Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-08-07
A NOVEL DEFENSE.
BY W. THOMSON.

"What has become of Tom Grant"
said the leader of our party as we, one
after another, reused up after long mid
day sleep.
Gone of, as usual, on a beetle and
butterfly hunt, suppose, replied Toms
chum, young fellow named Austin.
"Well, it was mighty foolish thing
to do iu these parts, without his rifle,
and see he has left that behind. When
did he go2" rejoined the captain.
Don't know, Cap, but guess nc
never took a snooze at all. | waked up
first Of the crowd, and he was gone
then" Austin somewhat anxiOusly an
swered.
Charlie Blake, whom we had elected
captain of the expedition, out Of defer
cuce to his longer experience in the
country, turned to the party, with very
serious expression on his handsome face,
and said:
'Boys, it is nov two o'clock. We've
been sleeping for over an hour and
half, and Grant may have been gore all
that time. He is quite unarmed, and
the BraSes and thic&e,s about here az e
full Of ja3uars, pan. .Iers, palmcats an1
wid-hogs; aud, worst Of all, the terri
bic tree-boa is by no means rare. Most
of these creatures lie close hidden during
the heat of the day, but Tom Is just as
likely as not to run right into their lairs,
or, By his single presence, tempt some
of them from cover, and ii he does -
Well, VIC had better lose no time in hunt
Ing him up"
We were a party of six five OF US
young fellows, from Boston, who had
lately graduated and were now, before
settling down to the serious business OF
life, spending a few months in Brazil, oD
a botanizing, chronological and hunting
trip. The sixth man, Charlie Blake,
was thirty -year-old New Yorker,
whom we had fortunately run against at
Valverde, where he had been for some
time engaged in trade, and who had very
kindly consented TO Join us for week
or two, thus supplying the rather light
headed much needed modicum Of bal
last.
OF late we had made Valverde our
headquarters, but we were now out on
tour of exploration, and it was on the
second day after leaving the old town
that we found ourselves, at noon, in that
prolific stretch Of country which lies
above the juuction of aud between the
Tocautins and Rio del Tigre River. A
wonderful land, indeed! whose amazing
richness of tropical vegetation, gorge
Gus bloom of endless flowers, myriad
birds of brilliant plumage aud incredi-
BILE wealth OF scarcely less brilliant in
sects, on every side delight the eye; but
whose groves and swamps, dark forests
and deep grassed plains TEEN, alts! with
noxious, venomous life, and in the green
scummed waters of whose stagnant la
goons deadly malaria forever turks.
We had lain down beneath the shade
of clump of vine-clad cypress and gum
trees to sleep away the hot noontidc
hours, and discovered, only on awaking,
that Tom Grant, firing entomol-
gist, had disappeared; but had it not
been for Blake's warning words, none Of
us would have felt the least misgiving as
to his safety.
Now, however, aIl were anxious 10
start out at once on the search; aud ex-
tending ourselves into line, with an in
terval of about fifty yards between each
two men, we set of upstream, knowing
that our comrade must have taken that
route, as the rivers junction lay imme-
diately below US.
Every now and then, as we pushed
laboriously along through the almost i'm
penetrable woods, one or another Of us
discharged signal shot, in hope OF
hearing an answering halo; but the
only effect of our fire was to. scare from
their hiding places or drive to deeper
cover hundreds of screaming parrots,
chattering monkeys and thousaud-and-
one flying and creeping denizens Of the
forest wiIds.
No human voice responded to our
summons, and yet we felt assured of be.
ing on the right trial, for three several
times We had found haIf-burnt matches,