"A close shave, indeed," Ned said, raising himself with difficultyfrom the ground. "Another moment, and I think my ribs would havegiven in. It seemed as if all the blood in my body had rushed to myhead."
"Do you feel badly hurt?" Tom asked, anxiously.
"No," Ned said, feeling himself all over. "Horribly bruised, butnothing broken. To think of our not seeing that monstrous boa!
"I don't think," he continued, "that I can walk any farther today.I feel shaken all over."
"Then we will camp where we are," Tom said cheerfully. "We have gota stag, and he will last us for some days, if necessary. There isplenty of fruit to be picked in the forest, and on this mountainside we are sure to be able to find water, within a shortdistance."
Lighting a fire, the deer was soon cut up, and the lads prepared tospend a quiet day; which was all the more welcome inasmuch as, forthe last three weeks, they had traveled without intermission. Thenext day Ned declared himself well enough to proceed on hisjourney; but his friend persuaded him to stop for another day.
Late in the evening Ned exclaimed, "What is that, Tom, behind thattree?"
Tom seized his bow, and leaped to his feet.
"I see nothing," he said.
"It was either a native, or a gigantic monkey. I saw him, quiteplainly, glide along behind the tree."
Tom advanced cautiously, but on reaching the tree he found nothing.
"You are sure you were not mistaken?" he asked.
"Quite certain," Ned said. "We have seen enough of Indians, by thistime, to know them. We must be on the lookout, tonight. The nativeson this side are not like those beyond the mountains. They havebeen so horribly ill treated, by the Spaniards, that they must hateany white face; and would kill us without hesitation, if they got achance. We shall have difficulty with the Spaniards, when we fallinto their hands; but they will at least be more reasonable thanthese savages."
All night they kept up their fire, and sat up by turns, on watch.Several times they thought that they heard slight movements, amongthe fallen leaves and twigs; but these might have been caused byany prowling beast. Once or twice they fancied that they detectedforms, moving cautiously just beyond the range of the firelight;but they could not be certain that it was so.
Just as morning was breaking, Ned sprang to his feet.
"Wake up, Tom!" he exclaimed; "we are attacked;" and as he spoke,an arrow quivered in the tree just over his head.
They had already discussed whether it would be better to remain, ifattacked, in the light of the fire, or to retreat into the shadow;and concluding that the eyes of the natives would be moreaccustomed to see in darkness than their own, they had determinedto stay by the fire, throwing themselves down on their faces; andto keep the natives at bay beyond the circle of the light of theflames, till daylight. They had, in readiness, heaped a great pileof brushwood; and this they now threw upon the fire, making a hugepyramid of flame, which lit the wood around for a circle of sixtyyards. As the light leaped up, Ned discharged an arrow at a native,whom he saw within the circle of light; and a shrill cry proclaimedthat it had reached its mark.
There was silence for a while in the dark forest and, each momentthat passed, the daylight became stronger and stronger.
"In ten minutes we shall be able to move on," Ned said; "and in thedaylight, I think that the longer range of our bows will enable usto keep them off. The question is, how many of them are there?"
A very short time sufficed to show that the number of the savageswas large; for shrill cries were heard, answering each other, inthe circle around them; and numbers of black figures could be seen,hanging about the trees in the distance.
"I don't like the look of things, Ned," Tom said. "It is all verywell. We may shoot a good many before they reach us, and in theopen no doubt we might keep them off. But by taking advantage ofthe trees, they will be able to get within range of their weapons;and at short distances, they are just as effective as are ourbows."
As soon as it was broad daylight, the lads started through theforest, keeping up a running fight with the natives.
"It is clear," Tom said, "we cannot stand this much longer. We musttake to a tree."
They were on the point of climbing, when Ned exclaimed:
"Listen! I can hear the sound of bells."
Listening intently, they could make out the sound of little bells,such as are carried by horses or mules.
"It must be a train to one of the mines. If we can reach that, weshall be safe."
Laying aside all further thought of fighting, the boys now ran, atheadlong pace, in the direction of the sounds. The natives, whowere far fleeter of foot, gained fast upon them; and the arrowswere flying round them, and several had inflicted slight wounds,when they heard ahead of them the cry of:
"Soldiers on guard. The natives are at hand. Fire in the bushes."
The boys threw themselves upon their faces as, from the thicketsahead, a volley of musketry was heard.
"Load again," was the order, in Spanish. "These black rascals mustbe strong, indeed, to advance to attack us with so much noise."
Crawling forward cautiously, Ned exclaimed, in Spanish:
"Do not fire, senors. We are two Spaniards who have been carriedaway from the settlements, and have for long been prisoners amongthe natives."
A cry of surprise was heard, and then the Spaniard in commandcalled them to advance, fearlessly. This they did. Fortunately theyhad, long before, settled upon the story that they would tell, whenthey arrived among the Spaniards. To have owned themselvesEnglishmen, and as belonging to the dreaded buccaneers, would havebeen to ensure their imprisonment, if not execution. Theimperfection of Ned's Spanish, and the fact that Tom was quiteignorant of the language, rendered it difficult for them to pass asSpaniards. But they thought that, by giving out that they had beencarried away in childhood--Tom at an earlier age than Ned--theirignorance of the language would be accounted for.
It had been a struggle, with both of them, to decide upon tellingan untruth. This is a point upon which differences of opinion mustalways arise. Some will assert that under no circumstances can afalsehood be justified. Others will say that to deceive an enemy inwar, or to save life, deceit is justifiable, especially when thatdeceit injures no one. It was only after very great hesitation thatthe boys had overcome their natural instincts and teaching, andagreed to conceal their nationality under false colors Ned, indeed,held out for a long time; but Tom had cited many examples, fromancient and modern history, showing that people of all nations had,to deceive an enemy, adopted such a course; and that to throw awaytheir lives, rather than tell a falsehood which could hurt no one,would be an act of folly. Both, however, determined that, should itbecome necessary to keep up their character as Spaniards bypretending to be true Catholics, they would disclose the truth.
The first sight of the young men struck the captain of the Spanishescort with astonishment. Bronzed to the darkest brown by the sunof the plains and by the hardships they had undergone, dressed inthe skins of animals, and carrying weapons altogether uncouth andsavage to the Spanish eye, he found it difficult to believe thatthese figures were those of his countrymen.
His first question, however, concerned the savages who had, as hesupposed, attacked his escort. A few words from Ned, however,explained the circumstances; and that the yells he had heard hadbeen uttered by the Indians pursuing them, and had no reference,whatever, to the convoy. This consisted of some two hundred mules,laden with provisions and implements on its way to the mines.Guarded by a hundred soldiers were a large number of natives; who,fastened together as slaves, were on their way up to work for theircruel taskmasters.
When the curiosity of the captain concerning the natives wasallayed, he asked Ned where he and his comrade had sprung from. Nedassured him that the story was a very long one; and that, at aconvenient opportunity, he would enter into all details. In thefirst place he asked that civilized clothes might be given to them;for, as he said, they looked and felt, at present, rather as
wildmen of the woods than as subjects of the King of Spain.
"You speak a very strange Spanish," the captain said.
"I only wonder," Ned replied, "that I speak in Spanish at all. Iwas but a child, when I was carried away; and since that time Ihave scarcely spoken a word of my native tongue. When I reached thevillage to which my captors conveyed me, I found my companion here;who was, as I could see, a Spaniard, but who must have been carriedoff as an infant, as he even then could speak no Spanish, whatever.He has learned now from me a few words; but beyond that, is whollyignorant."
"This is a strange story, indeed," the captain said. "Where was itthat your parents lived?"
"I know not the place," Ned said. "But it was far to the risingsun, across on the other ocean."
As it seemed perfectly possible that the boys might have beencarried away, as children, from the settlements near Vera Cruz, thecaptain accepted the story without the slightest doubt, and at oncegave a warm welcome to the lads; who had, as he supposed, escapedafter so many weary years of captivity.
"I am going up now," he said, "to the mines, and there must remainon duty for a fortnight, when I shall return in charge of treasure.It will be dangerous, indeed, for you to attempt to find your wayto the coast without escort. Therefore you had better come on withme, and return under my protection to the coast."
"We should be glad of a stay with you in the mountains," Ned said."We feel so ignorant of everything European that we should be gladto learn, from you, a little of the ways of our countrymen beforewe venture down among them. What is the nearest town on the coast?"
"Arica," the captain said, "is the port from which we have come. Itis distant a hundred and thirty miles from here, and we have hadten days' hard journeying through the forest."
For the next fortnight, the lads remained at the mines. These wereworked by the Spaniards entirely by slave labor Nominal wages were,indeed, given to the unfortunates who labored there. But they wereas much slaves as if they had been sold. The Spaniards, indeed,treated the whole of the natives in the provinces occupied by themas creatures to be used mercilessly for labor, and as having nomore feeling than the lower animals. The number of theseunfortunates who perished in the mines, from hard work and crueltreatment, is beyond all calculation. But it may be said that, ofthe enormous treasures drawn by Spain from her South Americanpossessions, during the early days of her occupation, everydoubloon was watered with blood.
The boys, who had for nearly six months lived among the Indians,and had seen their many fine qualities, were horrified at thesights which they witnessed; and, several times, had the greatestdifficulty to restrain their feelings of indignation and horror.They agreed, however, that it would be worse than useless to givevent to such opinions. It would only draw upon them the suspicionof the Spaniards, and would set the authorities at the mine and thecaptain of the escort against them, and might prejudice the firstreport that would be sent down to Arica, concerning them.
During the first few days of their stay, the boys acted their partswith much internal amusement. They pretended to be absolutelyignorant of civilized feeding, seized the meat raw and tore it withtheir fingers, sat upon the ground in preference to chairs, and inevery way behaved as persons altogether ignorant of civilization.Gradually, however, they permitted themselves to be taught, anddelighted their entertainers by their docility and willingness. TheSpaniards were, indeed, somewhat surprised by the whiteness oftheir skin, where sheltered from the sun; and by the lightness oftheir hair and eyes. The boys could hear many comments upon them,and wondering remarks why they should be so much fairer than theircountrymen in general. As, however, it was clearly useless to askthem, none of the Spaniards thought of doing so.
The end of the fortnight arrived and, under the charge of theescort, the lads set out, together with twenty mules laden withsilver, for the coast. They had no longer any fear of the attacksof the natives, or any trouble connected with their food supply; anample stock of provisions being carried upon spare mules. Theythemselves were mounted, and greatly enjoyed the journey throughthe magnificent forests.
They were, indeed, a little uneasy as to the examination which theywere sure to have to undergo at Arica, and which was likely to bevery much more severe and searching than that to which thegood-natured captain had subjected them. They longed to ask himwhether any news had been heard of the arrival of an Englishsquadron upon the western coast. But it was impossible to do this,without giving rise to suspicion; and they had the consolation, atleast, of having heard no single word concerning their countrymenuttered in the conversations at the mine. Had Captain Francis Drakeand his companions arrived upon the coast, it was almost certainthat their presence there would be the all-absorbing topic amongthe Spanish colonists.
Upon their arrival at Arica, the boys were conducted at once to thegovernor--a stern and haughty-looking Spaniard, who received theaccount given by the captain with an air of incredulity.
"This is a strange tale, indeed," he said, "and passes allprobability. Why should these children have been kidnapped on theeastern coast, and brought across the continent? It is more likelythat they belong to this side. However, they could not bemalefactors who have escaped into the forest, for their age forbidsany idea of that kind. They must have been stolen. But I do notrecall any such event as the carrying off of the sons of Spaniards,here, for many years back.
"However, this can be inquired into when they learn to speak ourlanguage well. In the meantime, they had better be assignedquarters in the barracks. Let them be instructed in militaryexercises, and in our language."
"And," said an ecclesiastic who was sitting at the table, "in ourholy religion; for methinks, stolen away as they were in theiryouth, they can be no better than pagans."
Tom had difficulty in repressing a desire to glance at Ned, asthese words were spoken. But the eyes of the governor were fixed sointently upon them, that he feared to exhibit any emotion,whatever. He resolved mentally, however, that his progress inSpanish should be exceedingly small; and that many months shouldelapse, before he could possibly receive even rudimentaryinstruction in religious matters.
The life in the barracks at Arica resembled, pretty closely, thatwhich they had led so long on board ship. The soldiers receivedthem with good feeling and camaraderie, and they were sooncompletely at home with them. They practiced drill, the use of thepike and rapier; taking very great care, in all these exercises, tobetray exceeding clumsiness. With the bow, alone, they were able toshow how expert they were.
Indeed, the Spaniards were, in no slight degree, astonished by theextraordinary power and accuracy of their shooting. This Nedaccounted for, to them, by the long practice that he had had amongthe Indians; declaring that, among the tribes beyond the mountains,he was by no means an exceptionally good shot--which, indeed, wastrue enough at short distances, for at these the Indians couldshoot with marvellous dexterity.
"By San Josef!" exclaimed one of the Spanish officers, afterwatching the boys shooting at a target, two hundred yards distant,with their powerful bows; "it reminds me of the way that thoseaccursed English archers draw their bows, and send their arrowssinging through the air. In faith, too, these men, with their blueeyes and their light hair, remind one of these heretic dogs."
"Who are these English?" Ned asked, carelessly. "I have heard of nosuch tribe. Do they live near the seacoast, or among themountains?"
"They are no tribe, but a white people, like ourselves," thecaptain said. "Of course, you will not have heard of them. And,fortunately, you are not likely ever to see them on this coast; butif you had remained where you were born, on the other side, youwould have heard little else talked of than the doings of thesepirates and scoundrels; who scour the seas, defy the authority ofhis sacred majesty, carry off our treasures under our noses, burnour towns, and keep the whole coast in an uproar."
"But," said Ned, in assumed astonishment, "how is it that so greata monarch as the King of Spain, and Emperor of the Indies, does notannihilate these ferocio
us sea robbers? Surely so mighty a kingcould have no difficulty in overcoming them."
"They live in an island," the officer said, "and are half fish,half men."
"What monsters!" Ned exclaimed. "Half fish and half men! How thendo they walk?"
"Not really; but in their habits. They are born sailors, and are soferocious and bloodthirsty that, at sea, they overcome even thesoldiers of Spain; who are known," he said, drawing himself up, "tobe the bravest in the world. On land, however, we should teach thema very different lesson; but on the sea it must be owned that,somehow, we are less valiant than on shore."
Every day a priest came down to the barracks, and for an hourendeavored to instill the elements of his religion into the mindsof the now civilized wild men. Ned, although progressing rapidly inother branches of his Spanish education, appeared abnormally dullto the explanations of the good father; while Tom's small stock ofSpanish was quite insufficient to enable him to comprehend morethan a word, here and there.
So matters might have remained, for months, had not an eventoccurred which disclosed the true nationality of the lads. One daythe ordinarily placid blue sky was over-clouded. The wind roserapidly and, in a few hours, a tremendous storm was blowing on thecoast. Most of the vessels in the harbor succeeded in running intoshelter. But, later in the day, a cry arose that a ship had justrounded the point of the bay, and that she would not be able tomake the port. The whole population speedily gathered upon themole, and the vessel, a small one employed in the coasting trade,was seen struggling with the waves, which were rapidly bearing hertowards a reef, lying a quarter of a mile from the shore.
The sea was, at this time, running with tremendous force. The windwas howling in a fierce gale, and when the vessel struck upon therocks, and her masts at once went by the board, all hope of safetyfor the crew appeared at an end.
"Cannot a boat be launched," said Ned to the soldiers standinground, "to effect the rescue of these poor fellows in that wreck?"
"Impossible!" they all said. "No boat could live in that sea."
After chatting for a time, Tom and Ned drew a little apart from therest of the crowd, and watched the ill-fated vessel.
"It is a rough sea, certainly," Ned said; "but it is all nonsenseto say that a boat could not live. Come along, Tom. Let us pushthat shallop down. There is a sheltered spot behind that rock wherewe may launch her, and methinks that our arms can row her out toyonder ship."
Throwing off their doublets, the young men put their shoulders tothe boat, and soon forced it into the water. Then, taking theirseats and putting out the oars, they rowed round the corner of thesheltering rock, and breasted the sea which was rolling in. A cryof astonishment broke from the crowd on the mole as the boat madeits appearance, and the astonishment was heightened when it wasdeclared, by the soldiers, that the two men on board were the wildmen of the wood, as they were familiarly called among themselves.
It was a long struggle before the boys reached the wreck, and itneeded all their strength and seamanship to avoid being swamped bythe tremendous seas. At last, however, they neared it and, catchinga line thrown to them by the sailors, brought the boat up under thelee of the ship; and as the captain, the four men who composed hiscrew, and a passenger, leaped one by one from the ship into thesea, they dragged them on board the boat, and then turned her headto shore.
Chapter 15: The Prison of the Inquisition.