Swift and Sure Part 18

Will had heard Machado's cry, but was too intent upon his task to pay any heed to it. He knew full well the frightful risks he was running in pressing the engine so hard in the darkness, but there was no alternative. He must reach the junction before the train. Alarmed at the speed, Ruggles suggested that it would be better to lie up until the morning, but Will would not hear of it.

"We couldn't get past them. It's neck or nothing," he said shortly.

The vessel whizzed along. The rumble of the train seemed to draw no nearer. Azito stood forward, but the pace was so great that in the darkness it was tremendously difficult to give the course. Suddenly there was a jolt and a jar. Azito shot forward on to the wind-screen; those who were seated were jostled violently against one another, and Will narrowly escaped a collision with the steering-wheel. After the momentary jerk the hydroplane rushed on, but only for a few seconds.

Then the engine stopped dead, and the vessel was once more drifting at three knots down the stream.

CHAPTER XIV--REPAIRS

"What's happened?" asked Ruggles anxiously.

"We struck a snag: goodness knows what damage is done. We shall have to run into the bank and wait till morning. Can't see to do anything in the dark. Was there ever such beastly bad luck!"

"Well, you couldn't expect everything to go smoothly. You haven't had much to complain of so far."

"That's true; but just at this moment, when everything depended on our keeping ahead of the train! Listen to it. We must be close on the narrows, to judge by the row it's making."

"It's lucky we hadn't got any farther, then."

By this time Will had steered the vessel to the left bank, running under the overhanging branches of a large tree. Before it came to rest, Azito beat the bank with his pole to scare away any alligator that might lurk there.

"Water's coming in," said Will. "But I'm afraid that's not the worst.

We can stop a leak, but we are done if there's anything seriously wrong with the engine. We haven't even got the yacht now."

"Better lift the craft on to the bank, so that she doesn't become absolutely waterlogged," Ruggles suggested.

Everybody got out, Azito removing the small stock of food left in the vessel, and Ruggles and Jose lifting the General between them.

"Shall we untie his cords?" said Will. "He must be pretty stiff and uncomfortable."

"It depends what you mean to do. Will you still have a try at getting him to Bolivar?"

"Without a doubt. There's the Chief to consider."

"Then you mustn't loose him. It won't be safe. By the way, what was that howl I heard as we hauled him into the boat?"

"I don't know."

"Senor, it was this man," said the Indian, pointing to Machado. "He was going to hurt the engine."

"It's a lie!" cried Machado, in abject fear.

"Tell us what he did, Azito," said Will.

The Indian explained that Machado and the General had conversed in low tones while on the yacht, arousing his suspicion. He told how he had prevented the man from carrying out his intention when the Senor's back was turned. Will caught Machado's arm, and he winced.

"Tie him up," said Will. "He shan't have another chance."

Machado was bound and laid beside the General. Food was distributed, but sparingly; the supply brought from Bolivar would soon be exhausted.

Then they sat down to wait for daylight, not daring to sleep, in case danger in the shape of beast or man should come. They heard the train rumbling along to their left, until by and by the sound died away.

The dawn stole upon them. They all presented a sorry and woe-begone appearance, none more than General Carabano. When captured he was wearing a long flowered dressing-gown, the colours of which had "run"

through his immersion in the lake. He had lost the well-fed and arrogant look which he habitually wore. He made no further protest, but accepted in sullen silence the meagre portion of food allotted to him, and meekly allowed his arms to be rebound when the brief meal was finished.

Will and Ruggles lost no time in making an examination of the hydroplane. They found that a sharp branch of a submerged tree had penetrated the bottom and pierced the petrol-tank, where it had snapped off. The pressure which usually fed the petrol up to the engine had forced it out of the tank, and Will realized with despair that the hydroplane was now of no more use to them than a raft. All the petrol that was left was about a gallon in one of the cans.

"We are clean done, Ruggles," he said. "There's not the ghost of a chance of our getting to Bolivar."

"Except at three miles an hour," said Ruggles.

"With the river closely watched, as it will be, we can't even drift down. Espejo will know we can't have pa.s.sed. No one but a madman would attempt to go at any pace in the dark, and then he'd come to grief. I was a fool not to take your advice."

"It's no good crying over spilt milk, as the Chief would say. I can manage to patch up the hole, if that's any good."

"Well, it would keep the thing afloat, but that won't help us much.

Without petrol we're stuck."

"Is there none left at the camp?"

"Not a cupful. I brought away the last cans before I went down to Bolivar."

"This is a real fix. That Espejo fellow will begin to search the river when he finds we don't pa.s.s; he can easily get canoes from some of the natives down the Orinoco. He's bound to find us if we're still on the river, and then with only two revolvers and a couple of knives between us we shall be at his mercy. Seems to me, as soon as I've patched up the hole, we'd better pole up the river and go straight on instead of turning up the stream towards the hacienda. They might not look for us there."

"There seems nothing else. But it'll take a week to get so far. We've got the current against us, and with our load we should do about one mile an hour. Besides, what's to happen then? They can search for us and keep a watch on the river for any length of time, and our food won't last more than two days on the shortest commons, and precious stale it will be, too."

"The only other plan would be to march along this left bank till we come to a village, and then promise the natives a reward to guide us to Bolivar."

"And let Espejo collar my hydroplane! Not if I can help it. Besides, we've got to rescue the Chief."

"Well, you can think it over while I am stopping the leak."

There were a few simple tools on board, and Ruggles, not belying his reputation as handy man, succeeded after an hour's work in making what he called a good temporary job of it. Will watched him for a time; then, seeing from the General's look that he had taken the full measure of the situation, and expected to be rescued by his lieutenant before long, he said to himself fiercely that he would not be bested, and walked away to think quietly how the disaster might be retrieved.

The want of petrol was the only difficulty. When Ruggles had finished his task the hydroplane would be quite capable of continuing the voyage if fuel could be got. He would, of course, not again attempt to proceed by night; and by day Azito could be trusted to avoid snags. But petrol he had none, nor could he get any; and without it he saw no possible way of working the engine. Was there a subst.i.tute?

Suddenly he remembered that the Indians were accustomed to use for their torches a resinous liquid made from a kind of pine-tree that grew in certain districts. Would not such a wood-spirit be quite as good for his purpose as petrol? Full of the idea, he hastened back to consult Ruggles. Ruggles shook his head.

"I am up to most things in the machine line," he said, "but don't know more than a baby about distilling or chemistry and such. Still, it's a fact, what you say. The Indians do get a sort of benzine from the trees, and benzine and petrol are first cousins, at any rate. There's no harm in trying. But do you know whether these trees grow hereabouts?"

"No, I don't," confessed Will, with misgiving. "I'll ask Azito."

The Indian's reply was cheering. There was a forest of the right kind of trees some miles inland from the left bank of the river. It could be approached by a creek, not very far from the scene of his adventure with the jaguar. This was fortunate. The spot was a good many miles from their present position, and if Captain Espejo did undertake a systematic search of the river, it would be long before he came to the upper reaches. Will decided to set off at once. The petrol tank having been repaired, he could make use of the last gallon of spirit contained in the almost empty can. It would suffice to carry the hydroplane at a low speed perhaps a dozen miles up-stream; then they must trust to their poles. Will made sure that the sparking apparatus was in good order; the whole party went aboard, with two prisoners now instead of one; and while the morning was still young the hydroplane started for the upper river. At first Will hesitated to set the engine going, in case it was heard by the enemy; but reflecting that they had almost certainly run on to the junction several miles below, and would scarcely have begun to search yet, he decided to get as far from them as he could. There would probably be greater danger if the throbbing were heard as they approached the neighbourhood of the hacienda.

A few miles up Azito caught sight of the little yacht, which on being cast off had drifted for some distance and then run into the bank, where it had wedged itself among the lower boughs of a large tree. Will hailed this as a fortunate discovery. By dividing the party the labour of ascending against the current would be considerably lessened. The boat was hauled off and towed until the petrol gave out; then once more General Carabano was transferred to it, with Ruggles as punter and guardian. Keeping both vessels as near to the left bank as was safe, in order to avoid the full force of the current, Ruggles in the yacht and Jose and Azito by turns in the hydroplane steadily poled along. It was slow and tiresome work. In two hours they covered a distance less than the hydroplane in good trim would have accomplished in ten minutes.

Indeed, it was late in the afternoon when they came to the little stream, running into the left bank, from which they could gain the creek that Azito had mentioned.