Chapter 24 Chapter Nine Walking Through the Highlands

At six o'clock the next morning, JacquesAi Luohe and his companions set off, and the Monua Peak camp was handed over to their extremely trusted Pashaer to guard it. Pashall had Garineta and Moricer's fifteen crew members under him, and the other two went with the passengers with their luggage on their backs.When encountering an attack from the natives or the Alphaniz gang, if you really can't resist it, then abandon the camp and rush to the Santa Juana missionary site as much as possible. Because there is no doubt that at least Jacques.Ailoch firmly believes that the Kiva people, who have plagued this part of Venezuela, will meet with tenacious resistance if they dare to invade the missionary land.

He talked to Valdez about it.It seems that the outlook is relatively optimistic.On the way through the Palima Heights, if you encounter Alphaniz's gang, it is of course the worst case, but judging from Gao Mo's words and his father's answer to Holles, this group is not Before coming to the vicinity of the highlands, Holles ran north, obviously wanting to meet up with Alfaniz. It is very possible that the two of them might have been inmates.Besides, even if the Kiwa people might be nearby, the mission site is not too far away. It is only 50 kilometers away. Calculated by walking 25 kilometers every 24 hours, travelers can reach it on foot in about two and a half days.They set off in the early morning of October 30th, and it is reasonable to expect to arrive in Santa Juana in the afternoon of November 1st, as long as the trip is not delayed by bad weather.

So as long as the luck is good, the squad can reach the destination without hindrance. There are eight members, and Jacques is at the forefront.Eloch and Valdes, followed by Jean and Gomo, of course, the direction is given by Gomo.Then came Germain.Paterna and Martial, the two crew members on Garinetta at the back, carried the package, and the contents had been reduced to the minimum, the quilt for the night, enough canned meat and tapioca flour, Each person also carries a jug of soju or tafia. Originally, there were so many prey in the forest, and hunting was enough for the tourists to eat, but they decided not to expose their whereabouts and attract attention because of the sound of muskets.

If they could catch a wild boar or a capybara without firing a gun, they would certainly not miss the chance.In short, we must strive for no gunshots on the high ground. Needless to say, Jacques.Ailoch, Martial, and Valdez all carried carbines with full magazines, and pistols and daggers on their waists.Germain.Paterna also brought a shotgun and carried the specimen box that he never left. The weather was just right for the journey, with no sign of rain.The clouds were high, softening the sun, and a breeze blew over the treetops, and in between the branches, knocked down the dead leaves.Going northeast, the terrain gradually rises.The wet, muddy swamps so common on the plain were gone, except for an occasional low-lying place.

Travelers will still encounter rivers, though, and according to Gomo, the Torida, a tributary of the Orinoco, flows to Santa Juana.The river was so fast that boats could not sail, and the river was blocked by granite rocks, let alone boats, and even canoes could not go.The Torrida River twisted and twisted through the woods, and the squad marched along its right bank. Led by the young Indians, they walked northeastward from the right side of the hut and crossed obliquely from the high ground. There are thorns and shrubs all over the place. In some places, the layer of dead leaves is extremely thick. In other places, hundreds of thousands of branches have been blown down by Qiubasco, and they are entangled to block the road. It is not easy to walk.Moreover, out of the consideration of saving the girl's physical strength, Jacques.Ai Luohe is not in a hurry to walk fast.Jeanne then said a few words to him, and he replied:

It is very important to walk quickly, but it is more important not to be too tired to walk in order to go fast. I am now fully recovered, Mr. Elloher, and I will not detain you. I beg you, my dear Jean.He replied, Please accept the necessary protective measures I have taken for you, I have talked with Gao Mo, I already know the exact location of Santa Juana, I have carefully calculated, divided our trip into several stops, Unless something else happens on the road, and of course I hope nothing happens, we'll just follow these few stops.If anything should require some extra walking, it will be good for us to save our energy now, especially for you, and my only regret is that I cannot find a mount for you to save you from walking.

Thank you, Monsieur Elloch, said Jeanne, the only word that can repay you for what you have done for me!Really, calm down and think about it, I just turned a blind eye to all the difficulties that might exist on the road. If God hadn't sent you to my side, I really don't know how the sergeant and his nephew could reach their destination !However, you don't need to travel that far to San Fernando. Where Miss Kellmer is, I shall be there, and besides, since I have also come to the Orinoco, it means that we should meet!Yes!This is preordained, and there is another point to be said in advance, that is, from here to the mission site, you must absolutely obey me all the way.

I will, Mr. Elloher. Is there any friend more worthy of my trust than you?the girl replied. At noon, the passengers stopped by the Torrida River to rest.The water was rushing.Can't make it through at all.The river was less than fifty feet wide, and wild ducks and pawa chickens flitted across the water from time to time. The young Indians shot down a few with bows and arrows, and the prey was saved for dinner. Everyone ate some cold meat and cassava cakes. After an hour's rest, the team went on the road again.The slope is getting bigger and bigger, but the forest has not become thinner. It is still one tree after another, clumps of thorns and shrubs.Fortunately, we walked along the Torrida River. If we walked through the forest, the road would be blocked by dwarf palm trees, and it would take a lot of effort to walk.As long as there are no accidents, Jacques will be able to finish walking by night.Ailoch's scheduled journey.

The bushes under the forest are very lively, thousands of birds are flying around among the branches, chirping together.The monkeys are jumping and jumping under the trees, most of them are howler monkeys, but they don't roar during the day, they only let go of their voices at night or early in the morning.Germain.Paterna was delighted to find flocks of gualhalo birds among the birds. Their appearance indicated that this place was close to the east coast. They only came out at night and usually hid in the crevices of rocks.Now alarmed, they fled to the tops of the Mataka tree, whose berries, like the bark of the mahogany, are as antipyretic as their food.

Flying among the trees are many other species of birds, all of whom are adept at dancing and twirling, the males courting the females with grandeur.The further you go northeast, the species of aquatic animals decreases.Because they generally live in the swamps near the banks of the Orinoco River. Germain.Paterna also noticed some bird nests, suspended from branches by a light vine, swinging like a swing.These nest snakes are out of reach. Listening to the calls from inside, one would think it was a nest full of nightingales learning sight-singing. When they flew out of the nest, they could be seen to be another bird. A family of singers.At the beginning, Martial and Simon gave up.The Bolivar saw this bird while walking around Kaicara.

Germain.Paterna couldn't hold back, and wanted to reach into the bird's nest to touch it.He was about to do so when Gamo called out: Be careful, be careful! Sure enough, six or seven Troupias sprang at the daring naturalist and pecked at his eyes, and Valdez and the Indian boy rushed to his relief. Be careful, Jacques.Eloch reminded his companions not to go back to Europe in the image of a one-eyed dragon or a blind man! Germain.Paterna accepted the admonition. It was also very wise not to go into the bushes on the left bank of the river.It is not an exaggeration to describe the coiled snakes in the grass there as innumerable.Another thing to watch out for is the caiman.They are found in the water of the Orinoco River and near the shore.In summer, they usually lie down in the moist silt layer and stay there until the rainy season.Snakes are different, they don't just stay under the dead leaves, they are always waiting for an opportunity.Travelers have spotted several Valdez pointed out a two-meter-long cave snake, and then beat it away. As for tigers, bears, leopard cats and other ferocious beasts, none of them were seen.However, after dark, you may hear their roars, so it is better to be careful when camping. Until now, Jacques.Ai Luohe and his companions have not encountered any accidents, neither the disturbance of wild animals nor the attack of bandits, but the latter is more terrifying than the former.Although Holles and Alphaniz were not mentioned to everyone in the words, Jacques.Eloch and Valdez remained on high alert.The ship boss of Garinetta, who is at the forefront of the team, often runs to the left front to explore the way, so as not to be caught off guard when encountering an attack.Sometimes he probed five hundred meters ahead and found nothing suspicious before returning to Jacques.Ai Luohe's side.The two of them exchanged glances and everything was understood. The path parallel to the Torrida River is very narrow, but the passengers try to walk as compactly as possible to avoid stretching the team too long, but sometimes when encountering big rocks or deep pits, they have to leave the path and go around under the trees.The river has been flowing towards the northeast, along the bottom of the Palima Heights, and on the other side of the river, the forest rises up layer by layer, and several huge palm trees stand prominently.The top is the top of the mountain, which extends southward along the ridgeline and is connected with the Roraima Mountains. Jean and Gaumer were next to each other, and the river bank at their feet was just big enough for two people to walk side by side. They were talking about the Santa Juana Mission.The Indian boy knew every detail of this organization, and of its founder, Father Esperante himself.There is nothing about this missionary that cannot fail to be interesting. Are you familiar with him?let ask. Yes, I know him, I see him a lot, my dad and I lived in Santa Juana for a year. Was it a long time ago? No, it was the period before the rainy season last year.After the misfortune, our village in San Salvador was destroyed by the Kivas, and we and some other villagers fled all the way to the mission site. You were received by Father Esperante in Santa Juana? Yes, he is such a nice guy!He asked us to stay, and a few stayed. Why did you guys leave later? My dad wants to go, we are Baniwa, dad wants to go back to his hometown.He used to be a sailor on the river, and I already knew how to row, with a small oar.When I was only four years old, I rowed with my father. The boy's words did not let Jacques.Ailoch et al. were surprised.They already knew from Xia Fangrong's travel notes that the Baniwa people were the best sailors on the Orinoco River. They were smart and kind, and they converted to Christianity many years ago.Due to special circumstances, Gao Mo's mother is from a certain tribe in the east, so Gao Mo's father settled in the village of San Salvador outside the river source.He decided to leave Santa Juana because he wanted to return to the grasslands between San Fernando and Kaicara, where his roots were, and he and his son temporarily lived in the small shabby house in Palima Heights, intending to wait When the time comes, if there is a ship coming, I will ask others to be a crew member so as to return to my hometown. If it wasn't for Jacques.If Eloch and his boat had to stop at the Monua Peak camp, what would happen to Gao Mo whose father was killed? Let Na.De.Kellmer thought about these questions while listening to the young man.Then she turned to Santa Juana, asking about the current situation of the mission, especially Father Esperante, and Gaumo answered all the questions clearly.According to his description, although the Spanish missionary was over sixty years old, he was still tall and strong, and he was good-looking, good-looking, the boy kept repeating, with a snow-white beard, and a pair of eyes sparkling, as if there were flames beating , Manuel.Don't M. Asançon, and that damned Horace all describe it that way?Jeanne couldn't help fantasizing, as if she was already in Santa Juana. Father Esperante greeted her with open arms. The priest was telling her all the necessary information. The whereabouts of his father since he left Santa Juana. Six o'clock in the evening, Jacques.Ai Luohe signaled everyone to stop, and the second part of the trip ended. The Indians began to make preparations for camping.This place looks nice.A funnel-shaped depression protrudes from the river bank, and a rock stands in the innermost part of the depression. Tall trees hang down their dense branches and leaves from the rock, like hanging a curtain on the stone.There is a small nest-like place below, which can accommodate girls to lie down.Make her a bed of hay and dead leaves, and she will sleep as comfortably as in the Garinetta poncho. Of course, Jean didn't want everyone to spend so much time on him.But Jacques.Ai Luohe didn't care, and even moved out Sergeant Marshall and let him decide, how could the nephew not listen to his uncle. Germain.Paterna and Valdez are in charge of cooking.There were fish in the river, and Gao Mo shot some of them with an arrow in the way of the Indians.A fire was lit against the rocks, and the fish was roasted over a small fire.Take the canned food and cassava cakes from the bag carried on the entourage.Everyone has been walking for five hours in a row, with a big appetite, and it is unanimously recognized that this meal is the most delicious. As for the comparison range of the most words Since the last meal!Germain.cried Paterna.In his opinion, any meal that fills one's stomach is good. It was getting dark, everyone settled down to sleep first, and then each found a corner to spend the night. The Indian boy lay at the entrance of the depression, and no one had to keep watch at night. It was agreed that in the first half of the night, Valdez and one of his men would watch over them. In the middle of the night Jacques.Eloher and another crew member took over. Things may happen in the forest on the shore or on both sides of the river. If suspicious people approach, they must be discovered in time. Sergeant Marshall also insisted on the night watch, but everyone disagreed, let him rest tonight, and let him be on duty tomorrow night, Germain.Same goes for Paterna.Tonight by Jacques.It was enough for Eloch and Valdes to replace each other, so the veteran went inside and slept as close to the girl as possible. As soon as it was completely dark, the beasts began to call, mingling with the howler monkeys.This chorus will not end until the light shines from the sky.To be on the safe side, it was best to light a fire, and keep adding wood all night to keep it alive, so that wild animals would not dare to come near, and everyone knew this, but it was decided not to start a fire.Because although fire can drive away ferocious beasts, on the other hand, it will attract bad people. If the Kivas are in this area, they might come, and the most important thing for travelers is not to be seen by people with malicious intentions. . Not long after, the entire campground sank into sleep, only Valdez and a crew member sat on the river bank and guarded. Near midnight, JacquesAlloch and another crew member replaced them. Valdez didn't see or hear anything suspicious.It was difficult to hear anything, the sound of the river crashing against the rocks echoed across the highlands. Jacques.Eloch told Valdez to go to bed, and went up to the river bank by himself. From there he could see not only the edge of the forest, but also the left bank of the Torrida. Sitting under a tall Moriche tree, he couldn't help feeling excited and dreaming, but at the same time he didn't let his guard down. Is he dazzled at four o'clock in the morning, the east is just beginning to pale, Jacques.Ai Luohe's attention was attracted by a movement, which came from the opposite bank where the terrain was slightly gentler than this side.He seems to see a shadow moving behind the bushes. Is it an animal or a person?He stood up, climbed onto the embankment, walked a few meters closer to the river bank, and stopped there to watch. He couldn't see anything clearly, but he was pretty sure that something was moving at the edge of the forest on the other side. Should he sound the alarm?At least wake up Valdez, who is falling asleep a few steps away. He made up his mind and went up to pat Valdes on the shoulder to wake him up. Hold still, Valdez, he whispered, looking across the river. Valdes was still lying down at this time, and he could see the opposite bank when he turned his head. He opened his eyes wide and looked under the dark bushes for a full minute. I could see, Valdez said, three or four people walking along the bank. what to do? Don't wake the others, it's impossible to cross the river at this place, unless there is a place to ford upstream. But where?Jacques.Eloch pointed to the forest stretching to the northeast. I didn't see anything, and I can't see anything now.Valdez turned over as he spoke. Maybe it was just two or three Bravo Indians. What are they doing at the shore in the dark?No, I don't think it's right, our campsite must have been discovered.Hey, look, Valdez, there's a man going down to the river. yes!Valdes said in a low voice, he is not an Indian at all, and the way he walks does not resemble him. The sunlight that had first illuminated the distant peaks in the sky now fell on the Torrida.Valdes could see the man on the other side more clearly. They are the Kivas under Alphaniz.Jacques.Elloher said they were the only ones interested in knowing if we took all the crew. We should have done it in the first place.Said the captain of the Garinetta ship. Maybe, Valdez.Unless we go to the Orinoco to find help, if we are recognized, it will be too late to send someone to the camp to inform the crew, and we will be besieged without help. Valdes suddenly grabbed Jacques.Ai Luohe's arm, the latter immediately fell silent. The banks of the Torrida were more illuminated, while the hollows on their side were still shrouded in darkness, Jean, Gaumeau, Martial, Germain.Paterna and another crew member were still asleep. I think Valdez said, I think I recognized someone, yes!I have very good eyesight, and my eyes don't lie to me!I recognized the man, the Spaniard. horace! Exactly. I won't let him go, the beast! Jacques.Elloch grabbed the carbine leaning against a rock, loaded it quickly, and was about to take aim. No, no!Valdez said that one shot would only kill one of them, and there might be hundreds of them hiding under the trees, besides, they would not be able to cross the river. It is impossible to get through here, but what about going upstream?who knows? But Jacques.Ai Luohe still believes in Valdez's words. The captain of Garineta's ship is a shrewd and cautious Baniwa, and his opinion is not likely to be wrong. Besides, Holles, if it were him, was in danger of exposing himself in order to get a closer view of the campsite.So, when and Jacques.The crew members on duty with Elloch felt that they had discovered something. When he stood up from the bank of the Torrida River where he was and walked forward, Valdez hurriedly hid under the tree. A quarter of an hour, Jacques.Both Eloch and Valdez stayed where they were. Holles and his companions were no longer seen on the opposite bank, where the sun was gradually shining on the bushes, and there was no more movement to be seen. But as the sky grew brighter, Holles assumed that Valdes was right and would observe that the passengers were accompanied by only two crew members, and they were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers. With such a lack of security, how do we go forward?The detachment has been discovered and is under the surveillance of the enemy. Horace has just discovered Jacques.Ai Luohe and others rushed to the Santa Juana missionary site on foot, and the team could no longer get rid of the followers. The situation is extremely serious, and what is even more frightening is that Holles has undoubtedly connected with the Kiva gang. Led by the prison escaped convict Alfaniz, the gang is running around in this area.