CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
A CAPTIVE CARRIED ALOFT.
"We are lost!" were the words that rushed from Henry Redwood's lips.They came involuntarily; for, as soon as said, he regretted them, seeinghow much they added to the alarm of his sister. It was a crisis inwhich she needed rather to be inspired to confidence by words ofencouragement.
They were said, however, and he could not recall them. He had no timeto speak of anything, or to think of what course they should now pursue.Coming straight toward the tree with an awkward, shambling, but speedygait withal, the monster would soon reach the spot where they stood.Its movements showed it to be in a state of excitement--the naturalconsequence of its late conflict with the crocodile. If seen, theywould come in for a share of its anger, already roused.
If seen! They were almost sure of being seen. They were endeavouringto avoid it by keeping on the other side of the tree, and screeningthemselves among the parasitical plants. But the concealment wasslight, and would not avail them if the animal should pass the trunk andlook around after passing. And now it was making straight for the tree,apparently with the design of ascending it.
At this crisis Henry once more bethought him of running away and takingHelen with him. He now regretted not having done so sooner. Even to belost in the forest would have been a less danger than that which nowthreatened them.
A glance told him it would be too late. There was an open space beyondand all around the trunk behind which they had taken shelter. Shouldthey attempt to escape, the ape would be certain of seeing them beforethey could get under cover of the woods, and, as they supposed, mighteasily overtake them in their flight.
Another tree was near, connecting that under which they stood with theadjoining forest. But it was in a side direction, and they would beseen before reaching it. There was no alternative but to risk a chase,or stay where they were, and take the chances of not being seen by thehorrid creature that was approaching. They chose the latter.
Silently they stood, hands clasped and close to the stem of the tree, onthe side opposite to that on which the gorilla was advancing. They nolonger saw it; for now they dared not look around the trunk, or evenpeep through the leaves of the orchids, lest their faces might betraythem.
After all, the ape might pass into the forest without observing them.If it did, the danger would be at an end; if not, the brave boy hadsummoned up all his energies to meet and grapple with it. He held theloaded musket in his hand, ready at a moment's notice to raise it to thelevel and fire into the face of the red-haired satyr.
They waited in breathless silence, though each could hear the beating ofthe other's heart.
It was torture to stand thus uncertain; and, as if to continue it, theanimal was a long time in getting to the tree. Had it stopped, orturned off some other way?
Henry was tempted to peep round the trunk and satisfy himself. He wasabout to do this, when a scratching on the other side fell upon theirears. It was the claws of the mias rasping against the bark. The nextmoment the sound seemed higher up, and they were made aware that thecreature was ascending the tree.
Henry was already congratulating himself on this event. The ape mightgo up without seeing them; and as the tree was a very tall one, with athick head of foliage and matted creepers, once among these, it might nolonger think of looking down. Then they could steal away unobserved,and, keeping at a safe distance, await the return of the hunters.
At this moment, however, an incident arose that interfered with thisdesirable programme, in an instant changing the position of everythingthat promised so well into a sad and terrible catastrophe.
It was Murtagh who caused, though innocently, the lamentable diversion.
The ship-carpenter, returning from his excursion, had just stumbled uponthe crocodile where it lay upon the shore of the lake, which, thoughhelpless to return to its proper element, was not yet dead. With jawtorn and dislocated, it was still twisting its body about in the lastthroes of the death-struggle.
Not able to account for the spectacle of ruin thus presented, it causedthe Irishman much surprise, not unmingled with alarm--the latterincreasing as he looked towards the tree where Henry and Helen had beenleft, and saw they were no longer there.
Had he prudently held his peace, perhaps all might have been well; but,catching sight of the huge hairy monster ascending the trunk, thethought flashed across his mind that the young people had been alreadydestroyed, perhaps devoured, by it; and, giving way to this terriblefancy, he uttered a dread cry of despair.
It was the worst thing he could have done; for, despite the discouragingtone of his voice, it seemed joyful to those crouching in concealment;and, yielding to an instinct that they were now saved by the presence ofa stanch protector, they rushed from their ambuscade, and in so doingdiscovered themselves to the ourang-outang.
Its eyes were upon them--dark, demon-like orbs, that seemed toscintillate sparks of fire. The gorilla had only gone up the trunk to aheight of about twenty feet, when the cry of the alarmed ship-carpenterbrought its ascent to a sudden stop; then, bringing its body half round,and looking below, it saw the children.
As if connecting them with the enemy it had just conquered, its angrypassions seemed to rekindle; and once more giving utterance to thatstrange barking cough, it glided down the tree, and made direct for theone who was nearest.
As ill luck would have it, this chanced to be the little Helen,altogether defenceless and unarmed. Murtagh, still shouting, rushed tothe rescue; while Henry, with his musket raised to his shoulder,endeavoured to get between the ape and its intended victim, so that hecould fire right into the face of the assailant, without endangering thelife of his sister.
He would have been in time had the gun proved true, which it did not.It was an old flint musket, and the priming had got damp during theirjourney through the moist tropical forest. As he pulled trigger, therewas not even a flash in the pan; and although he instinctively graspedthe gun by its barrel, and, using it as a club, commenced belabouringthe hairy giant over the head, his blows were of no more avail than ifdirected against the trunk of the tree itself.
Once, twice, three times the butt of the gun descended upon the skull ofthe satyr, protected by its thick shock of coarse red hair; but before afourth blow could be given, the ape threw out one of its immense arms,and carrying it round in a rapid sweep, caught the form of the girl inits embrace, and then, close hugging her against its hairy breast,commenced reascending the tree.
Shouts and shrieks were of no avail to detain the horrid abductor. Noryet the boy's strength, exerted to its utmost. His strength alone; forMurtagh was not yet up. Henry seized the gorilla's leg, and clung to itas long as ever he could. He was dragged several feet up the trunk; buta kick from the gorilla shook him off, and he fell, stunned and almostsenseless, to the earth.