At First The Wanguana
Attempted To Track Down The Corporal; But Finding He Would Not
Answer Their Repeated Shots, And Fearful For Their Own Safety,
They Came Into Camp And Reported The Case.
Losing no time, I
ordered twenty men, armed with carbines, to carry water for the
distressed porters, and bring the corporal back as soon as
possible.
They all marched off, as they always do on such
exploits, in high good-humour with themselves for the valour
which they intended to show; and in the evening came in, firing
their guns in the most reckless manner, beaming with delight; for
they had the corporal in tow, two men and two women captives, and
a spear as a trophy. Then in high impatience, all in a breath,
they began a recital of the great day's work. The corporal had
followed on the spoor of the mule, occasionally finding some of
his things that had been torn from the beast's back by the
thorns, and, picking up these one by one, had become so burdened
with the weight of them, that he could follow no farther. In
this fix the twenty men came up with him, but not until they had
had a scrimmage with the "savages," had secured four, and taken
the spear which had been thrown at them. Of the mule's position
no one could give an opinion, save that they imagined, in
consequence of the thickness of the bush, he would soon become
irretrievably entangled in the thicket, where the savages would
find him, and bring him in as a ransom for the prisoners.
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