The Castaways Read online

  CHAPTER NINE.

  GAGGING A GAVIAL.

  After finishing their dinner of durions, the three men again salliedforth, to see whether something more substantial could be found for alater repast--either flesh, fowl, or fish. As before, they went indifferent directions--Captain Redwood into the forest, Murtagh up thestream, and Saloo along the sea-beach, where he waded out into thewater, still in the hope of picking up another large oyster. He tookwith him a stalk of bamboo, pointed at one end, to be used as a probe inthe soft bottom in case any oysters might be lying _perdu_ beneath thesand.

  Henry and Helen were again left to themselves, but this time they werenot to remain seated under any tree--at least, not all the time. Thefather, before leaving, had enjoined upon both of them to take a bath;ablution having become very necessary on account of their having been solong cribbed up in the somewhat dirty pinnace. It would be also ofservice in promoting their restoration to health and strength. Theywent into the water, not together, but at some distance apart--Henrychoosing to go down to the sea, while Helen entered the stream close by,as it had clear water with a smooth, sandy bed; besides, she thought itwas safer, being free from surf or currents.

  It was only safer in appearance, as the sequel proved; for the huntersand fisherman had scarce scattered off out of hearing, when a cry brokeupon the still air of noon that startled the bright-winged birds of theBornean forest, and stopped their songs as quickly as would have done ashot from Captain Redwood's rifle. It was heard by the captain himself,strolling among the tree trunks, and looking aloft for game; by Murtaghon the river bank, endeavouring to beguile the sly fish to his baitedhook; by Saloo, wading knee-deep in search of Singapore oysters; and byHenry swimming about upon the buoyant incoming tide. More distinctlythan all the rest, the little Helen heard it--since it was she who gaveit utterance.

  It was a cry of distress, and brought all the others together, andrunning toward the point whence it came. There was no difficulty abouttheir knowing the direction, for one and all recognised Helen's voice,and knew where she had been left.

  In less than sixty seconds' time they stood together upon the bank ofthe stream, on the same spot from which they had parted; and therebeheld a spectacle that thrilled them with fear, and filled them withhorror.

  The girl, finding it not deep enough by the edge of the stream--at thispoint nearly a hundred yards in width--had waded midway across, where itcame quite up to her neck; and there she stood, her head alone showingabove the surface. Beyond her, and coming from the opposite side,showed another head, so hideous it was no wonder that, on firstperceiving it, she had given way to affright, and voice to her terror.

  It was the head of an enormous reptile, of lizard shape, that hadcrawled out from a reedy covert on the opposite side of the river, andhaving silently let itself down into the water, was now swimming towardthe terrified bather. There could be no mistaking the monster's intent,for it was coming straight toward its victim.

  "_A gavial_!" cried Saloo, as his eyes rested on the body of the hugesaurian, full twenty feet in length, with its head over a yard long, andjaws nearly the same, the upper one surmounted by a long knob-likeprotuberance, that distinguishes it from all other reptiles.

  "A gavial!" echoed the others, though not inquiringly; for they knew toowell both the shape and character of the creature that was crossing theriver.

  As all four first reached the bank--arriving nearly at the same instantof time--there were about twenty yards between the hideous saurian andher who seemed destined to destruction. On first perceiving her danger,the girl had made a few plunges to get back to the bank; but, hinderedby the depth to which she had unwarily waded, and overcome by terror,she had desisted from the attempt; and now stood neck-deep, givingutterance to cries of despair.

  What was to be done? In less than a minute more the jaws of the saurianwould close upon her crashing her fair, tender form between its teeth asthough she were only some ordinary prey--a fish, or the stem of somesucculent water-plant!

  Her father stood on the bank a very picture of distress. Of what usethe rifle held half-raised in his hands? Its bullet, not bigger than apea, would strike upon the skull of such a huge creature harmlessly, asa drop of hail or rain. Even could he strike it in the eye--surgingthrough the water as it was, a thing so uncertain--that would not hinderit from the intent so near to accomplishment. The Irishman, with onlyfish-hooks in his hand, felt equally impotent; and what could the boyHenry do, not only unarmed but undressed--in short, just as he had beenbathing--_in puris naturalibus_!

  All three were willing to rush into the water, and getting between thereptile and its victim, confront the fierce creature, even to their owncertain sacrifice.

  And this, one, or other, or all of them, would have done, had they notbeen prevented by Saloo. With a loud shout the Malay, hithertoapparently impassive, called upon them to hold back. They obeyed,seeing that he intended to act, and had already taken his measures forrescuing the girl. They could not tell what these were, and onlyguessed at them by what they saw in his hands. It was nothing thatcould be called a weapon--only a piece of bamboo, pointed at one end,which he had taken from among the embers of last night's fire andsharpened with his knife, when he went off in search of the Singaporeoysters. It was the same stick he had been using to probe for themunder the sand. On seeing the gavial as it started toward the girl, hehad quickly drawn out his knife, and sharpened the other end of thestake while coming across the beach.

  With this sorry apology for a weapon, and while they were stillwondering, he dashed into the stream; and almost before any of theothers had recovered from their first surprise, they saw him plunge pastthe spot where stood the affrighted girl. In another instant his blackhead, with the long dark hair trailing behind it, appeared in closejuxtaposition to the opened jaws of the reptile. Then the head was seensuddenly to duck beneath the surface, while at the same time abrown-skinned arm and hand rose above it with a pointed stake in itsgrasp--like the emblematic representation seen upon some ancient crest.Then was seen an adroit turning of the stick, so quick as to be scarceperceptible--immediately followed by a backward spring upon the part ofthe lizard, with a series of writhings and contortions, in which bothits body and tail took part, till the water around it was lashed intofoam.

  In the midst of this commotion, the head of the Malay once more appearedabove the surface, close to that of the girl; who, under the guidance ofher strangely-skilled and truly courageous rescuer, was conducted to thebank, and delivered safe into her father's arms; stretched open toembrace her.

  It was some time, however, before the stream recovered its wontedtranquillity. For nearly half an hour the struggles of the greatsaurian continued, its tail lashing the water into foam, as through itsgagged jaws a stream rushed constantly down its throat, causingsuffocation. But, in spite of its amphibious nature, drowning wasinevitable; and soon after became an accomplished fact--the hugereptilian carcass drifting down stream, towards the all-absorbing ocean,to become food for sharks, or some other marine monster more hideous andravenous than itself.

  If, indeed, a more hideous and ravenous monster is to be found! It issometimes called the Gangetic crocodile, but it is even uglier thaneither crocodile or alligator, and differs from both in severalimportant particulars.

  As, for instance, in its mouth--its jaws being curiously straight, long,and narrow; and in the shape of its head, which has straightperpendicular sides, and a quadrilateral upper surface. It has double,or nearly double, the number [Note 1.] of the teeth of the crocodile ofthe Nile, though the latter is well enough supplied with these potentimplements of destruction!

  It is an amphibious animal, and fond of the water, in which its webbedhind feet enable it to move with considerable celerity.

  The huge reptile which threatened Helen's safety was twenty feet inlength, but the gavial sometimes attains the extraordinary dimensions ofeight to nine yards.

  Sincere was the gratitude of Captain Red
wood for the address and couragedisplayed by the Malay in rescuing his daughter, and his regret wasgreat that he had no means of rewarding his faithful follower.

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  Note 1. As many as one hundred and twenty.