CHAPTER XIV
CAUGHT IN SAW GRASS
Ottiby made his way to the stern where he held the rope fastened to hiscanoe, by which it was being towed. Though he had been near to deathhe seemed perfectly at his ease now, with no regard of what might havehappened if the travelers in the speedy _Dartaway_ had not come along.But that he was not ungrateful was shown by his quick thought in thematter of Jerry.
The motor boat was moored in a little cove but, even before it was madefast Ottiby had leaped ashore and disappeared in the woods.
"Looks as if he was running away," said Ned.
"No danger," replied the professor. "He's going for the plant, Ibelieve."
The professor was correct. In about ten minutes Ottiby returned. In hishand he held several long roots. Mr. Snodgrass tried to discover whatthey were, but the chief knew only the Indian name for them, and theywere a species of plant with which the scientist was not familiar.
"Me make foot feel no pain," said Ottiby as he took the roots androlled them into a compact mass. This he wet in the river and then hepounded the fibers with a wooden club he had picked up in the woods.When he had the roots into a sort of rude plaster he laid it on Jerry'sfoot, over the wound.
"So like Indians do," Ottiby said. "Wait while then can cut and nofeel."
In about five minutes Jerry exclaimed.
"It feels as if my foot was going to sleep."
"Then the stuff is working," remarked Mr. Snodgrass. "We'll wait awhile longer and then I'll take the arrow head out. I'm glad we rescuedOttiby."
As a test of the power of the Indian's medicine the professor, afterwaiting a while longer, stuck a pin in Jerry's foot near the wound.
"I don't feel it a bit," the lad said.
"Then I'll operate," announced Mr. Snodgrass. Jerry closed his eyes ashe did not like to see the action of the knife. In a few minutes thescientist announced that it was all over and that the arrow head wasout. He showed it to Jerry, and an ugly enough weapon it was.
"I hope it isn't poisonous," remarked Jerry.
"Not much danger of that, I think," said Mr. Snodgrass. "If there wasever poison on it the stuff has lost its power, for the head must havelain on the ground for a hundred years or more. Now I'd like to havesome healing medium with which to bind up the wound. I wonder if Ottibyknows of some herbs I might use."
He inquired of the Indian, explaining as well as he could what waswanted. The chief nodded his head, and once more disappeared in thewoods. He was not gone so long this time, and, when he returned he hada bunch of leaves. These he bruised up and bound on Jerry's foot.
"How do you feel?" asked the professor when the rude dressing had beenapplied.
"It's beginning to pain some, but I can stand it."
"The numbing effect of the roots is wearing off," said the scientist."It will hurt for a while, I expect, and then perhaps the leaves willmake it better."
"Well, we've had a rather strenuous afternoon," remarked Bob, whenJerry had been comfortably propped up with cushions. "Now what's nexton the program? Supper I believe."
"You're not going to give anyone else a chance to vote, are you,Chunky?" cried Ned. "Never mind, I believe you're right. Come on, andwe'll get a meal ready."
The old Indian, who had not taken the trouble to remove his wet clothessat on the stern of the _Dartaway_ watching with curious eyes thepreparations for the meal.
"Shall we ask him to stay?" inquired Bob of the professor. "He lookshungry."
"Stay? Eat?" inquired the scientist of the Indian, making motionstoward the victuals which the boys were laying out.
"Me stay," was the laconic answer.
After the early supper it was decided they should camp where they werefor the night, until they saw how Jerry's sore foot was. The bunkswere made up and the mosquito canopy spread, as, with the approach ofdarkness, myriads of these and other insects made life miserable.
Ottiby watched these preparations with wonder in his eyes, but saidnothing. It was dusk when he got into his canoe and began to paddle off.
"Me see yo' some more," he promised as he disappeared amid thedarkening shadows. "Ottiby no forget."
"He's a queer customer," remarked Bob, as the Indian's boat passedaround a bend in the river.
"He's a mighty good one," put in Jerry. "My foot feels fine."
Next morning an examination of the wound showed, to the experiencedeyes of the professor, that it was doing well, though it would take aweek to heal. They decided to find a comfortable place to camp and goashore, as there would be more room to move about.
Jerry wanted his companions to continue the voyage but the scientistdecided they might get to some place unfavorable to the lad's speedyrecovery, and he overruled the proposition.
They went down the river a few miles the next day and found a sort ofclearing, near a little cove, which made an ideal place to stop. Therethey remained about ten days. During that time the professor huntedbugs and butterflies to his heart's content. He was constantly on thelookout for the prize specimen with the blue and gold wings, but saw notrace of it. However, he was not discouraged, as he had not counted oncoming across it until he got to Lake Okeechobee.
The leaves which the Indian bound on Jerry's foot proved a wonderfulmedicine. At the end of ten days the wound was healed, and Jerry could,by using care, walk on his injured foot.
"I guess it's about time to resume our trip," he remarked one morning,when he found he could get along fairly well. "I'm anxious to get outon the big lake in our boat."
Accordingly camp was struck, and once more the travelers were droppingdown the Kissimmee river. They traveled slowly, and about three dayslater they found themselves on a broad lagoon, which, by the map, theyknew opened into Lake Okeechobee.
"Speed her up! We want to reach the lake before night!" exclaimed Jerryto Bob, who was at the wheel. Jerry was still acting the part of aninvalid passenger.
"Maybe we'd better keep near shore," remarked the professor. "It looksas if a bad storm was brewing."
During the last hour the sky had become overcast with masses of dull,leaden clouds. The wind too was increasing in power and the watersof the lagoon began to break into waves in the midst of which the_Dartaway_ pitched and tossed.
"I think it would be wise to go ashore," said Jerry. "We'd better campthere for the night. We can go out on the lake in the morning."
Bob put the wheel over and they landed at a place where tall greengrass came down almost to the water's edge.
"We'll have to hustle to get the tent up if we're going to sleep hereto-night," said Ned. "That long grass looks as if there might be snakesin it."
"If there are perhaps I can get a few specimens," spoke Mr. Snodgrass."But come on, boys. The storm will soon be upon us."
Bob and Ned, aided by the scientist, and by Jerry, who could performlight tasks, soon had the tent up. They securely moored the _Dartaway_,and then set about making things comfortable for the night. The windwas increasing in force, and a few drops of rain fell, but the boysknew their tent was a strong and dry one, and securely put up.
They went to bed early, as it had been a tiresome day. Shortly beforemidnight they were all awakened by a crash. Then it seemed as if agiant hand had lifted their tent from the ground. An instant later theyfelt a deluge of rain.
"Secure the tent! Hold it down! Grab the ropes!" yelled Ned.
Bob and the professor sprang to aid him, but they were too late. Thetent was blown down.
Out from under the clinging canvas they struggled into the darkness ofthe storm, for the wind had extinguished their lanterns. They could notsee which way to go to get to their boat, where they knew they wouldbe sheltered, for they had put up the awning before camping out.
Suddenly Bob uttered a cry.
"Something has cut me!"
"Me too!" cried Jerry. "It feels as if a lot of knives were sawing myhands and face."
"It's the giant saw-grass!" called the professor. "It grows in thisregion. The wind i
s whipping the long blades into our faces. Stoopdown, boys, or you'll be badly cut!"
They tried to do this, but it seemed as if the saw-grass was all over.In the darkness they had plunged into a patch of the dreaded stuff.The serrated edges of the rush-like growth scarified their skin likeknives, and the boys and the professor were soon bleeding from severalplaces.