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The Land of Mystery By: Edward Sylvester Ellis (1840-1916) |
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THE LAND OF MYSTERY by EDWARD S. ELLIS Author of "Famous American Naval Commanders," "Jungle Fugitives," "Old Ironsides,
The Hero of Tripoli and 1812," etc.
New York
Hurst & Company
Publishers
Copyright
1889 by Frank Lovell Co.
1901 by Street & Smith THE LAND OF MYSTERY.
CHAPTER I. IN THE MATTO GROSSO. The blood red sun was sinking beyond the distant Geral Mountains, when
a canoe, containing four white men and three natives, came to a halt a
thousand miles from the mighty Amazon, in the upper waters of the Xingu
River, near the great table land of Matto Grosso. 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 majestic volume the little
party of explorers had turned southward more than a month before. The
broad sail, which was erected in the centre of the craft, swept it
smoothly along over the narrowing bosom 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 ashore, and, using only the language of
signs, exchanged some of the beads and gaudy trinkets for the curious
articles of the savages. 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 awe of their visitors, that the thought of
harming them never entered their minds. But ominous changes were gradually noted by our friends, as they
steadily ascended the mysterious stream. At first the natives fled at
their approach, and failed to understand the signs of comity, 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 coverts, uttering strange cries and indulging in grotesque
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 glided
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
attenuated, 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
joint 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 remarkable deftness 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 oars, 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 descending, and that the arrangement was much better than if the
condition of affairs were reversed... Continue reading book >>
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Genres for this book |
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Adventure |
Fiction |
Teen/Young adult |
Travel |
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