The Land of Mystery | Page 6

seeking to conceal his movement.
Grimcke would have been glad to turn the archer over to the care of
Long, but he was so frightfully close, that he did not dare do so. A
moment's delay on the part of his friend would be fatal. At the same
time, it was not to be forgotten that the most stealthy foe of all was
prowling among the trees on the right.
The Professor's hope, as has been explained, was that his own
retrogression had disconcerted the plans of this special miscreant for
whom, however, he kept a keen watch.
The archer still held his bow, with the arrow in place grasped by his
right hand, the long weapon resting against his hip. Provided he was
right-handed, the bow would have to be shifted to his left hand, the

arrow drawn back with the right and the missile then launched at his
foe. This, it would seem, involved enough action to give both Grimcke
and Long abundance of time in which to anticipate him.
But there remained the possibility that the savage was left-handed, in
which event, the necessary action on his part would be much less,
though sufficiently complicated to afford the white men abundance of
time to anticipate him.
The native was left-handed, with a quickness that surpassed all
expectation, the bow was suddenly raised, the end of the arrow drawn
back and the missile driven directly at the breast of Grimcke.
At precisely the same instant, the latter's strained ear caught the
crackling of a twig, above the din of the rapids (which was much less
there than below), and something was discerned moving among the
trees on his right. His frightened glance in that direction gave him a
glimpse of a dusky figure in the act of hurling his javelin.
Thus it was that the spearman and archer let fly at precisely the same
instant, and Jared Long, who was so anxious to help his friend, saw
only the deft movements of the archer. Grimcke could not fire at both
in time to save himself, but he instinctively did the very best and indeed
the only thing that could be done. Without moving his feet, he dropped
to a sitting posture, instantly popping up again like a jack-in-the-box.
The movement took place at precisely the right instant, and both the
javelin and arrow whizzed over his head, without grazing him, but the
arrow shot by Long's temple so close that he blinked and for an instant
believed he had been hit.
But, like the hunter when bitten by a rattlesnake, he determined to
crush his assailant and to attend to his hurt afterwards.
The sharp crack of the Winchester, the shriek of the smitten savage and
his frenzied leap in the air, followed in such instant succession that they
seemed simultaneous. When the wretch went back on the ground he
was as dead as Julius Caesar.

A man can fire with amazing rapidity, when using a Winchester
repeater, but some persons are like cats in their own movements. The
New Englander leveled his weapon as quickly as he could bring it to
his shoulder, but the native along the side of the Xingu had vanished as
though he never existed.
Whether he knew anything about fire-arms or not, he was quick to
understand that some kind of weapon in the hands of the white men had
knocked the bowman out of time, and he bounded among the trees at
his side, as though he, too, was discharged from the bow. He was just
quick enough to escape the bullet that would have been after him an
instant later.
The moment Grimcke knew that he was safe from the javelin, which
sped over his head, he straightened up, and, still maintaining his
removable posture, discharged his gun at the point whence came the
well-nigh fatal missile.
But the shot was a blind one, for he did not see the native at the instant
of firing. Nothing could have surpassed the alertness of these strange
savages. The one with the javelin disappeared with the same
suddenness as did his brother down the bank, and, had the archer but
comprehended his danger he, too, would have escaped.
The affray roused the wrath of both Long and Grimcke. They had
offered the hand of friendship, only to be answered with an attempt
upon their lives. One of their assailants had eluded them, and the other
would have been an assailant had the opportunity been given.
"Let's shoot him too!"
He alluded to the man who hurled the javelin and who, so far as they
could see, was left without any weapon with which to defend himself.
In their natural excitement over their victory, the friends forgot
themselves for the moment. Heedless of consequences, they