The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-11
CHAPTER vi.
A BURNING, FIERY FURNACE

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Gregorio trembled in every limb. All
around him the tree tops were peopled
with apes, scorpions. serpents and birds.
These last, rendered furious by the smell
of smoke, which had now reached them,
were making a magnificent slaughter
among the reptiles And all around a
cloud of mosquitoes, thickening every
moment, threatened to intercept the
light Of the sun.
All at once the bowling redoubled,
the hissings became more shrill, CON-
motion took place in the whole Of this
mass; the squirrels leaped out into the
empty space, the serpents bounded from
one side to the other, the birds few
away. and the mosquitoes moved TO
the middle of the stream The place
was cleared There was nothing left ON
the beach but the corpses Of the victims
of this witches meeting. In an instant
the Amazon was covered with 100, 600
different animals, swimming drowning,
still tearing each other to pieces.
Gregorio believed himself saved, but
the foot of the oak where he now was
caught fire, and up to the edge of the
river, where the water, reddened by the
orgies Of the alligators, was submerg.
ing tho beach, all the brambles and
dead leaves were burning.
The half caste, mad with despair and
blinded by the smoke, endcavored for a
moment to hold out against the sitting
air, and short as that moment was il
was long enough for the animals to clear
away from the bank Then, overcome
by the heat, he let himself fall ipto the
flames and rushed to the river, into
which he threw himself, not caring for
anything else. Any kind Of death SEEM
ed to him preferable to that which he
was escaping from.
! In plunging into this fresh water the
unhappy man, whose every pore was an
open wound, felt marvellous sensation
OF GOODNESS and was conscious of return
Ing strength He swan like a shark.
and with wonderful dexterity knew
how to avoid the most dangerous com.
panions of his fight For fear Of the al
hgators he made for the middle of the
stream, the current of whieh,-the
strongest in the world, would carry him
In some hours either TO Para or to some |
island. He did not intend to swim To |
the opposite bank for several reasons.
AT this point the Amazon is four miles |
broad, and he would have had to strug-
gle during a great part of the night I
against this invincible current. On the
other hand, he had every reason to be-
.teve that the animals in their fight
= onld reach the other side, which would
n in that case be desirable place for
pas ing the night.
So he let himself go with the current.
Some surdred yards down he felt him
self sci cd by the hair, and some shaggy
creatur, clung TO his shoulders 1t was
q poor Il tie monkey, very pretty, which
was just O. the point Of being drowned,
and so laid hold Of anything it could.
Gregorio tried to pull it OF and throw
It back into the water. But the animal
lug its claws and teeth into the flesh of
the half caste, and so he was forced to
support and save this parasite.
He could still count upon three hours
Of daylight, and 50 he set TO work to
swim with all his might, still keeping
his burden, which did not bite him any
more, but held tightly ON TO his matted
hair. The river suddenly widenod, and
he Argentine perceived tho fortiiica.
ions Of Para Alas, it was TOO far OF
'or him to hope to reach it, especially as
his strength now evidently began to fail
him.
He had Just passed the mouth Of lit
10 river when canoe, padded by an
indian, entered the Amazon. At the
'ottom Of the boat lay an apparently
ifeless mass. This was poor Alfonso,
yho had also thrown himself into the
lrst water he had come to. and ~ho, by
g2od fortune, had been