Old Gold Part 36

"Shan't fire unless he breaks away," said Brace between his teeth.

In the exciting moments which followed, and amidst a deep silence, only broken by the flapping of the sail and the rattle of the water against the boat's bows, Briscoe gently pa.s.sed the gaff-hook over the side, thrust it down into the water, and waited till the fish should come within reach.

It only took four hand-over-hand hauls on the part of the mate, and those who gazed excitedly on could plainly see a huge head, with gaping jaws full of glistening teeth, upon its side as if completely spent, offering its white throat to the sharp hook waiting to be driven in.

Another steady draw, and the fish did not move a fin. Then one bold firm s.n.a.t.c.h, and the hook was holding well in the flesh, and in another moment Briscoe, as he threw himself back on to a thwart, would have had the fish over the side and in the bottom of the boat.

But at the first touch of the steel the monster curved itself round till its tail touched its head, and then, with a mighty effort, went off like a spring released by a trigger; there was a tremendous splash, deluging everyone with water, and the fish leaped a couple of yards off the hook, to descend with another splash.

As it divided the water, _bang, bang_, two sharp reports rang out from Brace's gun, one charge tearing through the back of the fish, which beat the surface for a few moments and then dived down, discolouring the clear water with blood.

In another few seconds the stream was alive with fish of all sizes, making the river boil as they gathered up every sc.r.a.p, and greedily drank in the blood, while it was evident that the wounded monster was being savagely attacked and devoured alive by an ever-increasing shoal.

"Look: just look!" cried Lynton.

The words were unnecessary, for everyone's eyes seemed to be starting with the use that was being made of them.

Almost as Lynton spoke the whirling water was broken by the great fish springing right out, followed by at least a score of pursuers, apparently half its size and less, ready to dash at it as it struck the water again and disappeared.

"Seems to have gone this time," said the American quietly.

"Yes, and taken another spoon-bait and hook belonging to the captain,"

said the second mate ruefully, as he looked at the broken end of the line he held in his hand.

"Yes, and he nearly took the gaff-hook as well," said Briscoe.

"I say, Mr Briscoe, why didn't you hold him? You had him fast."

"Why didn't you hold him with the line?" said the American drily.

"Can't you see? It broke." And Lynton held out the end.

"And can't you see? What sort of hook do you call this?"

As he spoke Briscoe held out the gaff, which was nearly straightened out.

"I guess," he continued, "that you people ought to make this sort of tools of hard steel and not of soft iron."

They examined the hook, and even though it was made of soft iron the strength exerted to straighten it out as had been done must have been enormous.

"Well, anyhow, our fish has gone," said Lynton ruefully.

"And if we're not going to have any better luck than this," said Brace, laughing, "the cook will not have much use for his frying-pan. There, let's run up to the falls, and perhaps we may do something with our guns."

"Just so," said Briscoe; "only mind how you shoot, for if anything should happen to fall into the water, the fish'll have it before we know where we are. This seems to me," he added drily, "rather a fishy place."

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

TOWARDS THE FALLS.

The fis.h.i.+ng-line was laid to dry, the sail was bellied out, and the boat ran swiftly on again before the brisk breeze.

Lynton, who now steered, kept the little vessel close in sh.o.r.e so that a good view might be had of the beauties of the lovely surrounding country, for here tree and shrub had room to grow and a.s.sume their natural shape without being deformed by crowding neighbours or strangled by the twining monsters struggling upward so as to be able to expand their blossoms in the full suns.h.i.+ne.

In a short distance, though, the forest grew thicker, and the great trees crowded down closer to the water's edge.

Brace and his naturalist companion had withdrawn their gaze from the silvery sheen of the descending fall a mile ahead, to gloat over the beautifully-coloured birds, insects, and flowers which revelled in myriads in the light, heat, and moisture of the glorious bank of the stream.

Fresh beauties rose to the view at every glide of the boat, and Brace felt that what they ought to do was to check its way and stop to drink in the glories of the scene.

Chance after chance offered itself, but neither of the gun-bearers felt disposed to shoot, and their pieces rested in the hollows of their arms till suddenly, as they pa.s.sed round a point, they came upon a scene in a nook some fifty yards away which made each seize and c.o.c.k his weapon.

There, right down by the edge of the water, squatted a curious and most uncouth-looking form totally unclothed save by its natural hairy growth, and apparently quite unconscious of their approach as it bent over and lapped the water it raised in its s.h.a.ggy hand.

But the clicking of the gun-locks aroused it to its danger, and, springing upright, it stood peering at them for some moments from beneath a pair of great hairy overhanging brows, before giving vent to a hoa.r.s.e, long-continued yell.

The result of this was soon perceived, for three more such figures suddenly bounded from amongst a clump of bushes and made for the dense forest close at hand.

The first seen stretched itself up a little higher for the moment, until it looked like a big savage man, and it stood still glaring at the strangers fiercely and displaying its teeth.

Directly afterwards it uttered another deep-toned yell, and its human aspect was gone, for it went down on all-fours and seemed to turn itself into a rear-guard for the other three till they disappeared amongst the undergrowth.

The first seen then again raised itself to gaze over the bushes at the boat, and, after uttering a hoa.r.s.e half-bark, half-human cry, it plunged in after the rest and was gone.

"Here, why didn't one of you have a shot?" cried Lynton.

"What at?" said Brace quietly.

"Those monkeys. It was an old man and his wife and two youngsters. Why didn't you fire? You had a good chance."

"That was why I didn't fire at them. I didn't want to hit the old man nor his wife nor youngsters. I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"That's just how I felt," said Briscoe. "Hang me if I could make out whether it was a wild man or an ape."

"It's my opinion that it was the former," said Brace, gazing back at the little embayment they had just pa.s.sed.

The next few minutes were pa.s.sed in silence which was at length broken by Brace.

"Look, there he is again," he said; "he's watching us from behind those bushes. Couldn't be a wild man, though, could it?"

"Of course not," said Lynton: "whoever saw a wild Indian go off on all-fours? It was a great monkey."

"But there are no great monkeys in this part of the world," said Brace.

"One has to go to West Africa and Borneo for them. What do you say, Mr Briscoe?"

"The naturalists all say that there are no big apes in South America; but some travellers tell a different tale, and the Indians report that there are great half-human creatures that they are afraid of roaming about in the woods."