Chapter 17 Chapter 17 An Attack

To avoid a row on board, Manoel said nothing about Torres, but, the next day, he decided to speak to Benito. He pulled Benito to the bow and said to him: Benito, I need to talk to you. Benito smiled as usual, stopped to look at Manoel, his face gradually darkened. I know what you're trying to say, is it about Torres?he asks. Yes, Benito! Great, I was just about to talk to you about this too. Did you notice how nice he was to Mina?Manoel asked palely. Ah, it's not jealousy that makes you hate him, is it?cried Benito. Of course not, Manoel replied, God forbid I should insult a girl who is going to be my wife like that!No, Benito!She hates this adventurer too, and while I don't hate him for that, it's heartbreaking to see this guy keep showing up around your mother and sister, making a big show of being courteous, and trying to get close to your family, which is mine. I hate it!

Manoel, Benito said seriously, I hate this suspicious fellow as much as you do.I would have driven this Torres off the raft long ago if I had acted on my feelings!But I dare not! You do not dare?Manoel grabbed his friend's hand and said: How dare you! Listen to me, Manoel, went on Benito, you have watched Torres carefully, have you not?You can see that he is very attentive to my sister!True!However, you only noticed this, but you didn't see that this worrying guy has been closely monitoring my father. His eyes never left my father's side for a moment. Some kind of unspeakable hatred!

What are you talking about, Benito?Do you have any reason to think that Torres is against Joam?Galal holding a grudge? There's no reason this isn't an idea!Benito said it was a hunch!Watch Torres carefully, study his facial expressions carefully, and you will see what a vicious smirk he has when he looks at my father! My God, exclaimed Manoel, if that's the case, Benito, we've got one more reason to drive him away. There is one more reason and one less reason, Benito said, Manoel, what am I afraid of?I don't know but I'm afraid it's not safe to force my father to drive Torres away!I'll tell you again I'm scared and I don't know why I feel this way, nothing can explain it to me!

Benito trembled with rage as he said these words. So, says Manoel, do you think you should wait? Yes, one should wait patiently before making a decision, but we should be careful! In any case, says Manoel, we will be in Manao in a little over twenty days.Torres is going to stay there, he's going to leave us there and we can get rid of this guy forever!Until then, we must keep a close eye on him! You see what I mean, Manoel.Benito said. Yes, we are friends, brothers!Manoel says though I don't and can't share all your fears!What is the connection between your father and this adventurer?Obviously, your father never met him!

Of course, my father didn't know Torres, said Benito, but Torres seemed to know my father!What was he doing near the estate when we met him in the forest of Iquitos?Why did he decline our invitation then?Otherwise, wouldn't it be logical to become our traveling companion?We got to Tabatinga and he was there as if waiting for us!Are these unexpected encounters just a coincidence, or were they pre-planned?As soon as I saw Torres' evasive and stubborn eyes, I couldn't help but think of these!I don't know that these inexplicable things are always haunting me and lingering!well!Why did I take the initiative to invite him to ride on the big raft!

Calm down, Benito, I beg you, calm down! Manoel!exclaimed Benito, who seemed unable to control his emotions, and if this odious fellow had come after me, would I not have thrown him overboard at once?But, in case he's targeting my father, I'm afraid that being sentimental will backfire!My gut tells me it's dangerous to take any action against this sneaky guy until I have real evidence!Anyway, as long as we're on the raft, he's in our possession, and if we keep a close watch around my father, we can force him to tear off his mask and show his true colors when he's mischievous!Therefore, we have to bear with it for a while longer!

Torres came to the bow, and the two young men stopped talking.Torres glanced at them a few times, but did not speak to them. Benito was not mistaken, the adventurer's eyes were fixed on Joam when no one was looking.on Galar. Benito's feeling was right, and he noticed that Torres' face would darken every time he looked at his father.This further confirmed his idea. What is the mysterious bond that connects the two men?One of them is so noble and knows nothing about it. Now, Torres is under the surveillance of two young men, Fragoso and Lina, at the same time. In this situation, it is difficult for him to act without being suppressed.Perhaps, he also understands this.But he didn't show it, and he behaved as usual.

After the conversation, Manoel and Benito were very satisfied, and they decided to monitor Torres and not take any action for the time being, so as not to alarm the enemy. In the next few days, the big raft passed the mouth of the Kamala River, the Aru River, and the Uripari River on the right bank of the river. These rivers did not directly flow into the Amazon River, but flowed southward and into the The Puru River, through it, empties into the Amazon River.On August 10th, at five o'clock in the evening, the big raft anchored at Cocos Island. There is a Serangai glue workshop on the island.This is a workshop for refining rubber. Its name comes from a tree called Serangela, whose scientific name is Sifonia.Erotica.

It is said that due to negligence or random mining, this tree has been greatly reduced in the Amazon River area, but there are still a large number of Serangela trees on the banks of the Madeira River, Puru River and other tributaries of the Amazon River. In the workshop, there are more than 20 Indians collecting and refining rubber. This kind of activity is usually carried out in May, June, and July. When the Amazon River swells, the water can reach the trunk of the rubber tree four feet high.After the river water fully infiltrated the rubber trees, the Indians began to collect them at the right time.

A few openings are made in the trunk, and a small pot is fastened under the opening. Within twenty-four hours, the pot will be filled with milky sap.It can also be harvested by placing a hollow bamboo tube or other container at the foot of a tree. After collection, in order to prevent the separation of the resin molecules, the Indians used Acai palm trees to light a fire to smoke the glue, and dangled the wooden shovel containing the glue in the smoke, and the glue quickly coagulated , it turned gray-yellow and became more and more solid.The cured rubber was peeled off the shovel in layers, and after drying in the sun, they turned brown and became harder.At this point, the production process is over.

Benito seized this golden opportunity and bought all the rubber that the Indians had stored upstairs.The price he offered was sufficient to compensate them for their labour, and the Indians were quite satisfied. Four days later, on the fourteenth of August, the great raft passed the mouth of the River Prussia. The Purus River is also an important tributary on the right bank of the Amazon River. There are more than 500 miles of waterways that can be navigated, even by large ships.It flows from the southwest, and its mouth is about four thousand feet wide.The banks are densely planted with fig trees, Tamin Ali trees, Nipas palms and Secrobia trees, and finally, it divides into five tributaries and empties into the Amazon River. On this river, the driver Aloruo can drive the boat as he pleases.Because there are fewer islands blocked in the river than in other places, and the river is at least eight kilometers wide. The river pushed the big raft forward at a constant speed, and on August 18, the big raft docked in the village of Pescolo, where it was going to spend the night. The sun was almost falling to the horizon, and at low latitudes, it sank very fast, falling almost vertically, like a huge bolide.After day comes night, almost without dusk, just like night comes when the footlights in front of the stage suddenly go out during a play. Joam.Galar was standing in front of the house with his wife, Lina, and old Siebel. Torres walked around Joam for a while, as if he wanted to talk to him. At this moment, Father Passana came to say good night to Joam's family. Perhaps the presence of the priest hindered him, so he retreated to his room. Indians and Negroes lay in their respective posts on the deck.Aloruo sat in the bow, studying the straight and flowing current. On the surface, Manoel and Benito, who were staring at each other, chatted, smoked, walked in the center of the boat, and waited to go to bed. Suddenly Manoel caught Benito and said: What kind of smell is this?Am I mistaken?Didn't you hear it?Seems It smells like heated musk!Benito said that there must be a large crocodile sleeping on the nearby river beach! Thanks to Mother Nature for exposing them! Yes, says Benito, we are lucky because this animal is very scary. These lizard-like animals generally like to lie on the beach at dusk, where they can spend the night more comfortably.They generally enter the burrow backwards, and when they sleep, they curl up at the mouth of the burrow with their mouths open and their mandibles erect, except when waiting and watching for prey.For these amphibians, it is easy for them to swim rapidly with their tails as motors in the water, or gallop at human speed in the sand, so that they can quickly catch their prey. On this vast sandy land, crocodiles are born, grow, and die, and some can live for a long time. The old crocodiles that are more than a hundred years old are not only covered with green moss and warts on their carapaces, but also become more and more ferocious.As Benito said, the animals are terrifying and one should beware of their attacks. Suddenly, a shout came from the bow: Crocodile!Crocodile! Manoel and Benito got up and watched. Three crocodiles, fifteen to twenty feet long, had climbed onto the deck of the raft. shot!shot!Benito shouted and signaled the Indians and blacks to back off. go inside!That's more important, says Manoel! Indeed, since you cannot fight a crocodile directly, the best way is to find a hiding place first. In an instant, everyone hid in the house.The Galar family hid in the house, and after a while, the two young men rushed over.Indians and blacks also hid in their rooms. When the door was closing, Manoel asked: What about Mina? She is not in the house!Lina said she had just run over from Mina's house. God!where is sheYaquita yelled. All shouted at the same time: Mina!Mina! No one answered. So, will she be at the bow?asked Benito. Mina!Manoel yelled. Two young men, Fragoso, Joam.Regardless of the danger, Galar rushed outside the house with a gun. As soon as they got outside, the two crocodiles turned and rushed towards them. Benito raised his gun and fired, hitting one of the crocodiles near the eye, a fatal shot, which fell to the deck, convulsing violently. But the second one had come close, and there was nowhere to hide. The big crocodile actually asked Joam.Galar rushed over, and it knocked him to the ground with its tail, opened its mouth wide, and jumped on it. At this moment, Torres rushed out of the house, holding a sharp ax in his hand, and slashed towards the crocodile. The animal's eyes, it rushed aside, whether intentionally or not, plunged into the river, and disappeared without a trace. Mina!Mina!The panic-stricken Manoel kept shouting and came to the bow. Suddenly the girl appeared, and at first she fled into Aloro's house; but the third crocodile overturned her with all her might, and now Mina was running towards the stern, pursued by the crocodile, and only six feet away. Mina fell down. Benito fired another shot, but it didn't stop the crocodile!The bullet only grazed its carapace and shattered the scales, but did not hurt the body. Manoel ran to the girl, trying to pick her up, lead her away, and take her back from death!A sweep of the crocodile's tail knocked her to the ground. Mina passed out and was in danger. The crocodile opened its mouth wide, ready to devour her! At this moment, Fragoso jumped towards the crocodile, and pierced its throat with a dagger. If the crocodile suddenly shut its mouth at this moment, his arm would definitely be bitten off. It was a very close call! Fragoso withdrew his arm in time, but he couldn't avoid the crocodile's impact and was brought into the river by it, and the river immediately turned red. Fragoso!Fragoso!Lina knelt on the raft and yelled. After a while, Fragoso surfaced and he was safe and sound. Mina has woken up.Manoel, Yaquita, Mina, and Lina stretched out their hands to Fragoso, who was desperately saving lives, and he didn't know which one to pull.Finally, he took the half-race girl's hand. Fragoso saved Mina's life, while Torres saved Joam.Galar. It seemed that the adventurer did not want to take the manor owner's life.In the face of this obvious fact, it must be admitted. Manoel pointed this out to Benito in a low voice. Yes!Benito said embarrassingly, you are right, so you will be less worried!But, Manoel, my doubts are not allayed!Sworn enemies don't necessarily have to take lives! Joam.Galar approached Torres. Thanks, Torres.As he spoke, he held out his hand to him. The adventurer took a few steps back without saying a word. Torres, said Joam again, I am sorry that your trip is coming to an end, and in a few days we shall part!i owe you Joam.Gallard, said Torres, you owe me nothing!Your life is very precious to me!But, if you agree, I have thought that instead of stopping at Manao, I will go all the way to Belém.Can you give me another ride? Joam.Gallard agreed. Hearing this request, Benito almost protested; but Manoel stopped him, and the young man made an effort to control himself.