O'er Many Lands, on Many Seas by Gordon Stables (top 10 most read books in the world .txt) 📕

ocean we set fire to the immense pile.

"When darkness fell, and the flames leaped high into the air, the scene

was one worthy of the brush of a Rembrandt. The sea was lit up for

miles with a ruddy glare; the sands were all aglow with the blaze; the

Indians and their mules thrown out in bold relief looked picturesque in

the extreme, while we, the white men, armed to the teeth, and carefully

watching the Indians, though not in any way to give them cause for

alarm, formed a by no means insignificant portion of the scene.

"We were early astir the next day, and on the road before the sun had

begun to peep down over the eastern hills.

"We marched in single file, an old grey-bearded Indian leading the van

as our guide.

"Before many hours we had left the sandy hills along the seashore, and

had entered the mountain defiles.

"Scenery more rugged, wild, and beautiful I had seldom clapped eyes

upon, either before or since. At the same time we could not help

feeling thankful that we had obtained the guidance of these Indians,

treacherous though they no doubt were, for we never could have made our

way otherwise across this range of rugged mountains, nor through the

wild entanglement of forest.

"By day many a wild beast crossed our pathway, but only seldom we shot

them, and we never followed far; we were shipwrecked sailors trying to

make our way to some semi-civilised town, where we could live in some

degree of safety until we found out the lay of the land, as our mate

called it, and fell in at last with some British ship.

"These fellows, our guides, could tell us nothing, but they led us day

after day towards the east and the north.

"We kept a strict watch over their every movement, and it was well we

did so. At night we bivouacked but a little distance from their camp,

and had separate fires and separate sentries.

"Almost every evening after supper they made themselves madly drunk with

the wine they had received from us, and without which they would have

refused to guide us at all.

"After four days' wandering we arrived, during a pitiless storm of

thunder and rain, at a strange and semi-barbarian village. The houses

or huts were built upon piles, and the inhabited portion of them stood

high above the ground; you had to ascend to this on a sort of hen's

ladder.

"The street itself at the time we entered the town was more like a river

than anything else. But we were glad enough to find shelter of any

kind, drenched to the skin as we were, and wet and weary as well.

"Next day was bright and clear again, and it seemed to me that every one

of the villagers turned out to see us start. They appeared to be

peaceable enough, so we made little presents to the women, and advised

our Indian guides to do the same. They were not inclined to part with

anything, however, and evidently looked upon us as fools for what we

did.

"Our march that day was across vast plains and swamps towards another

mountain-chain, more rugged and grand than any we had yet seen.

"We chatted pleasantly and sang as we rode on, for the Indians assured

us that in two days more we should arrive at a very large and populous

city, where plenty of rich white men lived, with splendid houses, broad

paved streets, hotels, and even palaces. We bivouacked that night at

the very foot of the chain of mountains, and next morning entered and

rode through gloomy glens and dark woods, and the farther we rode the

wilder the country seemed to become. Yet some of the woodland scenes

were inexpressibly lovely. We came out at last on the brow of a hill,

just as the sun was setting over the distant forest, and bathing with

its golden glory a scene as lovely as it was sad and melancholy.

"A vast plain in the centre of an amphitheatre of hills, clad almost to

their summits with lofty trees, a broad river meandering through this

plain, and on both banks thereof what appeared from where we stood to be

a city of palaces. Alas! on entering it we found it a city of ruins.

Trees and shrubs grew where the streets had been, the gardens had

degenerated into jungles; we saw wild beasts hiding behind the

mouldering walls, and heard them growl as we passed; and we saw monster

snakes and lizards wriggling hither and thither, and these were the only

inhabitants of this once large and populous town.

"Yet in the halls of its palaces the banquet had once been spread, and

gaiety, mirth, and music had resounded in its streets and thoroughfares,

till war came with murder and pestilence, and then all was changed. The

city's best sons were sent to work in mines, or slain; the city's

fairest daughters marched away in chains to become the slaves of their

terrible foes.

"I could not help thinking of all this as I rode through this ruined

city of the plain, and sighed as I did so. The words and music of the

sad old song came into my mind:

"`So sinks the pride of former days

     When glory's thrill is o'er.

And hearts that once beat high with praise

     Now feel that pulse no more.'

"But the sun set and night came on, and with it storm and darkness."

"Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak.

Birds, beasts of prey, and wilder men appear."

Byron.

My friend Ben paused for a moment.

A sheet of lightning almost blinded us. It was followed instantaneously

by one of the most terrific peals of thunder I have ever heard in this

country.

"It was in just such a storm as this," said Captain Roberts, "that we

took shelter in the ruins of an old fort. We tethered our mules

outside, and we had not even the heart to keep the Indians from sharing

our quarters. For once, and it was the last time, we ate with them,

drank with them, and talked to them. How little we suspected them of

treachery!

"We found plenty of dry wood in the old fort and soon had a roaring fire

with which to warm up our soup and cook our vegetables.

"`Who goes sentry to-night?' I said to the mate.

"`Well,' replied the mate, `I guess we'd better draw for it. He'll have

a wet skin whoever does it.'

"It was just after dinner when this conversation took place.

"`But,' continued the mate, stretching himself before the fire, `I

expect it will be between you and me, for, look, the other fellows have

all gone to sleep, and I feel so drowsy I really--don't--know--how

long--'

"He said no more; he was asleep.

"`Poor fellows,' I said to myself, as I took up my gun and prepared to

leave the room, `they're tired. I'll station myself here by the door,

where I can be in the dry and still see all that is going on.'

"The storm continued with unabated violence. The rain came down in

sheets; the thunder seemed to rend the old fort and shake it to its very

foundation, while the lightning was everywhere; the whole world looked

as if on fire. Night was coming on, and rude though our shelter was, I

felt thankful we were not out in the gloom of the forest.

"`How soundly they sleep!' I said to myself about half an hour after

when I went to heap more wood on the five. `How I envy them! I'll sit

a moment and think. The Indians are not so bad as they look. First

impressions are not always--the--best.'

"The next thing I was conscious of was hearing voices close beside me.

It was the Indians bending over me and over my companions, and seeming

to listen for our breathing.

"`They're dead,' one said.

"`Better make sure,' said another.

"Then with half-open eyes I could see drawn daggers gleaming in the

fire-light; but I was unable to stir hand or foot; I felt like one in

some dreadful nightmare. I tried to shriek, but my voice failed me.

Then, `O God, be merciful to us!' I inwardly prayed, `for our hour is

come.'

"Two Indians advanced, knives in hand, towards the mate. One pulled his

head back, the other had his arm uplifted to strike, when suddenly he

sprang back appalled.

"Was it sent as in answer to my prayer? I know not; yet I firmly

believe nothing happens by chance. The electric fluid had entered by

the roof, shattering the masonry and scattering the fire. It gleamed on

the uplifted knife of the would-be assassin; he dropped it, and with arm

paralysed and hanging by his side fled shrieking from the building. The

others uttered exclamations of terror and surprise, and quickly followed

the first.

"I remember no more then. Daylight was shimmering in through the broken

roof of the building, and the fire had long gone out, when I awoke

shivering, and started to my feet.

"Almost at the same moment the mate jumped up. He was the first to

speak.

"`We have been drugged,' he cried, pressing his hand to his aching head.

"`Drugged?' I answered. `Yes, fools that we were to trust those

scoundrels; we've been drugged, and, doubtless, robbed.'

"The mate looked very pale and ghastly in the early light of the

morning; probably I myself looked little better. My surmise was right:

the Indians had gone. They had taken all our goods and our pack-mules

with them, and driven away the spare animals. Thank goodness, they had

left us our arms and ammunition.

"Not even on the morning after the shipwreck did we poor fellows feel so

miserable as we did now, seated round a meagre meal of bananas and

gourds.

"But we were intent on regaining our goods.

"Clever though these Indians might be if alone and unencumbered, they

could hardly go fast, nor far at a time, through forest and jungle with

horses and laden mules. Nor could they go anywhere without leaving a

trail that even a white man could pick up and follow.

"The rain of the previous night favoured us. We soon found the trail,

and, better still, we had not gone very far ere a sound fell upon our

ears that caused us to pause and listen. It was soon repeated--the

neighing of a horse. I sprang into the jungle, and there, to my joy,

found not only the horse I had ridden, but two others and some mules

besides. The poor brutes were quietly browsing on the herbage and the

tender leaves of young palm-trees, but were evidently delighted to see

us.

"We went on now with more comfort, and had good hope of speedily coming

up with the pillaging Indians, of whom we never doubted we could give a

good account.

"Somewhat to our surprise we found they were taking a westerly

direction, instead of going east and by north, as they had been leading

making their way to some seaport where they could sell their plunder.

If this latter surmise was the correct one, we were comparatively safe;

if the former, any chance we had of recapturing our goods lay in our

being able to come up with them before they were reinforced by members

of their own tribe. This thought made us redouble our exertions. But

we were weak for want of food and from the effects of the drug that had

been administered to us on the previous evening, so that our progress

was not so great as we wished it to be.

"The trail continued all day to lead us through the jungle; but before

sunset we found ourselves out in the open, on the brow of a hill that

overlooked a vast, almost treeless, swamp. It was bounded on the

further horizon by a chain of mountains--spurs, no doubt, of the

ubiquitous Andes. Away to the left, and just under the hills, we could

see