Real Gold Part 26

"Of course you did, sir. That's human nature, that is. But, I say, Mr Cyril, sir, what does it all mean? Why has the colonel come out here?

He can't have come just to see people cut down a few trees and peel off the bark."

"I begin to think he has."

"But I could have taken him down in Surrey, sir, and showed him into woods where they were doing all that to the oak trees, without coming out here, or running any risks of getting an arrow sent through you, just as if you was a chicken got ready to roast."

"I don't quite understand it yet," said Cyril; "but don't talk any more now. Look, look! what is he going to do?"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

IN TREASURE LAND.

They were by this time close up in front of the huts of the bark gatherers, when all at once one of the huge condors came swooping along overhead, looking gigantic up against the sky. And then it was as if a sudden idea had struck the colonel, who raised his piece, took aim, lowered it, and hesitated; for the huge bird was at a great distance, and the people looked at him wonderingly. The next moment his rifle was at his shoulder again, there was the flash and puff of white smoke, the sharp crack, and the rumbling echoing roar in the mountains, as the condor was seen to swerve and then dart straight upward.

"Missed!" muttered John Manning, "but he felt the bullet."

"Hit!" cried Cyril excitedly, for all at once the bird's wings closed, and it fell over and over and then dropped like a stone, crashing in among the trees about a hundred yards away.

The Indians had looked on at first incredulously, and several of them exchanged glances as the condor shot upward as if to escape unharmed; but the moment it turned over and began to fall, they set up a loud shout and rushed off to pick up the fallen bird, the whole crowd making for the dense patch of forest, and then walking back steadily, bearing the bird in triumph.

"Rather a risky thing to do, boys," said the colonel, reloading as he spoke. "If I had missed, I should have done harm to the position we have made in these people's estimation. But I felt that I could hit the bird, and now they will believe that I may prove a terrible enemy in anger."

"Do it? Of course he could," whispered John Manning. "I've known him take a rifle from one of our men lots of times, and pick off one of the Beloochees who was doing no end of mischief in our ranks up in the mountains."

By this time the Indians were back, looking full of excitement, and ready almost to worship the white chief who had come amongst them, with such power of life and death in his hands--powers beside which their bows and arrows and poison-dealing blowpipes seemed to them to be pitiful in the extreme. They laid the body of the great bird, which was stone-dead, at his feet, and then looked at him wonderingly, as if to say, "What next?"

That shot had the effect which the colonel had intended to produce, for to a man the Indians felt the terrible power their white visitor held in his hand, and each felt that he might be the object of his vengeance if any attack was made.

But Colonel Campion felt that the effect was only likely to be temporary, and that he must gain the object for which he had made his perilous journey as quickly as possible, and begin to return before the impression had worn off.

Bidding Cyril then tell their guide that he should camp there for a few days, he sent the two men back for the mules, giving orders that they should take a couple of the Indians who had followed them to help.

His manner carried the day, and the party of four departed.

"I suppose it's all right, Master Cyril," whispered John Manning; "but I should have thought we'd ha' done better by fortifying our own camp, and not running our heads right into the lion's mouth; but the colonel knows best, and we've only got to obey orders."

Certainly that seemed to be the safest course to pursue--a bold one; so in this spirit, and as if the colonel felt that there was nothing whatever to be feared from the people, the mules and packages were brought up. A snugly-sheltered spot was selected, close to a spring which came gushing from the rock, and a fresh camp made; the party going and coming among the cinchona gatherers as if they were invited visitors; while the Indians themselves looked puzzled, and watched every action from a distance.

That night, beside the fire, surrounded by the dense growth of the life-preserving trees he had sought, the colonel became more communicative.

"You boys have, I daresay, canva.s.sed why I undertook this expedition,"

he said, "and, I suppose, took it for granted that I came in search of the gold supposed to be hidden by the Peruvians, to save it from the rapacity of the Spaniards."

"Yes, sir; that's what I thought," said Cyril.

"Or else to find one of the di'mond walleys," growled John Manning.

"This is not the right direction for them, my man," said the colonel, smiling. "You have to seek for them between the leaves of books. No, boys; I came to seek something of far greater value to my fellow-creatures than a buried store of yellow metal, which may or may not exist. It is possible that a number of the sacred vessels from some of the old temples may have been hidden by the priests, who, at their death, handed down the secret to their successors; but I think it is far more likely to be a fable. Still, the Indians believe in it, and if they knew that a discovery had been made, they would destroy the lives of the finders, sooner than that the gold should be taken out of the country."

"Then you have not come to find the gold, sir?" said Cyril; while Perry lay there upon his chest, resting his chin upon his hands, and elbows on the earth, gazing up in his father's face.

"No, boy; I have come, and I am running some risks, I know, to drag out into the light of day the wondrous medicine which has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands, and made it possible for men to exist in the fever-haunted countries spread around the globe."

"You mean quinine," said Cyril. "Father always keeps a bottle in his desk."

"Yes, I mean quinine, the beautiful crystals obtained from the bark of these trees, boy; the medicine kept so jealously guarded here, the only place where it is produced, high up on the eastern slope of these mountains. I have come to seek it, and have found it far more easily than I expected: we are sitting and lying here right in the middle of one of the cinchona groves."

"But we can't take away much, father, even if they will let us," said Perry.

"Wrong, boy. I hope that we shall be able to bear away, unseen, enough to stock the world, and to make the drug, which is a blessing to humanity, plentiful, instead of civilised Europe having to depend upon the supply from here--from this carefully-guarded place."

"You mean to take away some young trees," said Cyril excitedly.

"I should like to do so, but that is a doubtful way, my boy. The young trees would be awkward to carry, and transplanting trees often means killing them. We must try something better than that, though. I shall see what I can do in making one bundle, with the roots carefully bound up in damp moss."

"Yes, we might do that," a.s.sented Cyril, "but we didn't bring a spade."

"Let us find some tiny trees, and we'll do without a spade," said the colonel quietly. "But I am in this position, boys. I know very little about the trees we see around us. That they are the right ones there can be no doubt, for the Indians are camped here, cutting them down, and peeling off and drying the bark. There are several kinds which produce inferior kinds of quinine; but these laurel-like evergreen trees produce the true, the best Peruvian bark; and it is to take away the means of propagating these trees in suitable hot mountainous colonies of our own, that we are here. Now, how is it to be done?"

"Indians won't let it be done, sir," said Manning. "Here, I know lots o' places up Simla way where it would grow fine. Up there, north o'

Calcutta, sir."

"Yes; there are spots there where it might be grown, or in the mountains of Ceylon," said the colonel; "but we have to get it there."

"I know," said Cyril. "Let's get heaps of seed. Why, we might till our pockets that way."

"Yes; that is my great hope, boys; so, whenever you see seed-pods or berries nearly ripe, secure them. But we are surrounded by difficulties. We may be here at the wrong time of year, though I calculated that as well as I could; and now that we are here, I have been terribly disappointed, for so far, instead of seeing seed, I have noted nothing but the blossoms. It is as if we are too early, though I hope these are only a second crop of flowers, and that we may find seed after all."

"But these sweet-smelling flowers, something like small lilac, are not the blossoms of the trees, are they?" said Perry.

"Yes, those are they," said the colonel. "Now my secret is out, and you know what we have to do.--Well, Manning, what is it?"

"My old father had a garden, sir, and he used to grow little shrubs by cutting up roots in little bits, which were often dry as a bone when he put them in, but they used to grow."

"Yes," said the colonel. "Quite right; and now we are here, in spite of all opposition, we must take away with us seeds, cuttings of twigs, and roots, and if possible, and we can find them, a number of the tiny seedlings which spring up beneath the old trees from the scattered seed.

There, that is our work, and all must help.--Do you hear, Manning?"

"Oh yes, sir, I hear, and if you show me exactly what you want, I'll do my best; but, begging your pardon, sir, ain't it taking a deal o'

trouble for very small gains?"

"No, my man, the reward will be incalculable."

"All right, sir, you know best. I'll do what you tell me, and when we've got what we want, I'll fight for it. That's more in my way. But, begging your pardon once more, wouldn't it be better for you to go to the head-man, and say, through Master Cyril here: 'Look here, young fellow, we've come a long journey to get some seed and young plants of this stuff; can't you make a sort of trade of it, and sell us a few pen'orth civilly.'"

The colonel laughed.