CHAPTER TWELVE.
AT BAY.
To have attempted to escape, the colonel said, would be madness, for itwould have suggested fear of the approaching Indians, and made themthink at once that the visit to their secluded haunts meant no good tothem; so throwing his piece into the hollow of his left arm, and biddingthe others do as he did, Colonel Campion took a few steps forward tomeet the Indians, and held out his hand.
This had the effect of making them halt a few yards from them, andkeeping their faces fixed upon the English party, they talked rapidlyamong themselves.
At that moment Cyril caught sight of Diego hanging back among the men inthe rear.
"There's our guide, sir," he said hurriedly. "Shall I call him?"
"He there?" said the colonel sharply. "Yes, call him. No: go throughthem, and fetch him, boy."
Cyril hesitated for a moment or two, and his heart beat high; but theorder had been given in true military style, and it had its influence.The boy felt that he would be backed up by the colonel in all he did,and throwing his gun over his right shoulder, he stepped boldly forward,finding that the white was master even here; for the Indians, taken bysurprise at his firmness, parted at once to let him pass, and thenCyril's pulses beat a little more rapidly, for the men closed up again,shutting him off from his friends.
The boy felt this, but he knew that he must not show fear, and without amoment's hesitation, he walked on up to where Diego stood half hiddenbehind a couple of the Indians, and clapping his hand upon the man'sshoulder, "Come," he said, "the colonel wants you."
The guide shrank at Cyril's touch, and looked at his fellows forsupport, but no one stirred, and uttering a low sigh, the man allowedhimself to be marched away to where the colonel stood, the Indiansgiving way on either side, and then closing up again in silence, andwithout the slightest show of menace.
For to them it was as if a superior being had calmly passed among themand fetched one, each man feeling relieved that he was not the oneselected, and that, had he been, he would have felt compelled to go.
"Well done, British boy," said the colonel to Cyril, as he stoppedbefore him with the guide, who looked of a curious dusky colour now; hiseyes showing the whites around the iris, and his lips seeming parched ashe moistened them hastily with his tongue from time to time.
"Now then," continued the colonel sharply, as if he were addressing adelegate from a mutinous company of his old regiment, "why have youbrought all these men after me, sir?--Interpret quickly, Cyril."
This was done, and the man's voice trembled as he answered.
"He says they made him come, sir," said Cyril.
"Which is a lie," cried John Manning; "for he has been dodging us allthe time."
"Silence there. 'Tention!" cried the colonel harshly, and the oldsoldier drew himself up smartly, lowered and then shouldered arms, justas if he had been on parade.
It was a trifle, but it had its effect upon the Indians, giving them agreat idea of the importance of the colonel, who stood there, erect andstern, issuing his orders; and in their eyes he was a great white chief,if not a king.
"Now," he said sharply, "let that boy ask him what these people want."
Cyril interpreted and obtained his answer, the peril of their positionsharpening the boy's faculties, and making him snatch at words of whichhe was in doubt.
"They have come," said Cyril, "to see why you are here. They say youhave no right to come amongst the kina gatherers, and that you must goback to the coast at once."
"Indeed!" said the colonel haughtily. "We shall see about that. Tellthem, boy, that I am the English chief of a great white queen; that Ihave come into this country to examine it and its products, and that Iwill shoot dead with this piece the first man who dares to interferewith me and mine."
"Hear, hear!" growled John Manning.
"Silence in the ranks," cried the colonel sharply; while, gainingconfidence, Cyril's voice partook somewhat of his leader's imperiouscommand, as he repeated the words as loudly as he could, so that allmight hear.
There was a low fierce murmur from the little crowd, which was nowaugmented by the bark peelers, who closed the English party up from therear.
"What do they say?" cried the colonel, taking a step forward, andcocking his piece at the same moment.
"That they will make us prisoners, sir," said Cyril.
"Who dared say that?" roared the colonel, and taking another stepforward, he looked fiercely round, with the result that to a man theIndians bent their heads before him, and not one dared look him in theface.
"Hah!" he ejaculated, "that is better. Now tell them I wish to see thekina gathered and prepared."
Cyril gave the interpretation of his words, and Diego and an old Indiancame humbly forward and laid down their bows and arrows at his feet.
The colonel took a step and planted his foot upon the weapons. Thendrawing back, he pointed down.
"Pick them up!" he said sternly in English, and repeated the words inSpanish, when a low murmur of satisfaction arose, and the men stooped,lifted their weapons, and then making deprecating signs, they led theway into the clearing where the cinchona trees had been cut down, andthe people had been busy collecting and drying the bark.
The colonel went on first, and Cyril and John Manning next, followed byPerry and Diego.
"It does one good, Master Cyril," whispered John Manning, "it does onegood again, my lad. That's the sort of man the colonel is. Fit for aking, every inch of him. There ain't many men as would have faced abody of savage Indians with their bows and arrows like that. He's theright sort of stuff, ain't he? and yet they let him leave the army andgo on half-pay."
"Yes, but do you think there will be any treachery?" replied Cyril.
"No, sir, I don't, so long as we show 'em we mean to keep the upper handof 'em. They daren't. They know the colonel meant what he said, andfelt that every word he said was true, and that a big chief had comeamong 'em."
"Yes, I could see that," said Cyril.
"My word, he was like a lion among a lot o' them big, long-necked sheep,sir; and you did your part of it splendidly."
"I did?" said Cyril, looking at the man in wonder.
"Yes, you, sir. I only wish our Master Perry would speak up as bold."
"Why, John Manning," said Cyril, half laughing, "if you only knew how Ifelt."
"I do, sir."
"Not you, or you would not talk like that."
"I tell you I do, sir. You felt just as I did first time I went intoaction, and heard the bullets go whizzing by like bees in the air, andsaw some of them sting the poor fellows, who kept on dropping here andthere, many of 'em never to get up again. I thought I was in a terriblefright, and that I was such a miserable coward I ought to be drummed outof the regiment; but it couldn't have been fright, only not being usedto it; and I couldn't have been a coward, because I was in the frontrank all the time, close alongside of your father; and when we'd chargedand driven the enemy flying, the colonel clapped me on the shoulder andsaid he'd never seen a braver bit of work in his life, and of course heought to know."
"I did feel horribly frightened, though," said Cyril.
"Thought you did, sir, that was all. You couldn't have done it better."
"I don't know," said the boy, smiling. "Suppose the Indians had foundme out?"
"Found you out, sir? Bah! If it comes to the worst, they'll find outyou can fight as well as talk. Now, just look here, sir; didn't youever have a set to at school, when you were at home in England?"
"Yes, two or three."
"And didn't you feel shimmery-whimmery before you began?"
"Yes."
"And as soon as you were hurt, forgot all that, and went in andwhipped."
"Well, yes, I suppose so."
"Of course you did, sir. That's human nature, that is. But, I say, MrCyril, sir, what does it all mean? Why has the colonel come out here?He can't have come just to see people cut down a few trees and peel offthe bark."
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"I begin to think he has."
"But I could have taken him down in Surrey, sir, and showed him intowoods where they were doing all that to the oak trees, without comingout here, or running any risks of getting an arrow sent through you,just as if you was a chicken got ready to roast."
"I don't quite understand it yet," said Cyril; "but don't talk any morenow. Look, look! what is he going to do?"