01 Amazon Adventure (17 page)

Hal had the cage brought up to the edge of the pit, and the door opened. He climbed the tree and untied the end of the line. He came down, passed the rope in through the door and out at the back between the slats. Now if everybody would pull, the tiger might be drawn up out of the pit and into the cage.

It was an excellent theory. Tigers had been caught that way. But he reckoned without Banco. That gentleman, instead of pulling with the rest, sat under the tree and made sneering remarks.

The tiger, furiously trying to climb out of the pit, was helped by the men pulling on the rope. Now he was up to the door of the cage. He could not see the men back in the bushes, but Banco was plainly visible.

The big cat’s eyes blazed, and with a terrific roar he lunged at Banco. The rope scorched through the men’s hands and was pulled free. Banco let out the most piercing yell of his life and scrambled up the tree.

If he had had time to think he might have acted differently. It was the worst thing he could do. The jaguar, expert tree climber, came up after him.

‘Shoot him! Shoot him!’ screamed Banco. Hal’s Savage was in his hand but he did not raise it.

Higher and higher went Banco. Perhaps he thought that if he got up into branches that were weak enough, the heavy jaguar could not follow. This might have worked if he had not run into a wasps’ nest.

An angry buzzing stopped him. His fingers had broken the nest and the residents came out a hundred strong to see who their visitor was. The welkin rang with his cries of distress as he was stung in dozens of places at once, on face, hands, legs, and through his thin shirt. The tiger was coming on, sinking his claws deep into the bark and moving with the terrifying grace and beauty of a great snake.

Not that Banco saw any grace and beauty in it! He looked down into two eyes like headlights and open jaws lined with sharp teeth. The tiger was no longer tearing the sky apart with his roar. He was growling softly and deeply as if enjoying the prospect of such an easy meal.

Hal was ashamed of himself for viewing this spectacle with so much satisfaction. But he could not idly leave Banco to the wasps and the tiger. He caught the end of the rope and lashed it around a branch so that animal could not go any higher.

Banco did not know that this had been done and expected to be seized and devoured at any instant. Hal was content to let him live in terror a moment longer. Perhaps it would be good for him. Banco thrashed furiously at the wasps, only exciting them to more stinging. Slapping and striking, he lost his grip and slipped down towards the waiting jaws. He caught himself just in time.

Hal’s heart popped into his mouth. Perhaps he was carrying this game just a little too far.

He called the men, loosened the rope, and they all laid to and begin to draw the beast down the tree. The cage was brought to the foot of the tree and the rope was once more passed in through the door and out the back.

‘All together!’ cried Hal. ‘Pull!’

They pulled with a will, and the rope broke.

Instantly Hal was shinning up the tree. He had dropped his rifle, but his revolver was in its holster. He knew what he had to do. Kill the tiger before it killed Banco. Banco was screaming hysterically. The tiger was inching steadily upwards. They were so close together that Hal had not dare to fire from the ground for fear of hitting the man instead of the beast.

The tiger, with a savage growl, made a lunge at one of Banco’s feet, missing it by inches. Banco pulled it out of reach, retreated further into the wasps’ nest, and shrieked to high heaven.

The tiger was making ready for another lunge when Hal brought the butt of his revolver cracking down on one of the animal’s hind feet. It had the desired effect. The beast forgot Banco and turned to face his new tormentor. His head was now out of line with the cringing form above and Hal fired.

He didn’t wait to see if the bullet had found its mark. The earsplitting roar told him that it had. He slid down the tree so fast that he ruined a pair of shorts. He was certain the tiger would follow — and it did.

He had no sooner reached the ground than the tiger leaped from a branch fifteen feet up and came whizzing down to land on the spot where his enemy had just been. But Hal had made a quick jump to one side. He fired again. He missed. His hand shook, the revolver wobbled. He fired again and again. He realized now that Roger was firing with the Savage. The tiger rolled over, got up, wheezed blood, bellowed hoarsely, and came on again.

Hal felt sick and numb. Everything was a blur, the tiger, the men, the woods, all whirling madly. He tried to get hold of himself. He fired straight into open jaws that were spewing blood over him. Then he was conscious that someone else was in the fight. Aqua was there with his spear. It was the famous old Indian way of fighting, the way that had been adopted also by the ‘tiger man’. But the spear had two blades instead of one. It was something like a two-tined fork.

The tiger was already shot through and through. Yet he charged again with a coughing roar that filled the air with red spray. No man could have stopped that express train. Aqua did not try to stop it with his own strength. He let the earth beneath him do the work. As the weapon pierced the tiger’s chest, Aqua pressed the other end of the spear into the earth, thus letting it take the force of the blow. The tiger was stopped dead in his tracks. Aqua lunged forward with the spear, trying to push the animal over on to its back. But the tiger swerved, shook itself loose from the spear, and came on again with a roar, making a leap at Aqua’s throat.

Hal and Roger kept firing. The king of the jungle was being steadily shredded to bits but he fought on. Again Aqua plunged the spear into his chest and the other end into the ground. The spear bent like a bow but it stopped the charge. The tiger staggered weakly. While it was off balance, Aqua heaved with all his might.

Over went the animal on to its back. But all its four paws were towards Aqua, clawing the air. The Indian side-stepped to get behind the beast’s head, still pinning the body firmly to the ground.

Once behind the head, he could work more safely. He was out of reach of the powerful legs which shot out in all directions as the animal furiously tried to wrench loose.

Aqua see-sawed the spear back and forth, pressing it farther and farther in, piercing the heart. Hal emptied the rest of his revolver into the great head. There was a wild struggle that tore up the earth and brush for yards around. But the roars were becoming weaker. The big feet swiped the air with less force. The powerful beast went limp and lay still, blood flowing from the heart.

The two boys and Aqua had no sense of victory. This was a battle they had lost, not won. They still had to take a tiger alive.

The crew ate the dead jaguar, in spite of the fact that the taste of it was not very agreeable. Indians believe that eating a brave animal makes you brave.

Hal waited a day and a night for another jaguar to come along the trail but none came.

‘All right,’ he said, ‘if they won’t come to us, we’ll go to them.’

He and Roger and three of the Indians struck back up the trail into the jungle following tiger tracks. The spoor, marked plainly in the soft ground, led them finally to a low ridge in the side of which was a cave. The tracks disappeared within the cave.

Hal approached the entrance cautiously. He

drew his revolver but hoped fervently that he would not have to use it. One death struggle with a tiger was enough.

He peered into the darkness. He could see nothing and could hear no growling, nor even breathing. But there was a strong animal smell. Perhaps the cave was deep and the tigers were far back.

The men carried a net of strong manila rope, and this Hal placed over the mouth of the cave. It completely covered the opening. The four corners were staked to the face of the bank — but very lightly, so that the plunging of the tiger into the net would tear them loose. Hal made fast a heavy line to each corner. At a distance of ten feet these four lines were joined and braided to form a single heavy cable which went up over a branch of a tree and down again within reach.

If a tiger ran out into the net the four corners would come loose and close in on the animal. Then everybody would haul on the rope which passed over the branch and down to the net. Shut inside the net, the tiger would be lifted clear of the ground. There the beast would be quite helpless. After it had spent its fury, it might be manoeuvred into the cage, net and all. The door would be locked. Then the net could be eased off and pulled out through the slats.

Hal had read all about it in a book.

Four men were placed on duty at the end of the rope. Every four hours they were relieved by another squad. The two times when something was most likely to happen were sunset and sunrise. It is then that the jaguar prefers to go out to drink at the river or a waterhole.

All day Hal and his men were on watch and after the sun had gone down the suspense was hard to bear. Nothing happened. The net napped idly in the evening breeze. The jungle animals started their evening chorus, but there was no sound from the cave. Hal was disgusted.

‘I will show you another way to get el tigre,’ Aqua said. ‘Come down to the river.’

Hal was glad of a change. He left four men on duty at the cave and went with Aqua. They waded out to the skiff. Taking up the anchor, they rowed the boat well away from the camp. Aqua rummaged in the toldo and brought out another net.

Then he produced his steer horn and put it to his mouth. Hal thought that no tiger could have made a better tiger call.

‘On nights like this when the river is smooth,’ Aqua said, ‘el tigre likes to go swimming. A tigre in the water is easier to catch. He is too busy swimming to fight.’

Again and again he called. Hours passed. Hal was cold and sleepy. He had always supposed that hunting a tiger would be the most exciting sport in the world. He was bored. He longed for his hammock and a heavy blanket.

‘I think he Lb coming,’ whispered Aqua, and Hal shook off his drowsiness. Somewhere between the boat and shore, grunts sounded of a sort that could not come from a crocodile. Aqua called again. There were more grunts or coughs, half-smothered by water.

Then Hal could see something swimming. He kept perfectly still. Now he could make out a tiger’s head, but it was small. His hands tightened on the net as he made ready to throw it.

The swimmer paused, as if uncertain. Aqua called again, very softly. It must have been good tiger language, for the tiger came on.

Hal was not sleepy now. He tingled all over with excitement. He realized too late that he had not given enough thought to his plan of campaign. He had placed too much confidence in Aqua.

Suppose they caught the tiger in the net — then what?

He had no time to figure this out, for the tiger was now beside the boat. The top of its head showed above the water, also the tip of its tail. By reaching out, Hal could grab that tail.

He had a sudden inspiration. His arm shot out and he seized the tail.

‘Row, Aqua, row!’ He heaved upwards on the tail, sinking the tiger’s head in the water. ‘Row like mad!’

Aqua leaped on the oars and pulled. Hal braced himself and held on. A gurgling roar sounded from somewhere under the surface. The tiger was dragged along by its tail. It thrashed about savagely but could not get its head forward nor its front paws up. Much of the time the head was under water. The animal was, in fact rapidly being drowned. It stopped struggling. Now it was a dead weight. Hal called to Aqua and they lifted it into the boat. This was not too hard, for it was a small animal — weighing not more than eleven stone.

They laid it on the net. Even in the dim light they could see that it was a beautiful animal, a real prize. Hal hoped they had not thoroughly drowned it. He cautiously felt for the heart — it was still beating.

He wondered if he should apply first aid. It wasn’t necessary to decide this question, for the tiger stirred.

Hal jumped to his feet. ‘Quick! Close the net!’ They brought up the edges of the net and lashed them together. It was none too soon. The tiger was growling now and striking out feebly. She would spend the next few hours trying to get out of that net, but she was as safe as a kitten in a bag. They fastened the net to the mast.

That’ll do until morning. Then we’ll make a cage for her.’

Hal was not satisfied. The little tiger was valuable, but he still wondered what was in that cave.

When nothing came out at dawn, he decided to go in and investigate.

He held a revolver in one hand and a pole in the other. Near the end of the pole, but not at the very end, was strapped a flashlight.

If he found a tiger he hoped to confuse it with the light, prod it with the pole, and make it run out into the net.

He walked slowly back into the cave, playing the light before him. The cave was deep and twisted off to the left. As he came to the turn he heard a low growl in the darkness. He began to wish he had stayed out in the sun.

He moved the light beam here and there but could see nothing, nothing but two bright spots. Then he realized that the two spots were eyes. Another growl made him feel cold.

In vain he tried to pick up the rest of the body with his light. Surely he could see a brilliant yellow skin with black marks. But there seemed to be nothing but those two burning eyes. Again came a challenging growl.

Hal reminded himself that a wild animal usually does not attack unless it is cornered. He must be careful not to corner this one.

He went far over to the right wall so that the beast might escape along the left side. The cave was wide and there was plenty of room for it to get by without coming near him. Then it would rush out and they would have a big tiger in the net.

He knew it must be big by the deepness of the growl and the distance between the eyes. But he was greatly puzzled because he could not see the rest of the animal. There appeared to be nothing around those eyes but black cave.

He waited, but the tiger did not move. Hal crept forward, close to the wall. He still hoped the beast would not insist upon being prodded.