In Far Bolivia: A Story of a Strange Wild Land. Stables Gordon
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was a copy of the "Song of Hiawatha", a poemwhich Peggy thought ineffably lovely. Hark to hersweet girl voice as she reads:
"These songs so wild and wayward,
These legends and traditions".
They appealed to her simple soul, for dearly didshe love the haunts of Nature.
"Loved the sunshine of the meadow,
Loved the shadow of the forest,
Loved the wind among the branches,
The rushing of great rivers
Through their palisades of pine-trees."
She believed, too:
"That even in savage bosoms
There are longings, yearnings, strivings
For the good they comprehend not;
That feeble hands and helpless,
Groping blindly in the darkness,
Touch God's right hand…
And are lifted up and strengthened".
Roland slumbered quietly, and the day went on apace.
He slept so peacefully that she hardly liked toarouse him.
The little red book dropped from her hand and fellon the moss, and her thoughts now went far, far awayadown the mighty river that flows so sadly, sosolemnly onwards to the great Atlantic Ocean, fed onits way by a hundred rapid streams that melt in itsdark bosom and are seen nevermore.
But it was not the river itself the little maiden'sthoughts were dwelling on; not the strange wild birdsthat sailed along its surface on snow-white wings; not the birds of prey-the eagle and the hawk-thathovered high in air, or with eldritch screams dartedon their prey like bolts from the blue, and bore theirbleeding quarries away to the silent forest; not eventhe wealth of wild flowers that nodded over the banksof the mighty stream.
Her thoughts were on board a tall and darksomeraft that was slowly making its way seaward todistant Pará, or in the boats that towed it. Forthere was someone on the raft or in those boats whoeven then might be fondly thinking of thedark-haired maiden he had left behind.
But Peggy's awakening from her dream of romance, and Roland's from his slumber, was indeed a terribleone.
CHAPTER II-STRANGE ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST-LOST!
Fierce eyes had been watching the little camp foran hour and more, glaring out on the sunnyglade from the dark depths of a forest tree not faroff; out from under a cloudland of waving foliagethat rustled in the balmy wind. Watching, andwatching unwaveringly, Peggy, while she read; watchingthe sleeping Roland; the great wolf-hound, Brawn; and watching the ponies too.
Ever and anon these last would come closer to thetree, as they nibbled grass or moss, then those fierceeyes burned more fiercely, and the cat-like tail of amonster jaguar moved uneasily as if the wild beastmeditated a spring.
But the ponies, sniffing danger in the air, perhaps-whocan tell? – would toss their manes and retreat tothe shadow of the rocks.
Had the dog not been there the beast would havedared all, and sprung at once on one of those nimblesteeds.
But he waited and watched, watched and waited, and at long last his time came. With a coughingroar he now launched himself into the air, theelasticity of the branch giving greater force to hisspring.
Straight on the shoulders or back of poor Bozhe alighted. His talons were well driven home, hiswhite teeth were preparing to tear the flesh from thepony's neck.
Both little steeds yelled wildly, and in nightmarish terror.
Up sprang Brawn, the wolf-hound, and dashed on tothe rescue.
Peggy seized her loaded rifle and hurried after him.
Thoroughly awake now, and fully cognizant of theterrible danger, Roland too was quickly on the sceneof action.
To fire at a distance were madness. He mighthave missed the struggling lion and shot poor Boz, oreven faithful Brawn.
This enormous dog had seized the beast by onehock, and with his paws against the pony wasendeavouring to tear the monster off.
The noise, the movement, the terror, caused poorRoland's head to whirl.
He felt dazed, and almost stupid.
Ah! but Peggy was clear-headed, and a brave andfearless child was she.
Her feet seemed hardly to touch the moss, solightly did she spring along.
Her little rifle was cocked and ready, and, takingadvantage of a few seconds' lull in the fearfulscrimmage, she fired at five yards' distance.
The bullet found billet behind the monster's ear, his grip relaxed, and now Brawn tore him easily fromhis perch and finished him off on the ground, withawful din and habbering.
Then, with blood-dripping jaws he came with hisears lower, half apologetically, to receive the praiseand caresses of his master and mistress.
But though the adventure ended thus happily, frightened beyond measure, the ponies, Coz and Boz, had taken to the bush and disappeared.
Knowing well the danger of the situation, Rolandand Peggy, with Brawn, tried to follow them. ButIrish wolf-hounds have but little scent, and so theysearched and searched in vain, and returned at lastto the sun-kissed glade.
It was now well on towards three o'clock, and asthey had a long forest stretch of at least ten milesbefore them ere they could touch the banks of thegreat queen of waters, Roland determined, with theaid of his compass, to strike at once into thebeast-trodden pathway by which they had come, and makeall haste homewards before the sun should set anddarkness envelop the gloomy forest.
"Keep up your heart, Peggy; if your courage andyour feet hold out we shall reach the river beforedusk."
"I'm not so frightened now," said Peggy; but herlips were very tremulous, and tears stood in her eyes.
"Come, come," she cried, "let us hurry on! Come,Brawn, good dog!"
Brawn leapt up to lick her ear, and taking nothought for the skin of the jaguar, which in morefavourable circumstances would have been borneaway as a trophy, and proof of Peggy's valour, theynow took to the bush in earnest.
Roland looked at his watch.
"Three hours of light and more. Ah! we can doit, if we do not lose our way."
So off they set.
Roland took the lead, rifle in hand, Peggy camenext, and brave Brawn brought up the rear.
They were compelled to walk in single file, for thepathways were so narrow in places that two couldnot have gone abreast.
Roland made constant reference to his littlecompass, always assuring his companion that they werestill heading directly for the river.
They had hurried on for nearly an hour, whenRoland suddenly paused.
A huge dark monster had leapt clear and cleanacross the pathway some distance ahead, and takenrefuge in a tree.
It was, no doubt, another jaguar, and to advanceunannounced might mean certain death to one of thethree.
"Are you all loaded, Peggy?" said Roland.
"Every chamber!" replied the girl.
There was no tremor about her now; and nobackwoods Indian could have acted more coolly andcourageously.
"Blaze away at that tree then, Peg."
Peggy opened fire, throwing in three or four shotsin rapid succession.
The beast, with a terrible cry, darted out of the treeand came rushing along to meet and fight the littleparty.
"Down, Brawn, down! To heel, sir!"
Next moment Roland fired, and with a terribleshriek the jaguar took to the bush, wounded andbleeding, and was seen no more.
But his yells had awakened the