But on the eve of the third day, Jack having got the last of the cargo aboard a little after noon, to his anxiety, Plum Plucky had not appeared.
"He will surely come before morning, unless something has happened to him, for I never knew Plum to break his word," said Jack to the skipper.
"Can"t wait any longer!" declared captain Hillgrove the following morning, when it was found that Plum was still missing. "We shall all be confiscated by these infernal Spaniards."
Jack was now really alarmed about his friend, whom he believed had been waylaid and robbed. But he could not think of leaving without making a search for him.
"I am going to start for De la Pama to look for him, but you may expect me back by sunset."
"If you are not I shall set sail without you, for I have seen some of the Chilian spies around today."
"You need not wait any longer than sunset," said Jack, who could not blame the other for his impatience.
Losing no more time, Jack mounted a fleet pony that he had hired at an exorbitant price, and set out for De la Pama at a furious pace.
Toward noon he was gladdened by the sight of an inhabitant of the town whom he knew, and who was on his way to Cobija.
Halting the Peruvian he inquired of him in regard to Plum. This fellow, who knew Plum well, replied that he had seen him in town, and that he had left two days before. Upon second thought, he volunteered the startling information that news had come of an American being waylaid and killed by a party of bush-raiders a dozen miles east of De la Pama!
"Did the young engineer start directly for Cobija?" asked Jack anxiously.
"No; he went toward the east, saying he wished to go to Don de Estuaray before he went to Cobija."
This was sufficient to arouse the fears of Jack, who procured a fresh horse and put on as rapidly as possible across the wild country toward the estancia of Don de Estuaray.
All the afternoon he rode as fast as he could, but he saw nothing of his missing friend. In his anxiety he halted on top of an eminence of land commanding a wide view of the surrounding country, to scan the lonely scene.
His attention was finally caught and held by the flight of one of those enormous vultures of the Andes, which was descrying a circle in the air directly over the valley at his feet. Smaller and smaller grew the orbit of this dark bird while he watched, until suddenly it ended its gyrations and swooped swiftly down out of sight.
Then a second took its place in the air, soon following it to the earth, in turn succeeded by a third, and that by another, and so on, until a dozen had come and gone in this mysterious way.
With a dread foreboding at his heart, Jack rode forward into the isolated valley, when, from a small opening in the centre of the place the sudden whir of wings and the rapid flight of many dark bodies told him the secret of it all.
He found what he expected a moment later--the bones of a human being picked clean of all flesh by the vultures, while scattered here and there were shreds and pieces of the garments worn by the unfortunate person.
He found enough of the clothes to know only too well that they belonged to his lost friend Plum Plucky, and tears filled his eyes as he turned away to shut out the sad spectacle.
"This is fearful!" he murmured. "Poor, poor fellow!"
At this very moment, though of course unknown to him, tired of waiting for him any longer, Captain Hillgrove was sailing out of Gobija harbor, anxious to reach the open sea before night should set in.
Chapter XXIII
Jenny
The vultures were still screaming over his head, venting their rage over being disturbed in their feast, as Jack hastily brushed the tears from his eyes and looked more clearly around him.
"Poor Plum!" he exclaimed, "this is indeed a sad fate. It seems a certain fatality for any one to be my friend. But I suppose you were killed for your money. It seems only decent that I should give your bones human burial."
With his knife and the stirrups taken from the trappings of his horse, Jack hollowed out a spot to receive all that was left of the body he had found.
By the time he had finished the sad task it was quite dark in the forest, so he knew he must get away from the lonely place as soon as possible, if he valued his own life.
With a last farewell look at the wildwood grave which he was never to see again, he rode away through the wilderness.
He soon found, however, that his horse was so spent that it must have rest before going much further.
As impatient as he was to reach Cobija, wondering what Captain Hillgrove would think of his prolonged absence, he yielded to the unavoidable and stopped awhile in the heart of the forest.
It was broad daylight when he rode into De la Pama on a used up horse and himself quite f.a.gged out.
But notwithstanding his condition, he felt obliged to push on for Cobija, dreading lest he should find Captain Hillgrove already gone. Accordingly remounting the pony he had previously ridden, he started for the sea coast at a rapid gait.
The wiry little animal made a remarkable record, but he might as well have been on the road another day, as it seemed, for he found his worst fears realized.
Captain Hillgrove had sailed!
Whither should he turn now? What should he do? Never in his life had he felt so lonely and so near despair as he did at that time. The indomitable pluck which had carried him through so many trials began to leave him.
Then, he rallied, exclaiming:
"I will earn money enough to take me back to the United States on the first ship that comes this way. Perhaps with a sample of my nitrate I------"
He suddenly felt a heavy hand laid on his shoulder, and turning he was both astonished and pleased to find one of the seaman of the _Elizabeth_ standing beside him!
"Ahoy, shipmate!" greeted the sailor, giving the true nautical pitch, "so I"ve follered you into port at last, though it"s a sorry cruise I"ve had."
"Captain Hillgrove!" cried Jack, elated. "Where is he?"
"Outside, shipmate. He durstn"t stay inside longer, and he sent me to keep a lookout for you. I was giving you up when I clapped my old watchdogs on you. You are ready to go out to the _Elizabeth_ in my boat?"
Jack"s reply was an exclamation of joy and a more fervant grip of the honest old tar"s hand.
"Captain Hillgrove had not deserted me after all!"
Without further trouble or delay the couple made the trip to the waiting vessel, when Jack was greeted by the bluff old skipper:
"Bless my eyes! but I had given you up to old Davy Jones."
"And I thought you had left me in the lurch," said Jack frankly, as he cringed under the grip given his hand by the other.
"I did not dare stay in Cobija longer, my hearty. If I had done so nary a bit of your dust would have been left on the _Elizabeth_. Bless my eyes! but I"m just overflowing and roaring glad--run up the yards lads.
Lively, lads! put the old _Elizabeth_ on her wings. We must be a long way from here afore sun-up."
Exciting scenes followed, of which Jack was a spectator and not an actor.