CHAPTER XXXIV.
WATCHING AND WAITING.
When Professor Ernest Grimcke realized that his desperate flight fromthe besieged building had been attended with complete success, and thathe was standing among the dense shadows of the forest, with no enemynear, he devoutly uncovered his head, and, looking upward, uttered hisfervent thanks to heaven for its amazing mercy.
"If ever a man was snatched from the jaws of death," he said, "I amthat man."
"And I am another," added Jared Long, who approached in the gloom. "Itseems to me like a veritable miracle."
The New Englander explained that, after his furious dash for shelterfrom the building, he did not believe his chances were any better thanthose of the man he left behind him. He started, with the intention ofmaking his way by a circuitous course to the river, but had not gonefar when he was struck by the baseness of his desertion of his friend.He, therefore, turned about with the resolve to try to do something forhim, but had no more than caught sight of the structure again when hedescried the Professor coming like a whirlwind for the trees.
Long moved to the point at which he saw he was aiming, and held hisWinchester ready to open on any pursuers that might try to follow him.He would have picked off a dozen or so, for he was cool and collected,and fully determined to stand by his friend to the death.
Fortunately, however, for all parties concerned, none of the Murhapaspursued the Professor, though, as has been told, a number under theleadership of Ziffak dashed off in another direction, withoutendangering the fugitives in the least.
It was a marvellous deliverance, indeed, for our friends, and theyunderstood the part the giant head chieftain had taken in extricatingthem from the peril. Their hearts glowed with gratitude to the savage,whose friendship for them they could not understand, but who had provenit in such a striking manner.
But it could not be said that they were yet free from danger; and therewas much to do before they could breathe freely.
It needed but a brief consultation to agree that after what had takenplace, it was the height of madness to attempt to push on to theenchanted lake and burning mountain. King Haffgo was so roused thatthere was not the slightest chance of escape. The only earthlyprobability of accomplishing anything in that direction, was bybringing a force strong enough to sweep the warlike Murhapas from theirpath.
Thankful would the little party of explorers be if they were permittedto get out of the Matto Grosso with their lives.
They waited in the margin of the wood until the return of Ziffak andhis baffled company. It was easy to understand the clever trick playedby the chieftain upon his followers, and Grimcke and Long wereconvinced that no further attempt, at least for a time, would be madeto capture them.
But being free to attend to their own safety, their thoughts naturallyturned to the missing members of the company, especially to Ashman, whounquestionably was involved in the most imminent peril.
It was clear that his two friends could do nothing in his behalf. Theydid not know where to look for him, and such an attempt was sure to befollowed by disastrous consequences to themselves.
It was a singular conclusion to which Grimcke and Long arrived and yetperhaps it was natural. They believed that Ashman had escaped beforethey did themselves, and that he was probably waiting at some pointdown the Xingu for them. They decided to pass in the same directionand strive to open communication with him.
How little did they suspect that though he was for the time out of thepower of his enemies, yet the Princess Ariel was his companion, andthat instead of seeking to flee from the dangerous country, he hadactually penetrated farther into it.
After carefully reconnoitering their surroundings, therefore, theProfessor and Long approached the Xingu at a point a third of a milebelow the Murhapa village. Everything seemed to be quiet andmotionless around them, with the exception of the river, yet they weregiven precious little time for wonderment or speculation.
The first amazing sight on which their eyes rested was their own largecanoe drifting down stream. They stood a moment, not knowing what tomake of it, but speedily reached the right conclusion: Ziffak had setit free for their special benefit.
It was floating sideways near the middle of the Xingu, and showed therewas no one on board.
It was too invaluable to be allowed to get away from them, or to runthe risk of a passage through the rapids below. Long decided to swimout to it, but, before he could enter the water, the Professor showedhim that some one had anticipated them. A short distance up the bank,a native was in the act of entering the Xingu, while his companionstood on the bank, evidently about to follow him.
The clear moonlight enabled the explorers to identify them as Bippo andPedros, the former being the one already in the water.
"Let them go," whispered the Professor, "they may as well do it for us."
Pedros was but a few strokes behind his friend, and the two were seento clamber over the side of the craft at the moment it came oppositewhere the delighted white men were standing.
At this juncture, the Professor called to them in a guarded voice.Their expressions of amazement were ludicrous, and it was only afterthey had stared for several minutes and the call was repeated that theycomprehended that their friends were near.
Then the two showed their extravagant delight by leaping up and downlike a couple of children, and uttering cries that, to say the least,were imprudent.
The Professor sternly ordered them to hold their peace and paddle theboat to shore. They set to work with a will and brought the craft toland, only a short distance below, where the white men had reached theriver. Instantly, they stepped on board, and with the exception of thesingle absent member, our friends stood in the same situation as ashort time before.
It was Jared Long that in his flight from the beleaguered building tookthe extra Winchester with him, so that the little party could not havebeen better armed. Luckily, too, there was an abundant supply ofammunition on board, so that the old feeling of confidence came back tothe party when they once more felt they were masters of the boat andall it contained.
Their desire now was to increase the distance between themselves andthe Murhapa village, from which all had had such a narrow escape. WhenBippo timidly asked his masters whether they meant to return or attemptto go any farther up the Xingu, they were assured that no such thoughtwas in the mind of either of the explorers. They would only bethankful if they could get back to the Amazon without ever meetinganother Murhapa.
This was enough for the natives, who were willing to jump overboard andtow the boat faster than it was already going. That, however, wasunnecessary, and they were told that they had only to obey orders ascheerfully as they had done from the beginning and that undoubtedlyeverything would come out well.
It was past midnight, when the roaring just below, which was increasingevery minute, warned them they were approaching the dangerous rapids.Possibly the craft might have passed safely through but it would havebeen imprudent to make the attempt for which no necessity existed.
Accordingly, the boat was once more run ashore and drawn against thebank, with the view of raising it upon their shoulders to betransported to the calmer waters below.
The four men were in the very act of lifting the craft, when to theirterror, fully a score of Aryks suddenly emerged from the wood andsurrounded them. All were armed with the frightful javelins, a prickfrom one of which was enough to cause almost instant death.
The whites could not have been caught at greater disadvantage, andBippo and Pedros were so overcome that they were unable to move. Longwas on the point of opening a fusillade, when Professor Grimcke wasstruck by the fact that no one of the Aryks offered to harm them. Theychattered like a lot of magpies, and gathering round them made amovement as if to take possession of their boat.
The New Englander would have showed fight, had not his companion saidin a low tone:
"They are friendly! They mean to do us no harm!"
&n
bsp; Such was the astounding truth, and it was easily explained. Ziffak onhis way up the Xingu with his new friends had warned the Aryks thatthey must do the whites no harm: they were on their way at that time tothe Murhapa village as friends, and the head chieftain told his alliesthat any further hostility would be visited with the punishment ofdeath.
The Aryks were not likely to forget such a notice. They had seen theboat approaching; and, being totally unsuspicious of what had occurredduring the earlier part of the evening, were anxious to manifest theirgood will by carrying the canoe around the rapids.
Jared Long could hardly credit the truth, and held himself ready for adesperate fight; but, when the boat was lifted upon the shoulders of ahalf dozen stalwart warriors who started down the shore with it, hesmiled grimly and admitted that the Professor was right.
The load was quite burdensome, but the carriers stepped off, highlypleased with the privilege, while the rest of their party straggledafter them, the whites and their servants bringing up the rear.
Bippo and Pedros were not quite able to comprehend the extraordinarycondition of affairs, and kept close to the heels of their masters likea couple of frightened dogs.
At the base of the rapids, the Aryks set down the boat, with greatcare, saluted in their rude way, and turning about, disappeared in theforest from which they had emerged.
"_If they only knew_," said Long when they were drifting down streamonce more.
"But they _don't_," replied the Professor, "and yet they will learn thetruth before long."
The boat was allowed to drift a half mile further, when, convinced theyhad gone far enough, they ran into land, disembarked and carried it inamong the trees, where it was out of the sight of any one passing up ordown the Xingu. Then they prepared to await the coming of Fred Ashman,doubtful, however, whether he ever would come.