Old Gold Part 32

The banks had closed in so that every night the vessel could have been moored to some large tree; but one night's experience of this proved to be sufficient for the travellers, too many of the occupants of the forest giant finding their way on board and interfering with their comfort, and as the vessel swung in the stream boughs of neighbouring trees entangled themselves with the rigging.

"It's all right by a wharf," said the captain, "or in a dock; but it won't do here."

And in future they always anch.o.r.ed in midstream just before darkness fell.

And now, hour by hour, they had warning that their further progress with the brig would soon come to an end.

"And it's my belief, gentlemen, that it will be before night," said the captain one morning when they were all seated together beneath the awning chatting. "If you keep quite still, you can hear the stopper."

"Stopper? What do you mean?" asked Sir Humphrey, in a surprised tone.

He was once more pretty well his old self.

"Well, bar, then. There, you can hear it quite plain now."

"Do you mean that low murmur?" said Brace, who was listening intently.

"I thought it was the wind."

"No, sir, it's the water," said the captain. "That's either a fall or else some rapids. I've been noticing lots of little signs of a change lately, and if it wasn't for this steady wind we shouldn't be moving at all. See how clear the water is?"

"Yes, I've noticed that it has been gradually becoming clearer," said Brace. "But do you notice that the wind is dropping?"

"Yes, we are leaving it behind, and it strikes me that if you like to try about here or a little higher up you'll get some sport."

"Then we'll try," said Brace, "when we anchor for the night."

As the morning progressed, the wind rose higher and the river widened.

It was as if the opening out gave play to the breeze, and a good ten miles were run before sundry warnings of shallowing water made the captain give orders for reducing the sail; but, in spite of this, as the brig rounded a curve which disclosed to the delighted vision of the travellers a glorious landscape of open park-like country backed by mountains, with the sparkling waters of a furious rapid running from side to side where the river contracted again after opening out like a lake, there was a soft grinding sensation, and the way of the vessel was slowly checked, while the next minute it was fully grasped that they were fast on a sandbank, with the open forest on one side only a hundred yards or so away, and on the other fully a mile.

"We've done it now, squire," said the captain, turning to Brace and mopping his face with a handkerchief he took out of the crown of his straw hat.

"Done it?"

"Yes; here we are, wrecked and set fast in the bed of the river."

"But I suppose we shall only remain here for an hour or two."

"Or for a year or two, or altogether, my lad. Maybe we shall never be able to get the brig off again; but we must hope for the best. It's just as if we were set in the ice up yonder in the Arctic regions, eh?"

"This place is not very Arctic," said Brace, laughing.

"No, my lad, not very," said the captain, as Sir Humphrey came up. "We seem to be in for it now, sir."

"Yes, but I suppose we are not stuck very fast. You'll send out an anchor and haul upon it with the capstan."

"Wouldn't be any good, sir. We're fast in the sand upon an upright keel, and until the water rises after a storm here we stick."

"But you talked about throwing over some of the ballast to lighten the vessel if a case like this occurred," said Brace.

"Yes, squire, that would do perhaps; but what then? Go back?"

"Go back!" cried Brace; "certainly not. We want to go forward."

"Then you'll have to go another way," said the captain decisively, "for the brig has done her work."

"But you'll be able to get her off in a short time?"

"I daresay I can, but look yonder at that cloud," said the captain, and he pointed towards where, faintly seen, a rainbow spanned the river above a rolling white cloud.

"What does that mean, captain--a shower?" Brace asked.

"Yes," said the captain, "a heavy one, squire, falling over the rocks in hundreds of tons a minute. There's our limit. That's a cloud of spray from some grand falls which I daresay run right across the river. I shouldn't wonder if the country rises now in steps right away to the mountains. If we could get up that fall, maybe we could go on sailing for a hundred miles before we came to another; but it is not possible to get the brig up, and, between ourselves, I think we've done wonders to get her up here so far."

"But suppose we content ourselves with getting so far as this, and, when we have got the brig off, turn her round and go back to the main stream and sail up there?" asked Sir Humphrey.

"Which, sir?" said the captain, smiling; "the Amazons seem to be all main streams, winding over thousands of miles of country, as far as we can make out; but if we go back it's a chance if we get up so far as we here."

Sir Humphrey merely nodded in reply to the captain's remarks, and then they all rose and walked away in different directions, each of them evidently trying to think of a means of getting over the difficulty which confronted them.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

DISCUSSING PLANS.

The next time the party were a.s.sembled was over the midday meal, when the conversation naturally turned to the question of continuing their voyage or going back.

Brace broke out with the exclamation: "We must not be beaten by a little difficulty such as this!" but his brother checked him by laying a hand upon his arm and turning to Briscoe.

"What were you going to say?" he asked the American.

"Firstly, gentlemen, that I don't want to interfere. Go where you like and how you like: it's all interesting to me; but you won't mind hearing my opinion?"

"Certainly not," said Sir Humphrey. "What do you think?"

"That we have arrived in a thoroughly wild country which most likely no one has ever reached before."

"Yes," said Sir Humphrey.

"So how would it be to make this headquarters and ask Captain Banes to rig out the biggest boat with sail and some canvas and a light pole to set up from end to end of a night to cover her in, and then row and sail up wherever we could as long as our provisions lasted? Fresh water we shouldn't have to carry; we could bring down something with our guns, or hook up something with fis.h.i.+ng-lines; and I daresay we might get up hundreds of miles, for we should be sure to come upon side streams.

That's only my idea, gentlemen. If you think differently I'm quite contented. I'm ready to keep to the bargain I have made. To me this is a regular naturalist's paradise."

"I quite agree with you, Mr Briscoe," said Sir Humphrey warmly, "and now that my weakness and the lack of spirit brought about by the effect of my wound are pa.s.sing away I am getting more contented with the cruise every hour."

"Yes, sir, you alter every day," said the American, smiling.

"What do you think of the plan, captain?" said Sir Humphrey.

"Splendid, sir," was the reply. "I like it tremendously, and I was going to propose something of the kind myself. You see, you'll never want for help. My lads will be just like a set of schoolboys going out for a holiday. The only ones who will grumble will be those who have to stop aboard the brig. I'm like Mr Briscoe: ready to go where you like, and how you like: you two gents have only to say the word; and I don't think you'll better that plan."