Real Gold Part 31

They both eagerly showed a little of the seed, and the colonel uttered an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n full of impatience.

"No, no," he said; "pray be careful. That is not the same as you got for me the day before yesterday."

"Not mine?" cried Perry.

"No, sir; nor yours either, Cyril. They are both cinchona, but of the inferior, comparatively useless kinds."

John Manning chuckled.

"But the seeds are so much alike, sir," said Cyril.

"Yes, but the broken capsules with them are not, boy. The good splits down one way, the inferior the other. There, I suppose I must give you all another lesson. Come and have a walk at once."

He led the way out, all taking their guns, in the hope of getting a little fresh provision, as well as to throw off the attention of the Indians, who smiled at them pleasantly enough, as they looked up from their tasks of cutting and peeling the bark from the trunks and branches, most of the men with their jaws working, as they chewed away at the coca leaf, which every one seemed to carry in a little pouch attached to the waist.

No one seemed to pay further heed to them, but they were soon conscious that they were being watched, for an Indian was visible, when they went past the spot where their two guides were watching the browsing mules; and then, as they plunged into the forest, from time to time there was an indication that they were being well guarded, and that any attempt at evasion would result in an alarm being spread at once.

Once well out among the trees, the colonel began picking leaf and flower indiscriminately, to take off the watcher's attention; but he contrived, at the same time, to rivet the boys' attention upon the flower and seed of the most valuable of the cinchona trees, indicating the colour of the blossom, and the peculiarities of the seed-vessels, till even John Manning declared himself perfect.

"Seeds only," said the colonel. "I give up all thought of trying to take plants. We must depend upon the seeds alone, and we ought to get a good collection before we have done."

"And then, father?" asked Perry.

"Then we go back as fast as we can, if--"

"If what?" asked Perry.

"The Indians will let us depart."

"That's it, sir," put in John Manning. "What I was saying to the young gentleman this morning. They don't mean to let us go. We've regularly walked into a trap."

There was silence for a few moments, the colonel frowning, as if resenting the interference of his servant, but directly after he said quietly:

"I'm afraid you are right, John Manning, but we must set our wits against theirs. In another week we shall have quite sufficient of the treasured seed to satisfy me--that is, if you three are more careful-- then we must start back, before our stores begin to fail."

"What about the guides, sir?" said Cyril. "They will not help us."

"No," said the colonel. "Not the Indian guides, but I have a little English guide here, upon which we shall have to depend. There must be other pa.s.ses through the mountains, and we know that our course is due west. We shall have to trust to this."

He held out a little pocket-compa.s.s as he spoke, and then, after they had added somewhat to the store of seed already collected, both boys this time making the proper selection of tree from which to gather the reproductive seeds, they walked slowly back toward the camp.

But not alone: the Indians who had followed them outward, returning slowly behind them, carefully keeping far in the background, and trying to conceal the fact that they were on the watch; but it was only too plain to all that it would require a great deal of ingenuity to escape notice and get a fair start when the time came for making their escape.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

PREPARING FOR FLIGHT.

"I say, Cil, I don't quite know what to make of it," said Perry, a few days later. "These people are as civil and amiable as can be; they surely won't try to stop us when we want to go?"

"You wait and see," was the reply. "They will. I know them better than you do."

"But they don't think we have got anything to take away."

"Perhaps not; but they will think that as soon as we are out of their sight we shall be searching for and taking something away that they want to preserve, and if we do get away unseen, they will be after us directly."

"Well, we shall soon see," said Perry rather gloomily, as he sat gazing down into a deep valley running due south, in whose depths a bright gleam here and there told of the presence of water.

"Yes, we shall soon know now. Your father and John Manning have been carefully examining the mules, and going over the stores and packages."

"Have they? I didn't know."

"I did, and then they came out here and sat for some time over their guns."

"On the lookout for birds?"

"On the lookout to see if this way would do for us to escape."

Perry whistled.

"Did they tell you so?"

"No; but I put that and that together."

"Put why go this way? This does not lead over the mountains."

"Because the Indians will not think we should choose this route."

"But we couldn't get over the mountains from down there."

"We must," said Cyril quietly.

"But," said Perry, "we can't get the mules and their loads away without Diego knowing."

"Must again," replied Cyril. "We can't escape without a supply of food, and we must have the mules to carry it, for we may be weeks wandering about in the gorges of the mountains. So it's must, must, must, my lad.

We've got it to do, and we're going to do it."

"I say."

"Well--what?"

"Do you think it will come to a fight?"

"Not if your father can help it; but if it does, we shall have to do some shooting."

Perry drew his breath hard.