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Rob Harlow's Adventures: A Story of the Grand Chaco, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 7. The First "Tiger" |
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_ CHAPTER SEVEN. THE FIRST "TIGER" The cry, which thrilled Rob and made Brazier and the young Italian seize their weapons, came from one of the Indians, who, axe in hand, had been about to cut up a dead bough he had seized for the fire, when something dark struck him in the chest, sending him backward amongst the low growth, and a magnificent cat-like animal bounded into the middle of the opening, driving the boatmen among the trees and taking up its position in the bright sunshine, with its coat glistening and the brown spots on its tawny hide shining with almost metallic lustre. And there it stood, with its ears lowered and eyes blazing, looking from one to another of the occupants of the boat, and from them to Shaddy, who leaped ashore knife in hand, while the brute's tail writhed and twisted as if it were a serpent. "Hadn't one of you better shoot?" said Shaddy calmly. "He's, too much for me with only a knife." Just then the Indian who had been knocked down began to crawl cautiously toward the trees. The movement was enough for the jaguar. It was the cat again that has stricken down a mouse standing perfectly careless till the unfortunate little animal begins to stir. The fierce beast turned, gathered itself together, and was about to launch itself upon the boatman in one tremendous bound, when simultaneously there was a sharp click from Brazier's gun, but with no further result, for he had drawn the trigger of his rifled barrel in which there was no cartridge, and a sharp stab on the loins as Shaddy hurled his knife with unerring aim at the savage beast. The jaguar turned with a fierce snarl and struck the knife from where it stuck in its back. Then, seeing in Shaddy its assailant, it crouched again to bound upon the guide. Once again its aim was spoiled; for with fingers trembling Rob had cocked his piece and taken aim, being about to fire when the knife was thrown; but the rapid movement of the animal checked him till it crouched and he saw it about to spring upon Shaddy. This time he pressed the stock firmly to his shoulder, and, taking aim at the jaguar's head, fired twice, the first charge taking effect full in the creature's back, and, as it sprang up, the second in its flank. With a fierce howl it twisted itself round and bit at the side, tearing out the glossy fur in its rage and pain. Then turning sharply it looked round for its assailant, when Joe's piece rang out, the bad powder with which it was heavily loaded making a cloud of dense smoke which prevented Rob from seeing for a few moments, and when it rose the jaguar had gone. They all busied themselves reloading now, but there was no animal to shoot, and Shaddy picked up his knife, wiping its point carefully on his trousers as he straightened himself. "Which way did it go?" cried Brazier. "Yonder, sir, through the trees. But it's of no use for you to follow." "It must be dangerously wounded." "Not it, sir; only a bit tickled. That was only bird shot you fired, was it, my lads?" "Number 5," said Rob promptly. "Thought so. Best keep a bullet always in your guns, gentlemen, out here, for you never know what's going to turn up next." The Indians were back now, going about picking wood for the fire as if nothing whatever had happened. "But that man," whispered Rob; "isn't he hurt--clawed?" "No, sir," replied Shaddy calmly; and he asked a question of the man in the mixed Indian tongue. Then turning to Brazier, "Only got the wind knocked, out of him a bit, sir. No clawing. He don't mind." "But the brute may come back," said Rob. "Well, Mr Rob, sir, if he do he's a bigger fool than I take him to be. No, there'll be no coming back about him. Just while he was up he was ready to fly at anything, but every one of them little shot will make a sore place which it will take him a fortnight to lick quite well again. I daresay they're all lying just under his skin." "And what a skin!" cried Rob. "You could have got it off and cured it for me, couldn't you?" "Oh yes, or these chaps here, sir; but if you wants tiger jackets you mustn't try to kill them as wears 'em with Number 5 shot.--Now, lads, more wood," and a good fire was soon burning, over which the kettle was hung. A meal was quickly prepared, but Shaddy indulged in a bit of a growl over it. "And me 'specting pork chops frizzled over that fire on the iron sheet," he said. "Why it wouldn't have been no good, my lad, going about with a pinch of lead snuff in your gun. You want something like small marbles out here, I can tell you, or good buck shot. You'll mind that next time." "But I want to get some of the birds we see," said Rob, in tones of remonstrance. "That's right, sir; but keep one barrel always for play and one for work. I don't want to make too much of it, but in a country like this it must be dangerous sometimes." "He is quite right, Rob," said Brazier. "He is giving you a lesson, but he means some of it for me. Don't you, Naylor?" "Well, sir," said Shaddy grimly, "I s'pose you'd like the honest truth?" "Of course." "Then I'll tell you what I said to myself. How a gentleman at his time o' life could leave his weepun, as ought to be ready for action, without a good bullet for wild beast or Indian, I can't think." "I have learned my lesson, Naylor," said Brazier, "and you shall not have an opportunity for reproaching me again." "And you ain't offended, sir? In course I'm only like your servant." "Give me credit for more sense, my man.--You take it to heart, too, both of you, and keep a bullet in your left-hand barrel." "For food or enemy," said Shaddy in his deep growl. "But that's what I meant to do. I thought I had loaded that way," said Rob. "Hah--hoo!" ejaculated one of the Indians who was standing with his arms full of wood close to the spot where the jaguar had disappeared. "What's the matter, my lad?" said Shaddy, joining him with the others, when an eager burst of conversation ensued. "They say as the tiger's lying wounded not far in among the trees. Bring your guns, gentlemen." The pieces were eagerly raised and cartridges examined, so that there should be no further mistake, and then, with the Indian who was knocked down as a guide, Brazier next with Shaddy, who contented himself with his knife, and then Rob and Joe and the rest of the Indians, the party entered the forest, which was so dense that they soon had to take to Indian file. But they had not far to go, and in spite of the danger that might be ahead the leading Indian proved that Shaddy's selection was a good one, for he went straight on, cutting right and left with his heavy knife to divide the growth that was in their way, and so on for about fifty yards, when he stopped short and said a few words to Shaddy. "Yes. Get back," said the latter, after listening. "Now two guns forward; but I think he has had enough as it is?" "Be careful, man!" said Brazier anxiously; "you are unarmed." "Not quite, sir!" said Shaddy, showing his big knife. "If he jumps on me he'll jump right on to that point, and if he does, though he may claw me, it will be his last leap. Silence!" They all listened, Rob hearing the shriek of some great parrot and the dull heavy throb of his heart, but from out of the dense growth a little way ahead he could make out a gurgling moan. Shaddy gave him a look and a nod. "No, my lad," he said, "that isn't a frog, nor anything else, but some animal as has got his death. It's either that tiger, or else it's a deer he has pulled down on his way. I'll go and see." "Let me," said Brazier; "and if it is only wounded I can fire again." "Powder and shot's valuable out here, sir," said Shaddy, "and we mustn't waste a single charge. Stand fast, and if I want help come and give it to me; but I shan't." He parted the bushes and creepers with his left hand holding his knife well before him with the right; but before he had gone six yards with great caution there was a horrible cry, and a sound as of a struggle going on--a sound which made Rob press forward and thrust the barrel of his gun in front of Brazier. "Has he got hold of Shaddy?" he panted, with a chill of horror running through him. "No, my lad; I'm all right--it's all over," cried the guide, as the sound ceased. "Ah! I can see him plain now: quite dead." "A deer?" said Brazier, eagerly. "Deer don't make a noise like that, sir," said Joe from behind. "Nay, it's no deer," said Shaddy; "I'll let you see what it is. Hi!" he called; and the Indians crowded past through the dense growth, went boldly right to the front, and Shaddy reappeared smiling. "Back again," he said; "they'll bring him along." Rob turned back unwillingly, for he was eager to see what the dead animal might be, Shaddy's mysterious manner suggesting the possibility of its being something extraordinary. But he followed the others out, the guide seeming to drive them all before him back into the open spot by the fire, while almost directly after the Indian boatmen appeared, half carrying, half dragging--each holding a paw--with his white under fur stained with blood--the great jaguar, perfectly dead. "There," cried Shaddy, "now you can have your skin, sir; and you deserve it for those two shots." "But I couldn't have--" began Rob. "But you did, sir," said Shaddy, who was down on his knees by the beautiful animal. "Here you are: face and head all full of small shot, and down here right in the loins--yes: back regularly broken by a bullet. Your piece was loaded proper after all." "A splendid shot, Rob," cried Brazier, and Joe patted his back. "But it was quite an accident," said Rob, excitedly. "Accident?" growled Shaddy. "If you shot at a man in England and killed him, do you think the judge would say it was an accident?" "Well, no," said Rob, laughing. "'Course not. Splendid shot, as the captain says. So now let's finish our bit of eating and have a nap while my chaps here takes off the skin." _ |
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