Rob Harlow's Adventures Part 9

"Then why can't you believe as a bat wouldn't do the same?"

Rob found the argument unanswerable.

"It's true enough, my lad. They'll lay hold on a fellow's toe or thumb, ay, and on horses too. I've known 'em quite weak with being sucked so much night after night."

"Horses? Can they get through a horse's thick skin?"

Shaddy chuckled.

"Why, dear lad," he said, "a horse has got a skin as tender as a man's, so just you 'member that next time you spurs or whips them."

Rob sat in silence, thinking, with the weird sounds increasing for a time; and, in spite of his efforts, it was impossible to keep down a shrinking sense of dread.

Everything was thrilling: the golden-spangled water looked so black, and the darkness around so deep, while from the Grand Chaco, the great, wild, untrodden forest across the river stretching away toward the mighty Andes in the west, the shouts, growls, and wails suggested endless horrors going on as the wild creatures roamed here and there in search of food.

_Plash_! right away--a curious sound of a heavy body plunging into the river, but with the noise carried across the water, so that it seemed to be only a few yards away.

"What's that?" whispered Rob.

"Can't tell for sartain, my lad, but I should say that something came along and disturbed a big fat 'gator on the bank, and he took a dive in out of the way. I say! Hear that?"

"Hear it?" said Rob, as a creeping sensation came amongst the roots of his hair, just as if the skin had twitched; "who could help hearing it?"

For the moment before Shaddy asked his question a blood-curdling, agonising yell, as of some being in mortal agony, rang out from across the river.

"Ay, 'tis lively. First time I heered that I says to myself, 'That's one Injun killing another,' and I c.o.c.ked my rifle and said to myself again, 'well, he shan't do for me.'"

"And was it one Indian murdering another in his sleep?"

Shaddy chuckled.

"Not it, lad. Darkness is full of cheating and tricks. You hears noises in the night, and they sound horrid. If you heered 'em when the sun's shining you wouldn't take any notice of 'em."

"But there it is again," whispered Rob, as the horrible cry arose, and after an interval was repeated as from a distance. "Whatever is it?"

"Sort o' stork or crane thing calling its mate and saying, 'Here's lots o' nice, cool, juicy frogs out here. Come on.'"

"A bird?"

"Yes. Why not? Here, you wait a bit, and you'll open your eyes wide to hear 'em. Some sings as sweet as sweet, and some makes the most gashly noises you can 'magine. That's a jagger--that howl, and that's a lion again. Hear him! He calls out sharper like than the other. You'll soon get to know the difference. But I say, do go and have a sleep now, so as to get up fresh and ready for the day's work. I shall have lots to show you to-morrow."

"Yes, I'll go and lie down again soon. But listen to that! What's that booming, roaring sound that keeps rising and falling? There, it's quite loud now."

"Frogs!" said Shaddy promptly. "There's some rare fine ones out here.

There, go and lie down, my lad."

"Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? You are watching. Can't I keep you company?"

"Glad to have you, my lad, but I was picked out by Skipper Ossolo because I know all about the country and the river ways, wasn't I?"

"Yes, of course."

"Very well, then. I give you good advice. You don't want to be ill and spoil your trip, so, to keep right, what you've got to do is to eat and drink reg'lar and sensible and take plenty of sleep."

"Oh, very well," said Rob, with a sigh. "I'll go directly."

"It means steady eyes and hands, my lad. I know: it all sounds very wild and strange up here, but you'll soon get used to it, and sleep as well as those Indian lads do. There, good-night."

"Good-night," said Rob reluctantly. "But isn't it nearly morning?"

"Not it, five hours before sunrise; so go and take it out ready for a big day--such a trip as you never dreamed of."

"Very well," replied Rob, and he crept quietly back to his place under the canvas covering, but sleep would not come, or so it seemed to him.

But all at once the mingling of strange sounds grew m.u.f.fled and dull, and then he opened his eyes, to find that the place where he lay was full of a soft, warm glow, and Joe was bending over him and shaking him gently.

CHAPTER FIVE.

A WATCH IN THE DARK.

"You do sleep soundly," said the young Italian merrily.

"Why, it's morning, and I didn't know I had been sleeping! Where's Mr Brazier?"

"Forward yonder."

"Why, we're going on."

"Yes; there's a good wind, and we've been sailing away since before the sun rose."

Rob jumped up and hurried out of the tent-like arrangement, to find Shaddy seated in the stern steering, and after a greeting Rob looked about him, entranced by the scenery and the wondrous tints of the dewy morning. Great patches of mist hung about here and there close under the banks where the wind did not catch them, and these were turned by the early morning's sun to glorious opalescent ma.s.ses, broken by brilliant patches of light.

The boat was gliding along over the sparkling water close in now to the western sh.o.r.e, whose banks were invisible, being covered by a dense growth of tree and climber, many of whose strands dipped into the river, while umbrageous trees spread and drooped their branches, so that it would have been possible to row or paddle in beneath them in one long, bowery tunnel close to the bank.

"Going to have a wash?" said Joe, breaking in upon Rob's contemplative fit of rapture as he gazed with hungry eyes at the lovely scene.

"Wash? Oh yes!" cried Rob, starting, and he fetched a rough towel out of the tent, went to the side, and hesitated.

"Hadn't we better have a swim?" he said. "You'll come?"

"Not him," growled Shaddy. "What yer talking about? Want to feed the fishes?"

"Rubbish! I can swim," said Rob warmly; and leaning over the side, he plunged his hands into the water, sweeping them about.

"Deliciously cool!" he cried. "Oh!"

He s.n.a.t.c.hed out his right and then his left, and as he did so a little silvery object dropped into the water.