CHAPTER XIV--THE GLADE OF SILENT DEATH
When I had heard the story of Atupo, it seemed to me that I knew allthere was to know concerning the "Big Fish." And a feeling ofrestlessness at once possessed me; I desired to be up and doing, toventure myself across the grassland, to find the Wood of the Red Fish,for which the bold Spaniards of a bygone century had searched so oftenand in vain.
But I stood in the debt of charity and honour, and in consequence I feltfor all the world like a kennelled dog that tugs barking on his chain.For some weeks, at least, I must stay by the side of the wounded man,whom I could now call my friend. And if those days were something idle,we were by no means out of danger; for any day Amos Baverstock mightreturn when, of a certainty, it would go ill with Atupo and myself.
I found ample time throughout this period of my adventuring to explorethe neighbourhood of the Temple, and many things I found of the greatestinterest. About a mile distant from the ruins was the village where thePeruvians had lived, and here also was a great convent built of stoneand thatched with straw, after the fashion of the palaces in ancientQuito. In this convent--so Atupo told me--had dwelt some score of nuns,vestal virgins, whose lives were dedicated to the Sun, just as there hadbeen such maidens in the service of Jupiter and Mars in the greattemples of Rome; for in many respects did the ancient Peruvians resemblethe Romans: they were great builders of roads, bridges, and forts; everyman must serve the state; and the Inca, on returning from his victories,would march in public triumph through the chief city of the land.
I found both the village and the convent quite deserted; for--as I havesaid--on hearing of the approach of Amos and his friends, the Peruvianshad fled into the forest, preferring to run the risk of death at thehands of the wild men with their poisoned arrows, or from starvation inthe midst of that unending wilderness, to finding themselves once againface to face with that implacable and murderous villain who had sworn toput them all--woman, man, and child--relentlessly to death.
I learned afterwards that few of these poor fugitives survived; for Amosburned their homes to the ground and left not one stone upon another;and this he did in wrath and malice, since it served him no betterpurpose than to waste his time, and that at a moment when his fate wasjeopardised and he himself stood betwixt life and death.
When I saw the convent and the village, the place was just as theinhabitants had left it; and in such haste had they departed that I evenfound cooking-pots containing stews, all cold and jellified, standing inthe ashes of burnt-out fires. The only sign of life to be seen was anumber of llamas, long-necked Peruvian sheep, grazing in the shadow ofthe convent walls.
And now I am arrived at that part of my story when I came within an aceof losing life itself, and was only delivered at the eleventh hour bywhat was little short of the miraculous. For, in course of time, Atupowas healed of his wound, and well able, with the help of a staff, tohobble about the temple. It was then that I told him of my plans, ofhow I longed to journey to the Wood of the Red Fish, if for nothing elsethan to gaze upon the treasure of the Incas.
He listened patiently to all I had to say, and then sighed deeply.
"As you will," said he. "Of what use now is all this gold? My brotherpriests are slain, my people are scattered broadcast; the children ofCahazaxa are no more. Find your way, if you will, to the 'Big Fish.' Ihave told you where it lies. Feast your eyes upon the wealth that wasonce the glory of Peru. The race of the Incas is ended; the blood ofkings is cold; even our gods are dead."
I knew that he referred to certain images in the Temple which Amos hadwantonly destroyed; and I was sorry for the man.
"You will come with me?" I asked.
But he shook his head.
"That is not possible," he answered. "And even were it so, there wouldbe naught to gain. I am already too greatly in your debt, and were I toaccompany you, I should be a hindrance and a danger."
I could not deny the truth of this, though I was loth to leave him, weakand crippled as he was. And yet, it was manifest that we could notremain for an indefinite time within the Temple: sooner or later, ourprovisions would run out, and, any day, Amos might return.
"Where will you go?" I asked.
He pointed towards the forest.
"Thither," said he; and there was a certain nobility in his manner whenhe added, "to find my own people; for find them I will, in this world orbeyond the grave. Death holds no fears for the sons of Cahazaxa."
And so, some days afterwards, we parted: he, to the east, to the dark,spreading forest; I, to the west, across the grassland, upon my treasurequest, to search for the Wood of the Ked Fish and the lost Treasure ofKings.
I set forth upon my great adventure all naked like a savage, save for aloin-cloth of woven hair that Atupo, the priest, had given me. I wasarmed with my long Indian blow-pipe and a quiverful of darts. And Iwent into that strange, romantic land alone, without guide, compass orcompanion, never knowing at night-time, when I lay down to sleep, whatcalamity or fortune the morrow held in store for me. And this, I standconvinced even to this day, when my hairs are white and shoulders bowed,is the only way to live and to die.
For three days I traversed a great plain of rolling, down-like country,that reminded me somewhat of my own dear Sussex, save that the grass wascoarse and longer. Some miles before me was a high ridge that stoodforth at sunset like a battlement across the sky; and I knew that I mustgain the crest of this before I could find the Wood of the Red Fish.
Presently, however, I found my progress impeded by a river that hadworked its way throughout the centuries deep into the rock, so that itflowed between almost perpendicular cliffs.
I could neither see nor devise any manner of crossing. I sat down uponthe edge of the canon and ate some of the manioc I had brought with mefrom the temple. I remembered that both Amos and Atupo had somehowcrossed the river; and this thought was not a little encouraging. Acrossthe grassland I had followed no track or pathway, so that when I hadfound a means of crossing the canon, I must know that I was once againupon the right road to the wood that I was seeking.
That night, in full moonshine, I worked up-stream for many miles uponthe left bank of the ravine. I slept for a few hours, and at daybreakcontinued my journey, and a little after, came quite suddenly upon oneof the most wondrous things that I have ever seen.
For there before me was a great and magnificent suspension bridge,spanning the width of the ravine--a distance, I should say, of thirty orforty yards. The cables of this bridge were made of the twisted fibreof maguey, a kind of osier, and were at least three feet in diameter.It was hard to realise that the whole structure stood there more or lessas it had been erected, centuries before; but it seemed to me an evenmore wonderful thing that, in the midst of such a desolate and barrenregion, I should so suddenly have come across evidence of the greatestskill in engineering. I could scarce believe that I had passed throughan almost impenetrable tropical forest to traverse a ravine as easily asI might have walked along the familiar dyke from Sidlesham to Pagham.
The bridge itself was no more than a footbridge, but it served itspurpose well enough; and, crossing over, I hit almost at once upon apathway through the grass. This I lost at nightfall, but I continued onmy way in the moonlight, working upward upon a slope that rapidly becamesteeper.
In the small hours of the morning, sheer fatigue brought me to a halt bythe side of a spring of clear water, bubbling forth from the earth. Andhere I drank and ate, breathing deeply of the cool fresh air of theuplands, which was like strong wine to me after the humid atmosphere ofthe forest; so that I slumbered as I had not slept for months, since Ihad left my home in Sussex, nor did I awaken until the morning sun washigh.
I saw that I had but a little way to go to reach the crestline of thehills--an hour's climb would do it; and I set forward gleefully, in highanticipation, wondering what lay beyond the watershed, and whether Iwould sight the Wood of the Red Fish, but little dreaming what wouldthere befall me.
I reached the summit hot and out of breath; and then I stood stockstill, breathless in wonderment and all amazed.
I cast not one glance towards the wide valley at my feet. I stoodstaring before me, like one dumbfounded, at the gorgeous panorama Ibeheld. For yonder, more than a hundred miles away, but clear in themorning sun at the back of me, stood the mighty and majestic Andes.Snow-crowned they were, rugged as a wild sea, and yet bold and still andmassive as the thrones of gods. And I, who had never seen suchmountains in my life, was awed and wonder-struck; and I realised, I amsure, the glory of the works of God.
I gazed--it may have been, for an hour, sitting cross-legged, naked asthe wild men of the woods, with my blow-pipe on my knees--at that greatrange of mountains that spans near half the world, extending almost frompole to pole. And then I looked down into the valley, and the thoughtthat I was now within a day's march of my goal banished from my mind allloftier thoughts, and I found myself wondering whether it was I who wasto find, at last, the lost land of El Dorado.
For the valley was cut up into marshland, plains and hillocks, in andout of which a river wandered, now and again to open out into a lake orswamp, in which there were little tree-clad islands. But to the northwas a wood, diamond-shaped, flanked to the east by a spur of the hills,and to the west by a morass where I could see the water glittering inthe sunlight.
On the foothills across the valley was a considerable forest, extendingas far as the eye could reach; but I could not doubt that the wood inmid-valley, to the right of me, being so like the description whichAtupo, the priest, had given me, was the Wood of the Red Fish.
And then and there I set forward running, for I was young andhot-headed, and had not yet learned that time is but the slave of man,and that patience and caution are of more worth than eager haste.
So I came, that evening, hot and thirsty to the wood, and then, in thedarkness of the trees, whilst the sun was setting, I stood like a fool,irresolute and wearied, not knowing what next that I should do.
I was hungry as well, for I had eaten all the food I had carried with mefrom the temple, and saw now that I must trust to my blow-pipe forsustenance, and kill what came my way that might be fit to eat.Fortunately, during my sojourn with the wild men, I had learnedsomething of Indian woodcraft; and setting about my business withoutfurther loss of time, I searched at random in the wood until I found aglade where there was a pool of water, and here I crouched under cover,lying motionless, with my blow-pipe ready for whatsoever animal mightcome down to the pool to drink whilst the evening light still lasted.
This place--though I then knew it not--was the Glade of Silent Death;and I have given it that name for a certain reason, which was in verytruth a tragedy.
There came, as I waited, to the woodland pool a small kind of deer; andhe waded knee-deep into the water that he might drink. As he did so, Ithought that I perceived some movement on the surface, as it might havebeen a rat swimming swiftly a distance of a few yards. I took no heedof it at the time, my attention being taken up with my blow-pipe, that Imight strike the deer stone-dead, beneath the point of the leftshoulder, placing my arrow deep in the poor beast's heart.
I was about to shoot, when suddenly he kicked, and then endeavoured witha jerk to throw himself backward on his haunches. To my astonishment Iobserved that he was held fast by the nose, which might have beengripped in a vice, and that in spite of all his efforts he was beingdragged steadily and slowly deeper into the pool.
It was as if I were smitten by a cold rush of ice, when the truth wasmade quite plain to me. It was that half-light of evening, which isneither day nor night, when the early moon vies with the dying sunlight.And I saw the monster writhing coils of a great serpent rise drippingfrom the water and enfold the broken stump of a tree.
I knew now that the deer was doomed; and so illogical is human naturethat I experienced two emotions: terror of the reptile and pity for thebeast that but a moment since I myself would have gladly slain for food.
No doubt the anaconda stood in need of nourishment as much as I, andwanted more of it, to boot. But snakes were accursed things since Eden,and this vile, stealthy giant more so than most, because of his greatbulk and strength. I know now that he was nearer thirty than twentyfeet in length, and that his girth about the middle was greater thanthat of my own chest, though I was a strong lad for my years.
And now that he had lashed himself to the tree-stump, the deer was lost.Its head was already under water, so that in a few moments the animalmust be drowned. It would then be crushed to a pulp in the powerful,band-like coils of the constrictor, covered all over with a loathsomesaliva, to be swallowed slowly and gradually, and yet in bulk.
I could see the head of the snake, for the light was fading and the deerin its death struggle lashed the water into foam. But I could see thegreat glistening body of the reptile but a few yards away from me, andinto the thickest part of this I drove one of the darts from my Indianblow-pipe, and as I did so, shuddered, more revolted than afraid.
The effect was instantaneous and surprising. My dart must have struckthe snake in the region of the spinal cord, for the great length of thebrute curled backward like the lash of a whip; and the deer, releasedfrom those murderous coils, scrambled from the water, panting andexhausted, with its red tongue hanging from its mouth.
And then the animal fell dead upon the ground, but a few feet from whereI lay. I could feel my own heart beating within me like asledge-hammer. For some minutes I gazed at the pool that rocked andswelled like a sea in miniature. There came ripples, one after theother, to the water's edge, where they lipped and splashed like littlewaves. And then, at last, all was still--still as glass in themoonlight. But I knew that the great snake was somewhere near me, andmy sole desire was to escape from that dread, silent place, and that asquickly as I might. And yet, the primal instinct of mankind was strongwithin me, the love of life that is sustained by food; and as I drewback into the thickets of the underwoods, I dragged with me by the hornsthe lifeless body of the deer.