It was hard work, forcing the long shallow boat against the rapid current of the stream, whose unknown source is somewhere among the famous diamond regions of Brazil. It was plain sailing for three hundred leagues from the Amazon, from whose majestic2 volume the little party of explorers had turned southward more than a month before. The broad sail, which was erected3 in the centre of the craft, swept it smoothly4 along over the narrowing bosom5 of the Xingu, between luxuriant forests and past tribes of strange-looking Indians, who stood on the banks staring wonderingly at the extraordinary beings, the like of which many of them had never seen before.
Occasionally the explorers put ashore6, and, using only the language of signs, exchanged some of the beads7 and gaudy8 trinkets for the curious articles of the savages9. Endless varieties of fruit were so abundant that it was to be had for the simple trouble of plucking; while the timid natives stood in such awe10 of their visitors, that the thought of harming them never entered their minds.
But ominous11 changes were gradually noted12 by our friends, as they steadily13 ascended14 the mysterious stream. At first the natives fled at their approach, and failed to understand the signs of comity15, or were so distrustful of the strangers that they refused to meet their advances. Fleeing into the woods or high hills, they peeped out from their coverts16, uttering strange cries and indulging in grotesque17 gestures, the meaning of which could hardly be mistaken. Had there been any misapprehension on the part of the visitors, there was none after several scores launched their arrows at the boat, as it glided18 away from the shore and up stream. The aim was wild and no one was struck, but when Professor Ernest Grimcke, the sturdy, blue-eyed scientist of the party, picked up one of the missiles and carefully examined it, he made the disturbing announcement that it was tipped with one of the deadliest of known poisons.
The other members of this exploring party were Fred Ashman, a bright, intelligent American, four-and-twenty years of age; Jared Long, an attenuated19, muscular New Englander in middle life, and Aaron Johnston, a grim, reserved but powerful sailor from New Bedford, who had spent most of his life on whaling voyages. Professor Grimcke and Ashman were joint20 partners in the exploring enterprise, Long and Johnston being their assistants.
In addition, there were three native servants, or helpers, known as Bippo, Pedros and Quincal. They had been engaged at Macapa, near the mouth of the Amazon. They were rather small of size, the first-named being the most intelligent, and in that warm, tropical climate wore no clothing except a strip of native cloth around the loins. Ashman had striven to teach them the use of firearms, but they could never overcome the terror caused by the jet of fire and the thunderous explosion when the things were discharged. They, therefore, clung to their spears, which, having honest points, cannot be said to have been very formidable weapons in their hands, even though each native was able to throw them with remarkable21 deftness22 and accuracy.
The sail that had served the explorers so well, where the Xingu was broader and with a slower current, became useless, or at least proved unequal to the task of overcoming the force of the stream. Consequently they had recourse to the broad-bladed oars23, with which they drove the canoe swiftly against the resisting river, cheered by the oft-repeated declaration of the Professor, whose spirits never flagged, that the harder it proved going up stream, the easier must it be in descending24, and that the arrangement was much better than if the condition of affairs were reversed.
The most tiresome25 work came when they reached some place, where the falls or rapids compelled them to land, and, lifting the boat and its contents from the ground, carry it round the obstruction26 to the more favorable current above. These portages varied27 in length from a few rods to a fourth of a mile, and the further the party advanced, the more frequent did they become.
"We have gone far enough for to-night," said the Professor, as the prow28 of the boat was turned toward the left bank; "we will go into camp and make ready for to-morrow."
A few minutes later, the bow of the canoe gently touched the dark sand of the shore. Bippo, Pedros and Quincal understood their duty so well that, without suggestion from the others, they leaped into the shallow waters, ran a few steps, and, grasping the front of the craft, drew it so far upon the land that the others stepped out without so much as wetting the soles of their shoes.
This task was no more than finished, when the natives scattered29 in the forest, which came almost to the edge of the water, in quest of fuel. This of course was so abundant that the work was slight, but since Professor Grimcke and Fred Ashman paid them well for their services they were left to attend to that duty unassisted.
As the surroundings of the party were entirely30 new and strange, Grimcke proposed that while the evening meal was being prepared, they should find out, if it could be done, whether any unwelcome neighbors were likely to disturb them before morning. After a brief consultation31, it was decided32 that the Professor and Jared Long should make their way up the river, keeping close to shore, with the purpose of learning the extent of the rapids, while Ashman and the sailor, Johnston, should follow the clearly marked trail which led directly away from the stream and into the forest. It was more than probable that one of the couples would come upon something worth knowing, and it was not unlikely that both would return with important information.
Twilight33 is of short duration in the low latitudes34, and the wish of the four white men was to be back in camp at the end of an hour, by which time night would be fairly upon them. But the moon was at its full and would serve them better than the twilight itself.
The German and New Englander, therefore, moved away from camp, following the course of the Xingu, while their two friends quickly vanished in the forest. Each carried his repeating Winchester and his Smith & Wesson.
Ashman felt some misgiving35 because of the trail leading into the woods from a point so near the camp. It seemed likely to have been worn by the inhabitants of some village near at hand, though it was possible that the innumerable feet of wild animals on their way to and from the river may have been the cause. The upper waters of the Xingu are remarkably36 clear and pure, a fact which rendered the first theory most probable.
The explorers had landed in a dangerous region, as they were destined37 to learn very soon, and the experience of the couples who took routes at right angles to each other was of the most thrilling character.
It has been stated that the progress of the canoe had been checked, as was often the case before, by the rapids of the Xingu, which could be passed only by carrying the canoe and luggage to the smoother waters above. It was apparent that the river frequently overflowed38 its banks, for immense quantities of driftwood lined both shores, while the vegetation had been swept away to that extent that a space of a dozen feet from the margin39 of the stream was comparatively free from it. Thus both parties found the travelling easy.
The rapids were a hundred yards wide, more or less, and, with such a steep incline, that the foamy40 waves dashed hither and thither41 and against each other with the utmost fury, sending the spray high in air and sweeping42 forward with such impetuosity that it seemed impossible for the strongest craft under the most skilful43 guidance to shoot them. The explorers studied them with great interest as they ascended the left bank.
It was inevitable44 that in a country with such excessive vegetable growth, every part of the Xingu should show much floating timber. The logs which plunged45 through the rapids played all manner of antics. Sometimes they leaped high out of the waters, like immense sea monsters, the out-spreading limbs showing a startling resemblance to the arms of a drowning person mutely appealing for help. Then a heavy trunk would strike a rock just below the surface, and the branches, dripping with spray, swept over in a huge semi-circle. The roar and swirl46 suggested the whirlpool below the falls of Niagara, one of the most appalling47 sights in all nature.
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1
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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3
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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8
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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10
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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comity
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| n.礼让，礼仪；团结，联合 | |
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coverts
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| n.隐蔽的，不公开的，秘密的( covert的名词复数 )；复羽 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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18
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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19
attenuated
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| v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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deftness
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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24
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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29
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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34
latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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40
foamy
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| adj.全是泡沫的，泡沫的，起泡沫的 | |
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41
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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42
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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43
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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44
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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45
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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46
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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47
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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