five negroesin attendance, she felt that she ought not utterly to despair. Was shenot, after all, on friendly soil? what great harm could Harrisperp
etrate against her or her belongings? She would hope still, hopefor the best.

  Rejoiced as he was to see something of its former brightness return toher countenance, Dick nevertheless had scarcely courage steadily toreturn her searching gaze. Had she known the whole truth, he knew thather heart must fail her utterly.