It was her voice, then, I had mistaken for that of a man!
Becoming sensible of my intrusive position, I turned to retreat, when a shrill cry reached me from the pond.
The swans, with a frightened energy shrieked and flapped over the surface, the gold-fish shot to and fro like sunbeams, and leaped out of the water, quivering and terrified, and the birds on all sides screamed and chattered.
I sprang forward to ascertain the cause of this strange commotion. My eye fell upon the negress, who had risen, and, running out upon the parapet with uplifted arms, shouted in terrified accents:
"_Valgame Dios--ninas! El cayman! el cayman_!"
I looked across to the other side of the pond. A fearful object met my eyes--the cayman of Mexico! The hideous monster was slowly crawling over the low wall, dragging his lengthened body from a bed of aquatic plants.
Already his short fore-arms, squamy and corrugated, rested upon the inner edge of the parapet, his shoulders projecting as if in the act to spring! His scale-covered back, with its long serrated ridge, glittered with a slippery moistness; and his eyes, usually dull, gleamed fierce and lurid from their prominent sockets.
I had brought with me a light rifle. It was but the work of a moment to unsling and level it. The sharp crack followed, and the ball impinged between the monster"s eyes, glancing harmlessly from his hard skull as though it had been a plate of steel. The shot was an idle one, perhaps worse; for, stung to madness with the stunning shock, the reptile sprang far out into the water, and made directly for its victims.
The girls, who had long since given over their mirthful contest, seemed to have lost all presence of mind; and, instead of making for the bank, stood locked in each other"s arms terrified and trembling.
Their symmetrical forms fell into an agonised embrace; and their rounded arms, olive and roseate, laced each other, and twined across their quivering bodies.
Their faces were turned to heaven, as though they expected succour from above--a group that rivalled the Laoc.o.o.n.
With a spring I cleared the parapet, and, drawing my sword, dashed madly across the basin.
The girls were near the centre; but the cayman had got the start of me, and the water, three feet deep, impeded my progress. The bottom of the tank, too, was slippery, and I fell once or twice on my hands. I rose again, and with frantic energy plunged forward, all the while calling upon the bathers to make for the parapet.
Notwithstanding my shouts, the terrified girls made no effort to save themselves. They were incapable from terror.
On came the cayman with the velocity of vengeance. It was a fearful moment. Already he swam at a distance of less than six paces from his prey, his long snout projecting from the water, his gaunt jaws displaying their quadruple rows of sharp glistening teeth.
I shouted despairingly. I was baffled by the deep water. I had nearly twice the distance before I could interpose myself between the monster and its victims.
"I shall be too late!"
Suddenly I saw that the cayman had swerved. In his eagerness he had struck a subaqueous pipe of the jet.
It delayed him only a moment; but in that moment I had pa.s.sed the statue-like group, and stood ready to receive his attack.
"_A la orilla! a la orilla_!" (To the bank! to the bank!) I shouted, pushing the terrified girls with one hand, while with the other I held my sword at arm"s-length in the face of the advancing reptile.
The girls now, for the first time awaking from their lethargy of terror, rushed towards the bank.
On came the monster, gnashing his teeth in the fury of disappointment, and uttering fearful cries.
As soon as he had got within reach I aimed a blow at his head; but the light sabre glinted from the fleshless skull with the ringing of steel to steel.
The blow, however, turned him out of his course, and, missing his aim, he pa.s.sed me like an arrow. I looked around with a feeling of despair.
"Thank heaven, they are safe!"
I felt the clammy scales rub against my thigh; and I leaped aside to avoid the stroke of his tail, as it lashed the water into foam.
Again the monster turned, and came on as before.
This time I did not attempt to cut, but thrust the sabre directly for his throat. The cold blade snapped between his teeth like an icicle.
Not above twelve inches remained with the hilt; and with this I hacked and fought with the energy of despair.
My situation had now grown critical indeed. The girls had reached the bank, and stood screaming upon the parapet.
At length the elder seized upon a pole, and, lifting it with all her might, leaped back into the basin, and was hastening to my rescue, when a stream of fire was poured through the leaves of the plantains: I heard a sharp crack--the short humming whiz of a bullet--and a large form, followed by half a dozen others, emerged from the grove, and, rushing over the wall, plunged into the pond.
I heard a loud plashing in the water--the shouts of men, the clashing of bayonets; and then saw the reptile roll over, pierced by a dozen wounds.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
DON COSME ROSALES.
"Yur safe, Cap"n!" It was Lincoln"s voice. Around me stood a dozen of the men, up to their waists. Little Jack, too, (his head and forage-cap just appearing above the surface of the water), stood with his eighteen inches of steel buried in the carcase of the dead reptile. I could not help smiling at the ludicrous picture.
"Yes, safe," answered I, panting for breath; "safe--you came in good time, though!"
"We heern yur shot, Cap"n," said Lincoln, "an" we guessed yur didn"t shoot without somethin" ter shoot for; so I tuk half a dozen files and kim up."
"You acted right, sergeant; but where are the--"
I was looking towards the edge of the tank where I had last seen the girls. They had disappeared.
"If yez mane the faymales," answered Chane, "they"re _vamosed_ through the threes. Be Saint Patrick, the black one"s a thrump anyhow! She looks for all the world like them bewtiful crayoles of Dimmerary."
Saying this, he turned suddenly round, and commenced driving his bayonet furiously into the dead cayman, exclaiming between the thrusts:
"Och, ye divil! bad luck to yer ugly carcase! You"re a nate-looking baste to interfere with a pair of illigant craythers! Be the cra.s.s!
he"s all shill, boys. Och, mother o" Moses! I can"t find a saft spot in him!"
We climbed out upon the parapet, and the soldiers commenced wiping their wet guns.
Clayley appeared at this moment, filing round the pond at the head of the detachment. As I explained the adventure to the lieutenant, he laughed heartily.
"By Jove! it will never do for a despatch," said he; "one killed on the side of the enemy, and on ours not a wound. There is one, however, who may be reported `badly scared"."
"Who?" I asked.
"Why, who but the bold Blossom?"
"But where is he?"
"Heaven only knows! The last I saw of him, he was screening himself behind an old ruin. I wouldn"t think it strange if he was off to camp-- that is, if he believes he can find his way back again."
As Clayley said this, he burst into a loud yell of laughter.