Chapter 25 - The feroucious tiger
«Do you see anything Jody?» Blake asked.
«Yes, a black dot.»
«A sailing ship?»
«I can't tell you yet.»
«You don't have the eyes of a sailor.»
«It's far away, Mr. Blake, and then night begins to fall.»
«There is still a ray of sunshine. I must see too.»
Blake, who was lying comfortably, took a long puff of smoke from his short real briar pipe and stood up.
The river flowed into the sea at that point, roaring among the rocks that formed a bar, inaccessible to even small ships, mixing its fresh and fresh waters with the dark green and salty ones.
Some Rolliers, beautiful birds for the bright colors of their feathers, fluttered over a pair of monkeys adorned with a long white beard that goes from ear to ear, sitting on a huge tamarind.
Blake reached Jody, who was clinging to the branches of a small cardamom as the bank was very steep.
«It looks like a lifeboat.» he murmured.
«Sailing?"
«No, by steam.»
«Then it's ours.»
«I don't think is coming this way.» Blake said «Goes to north.»
«The mandah should already be here. We've been already waiting for five days.»
«His boat doesn't have a steamboat. On the other hand, it is fine here and now the pearl is in our hand. Light the fire, Kaj won't be long in bringing dinner.».
«We will go and camp in the fragrant grove. So we'll have the spices on hand.»
The sun had completely disappeared, the two went up the bank and headed towards a group of plants, with many branches, covered with fleshy leaves and fruit, which spread a sharp aromatic scent.
It was a grove of cinnamon trees, plants that abound on the island of Ceylon, of which they form the main wealth. In fact, on that earth, cinnamon is better than elsewhere.
After beating nearby grasses with sticks lest they hide some cobra-manilla, the most poisonous of all known snakes, or some of those huge rock snakes that reach thirty feet in length and like boas they grind between their own mighty coils of animals and men, raised a tent, then lit the fire.
They had just finished when Kaj's voice was heard shouting:
«Here's the dinner!»
Kaj had appeared at the edge of the grove, carrying a fairly large animal on his shoulders.
«What are you taking us, Kaj?» Blake asked.
«A nice wild pig, which made me run four hours» he replied, throwing it in front of Jody, who had armed himself with a knife to slice it.
«No news of the mandah?» he asked anxious.
«Nothing.» Blake answered «We saw a lifeboat, but it didn't have to be the one we are waiting for, it was going north».
«I am in a hurry to deliver the pearl to the monks, sorry.»
«Will our journey last long?» Jody asked.
«A fortnight, if no misfortune happens.»
«Which kind? There are three of us, all solid and well armed and with a steamboat.»
«You did well, Mr. Blake. The town we will cross is inhabited by the Vadassi.»
«Who are they?»
«Black-skinned savages like the Andamans; they are along rivers and in the mountains, living like wild jungle beasts.»
«Are they belligerent?»
«Very much, Mr. Blake, and they are very feared, even if they have no guns.»
«We'll beware of them» said Jody who was roasting a dozen meat stuck in the iron rod of his rifle. «Gentlemen, dinner is ready!».
He removed the meat and placed it on a banana leaf that served perfectly as a plate and sat down between Kaj and Blake.
Having devoured their dinner, they fed the fire, the forests of that great island being populated by ferocious buffaloes, tigers and leopards, then lit their pipes.
They chatted, then lay down under the tent while Jody mounted the first turn of guard.
A profound silence reigned, broken only by the bellowing of the water against the rocks. However, Jody did not close his eyes. He was leaning against a log, with the rifle on his knees and smoking, straining his ears.
He had been awake for a couple of hours, when he thought he heard a rustle towards the shore. For a moment he had the idea of waking Kaj, then he was ashamed of wanting to interrupt the sleep of that good companion just to ask him for help.
He held the rifle in his hands and the knife. He got up and, still hearing the faint rustle, walked slowly towards the river, hiding behind the bushes.
The moon was missing, yet the stars cast that vague glow. He thought he was deceived. He listened for a few minutes, then no longer hearing or seeing anything, he returned to the camp, glad that he had not needed to engage in a fight.
He had just sat down in front of the tent, which the constant fire lit up as if it were broad daylight, when the immense leaves of a small banana tree gently moved away, revealing a human head.
It was One-eye.
«I was not deceived!» he said to himself with a fierce smile «My dear ones, you are still too weak to measure up to me. We'll see if I let you get to the monastery. The way is long. There I see Jody, the others will be under the tent. We will precede you on the way.».
Without showing himself, he quietly descended the shore, followed the stream, paying attention where to place his feet because in order not to find himself in front of some voracious crocodile, then he slipped into a dense bush, slipping inside with the agility of snake.
«Who lives?» asked a voice.
«One-eye.»
The Irishman, the prison overseer, stood up behind a bush, holding a rifle aimed.
«So?» churches.
«They're up there, on the edge of the forest. I told you that we would find them.»
«Are they all there?»
«Yes.» One-eye answered.
«And why don't they move?»
«They'll be waiting for a few lifeboats, as we haven't seen any tied to the shore.»
«Could that damned mandah still help them?»
«I don't doubt it.» One-eye answered «Ah! If I could have it back in my hands, it wouldn't escape me a second time. He was the one who ruined everything.».
«And you too!» replied the angry Irishman, «You should have detonated the dynamite cartridge closest to them.»
«They would have found me out.»
«With the copper headboard?»
«Reproaches are useless. Let's think about recovering the pearl and making them all prisoners!»
«Oh! I won't go back to the penitentiary without them, I assure you, One-eye! I want to take a good revenge also for a good gratification.»
«I promise you to put them in your hand.»
«When?»
«As soon as we cross the region inhabited by the Vadassi. Later I will find my compatriots and they will not hesitate to help me.»
«Do you have faithful friends there?»
«Even relatives.»
«So we will have to precede them?» asked Foster, after a moment of reflection.
«It is necessary though. We will skirt the opposite shore»
They went off still following the river and stopped in front of a steamboat mounted by two half-naked Sinhalese, loaded with rattles, bracelets and leather adorned with large gold studs.
The Irishman spoke a few words, while One-eye took the helm; then the lifeboat, which had its fires lit, crossed the river, driving under the opposite bank.
«A little steam.» commanded the Irishman «There are men on the other side of the river.»
The lifeboat climbed the river slowly, but the current, breaking against the bar, produced a great crash, while the shadow cast by the trees hid the smoke from the chimney.
The Irishman, sitting in the bow, with a rifle in his hands, spied the opposite bank. Soon he saw the light of the camp.
«Too bad we can't kill them!» he murmured.
A voice rose from the direction of the camp:
«Who lives?»
«Stop the engine!»
The Irishman hastily commanded. The lifeboat stopped instantly. Fortunately, in that place the plants were very tall and pushed their mighty branches almost to the middle of the river, making the four men invisible.
It was impossible that Jody could have seen them.
After a short silence, Jody's voice was heard again:
«Are you, mandah?»
«Silence!» Foster ordered.
«If I could shoot him» murmured One-eye. «It was he who threw me into the water and I'd like to pay him the bill.»
«That man belongs to me, or rather to the penitentiary. You no longer have any rights over him.»
For the second time Jody asked:
«Are you there, mandah?»
Then, hearing no answer, he was seen descending to the shore, clinging to the bushes and stopping among the aquatic grasses. He stayed a few minutes, trying to guess the cause of that suspicious noise, then climbed up and disappeared among the plants.
«He's gone.» Foster whispered, leaning towards One-eye.
«Shall we leave?»
«Let's wait a bit. Let's give him time to go back to the camp.»
«Did you hear that mandah dog await?» One-eye asked, gritting his teeth.
«It was easy to guess.»
They remained stationary for ten minutes, then the lifeboat set off again.
Already the Irishman was about to give the order to launch it at full speed, when he saw a human shadow waving on the opposite bank. An oath escaped him.
«Jody again?» he whispered, «Could that clever one realize it's us? I'm starting to feel the blood rush to my head.»
«Do you want me to kill him?» asked the one-eyed.
«No: let's wait.»
Suddenly they heard a scream, followed soon after by a hoarse growl.
«A tiger?» Foster asked.
«Yes, sir replied One-eye.
«Did he attack Jody?»
«So much the better: this way I will be avenged and have one less enemy.»
They listened to their ears without hearing anything.
«Full steam ahead!» the Irishman commanded. «If you hurry as you can, that curious one.»
The lifeboat picked up momentum and quickly went up the river, soon disappearing into the darkness.