The Land of Mystery

Land of Mystery, The

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Title: The Land of Mystery
Author: Edward S. Ellis

Release Date: October 10, 2005 [eBook #16855]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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OF MYSTERY***
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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